WHy become a deacon?

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Wow! This group covered most everything about deacons. It’s amazing what happens when catholics get together and pool their knowledge. One thing that I would like to add is the importance of “The Call.” All of the deacons in our diocese were already serving in many ministries before applying…Eucharistic, lector, prison, RCIA, aged, training others for ministry, leading prayer groups Etc. They were called by their parish communities to represent them on the altar and to try to be an example of what all the parish members should be doing. (Serving God both in word and deed.) Most deacons feel unworthy of this call and it’s true we are all unworthy, but we serve God and urge others to join us.

The harvest is great, but the workers are few!
 
I didn’t see a response to Mike C. but here goes:

“We already have female deacons; they are called nuns”

Not so. The women are professed religious. The are not ordained, they are not deacons. The may serve the poor, and do any number of ministires that a deacon would do, but they are not ordained, and as such are restriced from areas the deacon would serve in, including official preaching, reading the Gospel at Mass, officiating at baptisms, funerals, and serving as the offical minister at a wedding.
 
On a practical level, I have also wondered what would be accomplished by this since lay men and women do everything a deacon does except the role during mass and administering baptism, marriage, and burial (?). On a week by week basis I don’t see what deacons do that other male volunteers don’t.

I’m not being critical of deacons as the church has always had them and teaches it is God’s will that we do. I’m just saying that on a practical level I don’t see what they contribute (in the Latin rite) that lay people don’t. In the Eastern rites the liturgical importance of deacons is much more pronounced and I see a clear difference from lay people.

That’s been my observations for what they’re worth.
 
This is something I have also been considering, I’m not sure if I’m being called to it or not. I feel as if something is grabbing at my insides and pulling me towards this when I think of it. (it is a good feeling) I would appreciate information on how other deacons have been called up to serve by God.
 
I have been in classes with a deacon whose wife had passed away. He has 5 small children. He said he was given “permission” to remarry is this possible?

blessings
 
From the days of the early church, there has never been “permission” for an ordained person to marry. Married men were ordained. But ordination is an impediment to marriage. All married deacons sign a statement before ordination that in the event of their wife’s death, they will never remarry. There were some nervous smiles in our class the day we did this. We have had deacons in our diocese that have lost their wives. They did not remarry. If it was decided that priests could marry, all current priests still could not marry. Church law forbids marriage to an ordained man. We have a married priest/ convert in our diocese. He was allowed to become a catholic priest, because he was married before he was ordained to the priesthood in his other church. He has a different situation than the other priests. He earns a living from a salary as a hospital chaplain. He supports his wife and kids, the church does not.

thanks for your post…God bless
 
Deacon Tony560:
We have a married priest/ convert in our diocese. He was allowed to become a catholic priest, because he was married before he was ordained to the priesthood in his other church. He has a different situation than the other priests. He earns a living from a salary as a hospital chaplain. He supports his wife and kids, the church does not.
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We also have a married priest who was a Protestant minister, and naturally he is the subject of frequent news stories. They all stated that he received a higher diocesan salary because he was married. Conversely, we have several permanent deacons who are salaried hospital chaplains, but they applied for these jobs on their own. In general I don’t think most permanent deacons receive any special guidance regarding their “day jobs” or secular careers, although certainly they could not be in any field contradictory to the faith. I know one man interested in the Permanent diaconate, but he doesn’t believe me that he will have to support himself and stay gainfully employed in spite of his possibly ordained status!
 
St. Ambrose:
On a practical level, I have also wondered what would be accomplished by this since lay men and women do everything a deacon does except the role during mass and administering baptism, marriage, and burial (?). On a week by week basis I don’t see what deacons do that other male volunteers don’t.
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St. Ambrose: The difference is an important one. Certainly all lay people are called to do good works. They do so as individuals - Catholic individuals - but individuals none the less. A Deacon, being an ordained minister, represents the church. When he does good works, it is the entire church that is involved. It is a sign of the work of our church in the lives of those who need us. I just read a book (which I don’t have with me) that said that when a Deacon does charitable works it is “sacramental” in nature. A sacrament is an activity that shows the mystery of our faith. So when a deacon does the very same act as a layperson, it takes on a whole new dimension.

