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PERMANENT

DEACONS
by Russell Shaw





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PERMANENT
DEACONS

By Russell Shaw

f

It wasn’t widely recognized, that day in early

fall, but the decision was to have dramatic con-

sequences. In four separate votes on Septem-

ber 29, 1964, the Second Vatican Council ap-

proved the restoration of the permanent dia-

conate. Much remained to be done to carry out

this decision. But, subject to ratification by

Pope Paul VI, approval had now been given In

principle to returning to the Church a form of

ordained ministry which flourished in apostolic

' times but virtually vanished from the scene

]
centuries ago.

The Council did not Intend restoration of the

V diaconate as an exercise in antiquarianism. It

saw It as a response to today’s realities and

needs. So it has proved to be. In the United

States deacons constitute a significant and

growing force In the Church’s ministry of ser-

vice to the Christian community and the world.

Much has been written about the diaconate

In modern times, but the first job description

for a deacon—and still one of the best—was

composed long ago. “Deacons must be re-

spectable men whose word can be trusted,

moderate in the amount of wine they drink and

with no squalid greed for money,’’ St. Paul

said in his first letter to Timothy. “They must

be conscientious believers In the mystery of

the faith. They are to be examined first, and

only admitted to serve as deacons if there is

nothing against them Deacons must not

have been married more than once, and must

be men who manage their children and fam-

ilies well. Those of them who carry out their

duties well as deacons will earn a high standing



for themselves and be rewarded with great as-

surance in their work for the faith in Christ

Jesus.” (1 Tim. 3:8-13)

Nineteen centuries later Vatican II took an

equally elevated view of deacons. “Strengthen-

ed by sacramental grace,” the Council said,

“they are dedicated to the People of God, In

conjunction with the bishop and his body of

priests. In the service of the liturgy, of the

Gospel and of works of charity.” {Constitution

on the Church, 29) Noting the virtual Impossi-

bility of a full diaconal ministry as long as the

diaconate was only a transitional stage on the

way to the priesthood—as for many centuries

it had been in the Western Church—the Coun-

cil envisaged its restoration as a “proper and

permanent rank” within a three-fold ordained

ministry: bishops, priests, and deacons.

Nowhere, in the years since then, has the

permanent diaconate caught hold and come

alive more than In the United States. A decade

after its restoration was requested by the U.S.

bishops and authorized by Pope Paul, the num-

ber of permanent deacons In this country was

approaching 3,000 with about the same num-

ber of candidates in training. Deacons, most of

them married men with fulltime secular occu-

pations over and above their Church work, are

prominent in the life of the Christian com-

munity throughout the country. Defining its

Identity as it goes, facing and answering ques-

tions as it explores the dimensions of con-

temporary ministry, the permanent diaconate

holds promise of being an authentic success

story of the Church in the United States fol-

lowing Vatican II.

What are the diaconate’s origins and history?

Why did this ministerial order, so important in

the early centuries of the Church, decline and

eventually all but disappear? What reasons

prompted the Church in our times to restore

the permanent diaconate? What is a deacon?

What do deacons do? And what does it take to

become one? These are some of the questions

which this overview will try to answer.



THE DIACONATE IN HISTORY

Sometimes permanent deacons are called

“lay” deacons. It is an understandable mis-

take. Except when performing liturgical func-

tions, deacons don’t wear distinctive garb;

they are called “Mister,” not “Father”; most

are family men who work fulltime five days a

week in a broad spectrum of secular occupa-

tions and settings.

