Pre-Cana Savannah

As we begin our short essay, below is a bit of background of information on the Diaconate taken from “Frequently Asked Questions” about Deacons issued by the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops.

Who is a Deacon?
A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three
groups, or “orders,” of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops,
presbyters (priests), and deacons. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came “to serve and not to be served.” The deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church.

What are these “various ministries” of the Deacon?
All ordained ministers in the Church are called to functions of Word,
Sacrament, and Charity, but bishops, presbyters and deacons exercise these functions in various ways. As ministers of Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of
Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages,
and conduct wake and funeral services. As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church’s resources to meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs. But no matter what specific functions a deacon performs, they flow from his sacramental identity. In other words, it is not only WHAT a deacon does, but WHO a deacon is, that is important.

Why do some deacons become priests?
For many years ordained ministers “ascended” from one office to another,
culminating in ordination to the presbyterate, or priesthood. The Second
Vatican Council (1962 – 1965), however, authorized the restoration of the
diaconate as a PERMANENT order of ministry. So, while students for the
priesthood are still ordained deacons prior to their ordination as priests,
there are more than 13,000 deacons in the United States alone who minister in this Order permanently. There is no difference in the sacramental sign or the functions between these so-called “transitional” and “permanent deacons.”

May married men be ordained deacons?
Yes. The Second Vatican Council decreed that the diaconate, when it was
restored as a permanent order in the hierarchy, could be opened to “mature married men, “later clarified to mean men over the age of 35. This is in keeping with the ancient tradition of the Church, in which married men were ordained into ministry. Also in keeping with ancient practice is the expectation that while a married man may be ordained, an ordained man, if his wife should die, may not marry again without special permission. If a single man is ordained a Permanent Deacon he will be obliged to practice celibacy just as a priest does.

Is a Deacon ordained for the Parish or the Diocese?
Whenever a person is ordained, he is to serve the diocesan Church. Deacons are no different in this regard: they are assigned by the bishop to ministries for which the bishop perceives a great need, and for which the deacon may have special gifts or talents. Most often, this will be within a parish setting, just as most priests serve in a parish. Once assigned to the parish, the deacon and any other clergy assigned to the parish minister under the immediate supervision of the pastor. However, this assignment may be changed at the request of the deacon or the initiative of the bishop.

The unique Sacramental Situation of a Married Permanent Deacon.
A married permanent Deacon has been blessed with two vocational callings. The first vocational call is to be a husband and father.
The married permanent Deacon assumes the responsibilities of loving, leading, guiding, protecting, providing, nurturing, and enriching the lives of his wife and children. He also bears the most important responsibility of being the spiritual shepherd and moral reference for his family. It is an awesome and humbling responsibility of love to place himself at the total and utterly complete service to his wife and children. The Deacon as husband and father is required to lay down his life (mainly figuratively but at times can be physically) for his wife and children by always placing their needs and wellbeing before his own. He will make the sacrifices required to
improve their lives as well as to help his family members to endure, accept, and embrace their crosses of pain and suffering. Helping them to understand Christian suffering has worth and is a way to God and to a deeper more trusting relationship with Jesus.

The second vocational call is to the Diaconate.
This call is also one of intense service to others. It also requires the Deacon to lay down his life, making the personal sacrifices necessary for the benefit of a person in need. The response to a person in need is to be given without consideration of who the person is or what relationship
the Deacon or does not have with the person seeking his assistance.
There are times when requests for assistance from the Deacon by people outside his family come into conflict with his family responsibilities. In these instances, the Deacon is brought to a decision point as to who is to receive his support and help. In most instances, since his first
vocational call is found in the sacrament of Matrimony the Deacon is to serve his family first and then the other person. There, however, maybe circumstances that would require and permit the Deacon to assist the person outside his family first and then see to the needs of his
family member. But the general rule is family first. I have had many instances in my 26 years of Diaconal ministry of being at the decision point of who receives assistance first. What I have done in the past and continue to do consistently is to first pray to Jesus to send the Spirit to obtain his guidance on what he would want to take place and who will receive the support and help first. It has always been made clear by the Holy Spirit the way forward and what is to be done to aid both the family member and person not a part of my family and in what order. But great care must always be given to be certain the first vocational call of the sacrament of matrimony.

Matrimony is always lived and honored.
It is an absolute necessity for a Deacon to consider the sacrifices his wife and family make to allow their husband or father to minister to the needs of the people of the parish or diocese. The absence of the Deacon from his family and home performing the duties of the sacrament of
Holy Orders can be burdensome and at times painful for family members to endure. Keen sensitivity to his family’s needs is of paramount importance and in almost all instances takes priority.
For it makes no sense for the Deacon to exercise his obligations of his second vocational calling while causing harm to his family by not exercising his obligations under his first vocational
calling.

The Deacon can only minister as a servant to his family and the people of his parish or diocese by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.