About Us

The Deacon is a bimonthly magazine that serves permanent deacons and deacon candidates as they serve the Church by helping them foster intimate communion with Christ the Servant.

Through a cultivation of the interior life, which leads to effective ministry, The Deacon contributes to the mission of the Church by making present the totus Christus (the “whole Christ”) to the world. The Deacon seeks to build a community of men on fire for the diaconate through quality content that forms, informs and inspires.

Radiating joy, The Deacon is a trustworthy resource that accompanies deacons, deacon candidates and deacon directors as they live out, learn about and support diaconal ministry.

Meet the Editor

Deacon Cerrato

Deacon Dominic Cerrato is the director of Diaconal Formation for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois. He also serves as executive director of Diaconal Ministries, a national ministry developed under Bishop Jeffrey Monforton of the Diocese of Steubenville that ministers to permanent deacons and those they serve.

Deacon Dominic was ordained a Roman Catholic permanent deacon in 1995 for the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio. He earned a Ph.D. in theology from the Catholic Theological Foundation via Duquesne University in 2009; a master’s in theology from Duquesne University; and a bachelor’s in theology from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

Deacon Dominic is author of “In the Person of Christ the Servant: A Theology of the Diaconate Based on the Personalist Thought of Pope John Paul II” (St. Ephraem Press, 2014) and “The Indispensability of the Diaconate” (Josephinum Diaconal Review, 2017). He was a contributor to “Character of the Deacon: The Spiritual and Pastoral Foundations” (Paulist Press, 2017).

Deacon Dominic is a member of both the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and the National Association of Diaconate Directors, and he serves as director of spiritual direction for the Pastoral Solutions Institute in Steubenville. He has been married to Judith Cerrato since 1982, and the couple has seven children and many grandchildren. Deacon Dominic was appointed Editor of The Deacon in April 2018.

The Deacon Team:

Publisher: Scott Richert
Editorial Director: Gretchen R. Crowe
Editor: Deacon Dominic Cerrato
Associate Editor: Tim Johnson
Designer: Amanda Falk

Advertising Manager: Bob King
Production Manager: Christopher Rice