But despite appearances, the deacons aren’t

laymen. They are ordained ministers, as priests

and bishops are. From the very earliest days of

the Church they were understood to occupy a

special place in the Christian community, set

apart along with the ‘presbyters’ (bishops or

priests) for a special role modeled on that of

Christ himself. The first definite reference to

deacons In this sense—perhaps as early as 53

A.D.—occurs in St. Paul’s letter to the Philip-

pians, which is addressed to “all the holy ones

at Philippi, with their bishops and deacons

in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:1)

Some hold that the very orlgir> of the dia-

conate is recorded in the New Testament— In

the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

There we read of a dispute which arose In the

Church of Jerusalem between Greek-speaking

and Aramaic-speaking Christians, the former

complaining that some of their poor weren’t

getting a fair share of the goods which the

Christian community divided among people

In need of help. When the argument came to

the attention of the Apostles, the leaders of

the community, they declined to become di-

rectly involved, explaining: “It is not right for

us to neglect the word of God in order to wait

on tables.” Instead they told the people to

select for this charitable work seven upstand-

ing men “acknowledged to be deeply spiritual

and prudent.” The seven candidates were pre-

sented to the Apostles, who “prayed over

them and then imposed hands on them.”

Among them was one Stephen, “a man filled

with grace and power,” who for his courage in

proclaiming the Good News of Christ soon

became the first Christian martyr. (Cf. Acts 6-7)



Whether or not these seven early Christians

were deacons in the full sense, the account In

Acts accords with the understanding of the

diaconate as it emerged and evolved in the

Church. ‘Deacon’ comes from a Greek word—

d/a/conos—which means servant or helper. It

occurs frequently in the New Testament and is

sometimes applied to Christ himself. But like

the Apostles, for whom it was “not right ... to

neglect the word of God in order to wait on

tables,’’ the deacons soon came to be under-

stood as helpers In more than a material

sense— “not servants of food and drink, but

ministers of the Church of God,’’ as St. Ignatius

of Antioch put it around 100 A.D., adding that

the deacon’s task was nothing less than to

continue “the ministry of Jesus Christ.’’

In a special way deacons were considered

to be ‘helpers’ of the bishop. St. Ignatius spe-

cifically mentions two functions of this sort:

writing letters for the bishop and generally

assisting him in the ministry of the Word, and

serving as the legate of the bishop from one

local Church to another. In addition, deacons

often rendered assistance—on the bishops’

behalf—to the poor and needy of the com-

munity. The special relationship between

deacons and bishops was emphasized, among

other places, in a third century Christian docu-

ment which speaks of the deacon as being or-

dained “for the ministry of the work designated

by the bishop as being necessary to the

Church’s ministry.’’ Similarly, the contemporary

German theologian Karl Rahner says that cen-

tral to all that deacons did was the fact that

they were “to help those who direct the

Church.’’ It has been suggested that, in cur-

rent terminology, one might say deacons,

though they share certain basics in common,

can be thought of as ‘specialists’ available for

assignment by the bishop to very specific

tasks.

Even as the diaconate flourished, the causes

of Its eventual decline and disappearance

began to appear. This happened as early as

the third century. But the process Itself was a

complex one which extended over many cen-



turies. No single reason suffices to explain

what happened. In general, it appears that

both priests and deacons experienced a kind

of identity crisis which caused them to engage

in a rivalry that occasionally boiled over in

open conflict and finally became the dia-

conate’s undoing. There were problems and

failings on both sides. This failure to compre-

hend and appreciate the special value of the

diaconate in its own right eventually resulted

in its collapse.

That, however, was a long time happening.

Part of the process, evident by the fourth cen-

tury, was that ever more emphasis came to

be placed on the liturgical role of deacons, at

the expense of the ministry of the Word and

the ministry of charity. By the fifth century. It

seems, most deacons did little except perform

liturgical functions. By this time, too, the Idea

had begun to gain currency that the diaconate

was no more than an introductory stage In

Orders, a step on the way toward ordination

as a priest. Its value as an integral part of the

hierarchy of Orders—deacons, priests, bish-

ops—was obscured. By the Middle Ages the

office of deacon was, according to Rahner,

close to being a “legal fiction.”

RESTORATION OF THE DIACONATE

So it remained for many centuries. There

were deacons in the Western Church, but they

were men on their way to becoming priests.

Few people imagined it being any different.

Revived interest In the permanent diaconate

dates back at least to the time of World War II.

