Liturgical Ministry of the Deacon

 On 8 May 2017, the Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and Guidelines for the Life and Ministry of Permanent Deacons in Australia were launched in Sydney during the meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

These Norms and Guidelines were developed by the Australian bishops following the publication of a Vatican document which clarified the formation of deacons. Each country was encouraged to develop their own guidelines.

It is hoped that these documents will assist the many Catholics (including many priests) who do not understand the ministry of the permanent diaconate. Vatican II’s Constitution on the Church called for the order of diaconate to be treated not merely as a ‘transitional order’ or stepping stone to the presbyterate, but rather as a permanent or stable rank of the hierarchy (LG 29). It is to the permanent diaconate that I will refer in this article.

This is not the place to delve into the history of the diaconate, but the restoration of the permanent diaconate was heralded in 1964 by Lumen Gentium and enacted in 1967 by Pope Paul VI in his Apostolic Letter on the ‘Sacred Order of the Diaconate’.

Let me present a snapshot of the diaconate in Australia today. There are currently around 170 deacons, with many men currently in formation in several dioceses across the country. Whilst the current numbers in Australia are not large, it is evident that this ministry is slowly growing and will become more prominent in the life and mission of the Church in the years ahead. Worldwide, the permanent diaconate is the fastest-growing religious group (currently there are more than 44,500 with more than 1,000 ordinations each year), the majority based in Europe and America.

While the settings for much of a deacon’s activities are not in ecclesiastical structures or institutes, there is an enormous ecclesial significance in what he does and who he is in those settings. Some deacons are in full- time secular employment and some are in part-time or full-time ministry within the Church. As ordained ministers, deacons are active in ministries such as: chaplains to police, members of the emergency services and the military; hospital chaplaincy and prison ministry; working with indigenous communities, in street outreach, schools and universities, Church administration and Church agencies, and involvement in other forms of pastoral care.

The Ministry of the Deacon

All Christians are called by their baptism to evangelise; deacons evangelise within the role given to them by ordination, that is, service. To understand diaconal ministry, it is essential to see deacons in the context of the three general areas of service – the ministries of the word, the liturgy, and charity – with which they have traditionally been associated. These three areas of service cannot be separated from one another as they are all interrelated in the life of a deacon.

In his book The Breath of the Spirit in the Church, Anthony Ekpo writes that one of the major theological and ecclesial reasons for the order of the diaconate and reception of deacons into the sacrament of orders is to serve as a vested minister in the sanctification of the Christian community, in the celebration of the sacraments and liturgies, especially the Eucharist (p. 133).

For deacons to minister effectively, it is important that they do not narrow their ministry to a liturgical ministry only – valuable though this ministry is. Deacons are meant to have real connections beyond the parish to the wider community, and all are encouraged to be involved in the community in whatever way is possible and practicable. We are called to be ‘bridges’ between community and parish (though I am not suggesting that they are totally separate from each other). As deacons, we need to know the concerns of the community and bring them to the parish.

The liturgical ministry of the deacon is distinct from that of the ordained priestly ministry. In their liturgical ministry, deacons proclaim the gospel and direct the Church’s prayer. In the eucharistic sacrifice, for example, the deacon does not celebrate the mystery; rather, he effectively represents the people of God and, specifically, helps them to unite their lives to the offering of Christ.

For collaboration to be possible, it is essential that priests and deacons understand each other’s ministries. The ministry of deacons needs to be seen as a support for priests, not as a threat to undermine them. It is also essential that deacons understand their own ministry. They are ordained to ministry, not to priesthood. They are not ‘priests-in-waiting’ as referred to by some within the Church!

In terms of what a deacon can ‘do’, there are administrative and sacramental tasks deacons may share with priests. But the diaconate is not meant to alleviate a shortage of priests. Deacons are not replacements for priests. Yes, there are some practical advantages in having deacons available to carry out particular duties to assist the workload of priests, but there is a danger in reducing the ministry of deacon to mere functions.

In a Catholic understanding of sacramental theology, we have come to understand that ordination to the priesthood has a sacramental meaning that goes beyond the specific functions of the priest. Similarly ordination to the diaconate involves more than simply doing the ‘functions’ of the deacon. Ordained ministry is always much more than simply a question of function. Those in Holy Orders are principally and expressly ordained to the sacred ministry.

