If you are actively discerning a vocation to the Priesthood, Diaconate, Consecrated Life, or Marriage and you are looking for information to help in your discernment, BE SURE TO CHECK the section at the bottom of the right sidebar for the "labels" on all posts. By clicking on one of these labels it will take you to a page with all posts containing that subject. You will also find many links for suggested reading near the bottom of the right sidebar. Best wishes and be assured of my daily prayers for your discernment.

Friday, February 8, 2008

20 Men Will Be Ordained Permanent Deacons

From The Georgia Bulletin

ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer

Published: February 7, 2008

ATLANTA—There will soon be more permanent deacons serving Catholics in the Archdiocese of Atlanta than there are priests.

Twenty men will join the ranks of ministers of charity, as deacons are called, on Friday, Feb. 8, at the Cathedral of Christ the King. The ordination Mass begins at 7 p.m.

The increasing number of deacons helps the growing church in the Atlanta Archdiocese that is expanding to new corners of North Georgia as priests are stretched to reach out to the faithful. The new permanent deacons will be serving in at least 18 different parishes and missions.

“There are many areas that a single priest can’t deal with. The deacons are serving a vital role,” said Deacon Loris Sinanian, the director of diaconate formation.

The number of permanent deacons in the archdiocese in the past six years has jumped 30 percent. In 2001, there were 137 deacons serving in parishes and other ministries. In 2007, the number was 181. Next year is expected to be another strong year with 16 men scheduled to be ordained.

In 2007, priests numbered 185, according to the Official Catholic Directory. Eight new priests are scheduled to be ordained in the archdiocese in May.

Men are recognizing there is a serious need for the work that deacons can do so priests can focus on the sacraments of the church, said Deacon Sinanian, a deacon for 18 years. He serves at St. Anthony Church, Blue Ridge.

A deacon is ordained by the archbishop to minister in the Catholic Church. A deacon serves by proclaiming Scripture, preaching and performing charity for others. Deacons also assist at marriages, preside at funerals and burial rites and lead Communion and prayer services.

A deacon is to be “a servant in a servant-Church,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It takes five years of formation in this archdiocese to become a deacon. The program prepares men with academic, spiritual and pastoral experiences to serve the church. Men are either single or married. If single, they take a vow of celibacy. Most deacons hold full-time jobs in addition to serving the church in ministry. Some become deacons after retiring from the work force.

In 1967, the Catholic Church restored the diaconate as a permanent order of ministry, returning to the practice of the early church. Prior to the order of Pope Paul VI, the diaconate was a transitional stage as men prepared to be priests.

There are more than 14,000 permanent deacons in the United States, according to the bishops’ conference.

Deacon Dennis Dorner, chancellor of the archdiocese, said priests and deacons have complementary gifts. He said the two ordained church ministries do not compete but build on each other’s skills.

Deacon Dorner said the response to a vocational call is more important than numbers.

“They are called to service. We are not there for awards and platitudes,” he said.

The life experiences of a deacon are valuable to Catholics who are comfortable talking with married clergy who face the same issues, he said.

“I do know I get an awful lot of calls from men who want to talk to me about juggling responsibilities as a husband, father and their career,” he said.

Deacon Dorner said the visibility of deacons around the archdiocese could be encouraging more men to consider the vocation.

“People are becoming a bit more serious about their faith, their walk with Christ,” he said.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The article is using some slightly dated stats... According to my source at CARA (and by that, I mean the lovely woman who answers the phones when I call them) currently the number in the diaconate is roughly 16.6K... With another 3K+ in various stages of candidacy and formation. Hitting the 20K mark in the next decade seems as likely as not.

For reasons I cannot explain, the diaconate has been mis-characterized in the minds of many as not so much a man in Holy Orders as some sort of "super-committed altar-man"... In fact they are NOT just really, really enthusiastic grown up altar boys as some people seem to think but they are clergy!

A good number of them have been doing a yeoman's job at assisting in non-liturgical functions at parishes in helping with administration, charitable works, educational & catechetical formation, counseling, visiting the sick, and taking the Blessed Sacrament to shut ins.

My own pastor has noted that deacons are like food processors - you don't realize how much you need them and how useful they are until you have one. Then you really want two or three.

Actually, I feel the same way about slow cookers... hehehe

Personally, I think every parish should aspire to have two or three, they should pray for the ones they have, and pray for more. The work that many do - quite unsung most of the time - has been increadible.

So thank you for highlighting the diaconate a little with this post. Truly, the "forgotten clergy" of the Latin Church are souls worthy of more mention, and it is a ministry worthy of more encouragement!

Pray for more deacons, pray for existing deacons!