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(Kevin McKenna was ordained a deacon on May 22nd
[yesterday] and will be ministering as a deacon at St. Malachi. He will also be
assisting at the 11:00 am Mass for the first time on Pentecost, May 30th.)
The Sacrament of Holy Orders consists of three distinct “orders”: Bishop,
Priest (presbyter), and Deacon. This three-fold division of Holy Orders is
ancient in the life of the church; it was clearly established by the end of the
first/beginning of the second century.
The word “deacon” comes from the Greek word, diakonia, “to
serve. “ The roots of the diaconate are found in the Acts of the Apostles: “At
that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists (i.e.
Greek-speakers) complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being
neglected in the daily distribution. So the twelve called together the community
of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God
to serve you at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable
men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task. …
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen,
a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor,
Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They
presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them.” (Acts
6:1-6) The Acts of the Apostles then recounts the deacons Stephen and Philips’
ministry preaching the Gospel and Stephen’s martyrdom, which is patterned on
Christ’s own passion and death.
The Acts of the Apostles establishes what is fundamental to the diaconate:
ordination by the Bishop by prayer and laying on of hands, and a ministry of
Charity (especially the service of those who are poor) and proclaiming the Word
of God. Thus, the deacon has an active ministry in serving God’s people and a
liturgical ministry, proclaiming and preaching the Gospel.
The ministry of Deacon was important in the early church. They had
responsibility for providing for needy members of the community. A famous story
concerns St. Lawrence, a third century deacon in Rome. During the
Diocletian persecution, the authorities confronted Lawrence, knowing he had
charge of serving the poor and so held funds. They demanded he turn over “the
treasure of the Church.” Lawrence agreed, telling them he would need three
days to assemble it. He immediately distributed all the money and valuables he
could get to the needy. On the third day, he assembled his people: orphans and
widows, the sick, the disabled and the poor. When the authorities arrived, he
took them to the gathered people and said, “here is the Treasure of the
Church!” He was immediately arrested and martyred.
Over the centuries, the ministry of the Deacon declined until the distinct
Order of Deacon virtually disappeared from the life of the Church. The only
deacons most Catholics encountered were “transitional” deacons, i.e.
seminarians ordained to the diaconate before being ordained priests. It was not
until the Second Vatican Council that the Bishops called for the diaconate to be
restored as “a proper and permanent” order and described the deacon’s
ministry: “to administer Baptism solemnly, to reserve and distribute the
Eucharist, to assist at and to bless marriages in the name of the church, to
take Viaticum to the dying, to read the sacred scriptures to the faithful, to
instruct and exhort the people, to preside over the worship and the prayer of
the faithful, to administer sacramentals, and to officiate at funeral and burial
services. Dedicated to works of charity and functions of administration, they
should recall the admonitions of St. Polycarp: ‘Let them be merciful,
and zealous, and let them walk according to the truth of the Lord, who became
servant of all.’” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #29) In 1967,
Pope Paul VI implemented this decision of the Council. In the Diocese of
Cleveland, the first group of deacons was ordained in 1971.
Because deacons were new to most Catholics, there was some confusion about
how to describe the order and office of these deacons. They were variously
called “permanent deacons” (to distinguish them from those who would be
ordained priests), “married deacons” (since most were married), even “lay
deacons” (a term taken from some Protestant congregations).
None of these terms are accurate, although each communicates something true
about the diaconate. The term “permanent” serves as a reminder that the
diaconate is a proper Order in the Church, not merely a “stepping-stone” to
another (“higher”) Order, just as the priesthood is not a stepping-stone to
being a bishop. Most of the men ordained as deacons are married, though some are
not. Single men who are ordained as deacons make a commitment to celibacy, just
as priests do. If a deacon’s wife dies, the deacon ordinarily does not
remarry, although deacons who have young children can receive permission to
remarry. Calling a Catholic deacon a “lay” deacon is incorrect, because an
ordained person is a member of the clergy. As a cleric, deacons in the United
States generally wear a clergy shirt with a roman collar when involved in their
ministry. (To help people distinguish them from priests, most deacons have taken
to wearing a small cross with a deacon stole on the lapel of their suit coat.)
The official title of a deacon is “Reverend Mister” and in conversation, a
deacon is addressed as “Deacon.”
In the ordination rite, a deacon promises “obedience and respect” to the
bishop, just as priests do. However, most deacons live what people recognize as
a “normal” or “regular” life. They live in their own homes in the
neighborhood, not in the rectory. They have full-time jobs. They have family
responsibilities as husbands, fathers, grandfathers. Deacon formation emphasizes
that a deacon’s priority in life must be: 1) marriage and family; 2) work or
profession; 3) church ministry. Although some deacons have full-time paid “Church
jobs,” most deacons have a part-time, volunteer ministry. “It is exactly
this presence in the world that gives the diaconate its unique sacramental
identity. The deacon is one who is called to bring the ministry of the church
– its mission or charity and justice – to the workplace, to the community,
to the neighborhood and to all the places in which he lives and interacts with
others daily.” (Joseph DeGrocco, “The Ministry of Deacon,” America,
March 22, 2004, pg.20)
During the rite of ordination, the Bishop presents the newly-ordained deacon
with the Gospel book and instructs him: “Receive the Book of the Gospels,
whose herald you are. Believe what you read. Preach what you believe. Practice
what you preach.” In these simple sentences, the bishop summarizes the essence
of the deacon’s ministry. From the earliest days of the Church, deacons have
lived these words. In their wisdom, the Bishops of Vatican II saw the need for
the diaconal ministry as a separate and distinct Order to be restored to the
life of the Church. Blessed are we today for the ministry of deacons.
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