Priests Imprisoned in Nazi concentration

camps, reflecting on the difficult situation of

the Church, speculated that permanent dea-

cons— married or single men with a formal,

stable commitment to the work of the Church—

could have accomplished much good. Interest

in the idea continued after the war, when it

was taken up by theologians and scholars,

especially in Europe, and discussed in a num-

ber of articles and booKs. In 1957 Pope Pius

XII spoke favorably of a restored permanent

diaconate, although concluding that “the time



Is not yet ripe.” The idea was very much In the

air by the time of Vatican Council II.

Among the reasons for restoring the dia-

conate advanced during the Council was

that this step would help alleviate the shortage

of priests in various parts of the world. Dea-

cons, It was reasoned, would be able to per-

form many of the functions of priests and

would help to create and sustain a sense of

Christian community among people who rarely

saw a priest.

This consideration is valid and even com-

pelling in particular situations. But it is not a

satisfactory rationale if it is taken to imply that

the diaconate Is merely an expedient, a

temporary solution to a problem, for which

there would be no particular need or reason if

there were enough priests to go around. On

the contrary, the central fact about the dia-

conate Is that It is an integral part of the three-

fold hierarchy of Orders, with its own intrinsic

reason and right to exist, quite apart from the

circumstances of a particular era and place

which may give It special timeliness.

Vatican M’s principal statement on the

restoration of the permanent diaconate appears

in the Constitution on the Church.

[D]eacons . . . receive the imposition of

hands “not unto the priesthood, but unto the

ministry.” For, strengthened by sacramental

grace they are dedicated to the People of

God, In conjunction with the bishop and his

body of priests. In the service of the liturgy,

of the Gospel and of works of charity. It

pertains to the office of a deacon. In so far

as it may be assigned to him by the com-

petent authority, to administer Baptism

solemnly, to be custodian and distributor

of the Eucharist, in the name of the Church,

to assist at and to bless marriages, to bring

Viaticum to the dying, to read the sacred

Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and ex-

hort 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,

deacons should recall the admonition of St.

Polycarp; “Let them be merciful, and zealous,

and let them walk according to the truth of

the Lord, who became the servant of all.”

Since, however, the laws and customs of

the Latin Church in force today in many

areas render it difficult to fulfill these func-

tions, which are so extremely necessary for

the life of the Church, it will be possible in

the future to restore the diaconate as a

proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy.

But it pertains to the competent local epis-

copal conferences . . . with the approval of

the Supreme Pontiff, to decide whether and

where it is opportune that such deacons be

appointed. {Lumen Gentium, 29)

Pope Paul gave specific directives for imple-

menting the restoration of the diaconate in an

apostolic letter published in 1967 and followed

this up with further “norms” in 1972.

In the United States the National Conference

of Catholic Bishops voted at its general meet-

ing in April, 1968, to ask the Pope to authorize

restoration of the diaconate in this country.

Permission was granted in August of the same

year. Within the NCCB there is now a Bishops’

Committee on the Permanent Diaconate, sup-

ported by a secretariat with fulltime staff at

conference headquarters in Washington, D.C.

WHY DEACONS?

In deciding to ask the Pope to authorize

restoration of the permanent diaconate here,

the U.S. bishops pointed to two reasons— “to

complete the hierarchy of sacred orders and to

enrich and strengthen the various diaconal

ministries at work in the United States with

the sacramental grace of the diaconate.”

As we have seen, the first of these reasons—

“to complete the hierarchy of sacred orders”—

refers to the fact that the diaconate is an inte-

gral part of the Church’s three-fold ordained

ministerial hierarchy (bishops, priests,

deacons). It Is true that bishops and priests

are able to do everything that deacons can



(and that deacons can do many of the things

priests and bishops can), but that is not the

point. The point, rather, is that the ordained

ministry In its fullness includes all three

Orders. Restoration of the permanent dia-

conate recognizes this fact. In this connection

it deserves mention that deacons aren’t to be

understood as priests’ assistants—though in

practice they do render Important assistance

to many pastors and priests. Rather, as noted,

deacons were from very early times regarded

as having a special relationship to the bishop

(one writer, echoing others, refers to the

deacon as “the eyes, the ears, the heart and

the mouth of the bishop’’). Thus, the ‘hierarchy’

In question does not so much run In a descen-

ding line—from bishop to priest to deacon—

as it Is triangular, with priests arid deacons in

a parallel, complementary relationship to the

bishop.

