All about Permanent Deacons, part 2

 

Catholic Deacons

• Answers and explanation to questions 4-7 of yesterday's True False quiz about permanent deacons. Answers for 8-10 will follow later.
  
  4. The wife of a deacon is called a deaconess.
  FALSE However, this is not as outrageous sounding as you might think. In the early church, the wife of a deacon was referred to as a deaconess. Deaconesses were responsible for preserving modesty during female baptisms.
  
  The wife of a deacon has no special role or position in the Church, other than, of course supporting her husband in the ministry of deacon and bearing the extra burden that comes from her husband giving himself to the people of God.
  
  5. A single or widowed deacon is expected to remain celibate the rest of his life.
  
  TRUE. Single men ordained to the diaconate, whether preparing for the priesthood or not, must take a vow of celibacy. There are some exceptions granted, as in the case of a deacon with many young children who seeks marriage to assist in the rearing of the family. However, these exceptions are extremely rare. In general, if the deacon's wife dies, the deacon is not allowed to marry.
  
  In 1997, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, at the behest of Pope John Paul II, set forth three conditions under which a dispensation from the impediment of holy orders for a widowed permanent deacon to remarry would be considered: "1) the great and proven usefulness of the ministry of deacon to the diocese to which he belongs; 2) the fact that he has children of such a tender age as to be in need of motherly care; 3) the fact that he has parents or parents-in-law who are elderly and in need of care" (from New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pgs. 358-9).
  
  6. The deacon works for the bishop of the diocese he serves, not the priest of the local parish.
  TRUE. Only the bishop is allowed to ordain a priest or a deacon. Thus, the deacon has a direct relationship to the bishop. Think of it as a triangular relationship, with the Bishop at the top and the priest and deacon on the sides.
  At the same time, deacons who are placed within a local parish will obviously want to work harmoniously with the pastor and the bishop. Priests, and bishops, do not stop being deacons when they are ordained to the next level of holy orders. They still serve.
  
  7. Deacons serve the Catholic Church primarily through the liturgy of the Mass.
  
  FALSE. FALSE and FALSE. One false each for deacons that think their primary role is to dress up and look pretty on the altar, one for the priest who thinks that the deacon was put on earth to assist at Mass, and one for the parishioners who think that their deacon’s primary role is liturgical. It may be that you only see the deacon serving the Church on Sunday during the Mass. Most deacons serve the Church throughout the week in a variety of challenging ways. Within just our Archdiocese, deacons serve homeless shelters, prison chaplains, hospital ministers, substance abuse counselors, chaplains to police and fire departments, ministers in nursing homes, hospice workers, and ministers in battered women centers to name just a few.