The Deacon in the Liturgy

In their liturgical ministry, deacons are called to:

1. assist the bishop and the priest during liturgical actions in all things which the rituals of the different orders assign to him;
2. administer baptism solemnly and supply the ceremonies omitted in an emergency baptism;
3. reserve the Eucharist, distribute communion to the sick, and bring it as Viaticum to the dying;
4. lead Benediction with the blessed Sacrament;
5. in the absence of a priest, assist at and bless marriages;
6. administer sacramentals and officiate at funeral and burial services;
7. read the sacred books of Scripture to the faithful and instruct and exhort people from the Scriptures;
8. preside at the worship and prayers of the people when a priest is not present;
9. direct the Liturgy of the Word, particularly in the absence of a priest.
   

The deacon is a sacramental sign of the very diaconal nature of the Church itself. So a deacon needs to be involved in a parish and minister to that parish. The deacon is a sacramental witness to Christ’s ministry within the community.

Regarding baptism, the ordinary minister is the bishop, the priest, or the deacon. However for the deacon, the exercise of this ministry (except in the case of necessity) requires the permission of the parish priest whose prerogative it is to baptise those entrusted to his pastoral care. Preparation for the reception of this sacrament is a fitting diaconal ministry, and some deacons are involved in such preparation.

Deacons most commonly preside at weddings outside of Mass, although they can be asked to assist at a nuptial Mass and receive the matrimonial consent within the Mass. They impart the nuptial blessing within the ceremony.

In the absence of a priest, the deacon leads the funeral liturgy outside of Mass, and gives the consolation of faith in leading the rites of Christian burial. They may also assist the priest during the funeral Mass by performing their regular liturgical duties, including the possibility of preaching the homily.

As the Church's minister, according to the legal norms, a deacon serves the faithful by those forms of intercession known as blessings. He blesses either persons or objects of devotion. At gatherings of the faithful, such as a Liturgy of the Word or parish meetings, a deacon may fittingly give a concluding blessing. The ministry of blessing [in addition to bishops and presbyters], belongs to the deacon because as the minister of the altar, of the word and of charity, the deacon is the assistant of the bishop and the college of presbyters (Book of Blessings 18).

Deacon Owen Cummings, in his book Deacons and the Church, writes that, In the liturgy, God is drawing us into his very own life. The deacon is privileged to serve this divine project… He is the unobtrusive servant enabling the liturgy to unfold smoothly to achieve God’s purposes (p. 82).

When a deacon is present at the celebration of Mass, he may always exercise his office. A deacons vests properly when assisting at Mass, wearing an alb, a cincture if required, a stole and dalmatic (though the latter may be omitted depending on solemnity of the occasion). He walks beside the priest in the procession to the altar, reverences and venerates the altar, ministers at the altar (both book and chalice), proclaims the gospel and, at the invitation of the priest celebrant gives the homily, guides the people by giving appropriate instructions and announces the intentions of the universal prayer, invites those present to exchange a sign of peace, assists the priest celebrant in distributing communion and purifying the sacred vessels, carries out the duties of lay ministers if none is present, and, after the priest’s blessing, dismisses the people (GIRM 171).

Chief among the faculties accorded to permanent deacons is that of preaching the word of God. Deacons possess the faculty to preach everywhere, to be exercised with at least the presumed consent of the rector of the Church (CCL 764). Deacons need not and should not preach at every Mass but, as sharers in the bishop’s own preaching ministry, they have an obligation to preach that must be respected, encouraged and nurtured. The Church reminds us that when the scriptures are proclaimed in the liturgy, it is Christ who speaks directly to us (SC 7).

The character of the deacon’s preaching should reflect the uniqueness of diaconal ministry. Deacons preach from their experience of service. They should bring to their homilies a prophetic sense of the service to which all are called. They need to be inspiring in their preaching and well-formed in theology and Scripture studies. Preaching from experience, the homilist links the word of God with what is happening in people's lives. In my diaconate formation, we were encouraged to prepare homilies, as Karl Barth famously said, with the bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

Conclusion

Returning to the Guidelines for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons, we note in conclusion: In serving the people of God in the sacramental ministry, a deacon is conscious that the actions of Christ and his Body the Church are sacred actions surpassing all others.

Accordingly, he will strive to promote the full, conscious and active… participation of the faithful in the sacraments, bearing fruit in love of God and neighbour. With this as his goal, the deacon catechises the faithful, promotes the dignified, beautiful performance of the sacred actions, and duly observes the liturgical norms…(5.2.2).

The deacon is the Church's service sacramentalised, and a sign or sacrament of the Lord who came not to be served but to serve.

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This article was originally published in Liturgy News ​Vol 47(2)  June 2017.  Reprinted with permission.