Diaconate part of the priesthood?

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Gregory_I

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I thought I remember reading somewhere that the Diaconate was actually considered a degree of the priesthood in Orthodoxy. is that right? That’s why Deacons are referred to as Father Deacon?
 
I did hear something about this…something like once a deacon forever a deacon,
same as once a priest forever a priest.
 
ChrisCrop said:
I did hear something about this…something like once a deacon forever a deacon,
same as once a priest forever a priest.
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Well, they are ordained. And Holy Orders does leave an indelible mark on the soul much like Baptism and Confirmation.
 
One of the major problems we have here in the U.S. is that the diaconate is mostly used as a stepping stone into the priesthood. Many parishes do not have a regular deacon.
 
Agabus said:
One of the major problems we have here in the U.S. is that the diaconate is mostly used as a stepping stone into the priesthood. Many parishes do not have a regular deacon.
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Those who are in the seminaries who become Deacons are eying the priesthood. Those who eye becoming permanent deacons are less. Perhaps the requirement of education becomes a hindrance for some who have regular jobs.
 
Gregory_I said:
I thought I remember reading somewhere that the Diaconate was actually considered a degree of the priesthood in Orthodoxy. is that right? That’s why Deacons are referred to as Father Deacon?
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Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s section on Holy Orders. There you will find that even Rome considers the diaconate to be a “degree” of priesthood. The fullest manifestation of the priesthood of Christ is the bishop.
 
Phillip_Rolfes said:
Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s section on Holy Orders. There you will find that even Rome considers the diaconate to be a “degree” of priesthood. The fullest manifestation of the priesthood of Christ is the bishop.
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Canon Law has been ammended from the 1983 CIC canon law, just now in 2010, through Omnium in Mentem. The episcopate and presbyterate act in the person of Christ the Head, the deacon is empowered to serve.

Canon 1008:
“By divine institution, some of the Christian faithful are marked with an indelible character and constituted as sacred ministers by the sacrament of holy orders. They are thus consecrated and deputed so that, each according to his own grade, they may serve the People of God by a new and specific title”;

Canon1009 § 3:
“Those who are constituted in the order of the episcopate or the presbyterate receive the mission and capacity to act in the person of Christ the Head, whereas deacons are empowered to serve the People of God in the ministries of the liturgy, the word and charity”.

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_letters/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apl_20091026_codex-iuris-canonici_en.html
 
Gregory_I said:
I thought I remember reading somewhere that the Diaconate was actually considered a degree of the priesthood in Orthodoxy. is that right? That’s why Deacons are referred to as Father Deacon?
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Deacons are ordained clergy but I don’t think the title “Father” relates to any thought of being ordained to the priesthood in the future. All male monastics are referred to as Father, whereas those who are not ordained would be called “Brother” in the Latin Catholic Church (I know your question is re Orthodox, but ECs use the same titles as Orthodox for these, which are not the same titles the Latin Church uses), just as Orthodox/EC nuns are called Mother, when in the Latin Catholic Church they would be called Sister. These are the different ancient Church customs.

In practice there are deacons who may end up being ordained to the priesthood, but there are deacons who will remain deacons. “Transitional” and “permanent” deacons are terms representing concepts which I have understood come from the Latin Church. Those categories came into practice in the Latin Church after the second Vatican Council revived the permanent deaconate within the Latin Church. In the East we’ve always had these deacons who remain deacons, as far as I’ve ever been told.

We have a deacon in my church. He’s a deacon. He’s not in transition to becoming ordained to the priesthood. Our priest always calls him “Father N” (or “the deacon”, or “our deacon”). For about a year we had a seminarian often with us who was ordained to the priesthood last spring. Before his ordination he served as a deacon with us. This was because he was a “transitional” deacon within the Latin Church (in the Dominican Order of Preachers, by birth/baptism a UGC). Since he was a monk, he was a “hierodeacon” during that time before his ordination to the priesthood. Now he is formally Rev. Hieromonk N.

The Orthodox parish I sometimes attend has a deacon who was recently elevated to protodeacon. I’ve never heard anything to indicate he is preparing to be ordained as a priest. I think he’s something like a professor of engineering. I would think that at some time if the priest as a spiritual father saw fit he might address with the protodeacon the prospect of pursuing the priesthood, but not because it is in someway a sort of clerical career path. 🙂
 
For about a year we had a seminarian often with us who was ordained to the priesthood last spring. Before his ordination he served as a deacon with us. This was because he was a “transitional” deacon within the Latin Church (in the Dominican Order of Preachers, by birth/baptism a UGC). Since he was a monk, he was a “hierodeacon” during that time before his ordination to the priesthood. Now he is formally Rev. Hieromonk N.
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This wasn’t Fr. Christopher Fadok by chance, was it?
 
