We give thanks for the permanent diaconate
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:
This month of October, I continue my monthly series on "creating a culture of vocation" in the archdiocese by reflecting on the gift and blessing of the permanent diaconate within our local Church. At the present time, we have 124 active and 31 senior permanent deacons in the archdiocese, and on Saturday the Oct. 7, I will be ordaining 10 more permanent deacons. Although most of us are probably familiar with the title "deacon," I suspect many active Catholics could not easily explain who a deacon is and what he does. For that reason and to encourage all of us to consider our common vocation to service, I would like to outline the history of the diaconate and its significance in the ongoing life of the Church today.
History of the diaconate
From the earliest days of the Church, we see reference to "deacons" in the Epistles of St. Paul and writings of the early Church Fathers such as St. Ignatius of Antioch. A three-fold form of Church ministry and leadership was emerging within the Christian community — the roles of bishop (episcopos), priest (presbyter), and deacon (diaconos). The three words in parenthesis are the original Greek terms for the three ranks of the sacrament of Holy Orders.
One of the classic texts for the role of the diaconate comes from Acts chapter 6, verses 1-6. In that passage, it was noted that the Greek-speaking widows were not receiving the same attention and service in the daily "diaconia/distribution" of food. This problem led to the selection of "seven men of good standing," who were to attend to these women and their spiritual and material needs; presumably, the apostles were already preoccupied with the needs of the Jewish-speaking widows and, furthermore, were not necessarily speakers of Greek. A way to resolve the problem was to establish another group who could assist the apostles in teaching or preaching, as well as concrete service.
Sometimes, the passage from Acts chapter 6 is understood to imply that the deacons were "merely," to take care of serving at table. We gain fuller understanding of what St. Luke had in mind when we recall that whenever the word "diaconia" is used in his Gospel or Acts, it refers primarily to preaching and teaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, and has little to do with explicit service of food at table. Secondly, the Greek text, of itself, literally means "waiting table," so Acts 6 is not so much talking about serving food at table, but rather, bringing the Word of God to Greek-speaking widows who were "gathered at tables." In any event, the ministry of the diaconate was instituted as a complement to the service of the apostles and included a service that was both charitable as well as some manner of teaching or preaching.
In his encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" Pope Benedict XVI speaks about this very passage from Acts 6 in the following words: "The social service which they were meant to provide was absolutely concrete, yet at the same time, it was also a spiritual service; theirs was truly a spiritual office which carried out an essential responsibility of the Church, namely, a well ordered love of neighbor. With the formation of this group of seven, diaconia'— the ministry of charity exercised in a communitarian, orderly way — became part of the fundamental structure of the Church" (article 21).
From St. Ignatius of Antioch, martyred around 115, we have received seven letters addressed to churches of Asia Minor. In a number of these letters he speaks about the diaconate and equates the deacon and his service with the role of representing Jesus Christ, the servant of us all. (In his understanding, the bishop represents God the Father and the priests, the college of apostles.)
After the 5th century, the diaconate went into a slow decline in the Western or Latin Church and survived only as an intermediate stage for candidates preparing for priestly ordination. Why did it go into decline? While it would be difficult to reconstruct all the circumstances involved, it appears that there were certain conflicts with the growing number of presbyters or priests and the fact that they were assuming greater administrative and liturgical roles. The deacons were more or less identified directly with the bishops and, therefore, there was a certain rivalry or tension developed between priests and deacons. While the diaconate never completely ceased in the Western or Latin Church, for almost 1,000 years it was not very prominent.
At the time of the second Vatican Council, there was a great deal of discussion about a restoration of the permanent diaconate. There were several reasons. First of all, there were pastoral reasons: deacons as married men could help to alleviate the shortage being experienced already then in many missionary countries. Secondly, there was a desire to enrich the Church with the traditional fullness of all three ranks of the sacrament of Holy Orders, and there was a recognition that many men were already carrying out diaconal ministries and it would be appropriate to strengthen their service by sacramental grace, thus making their ministry all the more effective and fruitful. (See the "Decree on Missionary Activity of the Church," paragraph 16.)
As Cardinal Walter Kaspar uses the analogy, a bishop needs to have two arms — the priest and the deacon. Each has a particular and different share in the ministry of the bishop's work of preaching, sanctifying, and governing and all three ranks together work for the communion of the Church in the midst of the world and for the salvation of the world.
What do permanentdeacons do?
The ministry of deacon as described in the "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," article 29, outlines the service of the deacon in terms of three ministries — ministry of the Word, of the Liturgy, and of charity. Or to put it another way, ministry at the "three tables" of Word, Eucharist, and charity. The 1998 Directory and Basic Norms for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons speaks about the deacon and his ministry as being "a driving force for service within the Church. In his own person, the ordained deacon embodies and manifests Jesus, the deacon, or servant of us all.
