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A Quiz About Deacons
by Kristen West McGuire
How much do you know about the permanent
diaconate? Here's a special challenge for you: Take the following quiz
about deacons and their role. The answers just might surprise you!
TRUE OR FALSE:
1. Deacons are ordained clergy.
2. There have always been permanent deacons in the Roman Catholic Church.
3. A married deacon is expected to place the Church as a priority above his
wife and family.
4. The wife of a deacon is called a deaconess.
5. A single or widowed deacon is expected to remain celibate the rest of his
life.
6. The deacon works for the bishop of the diocese he serves, not the priest
of the local parish.
7. Deacons serve the Catholic Church primarily through the liturgy of the
Mass.
8. Lay ministries are not needed in parishes with a deacon.
9. Deacons do not have the same formation as priests.
10. There are more deacons in the United States than in all other countries
combined.
Here are the answers to
the quiz:
1. TRUE.
There are three levels of holy orders in the Catholic Church. The diaconate
is the first level; it functions as the service ministry of Christ. In
other words, deacons are servants, called to embody the work of Christ in
service of justice, the Word and the altar. There are as many ways of
serving as there are deacons. All deacons can baptize, witness marriages,
bring the viaticum to the dying, and preside at
funerals. They proclaim the gospel and may serve as the homilist at mass.
Like John the Baptist, they lead a prophetic life of service for the benefit
of the Church.
The priesthood is the second level of holy orders. A priest is ordained a
deacon prior to being ordained a priest. Priests stand in the place of
Christ himself as they celebrate the sacraments of Eucharist,
Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. They carry a spiritual
responsibility for the community of faith they serve. Through the
sacraments and ministries of the Church, priests manifest the presence of
Christ in the world.
Bishops are ordained to the fullness of holy orders. They fully convey the
leadership of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King. They shepherd the
churches entrusted to their care (with the help of priests and deacons), and
safeguard the gospel that has been passed down to us from the Apostles
themselves. They lead their dioceses in communion with the Pope and all the
other bishops of the world.
2. FALSE. To be fair, this is a trick question! There
have always been deacons in the Church. In Acts of the Apostles, the
apostles assign the service ministries of the Church to seven deacons.
Several saints in the early Church were deacons, some of whom later became
bishops, like St. Athanasius. In general, up until 500-600 A.D., their
duties were similar to those of today's deacons. They were especially
instrumental in helping the Church spread across Europe.
The permanent diaconate gradually disappeared during the Middle Ages.
Monasteries and convents were providing charity originally associated with
the service of deacons. The liturgical role of the deacon received greater
emphasis over works of charity. Gradually, the diaconate became a
transitional step to priesthood.
Vatican II restored the office of the permanent diaconate. There were three
main reasons for this action. The restoration would return to the Church
the full complement of ordained ministries handed down from the Apostles.
The new deacons would confirm and highlight the work of the Holy Spirit
already present in the Church. Finally, deacons would bring sacramental
service to areas where priests are scarce.
3. FALSE. A married man who is ordained a deacon in the
Catholic Church is expected to honor his first commitment in the sacrament
of marriage, with the Church's blessing. The Church will not ordain the man
unless his wife gives her consent in writing. A married deacon often must
juggle a secular job, his family responsibilities and his service as
deacon. This is not a vocation for the faint of heart!
The relationship between marriage and holy orders is an interesting one. In
Eph 5:22-32, the marriage between a man and a woman is compared to the
marriage between Christ and his Church. The passage, in effect, says that
each one must serve the other in love. Christ came to serve rather than be
served. The man has already been a deacon (Greek diakonia means "to serve")
to his wife, and she to him. Thus, his ordination to the diaconate is an
affirmation of the Christian service evidenced in his marriage.
The unity of the deacon and his wife is a sign to the entire parish of the
unity of Christ with his Church. Often, the deacon's wife serves the parish
or local community in a concrete way herself. After ordination, the deacon
and his wife may work together in various ways to build up the Kingdom of
God. The beauty of the diaconate is that the question of exercising "power"
is replaced with the solid emphasis upon service. Those who would see the
wife of a deacon as "used" and not appreciated are missing the point.
Christ humbled himself to union with us. In a very real way, the deacon and
his wife both embody this divine humility.
4. FALSE. (But it was true at one time.) The wife of a
deacon today is not called a deaconess. She should be referred to as "Mrs.
Jones", or "Louise", if you are on familiar terms. She remains a lay member
of the parish. Some deacons' wives lament that people treated them
differently after their husbands were ordained. This need not be so.
In the early church, the wife of a deacon was referred to as a deaconess.
(Deaconesses, single or married, were responsible for preserving modesty
during female baptisms.) However, married deacons (and married priests in
the eastern rites) were expected to practice celibacy. Canon 13 of the
Council of Tours (567 AD) states:
"If a presbyter be found with his presbytera or a deacon with his deaconess,
or a subdeacon with his subdeaconess, he must be considered excommunicated
for a full year and deposed from every clerical office, and know that he is
considered among the laity."
5. TRUE. Single men ordained to the diaconate, whether
preparing for the priesthood or not, must take a vow of celibacy. They are
not allowed to marry. Deacons who are widowed must also observe the norm
of celibacy. However, the widow of a deacon may marry with the Church's
blessings.
The reason for this is simple. Those ordained to the service of Christ and
His Church are called to consecrate themselves to this work with an
undivided heart. The sacrament of matrimony and the sacrament of holy
orders must not be in competition. A married man is ordained a deacon with
his wife's consent. The wife usually participates in the formation and
discernment process. This is meant to safeguard against possible friction
after ordination.
