What is the responsibility of a Deacon?

[Aramis]

When a deacon, priest and bishop perform duties appropriate to the the degree in which the have been ordained, they do so through faculties. The faculties of each are clearly annunciated in the official documents of the church.

The faculty to preach the homily is normally given to men who are ordained as deacons. The reason why a priest preaches the homily is because he received the faculty to preach when he became a deacon. The reason why the priest predominately gives the the homliy at mass is because that is the way the bishops who wrote canon law want it.

In the past some faculties were not so regularly given at ordination. Some priests were not allowed to hear confessions and some deacons were not allowed to preach etc etc. By and large in North America the normal faculties envisioned by Rome are given to all candidates at their appropriate rank.

God Bless

And, for priests and deacons, many of those faculties are not universal.

Universal faculties for unhindered priests: to consecrate the hosts in the form of Divine Worship they are trained in, such as the Roman mass or Byzantine Divine Liturgy or Maronite Quorbono.

For Deacons: To proclaim the Gospel, to assist at a divine worship liturgy as prescribed in the rubrics.

Preaching is almost always granted to deacons, but isn’t presumed under the Canon Law for the Eastern Churches. Being an ordinary Minister of Holy Communion isn’t worded to be universal, but is allowed universally if the sui iuris church permits in particular law.

Quite a difference from the duty in Acts to feed the widows and orphans…