What is the Ministry of the Deacon?
The call to the Order of Deacon is a call to a ministry of service. The service ministry of a deacon may take many forms. Most deacons serve in parish ministry, primarily working with the pastor and parish staff in facilitating lay ministry. Like the priest, the deacon should call others to ministry by his witness and his example. As a facilitator of ministry, his task is to work with the pastor and parish staff in identifying areas of need. His task then is to train lay men and women to perform the ministry and, when the lay team is ready to take over, the deacon moves on to another area of need to repeat the process.
The diaconate was restored as a permanent ministry by Pope Paul VI, on June 18, 1967, upon the recommendation of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. The first deacons in the United States were ordained in 1971 and the first in Dallas in 1973. The Dallas Diocese Formation program has been in continous operation since 1972 when it was established by retired Bishop Thomas Tschoepe.
Q&A
What is the difference between a priest and a deacon?
The call to be deacon is to serve. The symbol of the ministry of the deacon is the basin and the towel, the items Jesus used when he washed the feet of the apostles, illustrating how we are called to love and serve others.
The deacon brings the needs of the marginalizedthe poor, the imprisoned, the sick and disabledto the altar. He sees that they are not forgotten or excluded from the liturgical and communal life of the parish. The deacon can preside at baptisms, weddings and funerals when there is no Mass.
The role of the priest is to help the members of his parish grow spiritually, leading them in ways to better love God and neighbor. Only the priest can preside at Mass and consecrate the Eucharist, hear confessions, have authority to forgive sins, anoint the sick and the dying, and, with delegation from the Bishop, confirm.
Is there an age requirement?
A deacon must be between the ages of 35 and 65 at ordination. The process of becoming a deacon in the Diocese of Dallas currently takes about 5 1/2 years.
Can a deacon get married?
A married man can be ordained a deacon; however if his wife dies, he cannot remarry. Likewise a single man can be ordained a deacon but cannot marry.
Can women become deacons?
The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament refers to women deacons, but they were not ordained, and their role is believed to have been different from that of men. The restoration of the diaconate by Vatican II Council follows the tradition of only ordaining men.
How much do deacons get paid?
The diaconate is not a paid ministry but, rather, is one of service. A deacon may be hired, however, to fill the role of Director of Faith Formation, Administrator of a parish, or work in some other paid position in a parish or diocese. In those instances, he is being paid because of the job he is hired to fulfill, and not because of his role as deacon.
Office of Diaconal Ministery & Formation
PO Box 190507
Dallas TX 75219-0507
jharris@cathdal.org
