In the Gospel of Mark, and the parallel in Matthew, the sons of Zebedee approach Jesus to ask that they be seated beside him in glory. 

“When the 10 heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them … the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many’” (Mk 10:41-45).

The Greek verb “to serve” used in this passage is diakonēsai — Jesus, the deacon, formed community leaders to follow him as servants.

Ordination is a sign revealing Christ

It is easy to view a deacon as a “mini priest” because he performs baptisms, weddings and funerals like a priest, but he does not preside at Mass or offer absolution. The diaconate, however, should be viewed as a distinct order within the Church. Just as a married couple becomes a sacrament of sacrificial love through the exchange of vows, so deacons, priests and bishops become a sacrament through ordination: the bishop reveals Christ as shepherd, the presbyter reveals Christ as priest, and the deacon reveals Christ as servant. 

Though distinct, the three sacred orders share a common foundation: service. Priests and bishops remain deacons after they are ordained to higher orders to remain faithful to the command of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”

When Pope Francis washed feet on Holy Thursday, he turned his stole to hang like the stole of a deacon. When a priest proclaims the Gospel at Mass, he does so as a deacon. Father Jay Scott Newman, chancellor for the Diocese of Charleston and pastor of St. Mary Church in Greenville, said that in the old Mass, when there were several priests present but no deacon, a priest would serve the Mass as a deacon.

The bond to the bishop

It is significant that in the ordination ceremony for priests, the prayer of ordination is extended as members of the presbyterate extend hands over those being ordained while in the ordination of deacons, only the bishop extends hands over the ordinand. This speaks to the special bond that exists between the bishop and his deacon, and this is why deacons promise obedience to the bishop when they are ordained.

There is an anecdotal story about a priest reporting to his bishop about his parish. The priest says, “My deacon is doing this,” and “My deacon is doing that,” etc. The bishop responds, “Excuse me father, but he is my deacon.”

Deacon as apostolic delegate

The Acts of the Apostles narrates how widows who spoke Greek were being neglected in the daily distribution of food compared to the widows who spoke Hebrew. These were growing pains in the early Church, something to which contemporary multi-ethnic parishes can identify. The apostles proposed that the community select seven men who were acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent. The apostles prayed over these men and imposed hands on them in a rite we now call ordination. 

The apostles were remaining faithful to the charge given by Jesus to tend his sheep and feed his lambs, so they organized ministry to those on the margins. Today, deacons are the bishop’s heart and hands to extend works of mercy to those in need. The charitable work of deacons is not confined to parishes. It extends to prisons, hospitals, soup kitchens and any place where the people of God are in need.

Threefold ministry

The Greek word diakonia is rendered in English as “ministry,” and permanent deacons are called to a threefold ministry: altar, word and charity. The deacon at the altar serves the mystery and the majesty of the sacraments. There are instances where angels are depicted in sacred art as wearing the stole of a deacon: just as angels bow before the majesty of God enthroned in heaven, so deacons bow before the majesty of God present on the altar.

There is also a correlation between angels and deacons as messengers: this speaks to the ministry of the word. The first martyr, Stephen, was a deacon who testified to Jewish authorities. This was public evangelization and witness. 

Philip, the deacon, explained Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch. This was personal evangelization. In the ordination of deacons, the bishop presents the book of the Gospels to the deacon, saying, “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become.”

Agents of renewal

There are over 20,000 permanent deacons in the United States. Just as the apostles established the order of deacons to meet pastoral needs in the early Church, so deacons are meeting pastoral needs in our age. Some elements of the Catholic Church are declining in the United States — the number of parishes, for example — but the diaconate is strong and active and remarkably so in this diocese.

May our permanent deacons support the renewal of the Church and the work of evangelization along the Via Fidelis, the faithful way.