Yesterday was a day of great excitement here at the seminary as 17 of my classmates were ordained deacons. Most of these are from the Archdiocese of Chicago. The count is now down to just 3 weeks until my own ordination. As I prepare for this I have encountered more than a few people who have questions about just what a deacon is. When I refer to my upcoming ordination, even my own family members sometimes think of my ordination to the priesthood coming up in May. So, I thought it might be nice to provide a little info about deacons.

The word “deacon” comes from the Greek word “diakonos” which generally means “servant, minister, or helper.” Incidentally, in case you’re wondering why you often see the term “diaconate” used in referring to deacons, you can see now that this term is just derived more closely from the original Greek, “diakonos.” Given the origin of the word, it is not surprising then that some of the major functions of a deacon include being a servant, minister, and helper; he serves the poor and the sick, ministers during the Liturgy, and is a helper especially to the order of bishops, but also to the priests.

Most Catholics are familiar with the seven sacraments of the Church that you probably memorized when you were a kid. It is then helpful to understand that one becomes a deacon through the reception of the sacrament of Holy Orders and this is done through ordination. Perhaps you’re saying, “I thought priests were ordained and received the sacrament of Holy Orders.” Well, that’s also true. You see there are actually three “degrees” of this one sacrament. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explains:

“The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons.” Catholic doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the Magisterium, and the constant practice of the Church, recognizes that there are two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy and the presbyterate. The diaconate is intended to help and serve them…Catholic doctrine teaches that the degrees of priestly participation (episcopate and presbyterate) and the degree of service (diaconate) are all three conferred by a sacramental act called “ordination,” that is, by the sacrament of Holy Orders. (CCC 1554)

So, in answer to a common question, yes, I will be ordained twice. I will first be ordained a deacon and be sacramentally configured to act in the person of Christ the servant (in persona Christi diaconae). In May I will then be ordained again to share in the priesthood of Christ and act in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis). Both events are ordinations and reception of different degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders.

The Catechism goes on further to explain the function of deacons:

“At a lower level of the hierarchy are to be found deacons, who receive the imposition of hands ‘not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry.’” At an ordination to the diaconate only the bishop lays hands on the candidate, thus signifying the deacon’s special attachment to the bishop in the tasks of his “diakonia.” (CCC 1569)

Deacons share in Christ’s mission and grace in a special way. The sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (“character”) which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the “deacon” or servant of all. Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity. (CCC 1570)

One of the key things to note here is that this sacrament is permanent. Just like in baptism and confirmation, the sacrament leaves a permanent mark or “character” on the soul such that one will forever be a deacon. Even though I will go on to be ordained a priest (and yet again be permanently marked, this time as a priest), there is a real sense in which I will also always be a deacon. In this way a priest is reminded of his calling to be a servant, even as he exercises the “headship” of priestly ministry.

Although the practice for a long time now has been to ordain men first as deacons before being ordained priests, this was not always the case. The order of the diaconate is its own proper ministry and not merely a step on the way to priesthood. It was for this reason that the Second Vatican Council decided to restore the ancient practice of ordaining men as deacons who would not later be ordained priests. These deacons are often called “permanent deacons.” While the Church in the west only chooses priests from among those committed to celibacy, married men can be ordained as permanent deacons.

In the past 40 years since the end of Vatican II the presence of deacons assisting in parishes has increased greatly such that many people are now familiar with this ministry. As mentioned above, some of the most obvious things a deacon does include assisting at Mass by proclaiming the Gospel and occasionally giving the homily. Deacons also can preside at marriages and funerals (outside of Mass) and can baptize. I will get a chance to exercise several of these on the day after my ordination as I will serve as deacon of the Mass for the first time and preach my first homily. I also have the great pleasure of getting to baptize my nephew later that afternoon. Finally, one of the most noticeable consequences of ordination to the diaconate will be that it is at this time that I officially become a cleric, a member of the clergy. This means that I need an entire new wardrobe as I will then be required to dress as a cleric, wearing the Roman collar. At least it makes it easy to decide what to wear each day!

I hope this helps a little in learning more about deacons. I will do another post that describes what goes on at the ordination and what it all means. This will hopefully be particularly useful to those of you who will be coming to my ordination in just 2 weeks, 5 days and 23 hours (but who’s counting?).