Why don't religious orders have permanent deacons?

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MarcusRoffensis

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The title says it all. After developing a recent interest in St. Ephrem the Syrian, one of the most famous religious deacons (as an yhydy’, he practiced form of pseudo-monasticism peculiar to Syria, living celibately in his community at Edessa rather than fleeing into the desert) in the Church, as well as learning that St. Francis was ordained to the diaconate shortly before his death, I have realized the complementarity of the two vocations – to a life following the evangelical councils and to a life as a deacon – and begun to wonder why permanent deacons no longer exist in religious orders.

Paragraph 18 of Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem states that permanent deacons may belong either to dioceses or religious orders, while Paragraphs 32-35 indicate that the Holy See may approve the ordination of permanent deacons in religious orders. The description of the deacon’s ministry in the Vatican’s “Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons” – particularly the emphases on works of mercy and offering assistance to priests and bishops – seems very similar to the vocation of a non-contemplative religious brother. Moreover, an increase in the permanent diaconate would partially alleviate the priest shortage by providing additional ministers for baptism, communion, marriage, and burial.

However, despite having met numerous secular permanent deacons, I have never met one belonging to a religious order or society of apostolic life. Do any orders use permanent deacons? If not, why are they so unpopular? It seems that the Holy See is open to the idea and that the two vocations – to religious life and to the diaconate – share much in common, with the fulfillment of each one perhaps facilitating the fulfillment of the other. Do religious orders simply pressure all suitable candidates for ordination to the diaconate to be ordained to the priesthood as well so that they may be of greater utility to the order and to the Church?

I would be happy to hear – or, rather, to read – any thoughts on this matter. Thank you for your consideration.

-Marcus
 
In the Eastern Rites, there are monastic sub-deacons. If I am not mistaken, the West doesn’t generally have sub-deacons outside of the EF groups.
 
A monastery near me has a brother who is a deacon and he tells me there is no intention to ordain him a priest! He was ordained deacon because the community needed a deacon.
 
Zekariya said:
In the Eastern Rites, there are monastic sub-deacons. If I am not mistaken, the West doesn’t generally have sub-deacons outside of the EF groups.
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My mistake. I thought that you were asking about sub-deacons. I know a friar from EWTN who is a permanent deacon.
 
I am a Monk and a Deacon. In the East we call that a hierodeacon.

Hierodeacon Moses
 
At “Il Santo,” the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua (in Padua, Italy), we attended Mass at which there was a rather elderly friar vested and serving as deacon. I asked our Conventual Franciscan friars back here at home, since I had the same impression as you–that religious orders didn’t have many permanent deacons. I was told that it’s traditional in the Franciscans to ordain some older friars who have been non-clerical brothers as a sign that they are conforming their lives to that of Saint Francis, who was a deacon.
 
MarcusRoffensis said:
The description of the deacon’s ministry in the Vatican’s “Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons” – particularly the emphases on works of mercy and offering assistance to priests and bishops – seems very similar to the vocation of a non-contemplative religious brother.

-Marcus
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Marcus, is that the directory for the United States or is there one from the Vatican as well? I wasn’t aware that the Vatican had their own directory but only that there was one for the US.

-Tim-
 
Zekariya said:
My mistake. I thought that you were asking about sub-deacons. I know a friar from EWTN who is a permanent deacon.
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I thought that the two MFVA friars who were deacons were transitional.

Which one?
 
Religious orders DO have Deacons, what leads you to say that they do not?

St. Francis, for example was a Deacon. He never sought Sacerdotal Orders.
 
TimothyH said:
Marcus, is that the directory for the United States or is there one from the Vatican as well? I wasn’t aware that the Vatican had their own directory but only that there was one for the US.
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I was referring to the Congregation for the Clergy’s Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons, available here, from which the USCCB’s directory drew heavily.
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Brendan:
Religious orders DO have Deacons, what leads you to say that they do not?

St. Francis, for example was a Deacon. He never sought Sacerdotal Orders.
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As I noted before, it was precisely this knowledge that prompted me to ask the question in the first place. St. Francis was indeed ordained a permanent deacon in a religious order 800 years ago. However, since then the institution of the permanent diaconate fell into disuse in the Latin Church until restored by Paulus PP. VI in Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem. In my personal experience, every religious deacon I have encountered – Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, Benedictines, Basilians – has been a transitional deacon rather than a permanent one, leading me to suspect that religious orders tended to advance their deacons to the priesthood. However, I can see from what Hierodeacon Moses wrote that I was mistaken and that permanent religious deacons do exist, at least in the Eastern Rites, where, to my knowledge, the institution was never suppressed. It seems that the wording of my initial question was confusing, for which I apologize. I intended to ask: do any religious orders in the Latin Rite have permanent, not temporary, deacons? If not, why?
 
The decision to remain a Deacon and not to see Sacerdotal Orders is not forbidden in any Order of which I am aware.

The decision to seek Orders at all would be a discernment between the professed religious, their spiritual director and their Prior\Superior.

The decision to accept Orders would then reside with the professed religious themselves, Holy Orders can never be bestowed upon the unwilling.

A Prior or Superior might indicate the need for priests in the Order and ask those willing to accept Sacerdotal Orders to discern if they are called.

I will accept that I would be rare for a Prior or Superior to call for Diaconal Service, but it would remain a possibility.

Likewise, a religious might bring forward a potential call to Diaconal Orders which the Prior may, or may allow depending on the needs of the Order.

