Second IDC webinar on 7 November 2026
You are warmly invited to our international webinar: ‘The evolving Diaconate’
An special webinar for members of the IDC
Following the successful launch in April, our next webinar is just around the corner.
We are delighted to hear from Prof. Bart Koet from the Netherlands about the origins of the diaconate in the early Church. We are also delighted to have secured Fr Etienne Grieu SJ from France as our second speaker, who will talk about the development and evolution of the diaconate since the Second Vatican Council. Following their two presentations, there will be ample time for questions and answers.
Our guest presenters:
Deacon Prof. em. Bart J. Koet
Bart J. Koet, married to Marie José van Bolhuis, father of Lukas, Beatrijs, Benjamin and Josefien, deacon of the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies and Professor Emeritus of Early Christian Literature at the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology. For fifteen years, he combined his academic work with his role as a prison chaplain. His research focuses primarily on the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the interpretation of Holy Scripture, narrative pedagogy, and the role of dreams and visions in early Christianity. In addition, he has authored numerous publications on leadership roles in the early Church, such as those of the deacon and the presbyter, and has edited several books on various forms of such leadership roles. Since 2016, he has been President of the ‘Conventus Studiosorum Novi Testamenti’ of the Netherlands and Flanders.
Deacon Bart will speak on the origins of the diaconate in the early Church, including roles played by deacons as crucial intermediaries,administrative managers, and communication hubs within the church network.
Father Etienne Grieu SJ
Etienne Grieu is a French theologian and Jesuit priest. He teaches at the Facultés Loyola Paris (Jesuit Faculty in Paris), where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Theology from 2012 to 2017 and has been its Rector from 2017 to 2024. He has been serving as superior of a community located in a tower block in Saint-Denis, a deprived part of the Paris banlieue. Besides his conventional lecturing in the doctrine of the sacraments and in Mariology, he has pioneered theological methods nourished by direct contact with people on society’s edges. He has devoted significant research to the diaconate and travels throughout France giving lectures to encourage Christians to enter the diaconate. This year, his new book was published in French; its title translates as: The Bishop’s Ears. On Deacons (Les oreilles de l’évêque. À propos des diacres, Paris, Cerf, 2026).
Fr Etienne will speak on the renewed/restored diaconate in the modern Church and exploring reasons why it has flourished in some countriesand not in others. He will also look at the ways the diaconate is lived out today (compared to the vision of Vatican II) and its potential trajectory into the future.
Date: 7 November 2026, 8.00 pm Central European Time
Please check the corresponding time in your time zone.
As it is not possible for all members to attend live, the webinar will, of course, be recorded and subsequently made available to IDC members on our website.
The webinar is expected to last 80 minutes, including a question-and-answer session.
All IDC members will receive a registration link by email.
If you are not yet an IDC member but would like to take part in the webinar, please contact us at: E-Mail schreiben
Technical information
The webinar will take place via Zoom, using an AI-powered simultaneous translation system.
The Zoom link and further information will be sent to registered participants two days before the webinar.
The meeting room will be open from 7.45 pm (CET).
We look forward to your participation.