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Deacons are a living sacramental sign of Christ the servant, today |
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By Joseph Michalak
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Tuesday, 08 September 2009 |
Whenever I tell people I work in the Office of Diaconate, the most common response is “The office of what? Can you spell that?”
 Commentary
Joseph Michalak
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And whenever I speak with Serra Clubs or at parishes about the vocation and role of the deacon, the most common question is: “What does a deacon do that a priest or lay person can’t do?”
The response is: That’s the wrong question — at least to begin with. As
with any vocation (marriage, religious life, priesthood), we first need
to answer “who we are” before we can describe “what we do.”
Christ the servant
In the words of Pope John Paul II and the church documents that govern
diaconate formation, the deacon is ordained to “sacramentalize service”
and to be an “icon of Christ the servant.” In other words, the deacon
is a unique living sacramental sign in our midst of Christ the servant,
the one who knows suffering and who pours himself out for the good of
others.
Therefore, the deacon is ordained — he is no longer a layman — into
Jesus’ own apostolic ministry. In theological terms, the deacon, like
priest, stands “in persona Christi capitas” (in the person of Christ
the head). But the deacon does so not as victim and priest, but as
servant.
As one theologian has put it, a priest presides at the Liturgy of the
Eucharist that gives rise to charity; the deacon, however, presides at
the “liturgy of charity” that culminates in the mystery of the
Eucharist.
(This, by the way, is why the church envisions a normal Mass to be one
with a deacon, and it is why you will see after the consecration both
deacon and priest holding up the host and the chalice. Here is a more
robust sign, so to speak, of the dimensions of Jesus the head of the
body, victim-priest and servant laying down his life in love.)
At the end of Mass, it is the deacon’s role to intone “The Mass is
ended; go in peace,” and he then is ordained to do precisely that: to
lead in extending the sacramental charity of the Eucharist — the
apostolic ministry of Christ himself — into the world. The deacon often
then goes forth as “icon” of Christ where a priest is unable to go, and
the deacon is meant to do so as an “animator of the laity.”
Thus, like laity, the deacon by virtue of baptism shares in the
three-fold office of Jesus (prophet, priest, and king). In addition,
like bishop and priest, the deacon is ordained into a more specified
three-fold participation in the ministry of Christ for the church and
the world: ministry of the Word (the foundation), ministry of the
Eucharist and liturgy (the heart) and ministry of charity and justice
(the expression and fruit). What a deacon does flows from this
three-fold ministry.
As a servant of God’s Word, the deacon daily contemplates that Word,
especially in Scripture. The deacon always proclaims the Gospel at
Mass (even if the pope presides); he evangelizes, teaches, instructs,
preaches and leads others into “lectio divina.”
As servant of the Eucharist and the sacramental and liturgical life of
the church, the deacon presides at baptisms, assists in the mystery of
the Eucharist, is the normal bearer of the Eucharist to the sick and
suffering, can witness marriages, bury the dead and preside at
benediction.
The deacon commits himself to praying morning and evening prayer on
behalf of the church and intercedes as Christ for all. As servant of
charity and justice, embodying the eucharistic self-gift, the deacon
takes the sacramental presence of the church into the most far-reaching
corners of suffering: to the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the
elderly and dying, to immigrants, to the mentally ill, to the estranged
— to wherever there is need and suffering.
What does a deacon do? The list is too long to describe fully. But
whatever he does, he does as sacramentally ordained into the ministry
of Christ the servant; he is icon of that servant, the living bearer of
the Word and doer of the Father’s will. That is why the day after
Christmas we celebrate the feast of Deacon Stephen, Proto-martyr, who
was so perfectly conformed to the Incarnate Word that he died with
Jesus’ own words on his lips. And he died as a good servant would:
pointing toward and gazing upon his master, Jesus.
Archbishop’s man
Because he is ordained to be a sacrament of service, the deacon is an
extension of the bishop’s apostolic ministry; at ordination, only the
bishop lays hands on the new deacon, and the deacon promises obedience
to the bishop. In the words of an early church father, the deacon is
the “eyes, ears, hands” of the bishop, ordained first to serve the
diocese and only then a specific parish.
