Is the deacon allowed to give the Homily?

[hamburglar]

I was at Mass yesterday, and the Deacon read the Gospel. That’s fine. However, the deacon then gave the Homily. Is this permitted, or must it be the priest who gives the Homily?

 

[jpjd]

Yes, Deacons may give the homily.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I was at Mass yesterday, and the Deacon read the Gospel. That’s fine. However, the deacon then gave the Homily. Is this permitted, or must it be the priest who gives the Homily?

Yes, a Deacon can deliver the Homily now and then.

 

[centurionguard]

The deacon in my parish is 83 years old. He gives excellent homilies as good as any priest or bishop that I’ve heard through many years. He doesn’t cut any corners in his strict orthodox teachings from scripture to backing up what he saying from quotes from the Church Fathers and the Saints. No sunken boring sleepy minds and ears when he does a homily.
Even young Teen-aged kids have his full attention. What nice is that most of the congregation can go home feeling spiritually nourished with the Real Presence of Holy Eucharist from Mass Tabernacled inside them.

 

[cargau]

I was at Mass yesterday, and the Deacon read the Gospel. That’s fine. However, the deacon then gave the Homily. Is this permitted, or must it be the priest who gives the Homily?

A deacon is not a lay minister. He has received th Sacrament of Holy Orders, thus he is a member of the clergy. Yes, a deacon may deliver a homily.

A deacon preaching the Gospel is more than “fine”. As a minister of the word, it is his job to preach the Gospel. If the Pope is saying Mass with a deacon present, the Pope may not preach the Gospel, the deacon must.

 

[Joannm]

A deacon is not a lay minister. He has received th Sacrament of Holy Orders, thus he is a member of the clergy. Yes, a deacon may deliver a homily.

A deacon preaching the Gospel is more than “fine”. As a minister of the word, it is his job to preach the Gospel. If the Pope is saying Mass with a deacon present, the Pope may not preach the Gospel, the deacon must.

The deacon must “proclaim” the Gospel. He doesn’t have to preach.

 

[centurionguard]

The deacon must “proclaim” the Gospel. He doesn’t have to preach.

Whether the deacon officiates the Homily or not is always decided by the priest prior to a proceeding Sunday Solemnity Mass; unless a priest falls ill before Mass the deacon is there to serve the Priest in what ever manner is required by Church Law.

 

[Breviarylover]

From the GIRM:

1. The Homily should ordinarily be given by the priest celebrant himself. He may entrust it
   to a concelebrating priest or occasionally, according to circumstances, to the deacon, but never to
   a lay person.

 

[FutureDeacon]

A Deacon is the first of the three Holy Orders, therefore, he can give the Homily. With the permission of his Pastor, of course. We have two Deacons serving at our Parish and they both give wonderful homilies.

 

[EasterJoy]

Not only is the deacon allowed to give the homily, he is charged at his ordination, when presented with the book of the Gospels, after his vesting:

“Receive the Gospel of Christ,
whose herald you now are.
Believe what you read,
teach what you believe,
and practice what you teach.”

The proclamation of the Gospel is the special responsibility of the deacon. You will even see that a deacon proclaims the Gospel at Masses said by the Pope. Certainly he may also give the homily, even when necessity does not require it.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

A deacon is not a lay minister. He has received th Sacrament of Holy Orders, thus he is a member of the clergy. Yes, a deacon may deliver a homily.

A deacon preaching the Gospel is more than “fine”. As a minister of the word, it is his job to preach the Gospel. If the Pope is saying Mass with a deacon present, the Pope may not preach the Gospel, the deacon must.

The Pope does not read the Gospel, the Deacon does but the deacon never preaches the homily instead of the Pope.

 

[EasterJoy]

The Pope does not read the Gospel, the Deacon does but the deacon never preaches the homily instead of the Pope.

Yes. The deacon proclaims the Gospel, the Pope gives the homily…although not because the deacon is forbidden from doing it, any more than any of the other clergy are, correct? It’s just that if the Pope is able to speak, people at a Papal Mass want to hear what him, and not someone else with the faculty to give a homily.

 

[plato3]

Our diocese has the deacon preaching one weekend a month-all Masses if possible. My church has 4 English Masses-the deacon does one Mass a week so it works out the same-preaching once a month at each Mass. Also, allows the deacon to study all of the Gospels in the cycle.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

I met an elderly deacon in our diocese of some stature who when JPII came to the US this deacon was asked to give the homily with the Pope in attendance.

 

[Newbie2]

The Pope does not read the Gospel, the Deacon does but the deacon never preaches the homily instead of the Pope.

Isn’t that because he (the deacon) is proclaiming the Gospel to the Pope as well as everyone else i.e. that the pope should also hear the Gospel in preparation for his homily?

 

[FrDavid96]

Isn’t that because he (the deacon) is proclaiming the Gospel to the Pope as well as everyone else i.e. that the pope should also hear the Gospel in preparation for his homily?

Not quite. The deacon proclaims the Gospel because that is what he was ordained to do. It’s his proper function. The priest (presbyter or bishop) only proclaims the Gospel if there is no deacon–and when he does, he’s functioning as a deacon. It’s not a matter of the pope hearing (of course, he should be listening), but a matter of the deacon exercising his proper ministry.

 

[Newbie2]

Not quite. The deacon proclaims the Gospel because that is what he was ordained to do. It’s his proper function. The priest (presbyter or bishop) only proclaims the Gospel if there is no deacon–and when he does, he’s functioning as a deacon. It’s not a matter of the pope hearing (of course, he should be listening), but a matter of the deacon exercising his proper ministry.

How about with a “regular” priest and deacon? I heard that whomever is preaching should not be proclaiming the Gospel for the aforementioned reason. Might have heard wrong, though.

 

[FrDavid96]

How about with a “regular” priest and deacon? I heard that whomever is preaching should not be proclaiming the Gospel for the aforementioned reason. Might have heard wrong, though.

Your memory is just a little cloudy, but you’re on the right track. Liturgical norms say that the homily should usually be done by the celebrant, regardless of who proclaims the Gospel. Not quite the same thing as saying that the homilist should be listening to the Gospel rather than reading it.

 

[Joannm]

Your memory is just a little cloudy, but you’re on the right track. Liturgical norms say that the homily should usually be done by the celebrant, regardless of who proclaims the Gospel. Not quite the same thing as saying that the homilist should be listening to the Gospel rather than reading it.

I am thinking of a few times when the celebrant might not preach the homily. I have seen this at a “first mass” of a newly ordained, or at a funeral where one priest presides and another preaches. Also when we have pairsh missions, the mission priest usually preaches at all masses that weekend.

 

[5Loaves]

Not only is the deacon allowed to give the homily, he is charged at his ordination, when presented with the book of the Gospels, after his vesting:

“Receive the Gospel of Christ,
whose herald you now are.
Believe what you read,
teach what you believe,
and practice what you teach.”

This presentation of the book of the Gospels you describe, with this message from the bishop, is definitely right at the top of what is most moving for me as a lay person at the ordination of deacons, in the Latin church, which is filled with so much beauty and meaning!