Deacon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. In many traditions the . She wears an orarion and fine silver- wrought veil, and in her hand she holds a flabellum. The title . However, a woman, Phoebe, is mentioned at Romans 1. Nothing more specific is said about her duties or authority. It is generally believed that the office of deacon originated in the selection of seven men by the apostles, among them Stephen, to assist with the charitable work of the early church as recorded in Acts 6. The exact relationship between male and female deacons varies. In some traditions a female deacon is simply a member of the order of deacons; in others, deaconesses constitute a separate order; in others, the title . Prominent historical figures who played major roles as deacons and went on to higher office include Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, Thomas Becket and Reginald Pole. Roman deacon was raised to Pope, Silverius. His father, Pope Agapetus, had died and the office had been vacant for over a month. The other major orders are those of bishop and presbyter (priest). While the diaconate as a vocation was maintained from earliest Apostolic times to the present in the Eastern churches (Orthodox and Catholic), it mostly disappeared in the Western church (with a few notable exceptions such as St. Francis of Assisi) during the first millennium, with Western churches retaining deacons attached to diocesan cathedrals. The diaconate continued in a vestigial form as a temporary, final step along the course toward ordination to priesthood. In the 2. 0th century, the diaconate was restored as a vocational order in many Western churches, most notably in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the United Methodist Church. In Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, deacons assist priests in their pastoral and administrative duties, but often report indirectly to the bishops of their diocese. They have a distinctive role in the liturgy of the Eastern and Western Churches. In the Eastern Church, deacons have a profound liturgical presence in the Divine Liturgy. In the Western Church, Pope St. Gregory the Great greatly reduced the liturgical role of the deacon in the Roman Rite, limiting them to serving the bishop, the proclamation of the Gospel, assisting the celebrant at the altar aside from the deacon's calling of charity. Today, deacons are also granted permission to preach. Roman Catholicism. It has however remained a vital part of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Pope Paul VI issued the motu proprio. Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, restoring the ancient practice of ordaining to the diaconate men who were not candidates for priestly ordination. These men are known as permanent deacons in contrast to those continuing their formation, who were then called transitional deacons. There is no sacramental or canonical difference between the two, however, as there is only one order of deacons. But it usually entails a year of prayerful preparation, a four- or five- year training period that resembles a collegiate course of study, and a year of post- ordination formation as well as the need for lifelong continuing education credits. Diaconal candidates receive instruction in philosophy, theology, study of the Holy Scriptures (the Bible), homiletics, sacramental studies, evangelization, ecclesiology, counseling, and pastoral care and ministry before ordination. Although they are assigned to work in a parish by the diocesan bishop, once assigned, deacons are under the supervision of the parish pastor. The deacon's ministry of the Word includes proclaiming the Gospel during the Mass, preaching and teaching. The deacon's liturgical ministry includes various parts of the Mass proper to the deacon, including being an ordinary minister of Holy Communion and the proper minister of the chalice when Holy Communion is administered under both kinds. The ministry of charity involves service to the poor and marginalized and working with parishioners to help them become more involved in such ministry. As clerics, deacons are required to recite the Liturgy of the Hours.
