Awesome article on Permanent Deacons

What about Deacons, Should they Preach? Where do Deacons Come From?
By Deacon Keith Fournier
6/23/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Deacons have a vital role to serve in the New Evangelization of the Church


One would think from some reports that this letter from one Bishop was somehow a "curtailing" of deacons preaching universally. The letter was a welcome contribution to a near dearth of writing on this clerical vocation. However, this Bishops opinion on the frequency of homilies is a matter of local law.

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - Recently, Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette wrote a letter on the vocation of the deacon entitled, "The Deacon: Icon of Jesus Christ the Servant". Sadly, this otherwise welcome treatment of my own vocation has become the subject of numerous articles which focused on a minor aspect; the Bishops interpretation of the General Instructions of the Roman Missal on the frequency of deacons preaching homilies at Mass.

One would think from some reports that this letter from one Bishop was a "curtailing" of deacons preaching, universally. The letter was a contribution to a near dearth of writing on this clerical vocation. However, this Bishops' opinion on the frequency of homilies is a matter of local law. This is also the case with deacons wearing clerical collars. They are members of the clergy.

Of course, the Bishop of Marquette is to be respected by his deacons. Also, his well written letter is welcome. But, his direction applies to his deacons in Marquette. What I hope does not happen is that this good Bishops letter gets interpreted in such a way that it minimizes the role of deacons in the Church. That would be a disservice.

Deacons have a vital role to serve in the New Evangelization of the Church. Yes, they are called to be an icon of Christ the Servant. Yes, they are called to be in the world, going as I have said, from the altar and the ambo into the street. But they are often very good homilists, precisely because of that witness and experience. Church history recounts the great homilies of Deacons, such as Ephrem, the "harp of the Holy Spirit" and others. Then there are the deacon martyrs, including Stephen and Lawrence and so many others. Their act of sacrificial love continues to inspire as a perpetual homily!

In 1996, on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (Corpus Christi), I was ordained to the Order of Deacon in the Catholic Church. When I lay prostrate on the floor that day in preparation for the imposition of the hands of my Bishop and the reception of the Book of the Gospels, I knew my life would never be the same. My ordination did indeed create a "mark" on my soul as our theology teaches. I now serve as a member of the Catholic clergy in everything I do: evangelization, apologetics, and ecumenism, as well as in my professional life.

The diaconate has a rich history. During the Church's first five centuries, this ministry flourished everywhere. But for various reasons, the order declined in the West as a distinct rank of clerical service, and eventually disappeared. It was relegated to a "transitional" order given to candidates on their way to priestly ordination. In the Eastern Church, the diaconate remained a part of the permanent rank of sacred orders without interruption from the time of the Apostles until now.

The Council of Trent (1545-63) called for the restoration of the permanent diaconate for the entire Church. But it was not until the Second Vatican Council, four centuries later, that this direction was implemented. The Council Fathers explicitly stated their purpose as threefold: to enhance the Church, to strengthen with sacred orders those men already engaged in diaconal functions, and to provide assistance to areas suffering clerical shortages.

According to "The Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons," issued jointly by the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy, the deacon is "a sacred minister and member of the hierarchy." He is ordained to the first rank of sacred orders, not to the priesthood or the episcopacy. He is no longer a layman, but a member of the clergy.

Like other clerics, the deacon participates in the threefold ministry of Jesus Christ; the "diaconia of the liturgy, the word, and of charity." He represents "Christ the Servant" in his vocation. The deacon teaches the Word of God, sanctifies through the sacraments, and helps lead the community in its religious life.

He assists at the altar, distributes the Eucharist as an ordinary minister, blesses marriages, presides over funerals, proclaims the Gospel and preaches, administers viaticum to the sick, and leads Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest.

Because they receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, deacons are sent by Christ to serve God's people. They are called to do so out of the depths of an interior life centered in the Eucharist, and fueled by a life of prayer, which proceeds into action. Like other clerics, they recite the Divine Office and cultivate the habit of penance.

They are called to link their love for the Lord and His Church to a love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in her "Fiat" represents the full surrender of love to the invitation of God. Since most deacons are married and have children, they are called to demonstrate the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage and the holiness of a consecrated family life. They are called to "give clear witness to the sanctity of marriage and family."

It is important to note that although the "permanent" diaconate has been opened to married men of mature age; it is also open to and encouraged as a permanent rank of orders for celibate men. The decision for marriage or celibacy is to be made before ordination to the order of deacon.

Having lived this wonderful vocation for fifteen years, I was absolutely thrilled to receive Elizabeth Ficocelli's beautiful children's book entitled "Where do Deacons Come From?" I give it my highest and most heartfelt recommendation. As a father of five grown children and six grandchildren, I know the importance of communicating to children in their earliest years the beauty of every vocation in the Church. In so doing, we are planting seeds which the Holy Spirit can and does cultivate.

As I serve the altar, one of my liturgical functions is to lead the "Prayers of the faithful" at Mass. When we pray for the Pope, our Bishops, and our priests, I always pray as well for our Deacons. When we pray for vocations, I include the diaconate in Christ. Elizabeth's beautifully written and superbly illustrated little book will now open the wonderful world of countless numbers of children to the beauty of the vocation to follow Jesus Christ and serve His Holy Church as a Deacon.

I recommend that every mom, dad, grandfather, grandmother, sister, brother, uncle, aunt - and anyone who hopes to plant the seed of a vocation in a young boy or to help any child, girl or boy, to understand the calling and vocation of deacons, buy this book and give it as a gift.