>>>Thanks to the Deacon's Bench; awesome article by an Archbishop who values the Permanent Diaconate!
Before the cross Permanent deacons witness to the Lord’s ministries.Submitted on October 20, 2010
Archbishop Robert J. Carlson
Last year when Pope Benedict XVI met with the permanent deacons of the Diocese of Rome, he recalled an incident that occurred at the Second Vatican Council. Each day when the council was in session, the Gospel was enthroned to demonstrate that the council’s proceedings were subject to the authority of God’s Word. One day, Pope Paul VI told those in charge of the opening ceremony that at least one time he would like to be the person who enthroned the Gospel. The liturgists told him no, this is the job of a deacon, not the pope. Pope Paul responded, “But I am also a deacon, I continue being a deacon, and I would like to exercise the ministry of the diaconate placing the Word of God on its throne.”
By telling this story, Pope Benedict was affirming the value of the diaconal ministry. The diaconate had flourished in the Church for 400 years before it declined and became merely a transitional step on the way to priestly ordination. Vatican II restored the diaconate to its original purpose. The Holy Father was not only reminding the permanent deacons of Rome that they have a ministry that is shared with priests and bishops (and with the pope). He was also reminding them that their ministries of sacrament, word and service stand alone and are especially needed in the world today.
When he was asked to name the most important tasks that permanent deacons have to carry out, the Holy Father replied that there is no single job description or profile. What permanent deacons do depends to a large extent on their individual skills and talents and the circumstances in which they find themselves. In the Diocese of Rome, as in St. Louis, permanent deacons exercise a wide variety of roles and responsibilities mostly in service to parish communities. What deacons all have in common is the call to play a leadership role in the ministries of liturgy, Word and charity in communion with the bishops and priests who share with them the graces and the obligations of the sacrament of holy orders.
Deacons are most visible to the Christian community when they assist the priest at Mass, administer the Sacrament of Baptism, witness and bless marriages, officiate at funerals and burial services or preside at Communion liturgies when a priest is not present. The deacon’s sacramental ministry is especially valued at a time when there are fewer priests available to perform these essential liturgical functions.
A deacon is also called to proclaim the Gospel and, when authorized by his bishop, to preach. Like bishops and priests, the responsibility for preaching is not something that deacons can afford to take for granted. Practicing what we preach is a sacred obligation that all ordained ministers assume at the time of their ordination — acknowledging that we preach as much (or more) by our example as we do by our words.
Finally, deacons have a special vocation or calling to carry on the Lord’s work of bringing love and justice to a troubled world. In the Archdiocese of St. Louis, nearly 200 deacons who serve in parishes are also involved as hospital and prison chaplains, as ministers to the hungry and homeless, as counselors to those who are divorced and widowed, and as advocates for pro-life causes and for all those who exist on the margins of society. As Pope Benedict observes, there is no single job description for a permanent deacon, but everything he does must be carried out with the love and compassion of Jesus, who washed the feet of His disciples as an example to all of us that leadership and service are inseparable from one another.
Permanent deacons are not separated from the world by a distinctive form of dress. The majority are married men with families who work in the world at the same time that they exercise forms of liturgical or pastoral ministry as ordained ministers in our Church. What sets permanent deacons apart is the call to be servants of the Lord who exercise their ministry with a profound dedication to those who are most in need.
Our archdiocese is blessed with outstanding permanent deacons who minister to our people with great love and devotion. They deserve our gratitude, our whole-hearted support and our prayers. As Pope Benedict says, deacons belong to the richness of the Church’s sacramental ministry. May their witness enrich our Church and help us be a more just and loving community of faith. May God bless all our deacons, and may He strengthen them with His spirit of service and of charity.
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