Deacons

[BeatrixKiddo]

Well this is my first post, but i thought i would ask a question that has been bothering me quite awhile. There is a deacon at my church and it seems that every time he is at mass he reads the gospel and sometimes says the homily. He even sometimes stands on the alter when the priest is blesing the eucharist. I was just wondering if anyone knew if that was alright because as far as i know those were all things that the priest was expected to do.

 

[Maddalena]

Yeah… Deacon Don is a strange one, BeatrixKiddo. I wonder why Father lets Deacon Don get away with the stuff he does…

 

[cmom]

GIRM
94. After the priest, the deacon, in virtue of the sacred ordination he has received, holds first place among those who minister in the Eucharistic Celebration. For the sacred Order of the diaconate has been held in high honor in the Church even from the time of the Apostles.82 At Mass the deacon has his own part in proclaiming the Gospel, in preaching God’s word from time to time, in announcing the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, in ministering to the priest, in preparing the altar and serving the celebration of the Sacrifice, in distributing the Eucharist to the faithful, especially under the species of wine, and sometimes in giving directions regarding the people’s gestures and posture.

Your deacon is doing his job.

 

[Crusader]

BeatrixKiddo:

Well this is my first post, but i thought i would ask a question that has been bothering me quite awhile. There is a deacon at my church and it seems that every time he is at mass he reads the gospel and sometimes says the homily. He even sometimes stands on the alter when the priest is blesing the eucharist. I was just wondering if anyone knew if that was alright because as far as i know those were all things that the priest was expected to do.

The deacon is the primary minister of the Gospel, so if a deacon is available and able, he should proclaim the Gospel reading. The deacon is also able to be the homilist, although this typically is primarily undertaken by the priestly celebrant.

The altar is the table (“altar” = “table” in Latin) on which the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass takes place. It sounds as though your deacon stands in the sanctuary, next to the altar. This too is permitted, although the deacon should be standing behind the priestly celebrant and any concelebrants. He should also be kneeling per the rubrics of the Mass.

A priest never blesses the Eucharist, as no man could ever bless Jesus Christ. A priest confects the Eucharist from bread and wine with the powers bestowed upon him by God through the Holy Spirit.

 

[Servant1]

BeatrixKiddo:

Well this is my first post, but i thought i would ask a question that has been bothering me quite awhile. There is a deacon at my church and it seems that every time he is at mass he reads the gospel and sometimes says the homily. He even sometimes stands on the alter when the priest is blesing the eucharist. I was just wondering if anyone knew if that was alright because as far as i know those were all things that the priest was expected to do.

Glad you made your first post! It always seems the hardest to get done, doesn’t it?


As others have said, part of the deacon’s duty at the Mass is to Proclaim the Gospel. Actually, if there is a deacon present at Mass, it is the prerogative of the Deacon to do that job. It is also withing the purview of the diaconal office to offer a homily, at the direction or request of the priest/celebrant.

Standing AT the altar is also part of his job as the assistant or helper to the celebrant. It’s part of his job to help point to the place in the Missal, to do other things right there at the altar to assist the priest in the sacrifice of the Mass.

Sounds like having a deacon in your parish is a new thing. That’s OK - it’s normal for such things to generate questions. But what you describe is all part of the normal work a deacon does at the Mass.

Pax Christi!

 

[JerrySeibert]

Cmom is correct. The Deacon is to ‘help’ celebrate the Mass. In all it’s part’s. Deacons typically say the liturgical reading then sometimes the Homily. But they are to participate in all facets of the Mass.