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|History |Eligibility and Requirements |Vocation and Discernment |Other Resources What is a Permanent Deacon?
Men who are ordained to the permanent diaconate promise to live out the charism of service to God and the people of God through a life of ordained ministry. This commitment is characterized by service to the Word of God, the Sacrament of the Church, and a life of Heroic Charity. The role of the deacon is to be a helper of the bishops and priests, to proclaim by his life the Church's call to serve the needs of others, to proclaim the Gospel message, to live a life of fidelity to Christ and the Church and to lead the community in building a Kingdom of grace, faith, justice, and compassion. The deacon is to be a sign and living witness of the presence of Christ the Servant in the world. Permanent Deacons share with other ordained members of the Church a dedication to serve God’s people through the proclamation of the Word, administration of the Sacraments, the offering of Worship to God through Christ, the service of the poor and the faithful of Christ. Since the Second Vatican Council the Church has seen even more clearly that the deacon is called to serve the Bishop, and his Priests, by becoming more intimately associated with, and involved in the life of the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten, the abandoned, the silent, and the voiceless. The deacon is asked to give his voice to the poor so that their concerns may be heard by the whole Church, especially the Bishop. Intimately united to the ministry of the Bishop and the Priests they are called to serve the Church, giving their lives in service to their brothers and sisters, the People of God. In 1998 the Athenaeum of Ohio, Special Studies Division, assumed responsibility for the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (PDFP) [www.catholiccincinnati.org/admin/diaconate.htm ]. Candidates in this program prepare to be ordained to the Order of Deacon in the Catholic Church and to live out this Order in a life of public witness as the Church’s minister and a life of service to the People of God, the Body of Christ. Candidates must meet the Eligibility Requirements for admission to the Diaconate program.
Contact at the Archdiocese:
Mr. Barry
Mersmann
Contact at the Athenaeum:
Rev.
Benedict D. O'Cinnsealaigh Back to TopA Brief History of the Diaconate From the earliest days of the Christian Church the deacon has been intimately associated with the ministry of the Bishop and Priests. In the primitive Church of the Apostolic and Post Apostolic age, as witnessed to in the Christian Scriptures, the deacon was described as a minister in the liturgical assembly and preacher of the word. The deacon prepared catechumens for entrance into the Church and was a dispenser of aid and food to the poor and distressed. The very term “Diakonia” announces the central characteristic of this Order, the deacon is called to service. The witness of Saint Irenaeus already understood the apostolic appointment of the “seven” men in Acts 6: 1-6 to take care of the Greek speaking widows and orphans as the institution of the diaconate. Saint Paul refers to deacons in his exhortation in Philippians (1:1) and Saint Timothy lists the qualities and virtues which all deacons are expected to possess and exercise in their ministry (Tim 3:8-13). The witness of the Fathers of the Church certainly acknowledges the importance of the diaconal ministry in the early Church. Saint Ignatius of Antioch says that it would be impossible to have the Church without bishops, priests and deacons. He speaks of the deacon sharing in the ministry of Christ. The deacon is a minister of the Church of God. In the Patristic Age the deacon continued to assist the bishop in the administration of the community, performing the sacred rites, and providing charity. After the fifth century there was a steady decline in the permanent diaconate in the Latin Church. From the early Middle Ages the diaconate remained only as a traditional order that men received as part of their preparation for ordination to the sacred priesthood. There were occasional exceptions to this rule hover, Saint Francis of Assisi, for example, was ordained a deacon but not a priest. In the sixteenth century the Council of Trent directed that the permanent diaconate should be restored to the Latin Church but this directive was not carried into effect. The reality was that the permanent character of this Order was abandoned by the Latin Church for many centuries. The permanent character of the Order, however, was restored and renewed when the Second Vatican Council (October 30, 1963) called for the reestablishment of the ministry of the Permanent Deacon for the Universal Church. On 18 June 1967, Pope Paul VI carried out the desire of the Council when he published the Apostolic Letter Sacrum diaconatuus ordinem in which he reestablished the permanent diaconate in the Latin Church. The Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium 29), echoes the ancient image and concerns of the New Testament when it speaks of the ministry and nature of the diaconate: “At the lower end of the hierarchy are deacons, upon whom hands are imposed ‘not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service.’ For strengthened by sacramental grace, in communion with the bishop and his group of priests, they serve the People of God in the ministry of the liturgy, of the Word, and of charity. It is the duty of the deacon, to the extent that he has been authorized by competent authority, to administer baptism solemnly, to be custodian and dispenser of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring viaticum to the dying, to read the Sacred Scriptures to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside at the worship and prayer of the faithful, to administer sacramentals, and to officiate at funeral and burial services. Dedicated to duties of charity and of administration, let deacons be mindful of the admonition of Blessed Polycarp: ‘Be merciful, diligent, walking according to the truth of the Lord, who became the servant of all’(Lumen Gentium #29).” Eligibility Requirements and Application for the Permanent Diaconate
In
accordance with the Church’s norms outlined in Basic Norms for the
Formation
of
Permanent Deacons, (Congregation for Catholic Education & Congregation
for the Clergy, Vatican City,
1998), and the
National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent
Deacons in the United States, (Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate,
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
2000), the Diaconate Formation Program of the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati is designed around the Human,
Spiritual, Intellectual and Pastoral development of each
candidate.
A man who feels called to the Order of deacon should discuss this matter with his pastor and over a period of time they should discerned the movement of the Holy Spirit in the candidate’s life. The candidate must be well known to the pastor and the members of the parish community. He must already be involved in the life of the parish in its ministries, outreach programs, or education programs. His commitment to the parish and the Church should be evident in his constant participation and support of the parish. He should be recognized by the community as a witness to pastoral charity, a life of prayer, a man faithful to the Church’s teachings, and should live a life consistent with the values and commandments of the Gospel. The pastor should meet with a candidate’s wife in order to discern the level of her support for her husband’s intention to peruse ordination to the diaconate. In order to be accepted into the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program a candidate is expected to have successfully completed the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program or have received an equivalent level of preparation. As well as successfully completing courses and seminars on pastoral ministry and human development each candidate, as part of the application process, goes through a screening process, undergoes a rigorous interview process, psychological evaluations and is required to provide over seven independent references from a wide variety of sources. The application process for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is coordinated and implemented by the Director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate. As many candidates for the permanent diaconate are married and have families, efforts are made to include spouses and children in the formation program at all levels. The involvement, commitment and approval of a spouse is essential for a candidate’s acceptance into the program and in the success of living out the deaconal vocation. Qualities Sought in Potential Deacon Candidates
Prerequisites for Admission to the Program
If you are interested in applying for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Permanent Diaconate Program please contact:
Mr. Barry
Mersmann Vocation and
Discernment
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6616 Beechmont Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45230 |
The
foundation of the ministry of the Order of Deacon is a divine vocational
call. A call