The virtue of chastity is expected in both married and unmarried deacons.
Chastity refers to pure, self-giving love between a man and his spouse.
This pure love brings forth physical and spiritual fruit. Married deacons
usually have children, the physical fruit of chastity. Bishops, priests and
single deacons are celibate in order to devote their fruitfulness to the
Kingdom of God. Their spouse is the Church. The Catechism puts it nicely:
"accepted with a joyous heart, celibacy radiantly proclaims the reign of
God." (1579)
6. TRUE. Only the bishop is allowed to ordain a priest or
a deacon. Thus, the deacon has a direct relationship to the bishop. It is
the responsibility of the bishop to ensure that deacons are placed in
parishes and ministries where their talents and special charisms will bear
fruit. In the economy of sacramental order, bishops and priests were first
deacons. Their knowledge of the needs of the diocese are crucial to the
success of the diaconate.
Placement of deacons should reflect the needs of the faith community.
At the same time, deacons who are placed within a local parish will
obviously want to work harmoniously with the pastor and the bishop. Priests,
and bishops, do not stop being deacons when they are ordained to the next
level of holy orders. They still serve. A deacon is not a mini-priest,
nor a glorified altar-boy. By serving the servant, the bishops, priests and
deacons will ground their relationship within the humble love of Christ.
7. FALSE. It may be that you only see the deacon serving
the Church on Sunday during the Mass. Most deacons serve the Church
throughout the week in a variety of challenging and wonderful ways. Many
deacons are involved in the pastoral care of the ill and dying. Other
deacons are spreading the good news of Jesus concretely in soup kitchens,
homeless shelters and other social service agencies. Still others reach
out to addicts and convicts in prisons and mental health clinics.
Parish-based deacons help to encourage lay ministry within the parish, and
actively promote service to the world. Indeed, a deacon is expected to help
a parish encounter and address the needs of the local community. In many
dioceses, priests who request a deacon to be appointed to their parish are
on a waiting list. We can only expect this trend to continue, with the
shortage of priests growing yearly.
8. FALSE. The main function of the deacon is to imitate
Christ as a sign and sacrament of service. Parishes, and deacons, are
called to be Christ's hands, feet and mouth in the world. Most people will
acknowledge that often our parishes fall far short of this goal. The focus
of the deacon is to serve in such a way that encourages each and every
Christian to imitate Christ.
Lectors, lay eucharistic ministers, acolytes, and other lay persons need not
feel threatened by the presence of a deacon. The deacon is not a lay
person, he is a member of the clergy. His primary focus is to highlight
needs that are not being met within the life of the community. Strong lay
participation in a parish may negate the need for a deacon. (And this would
delight the deacon, you can be sure!) The exception to this may be
parishes with no priest. There have been deacons assigned to such parishes
in recent years.
9. TRUE. The formation programs are separate. Deacons
undergo a formation that takes approximately three - five years; formation
for a priest is generally a year or two longer. Deacons and priests learn
many of the same things, such as the study of the bible, church history,
interpersonal dynamics, liturgics, and theology. However, deacons and
priests are preparing for distinctly different forms of service. Also, the
deacon must learn to balance the demands of family, secular job and
formation.
The sacrament of holy orders is irrevocable. It is extremely important that
the discernment of a call be confirmed prior to ordination. In most
dioceses, the number of deacon candidates accepted for ordination is a small
percentage of those who apply for admission to the program.
10. TRUE. There are over 11,000 deacons in the United
States, and about 20,000 deacons world-wide. When the permanent diaconate
was restored, it was expected to grow fastest in third world countries.
However, the most notable growth has been in the United States and Germany.
There are several reasons for this growth. The Church in America is blessed
with excellent educational and financial resources. The enthusiastic
reception of Vatican II reforms in the United States gave added impetus to
the proliferation of vocations to the diaconate. The spiritual need of the
Church in America has never been greater. I like to think that God has
raised up deacons in America to remind us that the power of the Holy Spirit
is stronger than the forces of evil in our midst.
How did you do? Here's the
grading scale:
10 out of 10 correct: Wow! You must be a
deacon or the wife of one!
At least 8 correct: Very good. Your knowledge of the diaconate needs to be
shared with friends and family!
At least 5 correct: Not bad-- some of the questions were tricks, anyway!
You might have learned a thing or two from this test.
Less than 4 correct: Maybe those trick questions were too unfair! In any
case, you might be interested in the following books: The Deacon in the
Church, by Lynn Swanson (Alba House (800) 343-ALBA); Permanent Deacons: Who
They Are and What They Do by Henry Libersat (booklet from Liguori
Publications available in most Catholic bookstores); Permanent Deacons:
Guidelines on their Formation and Ministry (Publication 974-2, USCC, (800)
235-8722.)
Taken from the May 14, 1995 issue of "Catholic Twin Circle."
For subscriptions contact: Catholic Twin Circle, P.O. Box 260380, Encino, CA
91426-0380, (800) 421-3230.
Send comments to the editor, Loretta G. Seyer, to CATHOLIC TWIN CIRCLE,
15760 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1201, Encino, CA 91436, (800) 421-3230
NOTE TO CRNET REVIEWERS: Although this article is perhaps not as scholarly
as some CRNET subscribers might need, I hope that it might be useful to you
as more and more lay Catholics join CRNET in search of solid information
that is easily readable.
To contact Kristen West McGuire: 714 G Avenue, Unit B
Coronado, CA 92118, ph/fax (619) 435-5350
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