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| Deacons | |
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| Topic Started: Thursday, 28. September 2006, 21:08 (1,690 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Thursday, 18. June 2009, 05:43 Post #61 |
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No my reference to demotion was To Rose that for her to become a Parish Administrator would be a demotion. If Rose could become a Deacon ... well that might start another thread. 
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| JRJ | Thursday, 18. June 2009, 18:14 Post #62 |
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From http://deacbench.blogspot.com/2009/06/where-were-you-40-years-ago-today.html - "...today marks the 42nd anniversary of Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, the motu proprio subtitled "General Norms for Restoring the Permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church." |
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Jennifer hubby's dinosaur blog | |
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| Rose of York | Thursday, 18. June 2009, 20:20 Post #63 |
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Just give me a chance to be a bishop for a couple of weeks! I mean a real one, not a pretend Cyberbishop. Wherever there is a Catholic community without a parish priest, I would decide whether there were enough people to warrant advertising for a retired priest to come in, live rent free, and have an allowance. If not, I would ask the parish priest to give prayerful thought to identifying a worthy candidate for the diaconate. That would be for starters. |
  Catholic and proud of it! Talk to God before Mass. Talk to each other afterwards | |
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| KatyA | Thursday, 18. June 2009, 21:17 Post #64 |
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Thanks for posting that Jennifer (and thanks to Greg for the link) A link to the document has now been added to our reference library KatyA |
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| KatyA | Wednesday, 15. July 2009, 00:18 Post #65 |
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[url]America magazine[/URL] has The modern diaconate in America (and, in "America") The (US) Catholic weekly "America" has just published a special issue on the diaconate, which features a thought or two from Deacon Greg Kandra, William Ditewig and Scott Dodge. As an added bonus: they've reprinted this fascinating 1968 article article on the restoration of the diaconate. Thanks toDeacon Greg for this link |
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| Derekap | Wednesday, 15. July 2009, 15:39 Post #66 |
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Very Interesting items, Katy A. Thank you for drawing our atttention to them. Among the points made is the fact that the duties as Deacon, Husband, Father (of the family) and job are equal and not, as some may think, the latter three subservient to the former. They deserve to be more widely read. In some ways I can well understand that a Deacon has problems a celebate priest does not have. They confirm and very broadly expand the views I already had. |
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| CARLO | Sunday, 19. July 2009, 16:32 Post #67 |
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Very good point and well made Derek. I am a supporter of the permanent Diaconate but have in the past been rather annoyed by other supporters and some Deacons and their wives who seem to suggest that entering the Diaconate is akin to entering a closed order and that such entrance cannot be made without abandoning all family and leisure time and without the constant attendance and support of a saintly wife! Oremus CARLO Edited by CARLO, Sunday, 19. July 2009, 16:33.
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| KatyA | Saturday, 22. August 2009, 13:02 Post #68 |
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VATICAN CITY, AUG. 18, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the letter Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, sent Aug. 10 to permanent deacons on the feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. My Dear Permanent Deacons: The Church discovers more and more the richness of the permanent diaconate. Whenever Bishops come to the Congregation for the Clergy, on the occasion of their ad limina visits, the theme of the diaconate, among others, is often commented upon and the prelates are generally very much pleased and full of hope in regard to you, Permanent Deacons. This fills all of us with joy. The Church thanks you and recognizes your dedication to your qualified ministerial work. At the same time, the Church would like to encourage you on the way of personal sanctification, in your prayer lives and in the spirituality of the diaconate. To you one can equally apply what the Pope has said to priests, for the Year for Priests, that is that it is necessary “to work in favor of this pull of priests toward spiritual perfection, upon which, above all, depends the efficacy of their ministry.” (discourse of March 16, 2009). Today, on this feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, I would like to invite you to reflect upon two areas, your ministry of the Word, and your ministry of Charity. We recall with gratitude the Synod on the Word of God, celebrated in October of last year. We, ordained ministers, have received from the Lord, through the mediation of the Church, the task of preaching the Word of God to the ends of the earth, announcing the person of Jesus Christ, who has died and risen, His Word and His Kingdom, to every creature. This Word, as the final Message of the Synod affirms, has one voice which is His, Revelation, has one will which is His, Jesus Christ, and one Way which is His, Missionary Activity. To know Revelation, to adhere unconditionally to Jesus Christ as a fascinated and enamoured disciple, to base oneself always upon Jesus Christ and to be with Him in our Mission, this is then what awaits a permanent deacon, decisively and without any reservation. From a good disciple a good missionary is born. The ministry of the Word which, in a special way for Deacons, has as its great model St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, requires of ordained ministers a constant struggle to study it and carry it out, at the same time as one proclaims it to others. Meditation, following the style of lectio divina, that is, prayerful reading, is one well traveled and much counseled way to understand and live the Word of God, and make it ones own. At the same time, intellectual, theological and pastoral formation is a challenge which endures throughout life. A qualified and up to date ministry of the Word very much depends upon this in depth formation. We are awaiting, in the proximate future, a document of the Holy Father regarding the Synod which we have referred to. This must be welcomed with an openness of heart and with profound commitment to study it. The second reflection regards the ministry of Charity, taking as a great model St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. The diaconate has its roots in the early Church’s efforts to organize charitable works. At Rome, in the third century, during a period of great persecution of Christians, the extraordinary figure of St. Lawrence appears. He was archdeacon of Pope Sixtus II, and his trustee for the administration of the goods of the community. Our well beloved Pope Benedict XVI says regarding St. Lawrence: “His solicitude for the poor, his generous service