Wanted: Permanent Deacons for Frontline Ministries

By Mike James


In the Acts of the Apostles 6 it is recounted that as the disciples of Jesus increased in numbers, the Greek speaking converts began to express concern that the widows in their community were not receiving sufficient attention from the Apostles in the daily distribution of food to the poor which was one of the service priorities of the early church. Acts 6:2 records that the twelve Apostles called together the community of disciples and told them, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, choose among yourselves seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and Wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty. Meanwhile we Apostles will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word”. The seven were duly appointed and the apostles laid their hands on them and commissioned them. The first group of Deacons included Stephen, the first Christian Martyr. But the time St Paul’s first letter to Timothy he would set out their duties and qualifications , “Deacon must be serious, not double tongued, not addicted to much wine not greedy for gain; they must hold the mystery of faith with a clear conscience” (I Tim 3:8).


Given their role in the church it is not surprising that they were called deacons which is derived comes from the Greek diaconia, meaning servant or service.


Last week CELAM, the Episcopal Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean sponsored a meeting in Panama of representatives from Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean on the Permanent Diaconate of the Roman Catholic Church in the Region. The office of Permanent Deacon which was gradually phased of in the Roman Catholic Church by the 11th Century was restored by II Vatican Council. Representatives from some of the countries represented reported that since 1969, the number of permanent deacons ordained and serving the Church has increased quite steadily. Bishop Luis Felipe Gallardo, Bishop of Vera Cruz, and Head of the Mexican Episcopal Commission on Priestly Vocations and Ministry and the Permanent Diaconate, reported that there are now 709 deacons serving in Mexico. In the Dominican Republic there are 511 deacons and in Puerto Rico 456 deacons, serving in all the dioceses in that country, while in Cuba there are 72 deacons


It was also reported at the meeting that the country with the largest number of Permanent Deacons is the US with some 14,000 deacons, followed by Italy and Germany with about 3,000 deacons each.


On the other hand there are many dioceses in the region which have not reintroduced the permanent diaconate and even within countries there is a significant fluctuation. Bishop Gallardo reported that while there are 380 deacons in the diocese of Chiapas, a large rural mountainous with a large majority of indigenous people, some 47 of the country’s 85 dioceses have no deacons.


In the AEC Antilles region, there are 88 permanent deacons serving and 70 in training, with Jamaica accounting for the largest numbers 27 deacons. 24 are now completing in training in Trinidad. One the other hand 7 of the 23 dioceses in the AEC do not have diaconate programmes.


In the review of the different ministries being undertaken by permanent deacons across the region, all the country reports noted that in addition to liturgical and service of the Word functions, most deacons are heavily involved in services to the wider community in areas such as chaplaincies to prisons, development agency work, social services, education and work with remote rural communities as well as in marginalized urban areas.


Representatives strongly endorsed the stress placed on the priorities for diaconal service at the last General Assembly of CELAM in Aparecida. The Conference had noted that Deacons “are ordained to serve the Word, charity, and the liturgy, especially for the sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony; also to aid in the formation of new ecclesial communities, especially in geographical and cultural frontline areas, where the Church’s evangelizing activity ordinarily does not reach.” (Aparecida Document Art 205)


The meeting addressed priority inputs for a Continental meeting of CELAM scheduled for 2011 in Brazil. Representatives urged that the Continental Meeting place high priority of training and commissioning deacons to work in “frontier ministries” especially with indigenous and other marginalized groups who have little or only sporadic contact with the church. They also recommended that the Church in the Continent give greater publicity and recognition to the need to foster vocations to the permanent deacons as well as to the priesthood and religious life. In welcoming a message from Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation of the Clergy to all permanent deacons encouraging them in their vocation, representatives also recommended that consideration be given to making the Topic of the Permanent diaconate the subject of one of the periodic Synods of Bishops in Rome.