As for the second reason— “to enrich and

strengthen the various diaconal ministries . .

.

with the sacramental grace of the diaconate’’—

this expresses the importance of the sacra-

mental principle in Christian life. As Rahner

puts It, “when the office and the divine as-

surance of the grace necessary for fulfilling

the office can be given in a sacramental man-

ner . . . then they should be given In this way.’’

Although it is possible for a lay person with

proper authorization to do most of the things

a deacon does (“the various diaconal minis-

tries’’), ordination to the diaconate officially

recognizes, strengthens, and confirms one

who does diaconal work as a life-long commit-

ment. Vatican II put it this way:

It would help those men who carry out the

ministry of a deacon— preaching the word

of God as catechists, governing scattered

Christian communities in the name of the

bishop or parish priest, or exercising charity

in the performance of social or charitable

works— if they were to be strengthened by

the imposition of hands which has come

down from the apostles. They would be

more closely bound to the altar and their

ministry would be made more fruitful



through the sacramental grace of the dia-

conate. {Decree on the Church’s Missionary

Activity, 16)

To understand diaconal ministry it is essen-

tial to see deacons in the context of the three

general areas of service—the ministry of the

Word, the ministry of the liturgy, and the minis-

try of charity—with which they have tradi-

tionally been associated. Everything a deacon

does as a deacon is done in this framework.

In the first category, the deacon’s most

solemn functions are to read the gospel and

preach (which is a way of expounding the

gospel message). But the ministry of the Word

also extends to many other activities by which

Christ’s Good News is proclaimed and taught.

So, typically, one can find deacons engaged

In adult religious education, convert instruc-

tion, campus ministry, and the religious instruc-

tion of children and young people. Others are

Involved in programs for engaged couples, in

marriage and family enrichment activities, and

in programs of sacramental preparation.

As for the ministry of liturgy, the deacon

has a number of official functions within the

eucharistic liturgy besides reading the gospel

and preaching. Also, deacons are ordinary

ministers of the Eucharist, may officiate at

Benediction, administer sacramentals, solemnly

administer baptism, witness and bless mar-

riages, officiate at wakes, funerals, and burial

services. Typically, deacons bring Communion

to the sick and elderly confined to their homes

or to institutions. In the absence of a priest

they organize and preside over prayer ser-

vices and scripture services. Others engage In

liturgical planning and coordination.

With regard to the ministry of charity the

possibilities are virtually limitless. Deacons

appropriately minister In such settings as

hospitals, old people’s homes, schools and

campuses, community centers, prisons, and

rehabilitation facilities. They engage in social

work and In many forms of social action on

behalf of the needy and the disadvantaged.

They may use their talents In performing ad-



ministrative duties in diocesan or other church-

related offices and agencies. In the United

States .there has been much emphasis on the

Importance of having deacons who belong to

minority racial and ethnic groups— Hispanic,

Black, American Indian, Eskimo, etc.—minister

to those same communities.

In the final analysis, however, permanent

deacons should be understood not in terms of

what they do but what they are. (The same

might be said of the members of any group In

the Church, since functions absolutely unique

to a particular order or state of life—things

only bishops can do, only religious can do, only

lay people can do, etc.—are few in number and

give a very Inadequate picture of those who do

them.) Also, although all permanent deacons

are involved in some way in the three general

areas of diaconal ministry—Word, liturgy,

charity—their specific activities can vary so

much that a detailed functional description ap-

plicable to all is out of the question. Essentially,

the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Permanent

Diaconate has commented, the permanent

deacon is a person “with a special mission re-

quiring special relationships within the com-

munity of God’s people.’’ The committee adds

that, however much individual deacons’ activi-

ties may vary, the central elements of diaconal

Identity are the same In all cases; the invitation

of the Spirit, public expression of and response

to this call through ordination, sharing in fra-

ternal accountability for the realization on

earth of God’s kingdom, acceptance by the

community they are called to serve, and com-

plete self-commitment to service In Christ’s

name and that of the Church.