which he rendered to the Church of Rome in the area of relief and of charity, his fidelity to the Pope, from him he was thrust forward to the point of wanting to undergo the supreme test of martyrdom and the heroic witness of his blood, rendered only a few days later. These are universally recognized facts.” (Homily Basilica of St. Lawrence, November 30, 2008). From St. Lawrence we also take note of the affirmation “the riches of the Church are the poor.” He assisted the poor with great generosity. He is thus an ever more present example to permanent deacons. We must love the poor in a preferential way, as did Jesus Christ; to be united with them, to work towards constructing a just, fraternal and peaceful society. The recent encyclical letter of Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), should be our updated guide. In this encyclical the Holy Father affirms as a fundamental principle “Charity is the royal road of the social doctrine of the Church” (n. 2). Deacons must identify themselves in a very special way with charity. The poor are part of your daily ambiance, and the object of your untiring concern. One could not understand a Deacon who did not personally involve himself in charity and solidarity toward the poor, who again today are multiplying in number. My dear Permanent Deacons, may God bless you with all his love and make you happy in your vocation and mission! With respect and admiration, I greet the wives and children of those of you who are married. The Church thanks you for the support and multifaceted collaboration which you give to your respective spouses and fathers in their diaconal ministry. In addition, the Year for Priests invites us to manifest our appreciation for our dear priests, and to pray for them and with them. Vatican City, Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr, August 10, 2009 Cláudio Cardinal Hummes Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy |
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| artemis836 | Monday, 19. October 2009, 17:43 Post #69 |
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I have been doing some thinking and praying about how I can best serve God's call and I believe I might be supposed to serve the Church as a deacon. I received my BA in Theology in college and was focusing primarily on mission work for awhile but found that I was not strong enough for that cross. I did some work in Africa and I must say it both humbled me and convinced me that I was called to something else. I looked into the priesthood itself some time ago and found that was not my calling. Also, I recently married so there goes that :-D. The US Council of Catholic Bishops (I'm a yank), won't let you become a deacon until you're 35 and I'm about to turn 25 so clearly there is no rush to make a decision. However, I really do think this is something God is calling me to do so I have started putting some work into a dicernment process of sorts. For example: 1. I'm going to start praying the Hours. Just Lauds, Vespers and Compline for I believe those are the parts required of the deacons. 2. I was going to start reading at mass each week. I know the duties of the deacon involve the transmission of the word so I though I should see if thats something that comes naturally to me 3. I made an appointment with my parish priest to talk about this. Basically I figure, why dont I try living parts of the deacon lifestyle like this and seeing if this is something that I both enjoy and find brings me closer to God. Does anyone else have any other suggestions, comments, or advice? I would also appreciate all of your prayers as I start work on this. |
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"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." ~GK Chesterton Professor Winters' Mysteries Discernment for the Diaconate - My Blog | |
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| Anne-Marie | Monday, 19. October 2009, 19:02 Post #70 |
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I wouldn't dare to give you advice, Artemis. England is not America! There are many ways: In my parish, we like to have a Welcomer, ensuring that everyone entering God's House is welcomed and not shown indifference about their presence; We leaflet all 18,000 homes in the parish every Christmas and Easter and put up posters in over 100 shop windows in the parish; We have weekly Scripture classes; We have RCIA (a record number of people intersted in becoming Catholics this year); and so on. There are a great many ways in which you could evangelise and strengthen God's Family. Which might suit you is something for you to ponder. |
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Anne-Marie FIAT VOLUNTAS DEI | |
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| Mairtin | Monday, 19. October 2009, 19:15 Post #71 |
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First of all, good luck with your discernment, I will certainly include you in my prayers. One thing that puzzles me a bit is that according to http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sc4.html
So why have we been so slow in adopting the permanent diaconate on this side of the Atlantic? |
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Online Prayer - Night Prayer, Rosary and Lectio Divina Visit www.roomtopray.net for details of days and times | |
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| artemis836 | Monday, 19. October 2009, 19:38 Post #72 |
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That is strange, I don't know. I can say at least in the USA there is very little press concerning deacons. It seems like an important part of the church that needs people to step into the role but it is not brought up alot. |
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"Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions." ~GK Chesterton Professor Winters' Mysteries Discernment for the Diaconate - My Blog | |
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| CARLO | Sunday, 25. October 2009, 17:20 Post #73 |
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THE DEACON “Is your image one of wearing beautiful vestments and reading the Gospel or is it of attending a dying person late at night in a smelly and dingy room? I have to tell you it is the second that is more real”. (Advice given to those contemplating the Diaconate). No incense burns To hide the smell Of death’s approach No flowers bloom By bedsides, where Life lingers still No choir’s chant Or Sanctus bell No Latin hymns Or organ swell For you are called From the warmth of Congregation To these cold corners Of creation To exercise Your vocation And whisper words Of salvation. Copyright 'CARLO' 2005 |
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| garfield | Tuesday, 27. October 2009, 09:55 Post #74 |
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Would it be too controversial to suggest that the permanent Diaconate should possibly be opened to women? From all I have read about the role of deacon I can think of many women who would make very good deacons and are in fact doing many of the duties of the deacon already. |
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| Mrs.Pogle | Tuesday, 27. October 2009, 11:52 Post #75 |
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Hi garfield... I don't think so, but will have to go away and work out why! Would be interested to hear what others think :) |
"Living Life on the Home Front!" My Blog: Life on the Home Front  “It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping.” ~ St. Frances of Rome | |
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