It may be helpful to provide some background on the Permanent Diaconate (now referred to simply as the Diaconate) in order for all of us to have a deeper appreciation of this significant gift of God to the Church.
The Permanent Diaconate (distinguished from the Transitional Diaconate, which is a step to ordination to the priesthood) traces its origins to the earliest days of the Church. In the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we read that Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch were chosen by the community and ordained as deacons by the Apostles. St. Paul gives instruction for deacons in his First Letter to Timothy, chapter 3. Outstanding leaders emerged in the Diaconate in the early centuries: Saint Stephen in the first century, the first disciple to be martyred; Saint Lawrence, the third-century administrator and martyr in the Church of Rome; Saint Ephrem, the fourth-century theologian, poet, and doctor of the Church. Saint Francis of Assisi himself, some centuries later, was a deacon. The Permanent Diaconate, however, disappeared for the most part after the early centuries.
One of the auspicious developments coming from Vatican Council II was the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate. Three documents address it: the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church, and the Decree on the Catholic Eastern Churches. Following up the Council, Pope Paul VI reestablished the Order of the Deacons as a permanent ministry in the Catholic Church in his apostolic letter, Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem.
Pope Paul VI implemented this restoration as "a driving force for the Churchs service or diaconia toward the local Christian communities, and as a sign or sacrament of the Lord Christ Himself, who came not to be served but to serve." (Matthew 20:28)
The very word diakonia in Greek means service or ministry. Through ordination to the Diaconate, that service is endowed with the power of Holy Orders, the grace of the sacrament.
Documents of the Church in recent years have addressed the Permanent Diaconate. Especially important have been the Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons, promulgated as a joint text by Pope John Paul II in 1998. In line with these documents, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2005 published the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States.
For 35 years, dating back to the first Ordination on Feb. 4, 1973, we have been privileged to have permanent deacons ministering in our Archdiocese. Ordination configures the deacon to Christs consecration and mission. The deacon exercises his service in the threefold ministry of the Word, of the liturgy, and of charity.
The deacon may be married (the great majority) or celibate, and most often he will have secular employment and be raising a family. Service is paramount. The deacons service in the Churchs ministry of Word and liturgy would be very much lacking if his exercise of the Churchs ministry of charity and justice did not accompany it.
The deacon, then, is called to exercise special works of charity and justice, particularly on behalf of the poor. He has specific responsibilities in assisting the priest in the celebration of the Eucharist. He has other liturgical responsibilities: to baptize solemnly, to witness marriages, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to preside at wake ceremonies and burials. The deacon can preside at liturgies of the Word and Communion services in the absence of a priest. He may officiate at celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours and at Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. He can conduct public rites of blessings, offer prayer services for the sick and the dying, and administer the Churchs sacramentals, as designated in the Book of Blessings.
We are blessed in our Archdiocese with the presence and service of 164 active deacons and 65 deacons who are designated as retired but who continue to assist in as many ways as they are able. The customary assignments for deacons are to parishes, but we are also very grateful to see their ministries expanding to other areas: correctional facilities, hospitals and nursing homes, marriage preparation and family life programs, administration, retreat work, leadership in local community programs, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, etc.
We deeply appreciate the dedication, skill, and spirituality that our deacons bring to the exercise of their ministries. We are profoundly grateful as well to their wives and family members for their invaluable collaboration with and support of the deacons. In a special way, I thank Deacon Robert Pallotti, Director of the Office for the Diaconate, and Father Aidan Donahue, Director of the Office of Formation for the Diaconate, for all their talented work and dedicated leadership.
While much has been accomplished already with a restored Diaconate, I believe that we are on the threshold of a vast expansion of ordained service and work for the Church through the Diaconate. In the ritual for the Ordination of Deacons, we pray, "Almighty God . . . in your eternal providence you make provision for every age." We need more candidates of high caliber to offer themselves for this ministry. If you have some indication of this vocation, please speak about it with your pastor or call the Office of Formation for the Diaconate (860) 243-1448. Please pray and encourage others to consider seriously vocations to both the priesthood and the diaconate.
Again, in the Ordination ceremony, the bishop places the Book of the Gospels in the hands of each deacon and says, "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach."
This commission is also our prayer, in gratitude, for all our deacons.'
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Archbishop's Annual Appeal
As I write this, the figures so far for the 2008 Archbishops Annual Appeal amount to $9,198,309. This total is $68,492 more than the total at this point last year, which was $9,129,817.
These results are clear evidence of your remarkable generosity and concern for those in need. Given the serious difficulties with the economy, you continue nonetheless to contribute with more than admirable goodness. Soup kitchens, food pantries, and homeless shelters are at dangerously low levels of supplies. You show your awareness that these facilities, along with many other services and programs, receive substantial support from the Appeal.
We still have five months to go. I am heartened and edified by your prayers and financial support and grateful beyond words for you.
