Question about permanent deacons

[waterdog]

Our deacon says he does not answer to the priest, only to the bishop, therefore the pastor has no say over what he can or cannot preach on at Mass. This sounds way off to me, as a pastor is responsible for his parish and I would be very surprised if he was given no way to corral heretical teaching if his deacon was of this bent. Is there anything in canon law about this, or some other legitimate source?

 

[GelasianumVetus]

Well, the priest does have a say in whether or not the deacon preaches at all. The task of preaching is primarily that of the main celebrant, and the pastor basically has to delegate that task to the deacon at any particular liturgy.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 66: “The Homily should ordinarily be given by the Priest Celebrant himself or be entrusted by him to a concelebrating Priest, or from time to time and, if appropriate, to the Deacon…”

If there are problems, the priest does not have to allow the deacon to give the homily at all.

 

[triumphguy]

The deacon gets his faculties from the Bishop and has the same right to preach in the diocese as any priest with faculties in the diocese.

The Deacon does not need to have his homilies vetted by the pastor.

When there is a deacon at mass (even one presided over by the Pope) the deacon reads the Gospel since he is the Ordinary Minister of the Word.

However it is up to the Pastor to say WHETHER the Deacon preaches, but it is not up to the Pastor to say WHAT he preaches.

 

[Brendan]

Our deacon says he does not answer to the priest, only to the bishop, therefore the pastor has no say over what he can or cannot preach on at Mass. This sounds way off to me, as a pastor is responsible for his parish and I would be very surprised if he was given no way to corral heretical teaching if his deacon was of this bent. Is there anything in canon law about this, or some other legitimate source?

I will say that it works both ways.

I know of a Deacon who was assigned to a parish that was know for ‘unconventional’ opinions being given by the pastor during the homily (as well as during various religious ed).

In that case, the bishop insisted that the Deacon be allowed to preach at least one Sunday a month. The Deacon also made it a point to attend religious ed classes - just in case any questions came up that other staff could not give complete answeres to .

 

[poche]

I think that it is in poor taste for the priests or deacons to intimate to the faithful that they are fighting or bickering. Sometimes its very obvious, too obvious.

 

[Cristiano]

I think that it is in poor taste for the priests or deacons to intimate to the faithful that they are fighting or bickering. Sometimes its very obvious, too obvious.

If you get somehow intimate with priest and deacons you will see that they are opinionated men just like the rest of us. It is not nice to hear people bickering but sadly it happens., how we react to the bickering might send them a signal to change their manners.

 

[Brendan]

I think that it is in poor taste for the priests or deacons to intimate to the faithful that they are fighting or bickering. Sometimes its very obvious, too obvious.

FYI, the Deacon in question is a good family friend. I am not a member of the parish in quesiton.

The reason that I personally know of the situation is because the Deacon is such a good friend, and is well aware that I too was in Diaconate formation.

I stepped back when God granted my wife and I child #5 and then child #6 ( my wife needs me more in the pews helping than the bishop needs me reading the Gospel )

So what the Deacon confided in me is good information to know for when I go back into formation.

I too could be assigned to a similar situation at some point in Diaconal ministry.

 

[CB_Catholic]

I know a Deacon whose Pastor suspended his preaching because the homilies were so poorly done, and another whose Pastor made him turn in his homilies ahead of time after he heard a few. Both of which, IMO, were wise decisions on the part of the Pastor. They needed remedial homiletics, I think.