Diaconate: A ministry of charity to others

It was my intention last month to dedicate my column to the 50th anniversary of the permanent diaconate in our diocese. Then, Pope Francis died and then soon after, white smoke arose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Rome! The death of a pope and the election of a new one is a story that definitely takes precedence over most any other item that might be featured in my column in the diocesan newspaper! But, now that we have our new Pope Leo XIV (about whom I spoke in last month’s column), I return to a brief comment on the role of deacons in our Church and diocese.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says this about himself and his followers: “Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served (diakonos) but to serve (diakonos) and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28).

As I have indicated, the root of the biblical word for “serve” is diakonos, the word that the Early Church picked up and used as a title for a stable, ordered ministry, diakonos, from which comes our English word “deacon.” Early deacons include St. Stephen (the Church’s earliest martyr) and St. Lawrence of Rome. Thus, as with the title “priesthood” (see 1 Pt 2:9), so in a real sense the ministry of the “deacon” is part of the larger mission of the followers of Jesus, though the ministerial diaconate is a specifically structured and stable ministry entrusted to some among our Church through ordination. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this connection between the diaconate and the Lord when it specifies, “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.’ 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” (CCC 1569-1560).

Like our priests, our deacons receive assignments from the bishop, for a deacon’s assignment is often focused on liturgy and ministries of charity in our parishes. Thanks to our many generous deacons who seek to model their lives on the example of Christ, the Deacon and Servant. May the Holy Spirit who has called them to this specific service in the Church endow our deacons with the gifts of faith, hope and love they need to share with us the ministry of Jesus, the Servant.