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What does a Deacon do?
The word diakonos (deacon) literally means "servant". "To be ordained a deacon is to be committed to the broad range of a diocese's needs and concerns, to be ready to integrate one's own gifts and ministry into the larger pastoral commitments of the other ministers of the Church, and to be willing to exercise the diaconal ministry in obedience to the bishop's direction and in cooperation with the priests." *
Deacons are ordained for service to the archdiocese. Appointments are made by the archbishop and are usually to a parish, but they may also be to an institution or special apostolate of the archdiocese.
The work a deacon performs depends upon his own abilities, the needs of the archdiocese, and the local community he serves. His work involves various kinds of service. Some examples of ministries are:
Parish Service
- The sick, aged, and dying
- Pastoral counseling
- Widowed and divorced
- Youth
- Prayer groups and support groups
- Religious education
- Liturgical celebrations (baptisms, marriages, proclaiming the gospel, preaching, presiding at prayer, communion, and funeral services)
- Evangelization and RCIA
- Sacramental preparation
Specialized ministries
- Service to various minority communities
- Jails and prisons
- Hospitals and Nursing Homes
- Hospices
- Chemically dependent
- Physically, mentally, and emotionally handicapped
- Justice and peace activities
- The poor and marginalized
Charitable service is the main area of the deacon's ministry. All Christians are called to charity, but the deacon is the one who is officially sent or ordained by the Church to bring Christ and His Good News to those in need, and to make Christ, as servant, sacramentally present. The deacon empowers and supports others' works of charity by his actions and deeds, taking care not to minimize, diminish or overshadow the efforts of others.
What distinguishes a deacon from the layperson is his ordination through the sacrament of Holy Orders. Thus, the deacon is called by the Church to share in the ministry of Christ on behalf of the Church and the world.
*(Permanent Deacons in the U.S:
Guidelines on their formation
and ministry, 1984 revision:
Washington D.C., National Conference
of Catholic Bishops, 1984.)
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