Episode 3: Joshua Fultz is a deacon

I am a convert to Judaism, and Joshua is a convert to the Catholic Church. And he has always been one of the most fun people to talk about religion with, which led me to understand that us weird converts have something about us and our journeys that crosses spiritual paths. There is something about being a person who chose a faith that is always a little different than someone born into one. (If you hear us thumping the table a lot, forgive us: We're excited converts.)

Joshua exemplifies the intensity of the convert, having traveled from dissatisfaction with religion in his teenage years to marrying his awesome wife, and the both of them growing into a life of service and learning in their new church.

Today, he's a permanent deacon for the Roman Catholic Church, a level of lay leadership and service to the Church. Joshua explains what drew him to the diaconate and what it's like doing the work. (He had to go through the stages of Instituted Lector and Instituted Acolyte, FYI, which were set up with Vatican II back in the 1970s.)

The process is a lengthy curriculum of study, service and spiritual growth over five years. And anywhere along the way, the people watching your development in the program can tell you, y'know, this isn't for you.

"It's the Church, your wife and yourself making the decision, is this calling really there?" Joshua says.

And Joshua was never totally sure; he says he understood deeply his own flaws, and he always wondered whether he belonged in this service: "I know all my own sins and my past, and I'm going, 'I'm not the pious guy who should be a deacon.' But ... God doesn't use pious guys all the time. Sometimes he goes out and finds the guys with that past, and you can talk to those people living in those circumstances ... and explain to them the faith."

He also shares a very personal tale of dreams that guided him toward God and through life as well.

Joshua's spiritual and religious journey is a fascinating one, and you'll learn some awesome stuff about what's happening during that Catholic service.

Want to know more?

• The Archdiocese of Newawk (New Jersey) has a bit more about the history of the position (it's new ... and old!) in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Here's one diocese's deacon formation application 22-pager.
• Joshua mentions the four pillars of deacon formation. Bam!
• Want to get a little more feel for the reverence, ritual and tradition Joshua likes as a self-described "traddy" (more Latin, older hymns)? Check out this interview with a fellow traditionalist Catholic (Joshua didn't suggest this, so this may or may not represent Joshua's feelings)
• Yup. Bible stories on felt board is definitely a thing.
• Want a feel for what's on that altar with Joshua and the priests? Check this sample out.