I know that I haven’t explained this as well as I hoped but I hope you can see enough to understand that there is a difference.

Patrick
 
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debi:
I have been in classes with a deacon whose wife had passed away. He has 5 small children. He said he was given “permission” to remarry is this possible?
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The Holy See can give this permission in two ways. In the first way, the deacon must give up his ministry. (This is just like a priest who becomes laicized in order to get married.) In the second way, the deacon can remarry and still remain a deacon.

The guidelines that the Holy See followed for granting this second type of permission were extremely stringent prior to 2002(?), when they were loosened a bit. Now, having small children to raise would qualify a deacon for permission to remarry and still remain a deacon.
 
Rubbersoul

Hello

I just began my third year in our deacon formation program.

In our diocese, the primary ministry of deacons will not be liturgical but social action based on the teaching of Matt. 25: 31-45.

We will minister in our diocese in soup kitchens, hospital ministry, jail ministry, marriage prep and counseling, etc. acting in the person of Jesus Christ as servant.

Our bishop believes our ministry of service to the community will flow into our liturgical service.

For three years we attend spiritual formation with Michael Fonseca, who is very orthodox and is second to none in spiritual direction.

We also have 31 classes to complete in the areas of service, liturgy, scripture, canon law, ecclesiology, christology, and Church history just to name a few.

For 10 years I felt I had the call to become a deacon in the Church, but I am still discerning that call, and I feel my spiritual directors, my bishop, and the evaluation committee will help me discern that call.

I will be praying for you, brother, that the Lord will guide you, and if you decide this is what Jesus is calling you to do, then, welcome aboard!!!
 
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Fortiterinre:
. I know one man interested in the Permanent diaconate, but he doesn’t believe me that he will have to support himself and stay gainfully employed in spite of his possibly ordained status!
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Yes he does have to support himself. My husband has a Ph.D. in chemistry and that is his job during the day. We have two children in college so not working is not an option. Some men who are deacons in our diocese are retired from their day jobs although the majority are employed in the private sector.🙂
 
My husband is a deacon, we are Ruthenian Byzantine Greek Catholic, serving in a Melkite Byzantine Greek Catholic Church. It took almost 20 years of hearing don’t you want to be a deacon, for the reality to happen. I also knew it before he did, but it was just the continual people coming up to him recognizing it in him. After we moved from Steubenville OH to Irondale AL and a totally different ethenic parrish, it was not long before people were saying it again.

There was no permanant deacon program in the diocese until 1998 for the Ruthenians. So it can be a very long process of preparation and decernment. I think he wrote his innitial letter to the Metropolitan in 1988. Funny, they were the ones that contacted us, his letters were still on file. He was ordained in 2003, it took four years of study.

Ordination changes you. When God calls you to serve his Altar, it is not anything you can explain. There is definately grace that is imparted by God through the Bishops laying on of hands. And it was not just the men/deacons that are changed but their wives. All twenty of us have noticed things. More importantly is the people you serve notice the difference, and they tell you.

I am glad our children are older, the youngest is 19, it was very hard for all of us. His classes were in PA, and we are in AL, with all the papers that were do, it was a Masters level program. But a well fought battle with a wonderful outcome.

Nothing can outweigh the service to God when his calling is on your life. Just be true to your calling and follow your decernment, for God will put plenty of men in your path to direct you. And lets face it in todays world they are very careful. One has many hurdles to clear as far as checks for abuse of different types. So when they are done, you are pretty sure you have been called.

Pani (Slavonic term for deacon’s wife)Rose
 
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Deacon2006:
If the wife of a deacon dies Rome expects the deacon to remain as a deacon.

I’m sure there are exceptions made by some bishops but normally widowed deacons do not become priests.

We had an exception in our diocese. A deacon tried to discern what his future life would be like without his wife. (She died a terrible painful death.) He was well over 70. The bishop felt that the deacon had a calling to the priesthood. He received some personal instruction from a priest and was Ordained to the priesthood. Unfortunately, before too long, he too became ill. Other deacons who have lost their wives, have requested the priesthood from the bishop, but have been turned down. As deacon 2006 said…it is usually not done.

