Pastoral Letter - Permanent Diaconate - April 2008 |
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My dear people Greetings as we continue our journey as pilgrims, journeying with God, journeying together. With Easter as our foundation, we move onto a new Pentecost, new in that it opens to us afresh the presence and power of the Spirit. I am writing at this time about something unfamiliar to most in our Diocese called the Permanent Diaconate. It is part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, in fact, it is the first order, followed by the order of Priest and then the order of Bishop. While all Priests and Bishops receive the order of Deacon initially, it is only exercised for a short time, before ordination to priesthood, or for some, ordination as Bishop follows sometime after that. However, in the early Church, men were ordained to be Deacons for the rest of their lives, hence the title Permanent Deacon. Their role was to assist the Bishop in pastoral care of the flock and also to preach the homily and celebrate Baptisms, Marriages and to officiate at Funerals. The Order of Diaconate has been restored in recent times and in many parts of the world, married or single men have been ordained to the Diaconate to assist in the life of our Church. In Australia there are now over one hundred Permanent Deacons in ministries ranging from parish duties, to chaplaincy in schools and administration in diocesan offices. It is important to realise that these Deacons have received a Sacrament, the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They make a commitment for a lifetime as priests do and they draw on the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders to perform their duties. They retain their responsibility to their family if they are married and to the care of their wives and children. Deacons are not ordained to solve the shortage of priests but obviously they can be of real support to the Bishop and all the community to which the Bishop might appoint them. In Australia, most Permanent Deacons are part-time and often retain their occupations and employment. Most are not in receipt of income from the Diaconate, but their income may be supported by drawing a stipend from their ministry, for example, a baptism or a marriage. The reality is that the Permanent Deacons I have met take on that role out of their love for the Church and wish to share in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The period of preparation for the Permanent Diaconate is up to five years, depending on what studies they have undertaken in Theology, Scripture, Liturgy or Preaching, etc. As with the priesthood, the only entry into the Permanent Diaconate is by a call from God through the Bishop who must judge the suitability of those offering themselves. I ask you to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance for us all, especially for myself as Shepherd of this flock. As we look towards a new Pentecost, may God’s gentle Spirit lead us. Yours sincerely 8 April 2008
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