The various functions that he fulfills, therefore, need to be seen within the context of a whole spirituality of availability and service. In the "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church" and the "Decree on Missionary Activity in the Church," a number of specific tasks are mentioned; obviously, the list is not intended to be exclusive. They include: assisting the bishop and presbyters in the liturgy, baptizing, being a minister of the Holy Eucharist, and giving Eucharistic blessings and benediction, presiding at marriages, administering sacramentals and presiding at funerals, proclaiming the Gospel and preaching, presiding at Liturgy of the Hours, directing the Liturgy of the Word, fulfilling obligations of charity and administration, guiding the Christian community, and promoting the lay apostolate. In short, the deacon is called to be a "living sacrament of service."
An important part of diaconal ministry is the fact that deacons are part of the clergy, and yet, also very much immersed in the realities of the workplace and family living. In this sense, the deacon represents the ongoing connection between Church and world and is a sort of bridge connecting them. He is an icon or image of Christ the servant and his special focus should always be the poor.
In his address to the deacons of Rome in February 2006, Pope Benedict XVI spoke to this very point and highlighted "new forms of poverty" in the Church. By this he meant, not only those who are economically deprived but people who have lost any sense of spiritual meaning in their lives. The Holy Father stressed the fact that it is always necessary to accompany the proclamation of the Gospel with the concrete testimony of the charity. And thus it is, that the work of a deacon is a wonderful blending together of the ministry of Word, charity, and sacrament.
The permanent diaconate in our archdiocese
The Archdiocese of Detroit was one of the first in our nation to move forward with the program of formation for permanent deacons, when Cardinal John Dearden ordained the first group in 1971. Our diaconate program has undergone several changes and revisions over the years, always with the intent of making it stronger and more pastorally responsive for the needs of the Church. At the present time, a candidate for the permanent diaconate goes through at least four years of theology classes and courses of general academic formation as well as extensive spiritual formation individually and as a group. The wives of the deacons are usually active participants in the entire formation process; they play a very critical and vital role of support and encouragement.
Our diaconal community meets together on a regular basis and I try to join them at least once during the year. They are a great service to me at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and we all appreciate their presence and ministry at about two-thirds of the parishes.
Here in our local Church, deacons are typically volunteers who receive no particular remuneration for their service. They are truly servants! In some cases, the deacons take care of most of the baptisms and/or marriage preparation programs in parishes; while in other parishes, they are extensively involved in the process of the RCIA for those joining the Church. Every case is unique, depending on the needs of the community and the direction of the pastor. In some cases, under the direction of a priest-pastor, deacons manage the day-to-day functioning of parishes. Some of our deacons are also involved full-time in hospital chaplaincy, prison ministry, teaching, or campus ministry in schools, while others serve as business managers and/or full-time pastoral associates in parishes. There are countless variations but one consistent theme: humble service after the example of the Lord Jesus.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about the permanent diaconate, he can contact Msgr. Michael LeFevre, my representative for the needs of clergy (deacons and priests alike). Working closely with Msgr. LeFevre is Rev. Mr. Michael McKale, a permanent deacon for 21 years, recently appointed head of the Diaconal Office. He ministers at Holy Name Parish in Birmingham.
Gratitude to God forour deacons, their wives,and their families
As we ordain 10 more permanent deacons for our archdiocese, I want to thank the Lord and all our permanent deacons for the gift and blessing of their service to the Church. I also want to publicly acknowledge the loving support given to our deacons by their wives and their families; without them, the deacons could never fulfill their many ministries. Although at times the ministry of a deacon may seem rather hidden and humble, it is a very important part of the three-fold ministry of Christ as it is lived out in the Church today. Sharing in the sacrament of Holy Orders, the deacon — along with the priest — shares in the three-fold work of Jesus Christ — the work of preaching/teaching, celebrating sacraments for the holiness of God's people, and shepherding and guiding God's people into unity. I thank the deacons for their witness within the Church and their testimony and presence as Christian leaders within the professional and business world. You are an abiding gift to the Church, a permanent reminder and icon of Christ, the Servant of us all.
Our baptismal vocation to serve in the name of the Lord
We are seeking to develop and deepen a "culture of vocation" within the archdiocese. The generous response of men to the call to diaconal service should challenge every one of us to consider how whole-heartedly we ourselves are responding to God's call in our own lives. Part of our baptismal bond of love with the Lord and the Church entails a commitment to lay down our gifts and talents in loving service of others — both in the Church and in the society. According to the circumstance of our lives, we are called to put our faith into concrete action, with a special loving concern for Christ's presence in the gifts and needs of all who are "poor" in body or spirit. Even if we are not an ordained deacon, we should still think of ourselves as deacons or humble servants of the Lord and His Body, the Church.
Sincerely in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida
October Prayer Theme
|
