The Permanent Deacon
By Deacon David Yazdiya
The Book of Acts, chapter 6, records the beginning of the diaconate. The diaconate was established because the Apostles needed more time for prayer and the ministry of the word. The original deacons were chosen for their dedication to the Church and their faith in Christ. Stephen, the first to be chosen, also became the Church’s first martyr. The first deacons were ordained by the Apostles through the laying on of hands for the ministry of service.
In Acts 8, we learn how the deacon Philip, led by the Holy Spirit, went to preach in Samaria. He was then sent by the Spirit to explain the Scriptures to the Ethiopian in the chariot, converting him to Christianity. St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy, chapter 3, provides further insight into the role of the deacon. Over time, the permanent diaconate declined, and by the Middle Ages, it became exclusively a transitional step on the path to priesthood.
The Second Vatican Council restored the office of permanent deacon as a permanent rank in the Catholic hierarchy—bishop, priest and deacon. Pope Paul VI implemented the Council’s decision in 1967 with the apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem (The Sacred Order of the Diaconate). The ministry of the permanent deacon includes three dimensions: liturgy, word and service.
During the sacred liturgy, the deacon assists the bishop and priests. At Mass, the deacon proclaims the Gospel and, when invited by the celebrant, may preach the homily. He also assists at the altar. The deacon may baptize children under age 7, witness and bless marriages outside of Mass, preside at the Liturgy of the Hours and lead funeral liturgies. While these are the more visible duties of the deacon, his call to serve the Church outside of the liturgical setting is equally significant. The bishop may assign a deacon to minister to those in prison, care for the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, or serve merchant sailors when their ships dock at a port. When assigned to a parish, the deacon serves under the direction of the pastor, supporting him and his ministry in the most fruitful ways possible.
Before Bishop Victor Galeone became bishop of St. Augustine in 2001, there was no deacon formation program in the diocese. All deacons serving in the Diocese of St. Augustine at that time had been ordained in other dioceses. In 2003, Bishop Galeone asked Fr. Michael Morgan, now Monsignor, to develop and implement a permanent diaconate program for the diocese. With the assistance of Deacons Paul Pettie and Jack Baker, along with many priests from the diocese, the first formation class was ordained on June 3, 2006. Ordination classes followed in 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2022. The diocese is currently forming a new class for ordination in 2030.
As mentioned, many permanent deacons serving in the diocese were ordained in other dioceses throughout the world. The deacons of the Diocese of St. Augustine serve with great dedication to the ministry to which they have been called. Please feel free to ask the deacon at your parish about his call to the ministry.
