WHAT IS A PERMANENT DEACON?
By
Deacon Joe Sicat, St. Raymond, Dublin (added comments by Deacon Richard Yee)
(For additional information: go to "Other Links" and click on Diocesan Deacon Formation)
In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, there are three ordained positions: the bishop, the priest, and the deacon. We refer to them as clergy or clerics. The Permanent Deacon is a deacon for life and not a step toward priesthood.
The Bishop has the faculties to administer all of the seven sacraments. He is the only one who has the faculty to administer the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and in doing so, he ordains priests and deacons. The priest has the faculties to administer all of the sacraments, except Holy Orders. The Vicar General, who is selected by the Bishop from the list of priests, can administer the Sacrament of Confirmation. In the Diocese of Oakland, the Vicar General is Fr. George Mockel. In special cases, a priest maybe given faculties by the Bishop to administer Confirmation.
The deacon has the faculties to administer the Sacraments of Baptism and Marriage. Also the deacon has the faculty to administer the Viaticum to dying persons. He cannot give the Anointing of the Sick.
Deacons likewise preside at funeral vigils and committal services. He may assist the priest by serving at funeral masses and provide additional comfort to the grieving family members. Deacons can bless religious articles, homes, and people.
DEACONS PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL AND HELP THE POOR
Whenever a priest celebrates mass with a deacon, it is the deacon's responsibility to proclaim the Gospel. He may preach and give the homily. During communion, the deacon is an Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist, compared to a lay-person, who is an Extra-Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
While the priest is the pastor and the shepherd of the flock, the deacon goes out to find the lost sheep and care for the injured ones. The deacon has a special commitment to raise a voice of the poor and bring their plight to the community awareness.
In January 2004, Pope John Paul II gave a strong affirmation on the role of the deacon during a reception with the French bishops where he requested that permanent deacons be thanked for the "mission they carry out for the Church as servants of the Gospel, frequently supporting the Christian people in a professional framework, which is the first context of their ministry."
The ministry of deacons flowered in the Western Church until the fifth century. For a variety of reasons, it declined slowly to the point that it became only an intermediate phase of candidates for priestly ordination. The Second Vatican Council opened the way to restore this ministry as a "proper and permanent stage of the hierarchy," making it possible to be conferred on men of mature age who are already married.
DEACONS MAY BE DADS BUT DON'T CALL THEM FATHER
How do you address a deacon? In conversation, we properly address a priest as "Father". A deacon is called "Deacon."
In correspondence or formal introductions, a Cardinal's name is preceded by "Your Eminence." A Bishop's name is preceded by "Most Reverend," and a Priest's name is preceded by "Reverend." The Deacon's name is preceded by "Reverend Deacon" or "Deacon."
The deacon is the only cleric in the Roman Catholic Church that may be married. But if the deacon's wife precedes the deacon in death, the deacon must live a life of Celibacy and may not remarry. At ordination, unmarried men promise to live a life of Celibacy.
Deacons do not wear the Roman collar, except when he serves in a special ministry, where he ministers as a hospital chaplain, in a jail or prison facility or in special circumstances. With permission from the Bishop, a deacon may be permitted to wear a gray shirt with a Roman collar to identify him as clergy.
Here at Holy Spirit Parish, Deacon Rudy Brazil wears a Roman collared shirt when he serves as a chaplain at the two hospitals in Fremont and as a chaplain for the Fremont Police and Fire Departments.