A crucial aspect of the permanent diaconate

Is the fact that the deacon is a link—between

clergy and laity, between liturgy and everyday

life, between the Church and the world. As

mature men— most of them married, with
children, and engaged in secular occupations—

deacons bring to the ranks of the clergy new

and valuable insights based on personal exper-

ience into the attitudes, problems, and aspira-

tions of lay people. Again, as ministers whose



service at the altar is an essential part of their

ministry yet who also minister through and in

a wide range of other activities and settings,

deacons dramatize In a special way the fact

that worship, far from being isolated from life,

is—or should be— Intimately linked to it. (As

one writer puts It, “with one foot in the sanc-

tuary and the other in the midst of God’s needy

people, [the deacon] proclaims in himself the

unity of liturgy and life.”) Finally, as ordained

ministers who are leaders and servants of the

Christian community yet who also. In most

cases, live and work in secular surroundings,

deacons have unique opportunities to bring

Christian values into the world.

THE DIACONATE TODAY

Within a decade after the bishops requested

and Pope Paul approved restoration of the

permanent diaconate in the United States,

deacons had become an important part of the

life of the Church in this country. The number

of dioceses with permanent deacon programs

was nearing 120, while as noted, the number

of deacons approached 3,000 with close to

3,000 candidates in training.

In ethnic background, education, and occu-

pation these deacons are a mixed group. About

three out of four are Anglos, 15 percent His-

panic, 5 percent Black, and the rest are divided

among other groups (American Indians,

Eskimos, Chinese-American, Nisei, etc.). A

majority have at least some college education,

and about 15 percent have done graduate work.

However, by no means Is the diaconate

restricted—either in theory or practice—to

men who have experienced higher education.

More than a third of the deacons In the U.S.

have not pursued formal education beyond the

high school level, and some have an 8th grade

education or less.

The number of ‘fulltime’ deacons (those en-

gaged in fulltime work of a religious or church-

related nature) is very small, and most of them

are In education—as parish directors of reli-

gious education, teachers, etc. A few work on

chancery staffs, and a few more as fulltime



ministers in correctional facilities (a consi-

derably larger number work in such institu-

tions on a part-time basis). However, the

overwheiming majority of deacons perform

diaconal service on a part-time basis on week

ends and after work.

The official minimum age for ordination as a

permanent deacon in the United States is 35

(though dispensations permitting ordination

at 32 and a haif can be granted with the appro-

val of the Holy See). Candidates can of course

begin their studies before then. Most training

programs last two to three years— in some

cases, two years before ordination and one year

after—and many offer or require continuing

education following ordination. Training

generally Includes studies In theology, scrip-

ture, homiletics, canon law, communication

skills, counseling, etc., as well as field experi-

ences. Spiritual formation is an integral and

critically important part of every program.

Deacons may be either married or single. If

single, however, they are not permitted to

marry following ordination; and, if a married

man becomes a widower after being ordained,

he is not permitted to remarry.

Wives have a crucial role In relation to the

ministry of married deacons. A supportive atti-

tude on the part of his wife Is necessary for

the admission of a married candidate to a

diaconate program. In addition, such programs

make It a point to offer wives opportunities

to share in their husbands’ experiences of

study and spiritual formation as well as their

ministry.

Men interested in learning more about the

diaconate should contact their pastors or local

chancery office. Information is also available

at the national level from the Bishops’ Com-

mittee on the Permanent Diaconate, National

Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1312 Mass-

achusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

20005





1978

PUBLICATIONS OFFICE

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20005