What is the responsibility of a Deacon?

  • Thread starter Thread starter whatevergirl
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
W

whatevergirl

Guest
Today, at our new parish, a Deacon gave the homily. He also held up the wine alongside the priest who held up the Eucharist before Communion… and chanted what the priest typically chants along with him…‘in the unity of the Holy Spirit…all glory and honor is yours…’ Now, I think I have read that deacons cannot hear confessions, nor can they consecrate the host. Can they annoint the sick? Give last rights? Marry someone?

Do you feel that deacons are necessary, and why is the RCC ordaining deacons now, instead of in the past? I enjoyed his homily very much–but just wonder what others’ views on it is.
 
What you describe your deacon doing is correct with the exception of chanting the doxology “through him with him and in him.” Only the priest and concelebrating priests should be saying that.

There is a section in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal which describes “Mass with a Deacon.”

Deacons have been ordained since the beginning of the Church. We read quite a bit about them in the New Testament. St. Stephen, the first martyr, for instance, was a deacon.

In general, deacons may baptize, witness marriages, preside at funerals (without a Mass), give certain blessings, preside at the Liturgy of the Hours, and assist the priest in various ways.
 
All the times I’ve been to Mass with a deacon, it seems that the only thing they do that laypeople can’t is read the Gospel and give the homily.
 
I don’t have an opinion one way or the other…I thought today’s Deacon was wonderful…but just don’t see the need, if a priest needs to preside over the mass to consecrate the host, etc…anyways. What is the purpose of having a deacon at mass, if a priest is also there??

:confused:
 
I would be cautious if the deacon is giving the homily. The GIRM says that they can but only in extreme cases.
 
dbacks5439 said:
I would be cautious if the deacon is giving the homily. The GIRM says that they can but only in extreme cases.
Click to expand...
What part of abortion don’t you understand? Your bottom line states that you are Pro-Choice and you consider yourself Catholic.
 
wynd said:
All the times I’ve been to Mass with a deacon, it seems that the only thing they do that laypeople can’t is read the Gospel and give the homily.
Click to expand...
Laypeople cannot hold the chalice during the doxology.
 
Brendan said:
Laypeople cannot hold the chalice during the doxology.
Click to expand...
ok…well, he did. I don’t want to cause a problem…I’ll see if he does this again at the next mass…maybe it was in error this time? I am new to this parish, so this is my first seeing this.

If it happens again–what would you do? anything?
 
dbacks5439 said:
I would be cautious if the deacon is giving the homily. The GIRM says that they can but only in extreme cases.
Click to expand...
I don’t believe the GIRM says anything about “extreme:”

“61. Among ministers, the deacon, whose order has been held in high honor since the early Church, has first place. At Mass he has his own functions: he proclaims the gospel, sometimes preaches God’s word, leads the general intercessions, assists the priest, gives communion to the people (in particular, ministering the chalice), and sometimes gives directions regarding the assembly’s moving, standing, kneeling,or sitting.”

As a practical matter in our diocese, most deacons preach at all Masses once a month and at other times as the pastor sees fit. This gives the pastor respite from homily preparation and provides the deacon to grow in his ministry of the Word.
 
whatevergirl said:
ok…well, he did. I don’t want to cause a problem…I’ll see if he does this again at the next mass…maybe it was in error this time? I am new to this parish, so this is my first seeing this.

If it happens again–what would you do? anything?
Click to expand...
A Deacon is not a lay person.He is a cleric in Holy Orders If a Deacon was present he was SUPPOSED to hold the chalice, that’s one of his jobs 🙂
 
dbacks5439 said:
I would be cautious if the deacon is giving the homily. The GIRM says that they can but only in extreme cases.
Click to expand...
No, the GIRM says that the Deacon may give the homily on occasion. That is diffrent from “in extreme cases”
  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
Click to expand...
One of the ways a deacon serves his parish is to write and give the homily when the pastor has been ‘swamped’ with the priestly Sacramental needs of the parish.
 
dbacks5439 said:
I would be cautious if the deacon is giving the homily. The GIRM says that they can but only in extreme cases.
Click to expand...
What section of the GIRM are you talking about?
The office of Deacon is a ministerial position that focuses on The Word of God, instruction of the faithful, service to the people (especially the poor), and the Precious Blood of Christ. The Deacon is also an ORDINARY minister of Holy Communion, and can baptize, witness marriage, and hold funeral services (not funeral masses).