Deacons, like priests and bishops, are ordinary ministers of the sacrament of Baptism and can serve as the church's witness at the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, which the bride and groom administer to each other (though if the exchange of vows takes place in a wedding Mass, or Nuptial Mass, the Mass is celebrated by the priest and the deacon acts as another witness). Deacons may preside at funeral rites not involving a Mass (e. Requiem Mass. They can preside over various services such as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and they may give certain blessings. They cannot hear confession and give absolution, anoint the sick, or celebrate Mass. At Mass, the deacon is the ordinary minister of the proclamation of the Gospel (in fact, a priest, bishop, or even the Pope should not proclaim the Gospel if a deacon is present). As ordained clerics, and if granted faculties by their bishops, deacons may preach the homily at a public Mass, unless the priest celebrant retains that ministry to himself at a given Mass. The vestments most particularly associated with the Western Rite Catholic deacon are the alb, stole and dalmatic. Deacons, like priests and bishops, must wear their albs and stoles; deacons place the stole over their left shoulder and it hangs across to their right side, while priests and bishops wear it around their necks. The dalmatic, a vestment especially associated with the deacon, is worn during the celebration of the Mass and other liturgical functions; its use is more liberally applied than the corresponding vestment of the priest, the chasuble. At certain major celebrations, such as ordinations, the diocesan bishop wears a dalmatic under his chasuble. Permanent deacons often serve in parish or other ministry as their time permits, since they typically have other full- time employment. They may also act as parish administrators (C. Code of Canon Law). With the passage of time, more and more deacons are serving in full- time ministries in parishes, hospitals, prisons, and in diocesan positions. Deacons often work directly in ministry to the marginalized inside and outside the church: the poor, the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned. The transitional diaconate is to be conferred on seminarians (continuing to the priesthood) no sooner than 2. C. 1. 03. 1 of the Code of Canon Law). The permanent diaconate can be conferred on single men 2. Under some very rare circumstances, however, deacons who have been widowed can receive permission to remarry. This is most commonly done when the deacon is left as a single father. In some cases, a widowed deacon will seek priestly ordination, especially if his children are grown. The Biblical Role of Deacons by Derek Gentle. New Testament Deacons serve the Lord by conducting the caring ministry of the church-doing the benevolence work, visiting the. The Baptist Deacon, Broadman Press, 1955. A Training Program For Deacons William Shishko. Extracted from Ordained Servant vol. Deacon Training Program (Program Prospectus) PURPOSES: The purposes of this series of. Ministerial Pre-Ordination Packet A Pastoral Outline and Timeline for Elevation in the Local Body 21 Curve Street . In many dioceses, the wife of the diaconal candidate undertakes the same education and training her husband does. A deacon is not styled . United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. The proper address in written correspondence for all Deacons of the Latin (Roman Rite) Catholic Church in the United States is . Deacon is used as the honorific for permanent deacons in many dioceses (e. Deacon John Smith, or Deacon John Smith). The decision as to whether deacons wear the Roman collar as street attire is left to the discretion of each bishop for his own diocese. Where clerical garb is approved by the bishop, the deacon can choose to wear or not wear the . It is becoming more common to see deacons wearing a clerical suit especially in prisons and jails. Deacons, like seminarians, religious, and the two other orders, Bishops and priests, recite the Liturgy of the Hours; however, deacons, if they are obliged to do so, are usually only required to participate in Morning and Evening Prayer. In solemn Masses today and more so in older Rites of the Mass, one deacon will serve as the Deacon of the Word (proclaiming the Gospel and the Kyrie, and some other parts), and the Deacon of the Eucharist, who assists the priest during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Before the reforms of Vatican Council II and the restoration of the permanent diaconate, it was common for a priest to vest as a deacon at High Mass and perform the parts assigned for the deacon. Those who have embraced the reforms of the Council generally consider it an abuse for a priest to vest as a deacon. Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism. In keeping with Eastern tradition, he is not permitted to perform any Sacred Mysteries (sacraments) on his own, except for Baptism in extremis (in danger of death), conditions under which anyone, including the laity, may baptize. When assisting at a normal baptism, it is often the deacon who goes down into the water with the one being baptized (Acts 8: 3. In contrast to the Roman Catholic Church, deacons in the Eastern Churches may not preside at the celebration of marriages, as in Eastern theology the sacrament is conferred by the nuptial blessing of a priest. Diaconal vestments are the sticharion (dalmatic), the orarion (deacon's stole), and the epimanikia (cuffs). The last are worn under his sticharion, not over it as does a priest or bishop. The deacon usually wears a simple orarion which is only draped over the left shoulder but, if elevated to the rank of archdeacon, he wears the . In modern Greek practice, a deacon wears this doubled orarion from the time of his ordination. Also, in the Greek practice, he wears the clerical kamilavka (cylindrical head covering) with a rim at the top.
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