Latin Rite Deacon at a Divine Liturgy?

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A Latin Rite layman has attended Sunday Mass and Sunday Divine Liturgy at two parishes every week for over a decade. He has been very active in liturgical ministries at his Latin Rite parish, but not at his Byzantine parish, but he is involved in the life of both parishes. Soon he will be ordained as a permanent deacon. If he feels no call to become “bi-ritual” is it permissible for him to continue to attend the Divine Liturgy just as he has for years?
 
Technically he needs to get permission to serve in both parishes. Since he will receive an assignment from his bishop he needs to follow his assignment – he no longer gets to choose where he will serve but, rather, serves at the will of the Church as expressed by the bishop. If he feels a call to serve both parishes then he needs to communicate that to his bishop and, if the bishop of the Eastern parish feels he can be of service, they need to agree and add that as an assignment for him.

Deacon Ed (who serves both a Latin Rite and a Melkite parish)
 
Torroidial said:
A Latin Rite layman has attended Sunday Mass and Sunday Divine Liturgy at two parishes every week for over a decade. He has been very active in liturgical ministries at his Latin Rite parish, but not at his Byzantine parish, but he is involved in the life of both parishes. Soon he will be ordained as a permanent deacon. If he feels no call to become “bi-ritual” is it permissible for him to continue to attend the Divine Liturgy just as he has for years?
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My dad, a Roman Rite Deacon attends the DL several times a year. If there were a shortage of HMC’s he’d be obigated to assist before a layman could be used at the local Ruthenian Parish, due to Particular law.

If asked to assist, he’d have to vest as a Roman Deacon. There is no requirement for biritual faculties to assist nor concelebrate, only to preside and to vest. It does require permission from the Bishops to assist or concelebrate on a regular basis or if it might cause astonishment.
 
Aramis said:
My dad, a Roman Rite Deacon attends the DL several times a year. If there were a shortage of HMC’s he’d be obigated to assist before a layman could be used at the local Ruthenian Parish, due to Particular law.

If asked to assist, he’d have to vest as a Roman Deacon. There is no requirement for biritual faculties to assist nor concelebrate, only to preside and to vest. It does require permission from the Bishops to assist or concelebrate on a regular basis or if it might cause astonishment.
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That’s exactly what I was looking for, thank you. It is nice to know he could still attend the DL each week without special permissions.

In the more than ten years he has been attending the DL, the same priest has celebrated them all. For the last 4-5 years with the one and only deacon of the parish. It would be a very rare case where he would be called to help distribute communion.
Unless he took the place of the lay reader, cantor or one of the altar boys, I’m not sure how he would even assist?
 
Torroidial said:
Unless he took the place of the lay reader, cantor or one of the altar boys, I’m not sure how he would even assist?
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The deacon’s role in the Byzantine DL is multi-fold:
  1. To call the litanies. (All those parts where the faithful respond with “Lord Have Mercy” or “Grant it, O Lord.”)
  2. He’s the ordinary minister of the censor
  3. He’s the ordinary minister of the Gospel
  4. He invokes the Priests blessings upon the gifts and the people (“Reverend Father, Bless the Gifts!” “Reverend Father, Give the blessing!”
  5. He gives instructions to the people (“Wisdom! Be attentive!” “The doors, the doors! In wisdom, be attentive!” “Let those to receive come forward in ___ lines.” (Not in the liturgicon, but a very practical duty of the deacon when there are multiple lines for communion.)
  6. He carries some of the gifts in the processions
  7. If an additional minister of Holy Communion is needed and permitted, the norm is a concelebrating priest, then a deacon, then a subdeacon, then long lines. (The Ruthenian Church adds a specially trained layman in between subdeacon and long lines)
 
Torrodial, the priest will work with him on what roles he desires; he may want him to become gradually acclimated and assign him more as he becomes more comfortable.

He should possess and become very familiar with the altar Liturgikon/Sluzhebnik (the priest and deacon’s service books) and the Ordo of the particular Church he is serving within.
 
Aramis said:
The deacon’s role in the Byzantine DL is multi-fold:
  1. To call the litanies. (All those parts where the faithful respond with “Lord Have Mercy” or “Grant it, O Lord.”)
  2. He’s the ordinary minister of the censor
  3. He’s the ordinary minister of the Gospel
  4. He invokes the Priests blessings upon the gifts and the people (“Reverend Father, Bless the Gifts!” “Reverend Father, Give the blessing!”
  5. He gives instructions to the people (“Wisdom! Be attentive!” “The doors, the doors! In wisdom, be attentive!” “Let those to receive come forward in ___ lines.” (Not in the liturgicon, but a very practical duty of the deacon when there are multiple lines for communion.)
  6. He carries some of the gifts in the processions
  7. If an additional minister of Holy Communion is needed and permitted, the norm is a concelebrating priest, then a deacon, then a subdeacon, then long lines. (The Ruthenian Church adds a specially trained layman in between subdeacon and long lines)
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But there is already a Byzantine deacon present at every DL. All the functions you mentioned are already being handled by the priest and deacon of the parish. I am not sure what a second deacon would do at the DL.
 
Fr. Deacon Randy makes a good point, one that I also alluded to:

A deacon is a deacon; if he is to attend regularly, he should learn to function in that church as a deacon unless laicized. He might never need nor be granted faculties, but as a cleric might be called to serve in emergencies, and should learn and know the role if he is to be a regular attendee. Further, Redemptoris Sacramentum specifies that clerics are not to participate as laymen without good cause. He should, however, be vested in choir dress when attending: Cassock and Surplice or Alb and Stole.
 
Would it really be necessary or even desirable for a Latin Rite deacon to wear choir dress to the DL if he was not going to assist?
 
We had a wedding at our Melkite parish. The Bride’s father was a Latin deacon. He read the Gospel at the wedding vested as a Latin deacon.
 
“RS 128. Holy Mass and other liturgical celebrations, which are acts of Christ and of the people of God hierarchically constituted, are ordered in such a way that the sacred ministers and the lay faithful manifestly take part in them each according to his own condition. It is preferable therefore that Priests who are present at a Eucharistic Celebration, unless excused for a good reason, should as a rule exercise the office proper to their Order and thus take part as concelebrants, wearing the sacred vestments. Otherwise, they wear their proper choir dress or a surplice over a cassock. It is not fitting, except in rare and exceptional cases and with reasonable cause, for them to participate at Mass, as regards to externals, in the manner of the lay faithful.”

I think this only applies to priests and of course, bishops. If deacons were to be included I think they would have continued the use of “sacred ministers” instead to transitioning to “Priests.” I don’t think it would be bad for deacons to vest in choir, but I don’t believe it is required as least per the above paragraph.
 
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