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ConstantineTG said:
Those who are in the seminaries who become Deacons are eying the priesthood. Those who eye becoming permanent deacons are less. Perhaps the requirement of education becomes a hindrance for some who have regular jobs.
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Using this line of reasoning…is a priest a transitional priest because he may someday be ordained a bishop? A deacon is a deacon, a priest is a priest and a bishop is a bishop. A deacon who remains a deacon is in NO WAY less of a deacon. CLERICALISM SUCKS! :mad:
 
ciero said:
Using this line of reasoning…is a priest a transitional priest because he may someday be ordained a bishop? A deacon is a deacon, a priest is a priest and a bishop is a bishop. A deacon who remains a deacon is in NO WAY less of a deacon. CLERICALISM SUCKS! :mad:
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Not that I am implying that, but of course many who go to a seminary has the intentions of becoming a priest.
 
Ghosty said:
This wasn’t Fr. Christopher Fadok by chance, was it?
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Yes. 🙂 I forgot that you’re in Seattle! If you see him give him a big hug from me. We miss him! We’re in touch by email but it ain’t the same. We have a little “Fr Christopher” section on our bulletin board at OLF 😃 I learned last week, happily, there’s another fellow discerning a vocation with the Dominicans and he would want to serve bi-ritually, tho this fellow isn’t an EC by birth so a bit different situation from Christopher’s.
 
Father is also used for many monastics, as well as major clerics. It’s not, in Byzantine use, indicative of ordination; it’s a sign of respect, and that respect is due to schemamonks, priests, deacons, hierodeacons, hieromonks, and bishops. It often is extended to all fully professed monks.
 
Aramis said:
Father is also used for many monastics, as well as major clerics. It’s not, in Byzantine use, indicative of ordination; it’s a sign of respect, and that respect is due to schemamonks, priests, deacons, hierodeacons, hieromonks, and bishops. It often is extended to all fully professed monks.
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Thank you far saying more clearly and precisely what I tried to say in a very tortured couple of sentences, LOL. I’m typically badly in need of a copy editor!
5Loaves said:
All male monastics are referred to as Father, whereas those who are not ordained would be called “Brother” in the Latin Catholic Church (I know your question is re Orthodox, but ECs use the same titles as Orthodox for these, which are not the same titles the Latin Church uses), just as Orthodox/EC nuns are called Mother, when in the Latin Catholic Church they would be called Sister. These are the different ancient Church customs.
Click to expand...
 
5Loaves said:
Yes. 🙂 I forgot that you’re in Seattle! If you see him give him a big hug from me. We miss him! We’re in touch by email but it ain’t the same. We have a little “Fr Christopher” section on our bulletin board at OLF 😃 I learned last week, happily, there’s another fellow discerning a vocation with the Dominicans and he would want to serve bi-ritually, tho this fellow isn’t an EC by birth so a bit different situation from Christopher’s.
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I haven’t seen Fr. Christopher since he was just Brother Christopher. When I was Confirmed he was at the priory here in Seattle, and he and I talked many times about the Eastern traditions. I was attending St. Joseph’s Melkite Mission, but I had to be Confirmed in the Latin Church and went through Blessed Sacrament. Br. Christopher also worked with me on discernment when I was strongly considering becoming a Dominican myself. I can’t wait to stop by Blessed Sacrament and see him again, now that he’s a hierofriar. 😃

He is a truly wonderful man, and will be a wonderful priest. You guys were very lucky to have him with you, as you well know!

Peace and God bless!
 
In the Coptic Tradition, the rules for marriage are the same for deacons as for priests. That is, a deacon cannot marry after ordination. Is it the same in the Latin and Byzantine Traditions?

The Diaconate is not part of the priesthood in the Coptic Tradition. Deacons can’t perform sacerdotal functions. Also, though the diaconate is not considered as a stepping stone to priesthood, deacons who are worthy of it may be promoted to that order. But a deacon cannot be promoted without the approval of the congregation.

Question: I attended a vesting ceremony for a deacon in a Latin church once. IIRC (anyone correct me please), the congregation was asked to accept the deacon. Does the acceptance of the congregation indicate entry into the diaconate, or does it refer simply to his acceptance into the local community?

Question: Are deacons considered ordinary or extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist in the Latin Church?

Blessings,
Marduk
 
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