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Ordained Ministry:
Diaconate
Who is the Deacon?
By Deacon Eric Stoltz, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Origins | Love & Justice | The Word | The Altar | Other Ministries
The Ministry of the Word
To the deacon is entrusted the proclamation of the Gospel. The priest proclaims the Gospel only if no deacon is available. We see this historic role of the deacon illustrated in ancient icons, where deacon saints are depicted holding a Gospel book. The deacon’s ministry of the Word, the second aspect of his three-fold ministry, is not merely a ceremonial honor.
The deacon’s ministry of the Word is symbolized in the Entrance Procession, where the ancient practice of the deacon carrying the Gospel Book in procession has been restored. In the same way, the Gospel Procession has been restored as one of the three great processions of the ancient liturgy (entrance, gospel and communion, with the two lesser processions: offertory and recessional).
The Mass consists of two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Just as the priest plays a principal role in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the deacon plays a prominent role in the Liturgy of the Word. The deacon’s most complete service in the Liturgy of the Word consists in proclaiming the Gospel, applying it to everyday life in the homily, and leading the assembly in prayer based on this reflection in the General Intercessions (Prayer of the Faithful).
Why are these roles assigned to the deacon as a servant of the Word? They flow from his ministry to the poor and outcast. As an icon of Christ the servant, the deacon ideally helps us to be “doers of the Word and not just hearers” (James 1:22-25). By his familiarity with the needs of those in the wider community, the deacon helps us to avoid becoming too internally focused on our faith community. In the homily, the deacon should call the assembly to compassion and action on the part of those who otherwise would have no voice. He does this by unpacking the social ramifications of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, who came to “bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord’s year of mercy” (Luke 4:16-21).
The last part of the Liturgy of the Word is the General Intercessions, or Prayer of the Faithful. This is the part of the Mass where the assembly exercises its priestly role by praying for the needs of all the world. By virtue of his ministry of service, the deacon is supposed to be familiar with the special needs of those in the community. After proclaiming the Gospel and helping the assembly to reflect upon it in the homily, the deacon formulates prayers for the assembly based on the Gospel as his final aspect of service to the Word. These prayers should be specific and externally focused, encouraging the assembly to pray for the needs of the world as we experience them personally or have knowledge of them from today’s news. So the deacon helps us to live both responses to the needs of the world: action and prayer, “to pray as though everything depends upon God, and to act as though everything depends upon us.”
The corresponding part of the General Intercessions in the Eastern Church are the many litanies for the needs of the world sung during Divine Liturgy: these litanies are always led by the deacon. In fact, most Eastern Churches do not have provision for any liturgy celebrated without a deacon. In some cases, such as in the Armenian Church, where there are no deacons lay people are trained to perform the deacon’s parts of the liturgy (the litanies) and are “ordained” as subdeacons.
Hearing. Reflecting. Praying. Acting. As a servant, the deacon assists us in living this response to the Word of God.