And finally, a religious could be ordained to the Diaconate and then discern, with their spiritual advisor, that they are not called to the priesthood, in which case, they remain as a Deacon.

So a case can be made for the rarity of religious Deacons who are not seeking Sacerdotal ORders, but I know of no Order that bans them.
 
Theological and other training leading to ordination is quite a task for a monastery. Looking at the Benedictines I am familiar with, they have never ordained a permanent deacon AFAIK. Usually diaconal and sacerdotal training requires specialized university-level training in theology, philosophy, etc., with a professor with the right credentials. This may or may not exist in the monastery; if it doesn’t then the student is either sent out ($) or a professor brought in to teach the necessary subjects (also $). Such training is lengthy and costly. Moreover in a large community, there will likely always be transitional deacons, making the need for the permanent diaconate redundant.

It would therefore be highly unlikely that a community invests the time and money required to train a permanent deacon. A monk’s discernment for holy orders will likely be for the priesthood only.

At the abbey I’m associated with at the moment, we had two transitional deacons. One has been ordained to the priesthood last year, the other is in Paris studying at the Institut Catholique for 3 years. Another young monk will likely be ready for the diaconate soon. So at the moment there are no transitional deacons residing in the abbey.

However there are 20 or so priests. A priest never ceases to be a deacon, so they use a priest for the diaconal functions in the liturgy.

Holy Orders in a Benedictine monastery requires not just a vocation, but a need to be fulfilled, given the expense and complexity of training someone in a cloistered setting, and given that a priest can fulfill the liturgical role of a deacon quite easily, they are not very likely to invest in the training of a permanent deacon. It doesn’t, however preclude the possibility of a permanent deacon seeking admission to the monastery, however he would need permission of his bishop to be released for that.
 
OraLabora said:
Holy Orders in a Benedictine monastery requires not just a vocation, but a need to be fulfilled, given the expense and complexity of training someone in a cloistered setting, and given that a priest can fulfill the liturgical role of a deacon quite easily, they are not very likely to invest in the training of a permanent deacon. It doesn’t, however preclude the possibility of a permanent deacon seeking admission to the monastery, however he would need permission of his bishop to be released for that.
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And such a “permanent” deacon would also need to be a celibate (there are a few such but, as I understand it, not many), or be widowed before entering a monastery.

Of course it also doesn’t preclude the possibility of a “home schooled” so-called “permanent” deacon, but that would only happen if the Abbot perceived a dire need of same. I tend to think the perception of such a dire need would be highly unlikely, particularly in a cloister. 🙂 😉
 
malphono said:
And such a “permanent” deacon would also need to be a celibate (there are a few such but, as I understand it, not many), or be widowed before entering a monastery.
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That’s correct, and a permanent deacon who is widowed probably has a high chance of being older. Most monasteries are reluctant to admit older men because they are more set in their ways and less adaptable to monastic life. However reluctant does not mean “never”. It just means that the odds are extremely low. The unofficial cut-off age is 40.
malphono said:
Of course it also doesn’t preclude the possibility of a “home schooled” so-called “permanent” deacon, but that would only happen if the Abbot perceived a dire need of same. I tend to think the perception of such a dire need would be highly unlikely, particularly in a cloister.
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Indeed, given that most monasteries have quite a few priests (in fact at ours they outnumber the non-ordained monks) and a priest can easily fill the diaconal role in the liturgy.
 
OraLabora said:
That’s correct, and a permanent deacon who is widowed probably has a high chance of being older. Most monasteries are reluctant to admit older men because they are more set in their ways and less adaptable to monastic life. However reluctant does not mean “never”. It just means that the odds are extremely low. The unofficial cut-off age is 40.

Indeed, given that most monasteries have quite a few priests (in fact at ours they outnumber the non-ordained monks) and a priest can easily fill the diaconal role in the liturgy.
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I don’t believe this is permitted since VII.
 
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UncleBill:
I don’t believe this is permitted since VII.

It sure does happen in a monastery.

A priest never loses his diaconal faculties. In the monastery the priest functioning as deacon proclaims the gospel and assists the presider at the altar. Of course he also concelebrates.

When an actual deacon is available, the deacon serves, not a priest. The monastic liturgy requires a deacon, so a priest does stand in if there’s no deacon.
 
OraLabora said:
It sure does happen in a monastery.

A priest never loses his diaconal faculties. In the monastery the priest functioning as deacon proclaims the gospel and assists the presider at the altar. Of course he also concelebrates.

When an actual deacon is available, the deacon serves, not a priest. The monastic liturgy requires a deacon, so a priest does stand in if there’s no deacon.
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The priest vests as a priest and serves as a concelebrating priest…he does not serve as a deacon…pre Vatican II priests would vest a deacons and serve as deacons…this if no longer permitted.
 
UncleBill said:
The priest vests as a priest and serves as a concelebrating priest…he does not serve as a deacon…pre Vatican II priests would vest a deacons and serve as deacons…this if no longer permitted.
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It is in the Extraordinary Form.
 
UncleBill said:
The priest vests as a priest and serves as a concelebrating priest…he does not serve as a deacon…pre Vatican II priests would vest a deacons and serve as deacons…this if no longer permitted.
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He serves the functions of a deacon:
Deacons and Other Ministers
28. When neither a deacon nor other ministers assist in a concelebrated Mass, their functions are to be carried out by one or more of the concelebrants.36 However, every effort should be made to provide a deacon and other ministers.
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(USCCB Guidelines for Concelebration of the Eucharist)

However, yes he still also concelebrates as a priest.

Hope that clarifies it.
 
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