BRAINTREE -- Deacon Luc Lambert laments that most people never find their true calling in life.

Instead, he said, they "dance around it."

He found his calling when, after 26 years in the Air Force, he felt God calling him to the permanent diaconate. The people around him often told him he would make a great deacon. A deacon said it, and Deacon Lambert laughed. Then a priest said it, and he "wasn't laughing anymore." He wanted to become a deacon, but "there was always an excuse." His job as a civilian contractor required him to travel around the world, leaving no time for formation.

Then, his job shifted. He started working from home and traveling less and he retired just before the pandemic.

"The Lord stripped away every one of my 'no' answers so perfectly," he said. "No one can make the path as straight as he made it for me."

For him, the best part of becoming a deacon was "finally finding your role, your calling in life, what God has been asking them to do."

"It's like a great relief, but now you're really busy," he said. "Now that you know what you're doing, you start getting hit from different directions. It's never boring, and it's always exciting, something new, you're always going to be challenged just a little bit more."

Deacon Lambert was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2022.

Next month, he will be hosting a session in his church, St. Catherine of Alexandria in Westford, as part of the Archdiocese of Boston's annual Fall Diaconate Inquirer Program. The three-part program for men considering the diaconate will take place from October to December. No registration or commitment is required, and all interested men are invited to come along with their wives.

Deacon Tom O'Shea, who is running the program, said the archdiocese is looking for men who are willing to serve.

"It's a great way if you have a heart of service to the church to offer yourself to help," he said, "especially those people who may be on the margins of the church, either those who maybe are drifted away or maybe they're homebound or people that we want to evangelize and really strengthen their relationship with Christ through the church."

Men and their wives can attend any of 10 meetings happening all across the archdiocese for Session One of the program. Entitled "Who is the deacon and am I called to be a deacon?" the session will educate men about the role of deacons in their ministry.

"I would like to tell them what a joy it is that God called me to the diaconate," Deacon Lambert said.

He said that the men might be reluctant to answer God's call, or "push it off" because they're too busy, feel unworthy, or believe other men would do better. Those were the same things he once told himself.

"There's something going on in the world that causes us to say no to a lot of things when we should be stopping and considering what we have been asked to do," he said.

The Session One meetings are as follows: Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Brookline; Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Danvers; Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Hanover, St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Westford, and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Brockton; Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at St. Michael Parish in North Andover and St. Zepherin Church in Wayland; Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at St. Maria Goretti Church in Lynnfield; Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Walpole; and Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at St. Ann Church in Dorchester.

Session Two, "Canonical questions for applicants," will take place at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center in Braintree on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. A Zoom session will take place on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., but men are strongly encouraged to attend the in-person session. Unlike Sessions One and Three, wives are not expected to attend this session. In this session, men will be told about the requirements of the diaconate and whether they are eligible. Men must be between the ages of 35 and 65 and have been Catholic for at least five years to be eligible for the diaconate program. If they are married, it must be a sacramental marriage.

Session Three, "Discernment morning of prayer, application process," will take place at the Pastoral Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 6. Attendees will be taught how to discern whether God is calling them to the diaconate and how to apply for the ministry when applications open in January.

"You can discern whether or not it's the right time in your life, your family's life, to do that," Deacon O'Shea said. "It's a genuine concern, and we'll help you think through that."

For more information, visit bostondiaconate.com/news/is-god-calling-you-to-be-a-deacon, email deacon_vocations@rcab.org, or call the Archdiocese of Boston Office of the Permanent Diaconate at 617-746-5843.