This is why today deacons usually receive a dual assignment, one to
assist in a parish setting and one to serve at the archdiocesan level
or in some specific ministry such as in a prison, hospital or nursing
home, with the police force, with the homeless, at the university or
wherever he may be needed.
Often, a deacon can be more aware of specific needs than a priest can
be, and the deacon can then bring those to the attention of the
archbishop.
With the recent economic downturn, for instance, we have deacons who
assist people in dealing with both the material and spiritual effects
of foreclosures on their homes.
Although deacons usually serve under the supervision of a
priest-pastor, the deacon is not a “mini-priest” — he is both
“alongside” the priest as well as “under” the priest, and he often is
active in secular settings where a priest is unable to go.
Bridge-builder
Here is an especially unique feature of the deacon: he is ordained
clergy, but he lives a lay lifestyle. He then is supremely suited to
be, and to bring, the sacramental presence of Christ and the church to
the world. The majority of deacons (but not all) still work full time
in secular employment; the majority of deacons (but not all) are
married and have families.
They, therefore, are clergy who know and live with the same kinds of
challenges as lay folks. But they are ordained and sent by the bishop
to do so even as they live a life of contemplation and prayer and
charity and sacramental presence. They then are especially able to
activate and assist laity in carrying out their specific apostolic role
in professional and political and civic life.
It is noteworthy that the roots of the modern diaconate began during
World War II in the Dachau concentration camp as priest-prisoners began
praying and thinking about what would be needed for the restoration of
culture and civilization in Europe after the war.
Is it indeed possible that the Holy Spirit has ideally suited the
deacon (and his wife and family and work) to help rebuild the culture
of life and marriage and family that is so under attack today? Many
deacons will tell you that some of their most significant ministry
takes place at home or at work when not “on duty” but when those around
them come to them for prayer or counsel or a listening ear, precisely
because they know and see that this is a man of the church.
We recently had a deacon candidate leading others in praying the
Liturgy of the Hours at his work simply because others — and not all
Catholic — saw him praying and wanted to join in. When we look at the
five strategic priorities for the church identified by the U.S. bishops
this past year, we see the deacon ideally ready for the New
Evangelization.
Pursuit of holiness
Finally, because the deacon usually lives as a lay person would, he can
be a singular model of the holiness — the self-gift — to which we are
all called. He comes from our midst. As he stands at the altar and
raises the chalice of suffering, he is offering not only his own self
to the Father, but he carries with him the suffering and needs of all
those with whom he comes in contact. He knows the injustice; he bears
the challenges. He makes the sacrifice of his life for the sake of all.
Who does this — and why?
We are grateful for the more than 200 men from all walks of life who
have been ordained a deacon in this archdiocese since 1975. About 140
are still active in official ministry; all are servants in prayer and
witness.
For those who are married, their wives and children (and even
grandchildren) likewise make an offering of their lives — and certainly
of their husbands and fathers.
Many of the wives generously serve in their own right.
And considering that diaconate discernment and formation is at least
four years long, at 15 to 20 hours per week, and a deacon then does
“official” ministry about 10 hours per week (and the majority often do
much more) for no pay and, too often, for little thanks, the question
naturally arises: Why do this?
The answer, all will tell you, is simple: love.
Why be a mother or father? Why be a priest? Love. Why be a disciple of
Christ? Love — the generous “giving of self,” the dying to self for the
good of the other.
How do I find out more?
As Archbishop John Nienstedt explained earlier this year (click HERE
to read his column from February), we have paused taking anyone into
formation in order to consider the diaconate as a whole in the
archdiocese, to fully implement the U.S. bishops’ 2004 National
Directory that governs formation and to examine how we can make better
use of the resources available to us, especially the Archbishop Harry
J. Flynn Catechetical Institute and the St. Paul Seminary.
After the ordinations this year, we will ordain one more group next
September. Hopefully, within a year or so, we will be able to begin
formation again.
Meanwhile, men over 25 years old, single or married, can begin
discerning even now by contacting me at (651) 962-6876 or
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, or the Vocations Office. We would be happy to
meet with you.
Most important, spend time in prayer, continue to serve, and make an
offering of life to the one who generously offers himself to us.
Joe Michalak has served as director of diaconate formation since
2000, and for the past five years he has been on the board of directors
for the National Association of Diaconate Directors.
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