Deacon Tony
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Correct. The Latin Church prefers a Deacon remain as such if at any point he becomes a widower.

The local Ordinary has the option to permit the Deacon to pursue Presbyterial Ordination “in cases of great need”

That decision is entirely up to the Ordinary.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches, the situation is just the opposite. A deacon is preferred (and even expected) to pursue Presbyterial Ordination. ( I’ve been told they consider the term "Permanent Deacon to be an oxymoron 🙂 )
 
I am strongly considering becoming a Deacon. I had this calling for the past year or so. I brought it up to my wife last night on our walk around the neighborhood. She asked me why? She said, Can’t you do service to the Church without being a deacon? I already do, but told her I have this strong desire to continue to learn more about our Church and the God I love so much. Over the past 7 years, I have been an active listener to EWTN and the local Catholic Radio station, KSHJ in Houston. It seems like I can’t get enough of it. I’ve completely given up listening to pop music and conservative talk. I told my wife its made me a better person and become a better servant of God and the Church. So, if I continue this path and associate with other holy men of my faith, I will continue in that direction. I also told her I want the title of being a Deacon. She told me that was not a good reason. But I told her the title,gives me the authority to do things such as some sacraments, read the gospel, homily, etc that I would not be able to do without the title. I think she understood this. My wife of 37 years is very supportive of me becoming a deacon, but scared relative to what it means to us as a happily married couple and our family due to the time commitment to the Church. She knows her life will change along with myself and this has her worried. We are going to go to an introductory meeting for the permanent deaconate program in September and see what happens. Please pray for me. God bless.
 
rubbersoul said:
I’ve been thinking for a while about becoming a deacon in order to serve the God and church that I love more thoroughly. Is this a good enough reason? I cannot become a priest because I am married. What else does a deacon do besides help out during mass? I can’t quit my day job, I just want to be part of the historic church more so than I am now. ANy deacons out there that can tell me why they became deacons?

Thanks.
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1.) Proclaim the Gospel during the Mass.
2.) Preach during the Mass.
3.) Give blessings in the name of the Holy Trinity.
4.) Like priests and laymen, they can also baptize.

They can also licitly purify the sacred vessels.

Not much else.
 
Solomonson said:
1.) Proclaim the Gospel during the Mass.
2.) Preach during the Mass.
3.) Give blessings in the name of the Holy Trinity.
4.) Like priests and laymen, they can also baptize.

They can also licitly purify the sacred vessels.

Not much else.
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Not much else??? I can’t believe you wrote that!!! We have 2 Deacons who have retired from their regular jobs and they are busy, busy, busy at the church. They do marriage prep, RCIA, officiate at weddings, baptize people, preside at funerals, open and close Exposition, lead Novenas, Divine Mercy Chaplets, do prayer services, etc., set up and teach adult faith formation, Bible studies, read the Gospel during Mass, preach at Masses, visit nursing homes and the sick, grief counseling, assist the Bishop when requested and a myriad of other things. All for free.

I have a number of friends in the Permanent Diaconate in various parishes and they do just what I have listed, some more and some less depending if they are still working or not, but ALL of them are very busy in their parishes and the priests appreciate their service very much. Our Deacons are invaluable, and they do so much for parish life. They need to be much more appreciated than they are.
 
Mike_C said:
We already have female deacons; they are called nuns.
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Not really, no. There is no doubt that sisters and nuns (they’re different you know) “serve,” and serve greatly. But they are not ordained and are not canonically considered clergy, as deacons are. They do not receive Holy Orders.
 
Solomonson said:
1.) Proclaim the Gospel during the Mass.
2.) Preach during the Mass.
3.) Give blessings in the name of the Holy Trinity.
4.) Like priests and laymen, they can also baptize.

They can also licitly purify the sacred vessels.

Not much else.
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You forgot witnessing marriages…
 
This thread is thirteen years old. Older than all of my six kids… Bush was president…
 
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