Forming deacons for the archdioceses of Southwark, Westminster and Cardiff, dioceses of Arundel and Brighton, Brentwood and East Anglia, and the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.


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Words of Life – Deacon pens new book

uks64330 • 3 May 2022

Words of Life – Deacon pens new book

Inspired by a parishioner, and with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, Deacon Sean Loone of Our Lady of the Wayside parish in the Archdiocese of Birmingham has released his latest work.

The two-year project entitled ‘Words of Life – The Parables of Jesus for People Today’ is now available to buy with all profits going to CAFOD’s Ukraine appeal.

Archbishop Bernard Longley has also written the Foreword for the new book, describing it as readable and accessible.

It is the fifth book written by Deacon Sean, who serves the people of Shirley in Solihull.

Deacon Sean explains in his own words…

“When a parishioner one Sunday, after Mass, suggested I write a book about the parables, to be honest I laughed it off, and put it to the back of my mind. However, for some reason, the idea just would not go away and it was then that the Holy Spirit took over. It was like a tiny seed, which over time grew, until it became a big shrub. That probably sounds familiar, and it is, because Jesus said exactly the same thing about the Kingdom of Heaven and its growth in our own hearts.

“Two years later I finished the book, ‘Words of Life – The Parables of Jesus for People Today’.

“My aim through this project was to show that the parables are more than mere stories but revelations of the nature of God whilst at the same time helping all of us understand what it means to be human. The second motivating factor for me was to help all people realise that the parables are, in fact, for everyone. So, when I’m asked, ‘who did you write the book for?’ My answer is quite simple, ‘for you.’

“I was thrilled when Archbishop Bernard agreed to write the foreword for me and this is how he summed up the project:

‘As a fruit of his ministry of preaching Deacon Sean offers these insights in a style that is both readable and accessible. I am most grateful to Deacon Sean for his generosity in offering these prayerful reflections and for the way in which he enables the reader to encounter the presence of the living God through the rich teachings that the parables of Jesus continue to offer for the world today.’

“Given what is going on in the world at the moment I am donating all of the profits from the project to CAFOD’s appeal for the suffering people of Ukraine.”

Deacon Sean’s book is available in dual format from Amazon



22 December 2021
Formation Day brought forward a week
by uks64330 19 October 2020
Due to the restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic it has proved impractical to go ahead with the Residential Weekends held at High Leigh as part of the Formation Programme. Alternative arrangements are being made and will be shown on the Formation Programme page of the website as they organised.
by uks64330 19 October 2020
It is with great sadness that we note that St John's Seminary at Wonersh is to close it's doors after the 2020/21 academic year. As well as forming priests for 130 years, Wonersh has been the home of the Southern group of formation. for the Permanent Diaconate since its restoration and hundred's of deacons for Southwark, Westminster, Arundel & Brighton, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Brentwood, Cardiff, Northampton and East Anglia diocese (at least) and the Ordinariate have been formed there and will remember it with affection. The current programme is based at the moment at St Mary's University campus and would had been expected to return to Wonersh In September 2021.
by uks64330 28 August 2020
Due to the unavailability of St John's Seminary until at least January 2021 it has been decided to relocate all Formation Days for the 2020/21 year to the Strawberry Hill Campus of St Mary's University, Twickenham TW1 4SX. There is no change at present to the dates of the Formation Days as previously published. The two Residential Weekends should still take place as usual at High Leigh.
by uks64330 15 March 2020
A contingency plan for the disruption of the Formation Programme due to the Coronavirus (Covid19) has been added to the Resources Page. This will be updated at the situation develops. As at 15 March all planned events are ON.
by uks64330 4 September 2019
The full programme for the Formation Day on 7 September 2019 is now available for download from the Resources page
by uks64330 2 September 2019
The draft programme for the 2019/20 year, listing all the sessions for each Formation Day and Residential Weekend is on the Resources Page of the website and via the link on the Formation Programme page. It is available for download from either location. Minor updates may be added to this programme in the next few weeks.
by uks64330 27 June 2019
The dates for the Formation Programme for 2020-21 have now been agreed with our hosts and are available for download on the Resources page of the website.
by uks64330 22 June 2019
Six students from the Southwark Archdiocese received minor ministries from Bishop Patrick Lynch, Auxiliary Bishop for S E London, at St Edmunds Church, Beckenham on 22nd June. David Daly, Sandy Misquitta and David Silk (front row of photo) received the Ministry of Acolyte whilst Ray Williamson, Con Diver and John Fogarty received the Ministry of Lector.
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An International Symposium will take place in Stuttgart on March 18th to 21st 2020. The title of the symposium is The Countenance of the Church in the Everyday Life of People with the subtitle The significance of the diaconate for a diaconal Church . Full details of the symposium can be downloaded from the Resources page of the website.
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