When we talk about the Gospel and the Deaconate, there are two sections of the 2003 GIRM:
  1. By tradition, the function of proclaiming the readings is ministerial, not presidential. The readings, therefore, should be proclaimed by a lector, and the Gospel by a deacon or, in his absence, a priest other than the celebrant. If, however, a deacon or another priest is not present, the priest celebrant himself should read the Gospel. Further, if another suitable lector is also not present, then the priest celebrant should also proclaim the other readings.
Click to expand...
After each reading, whoever reads gives the acclamation, to which the gathered people reply, honoring the word of God that they have received in faith and with grateful hearts.
Click to expand...
Now, speaking of the Homily, since the Office of Deacon is also focused on the instruction of the Faithful, and a Homily is, by definition, a lesson about the readings (see GIRM 65). As to who can give a homily, we have:
  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.
Click to expand...
There is nothing EXTREME mentioned in regards to circumstances here. In my experience, the circumstances that lead a Deacon to give the homily could be as simple as a Priest with a sore throat, bad legs, or general illness. Regardless, there is nothing illicit WHATSOEVER with a Deacon reading the Gospel and then giving the homily.

Pax tecum
 
Ok…I have greater clarity now…looks like everything is fine, then. I just wasn’t sure what to expect…so I asked the question. Thanks for your replies, everyone.
 
ThuribleGuy45 said:
As a practical matter in our diocese, most deacons preach at all Masses once a month and at other times as the pastor sees fit. This gives the pastor respite from homily preparation and provides the deacon to grow in his ministry of the Word.
Click to expand...
Interesting that you mention this. There is a parish back home that has a Deacon deliver the homily at EVERY mass. I honestly suspect that this is simply because his homilies are THAT good (yes, he is an EXCELLENT speaker with great Biblical insight). Again, this sits in the context of “circumstances” mentioned in the GIRM.

Pax tecum
 
Ignatius2000 said:
Interesting that you mention this. There is a parish back home that has a Deacon deliver the homily at EVERY mass. I honestly suspect that this is simply because his homilies are THAT good (yes, he is an EXCELLENT speaker with great Biblical insight). Again, this sits in the context of “circumstances” mentioned in the GIRM.

Pax tecum
Click to expand...
I know of another parish like that, But the primary reason is that the assigned priest is slavic and has a think accent. The deacon is more understandable, so he gives most of the homilies. Yet another ‘circumstance’.
 
whatevergirl said:
Today, at our new parish, a Deacon gave the homily. He also held up the wine alongside the priest who held up the Eucharist before Communion… and chanted what the priest typically chants along with him…‘in the unity of the Holy Spirit…all glory and honor is yours…’ Now, I think I have read that deacons cannot hear confessions, nor can they consecrate the host. Can they annoint the sick? Give last rights? Marry someone?

Do you feel that deacons are necessary, and why is the RCC ordaining deacons now, instead of in the past? I enjoyed his homily very much–but just wonder what others’ views on it is.
Click to expand...
The Deacon is the Canonical Minister of the Cup and the Gospel. If communion is given under both species, the Deacon must be the minister of the cup. Likewise, the Gospel MUST be read by a Deacon if one is present and able.

Roman Deacons may Baptise, Witness Marriages, and Preach. They may do burial services, Benediction, and certain other liturgies.

Like other clerics, They do not sit with the people in their home diocese, but they vest and either sit on the Dais, or sit in choir. (The only time I get to sit with my dad during the Mass is outside of Alaska or in the Eastern Rite Liturgies. He was ordained in 1982.)

The church has ALWAYS had Deacons. It’s just that, for more than 400 years, the Roman Rite almost always ordained men to the diaconate as a preparatory step for the priesthood. Since V II, the permanent deacons have been reinvigorated. The first ordination of Deacons is recorded in Acts.

Of the above, the Rubrics in the sacramentaries state that only the priests say the “Through Him, with Him, in Him…” but some earlier post VII ones stated “celebrant(s),” and put all the deacon’s lines under that same label…

Last rites: No, as it requires hearing confession.
Annointing the Sick: Yes

Confession: No.
Consecration: No. But they have a proper and ordinary role during it.

Current theology of Marriage in the Roman Rite is that the Couple performs the wedding, and the minister is there to bless it, and validate it.

In the Eastern Rites, the duties, aside from being eucharistic ministers and reading the gospels, differ.
 
Deacons may annoint; but they may not confer “annointing of the sick”.

There is a difference.

Annointing of the sick, as a whole sacrament, entails confession.

Simply annointing with oil is a seperate act which deacons can do.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top