A Deacon for Today

David Palmer A Deacon for Today

Growing numbers of men, particularly those from a Charismatic Renewal background, are becoming married permanent deacons in the Church. David Palmer, a member of the Goodnews editorial committee, reflects on why he felt called to sign up and train for this ministry.

I am a Finance trainer by profession and I start every course with the same words: "I was born an Accountant and I believe in cost/benefit analysis for everything: eating, sleeping, breathing, training courses!…". It's an attitude which God changed dramatically on an Alpha course in 1996. I started working for Him and He became the centre of my life rather than money. However grace builds on nature and over the years God has brought me many opportunities to use my professional skills in His service. Peter was a fisherman, and Jesus didn't change his work, just the nature of the catch from fish to men, and the scope of his work from the Sea of Galilee to the whole of the known world. In 1998 whilst at the New Dawn Conference, I attended a seminar on the Permanent Diaconate, which I had not heard of previously. I was inspired by the Vatican document issued that February and after much prayer, I offered myself for consideration as a candidate for training. As I live in Westminster Diocese, the process was not without some hurdles. I eventually started training in September 2004 and am on the second of the three years of training.

"Why be a deacon?"

Why do I want to be a Deacon? I just want to serve. My favourite hymn "The Servant King" sums it up. I want to follow the example of Christ and His servant Stephen who saw that the Apostles needed help so he offered his services. It is interesting to note that the first Deacons were appointed because people complained that things were not being done. Perhaps there is a place in the Church for constructive complaints. Certainly it is fascinating to note that immediately after the ordination of the seven, "the word of the Lord spread, the number of disciples was increased and a number of priests joined the church." (Acts 6:7). I know that I cannot earn my place in Heaven, but I believe God is Our Father and He likes us to try to help, even if we children don't make a very good job of it on our own. I believe God wants me to be more involved in the Institutional Church and I am slowly learning to recognise His voice, especially in the Scriptures.

"What's the difference between being a committed layman and a deacon?"

Could I "just be a Committed Layman"? I suspect I could, but I believe that Sacraments do impart grace and I need help, particularly in my role of making Christ more present at work. I have given seminars on this and they are included on my website, which is a mix of papers on Finance and Christianity, but it is easier to talk about it than to do it! I suspect I will face problems in training and, God willing, as a Deacon; particularly with obedience. I have been running my own business for over twelve years and before that I was a Finance Director. I pray that God will give me the grace to accept "orders" in both senses of the word. I am not over keen on ceremony and wonder how I will cope with vestments and liturgy. I know I have weaknesses, notably an inability to relax. However, God uses each of us, as we are. Reading about St Paul's activities in the New Testament suggests he didn't relax much either. I have been blessed with certain skills and want to use them to serve God, in particular the gifts of Administration and Teaching (1Cor 12:28) but I have learnt to trust in God's judgement. As well as being a volunteer worker for Catholic Evangelisation Services, I am currently a Trustee for CREW Trust (the parent Charity for CES and Goodnews magazine, where I am on the editorial Committee), and The Sion Community for Evangelisation. I would hope to retain these roles and develop them as a Deacon. In order to make time for studies I resigned from some volunteer roles as a College Governor and Hospice Treasurer, which had been occupying two days per week for some years. I still wonder if I should have done so as they are exactly the sort of activities that I see fitting into a Deacon's life. Perhaps I will resume them once my training is over.

"Every large organisation should have a chaplain"

I continue my "Day Job" of running Finance Training Courses and believe that I have a role to help people use money and financial techniques, wisely in business. The world is slowly realising that if you set money as the only objective then 24 hour working, 7 days a week leads to the death of your work force. Occasionally pointing out that God told us this 3,000 years ago helps "add value" to the learning and in some small way evangelises people. Certainly the demise of Christian business ethics has allowed some spectacular frauds to occur. I believe every large organisation should have a "Chaplain", especially the large legal and accountancy firms, who are discovering the hard way that promoting simple rules like "Thou shalt not steal" or "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" leads to better profits as well as a healthier organisation. A Deacon might be a better choice than a "Director of Corporate Ethics" and certainly "Love God and your neighbour as yourself" is a better corporate mission statement than many I have seen.

"Not what a deacon does but who he is"

However, the key point to remember is that it is not what a Deacon does that really matters. It is who a Deacon is. We are to be salt and light in the world. We live out our vocation in many ways but in my heart I see the role of Permanent Deacon as helping to bridge the gap that has developed between the Clergy and the Laity, "supporting the Christian people in a professional framework" as Pope John Paul II said on 26 January 2004. Exactly what I do if and when I am ordained, I will leave to God to tell me through his Church in the person of my Bishop.

Certainly the life of the Church has been marked by stages of transition of key roles. The Apostles and early Church Fathers were followed by the Friars, who spread the Good News. They were followed by the monks who developed the education and health service in the monasteries. Then came the priests who travelled the world and created parish communities. In each case the Bishops were the "overseers" not the "doers". An American Cardinal described Priests and Deacons "as the two arms of the Bishop". For centuries the Church has been operating with one muscular right arm. Now, in many parishes, priests are experiencing burnout through overwork. The Church is currently tentatively flexing the muscles of the atrophied left arm Who knows if the next five hundred years might see a greater role for deacons?

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The Power of Ordination
by Rev. John Edwards
I write this one week into my role as an ordained permanent Deacon. Prior to my ordination I became used to explaining that the Diaconate is not about what I can do but about what I am called to be. Holding out a hope that the Holy Spirit would do something during the ordination that would make some difference. I had a very real expectation that that would be the case, but I was not quite ready for the power of that experience. On the evening the service went to plan, even the weather, which looked threatening in the afternoon, cleared up which, as we were celebrating with a garden party, was crucial. Lying on the sanctuary through the praying of the litany of the saints seemed quite 'normal'(I was lying where just over two years previously my wife Ann had been baptised). When Bishop Kieran Conry laid his hands on my head I was aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit through the electric tingling that was going through me.

In order to make sure that everyone was involved I had the choir and congregation sing 'Peace like a river' which concludes with 'Come Holy Spirit let your fire fall' while I was exchanging the sign of peace with my brother Deacons. Well He certainly did fall in my ministry since I have been aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit constantly. The very next morning I was called to the local hospice to pray with the family of a dying man, this is something anyone can do, but I was aware that there was a new 'spirit' working within me. The whole experience took on a new meaning to me. At all the celebrations of mass I have assisted with, six in all, I just have a real sense of being in the right place ministering at the altar and the word of God.

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will continue to work within my ministry.

Deacons serving in England and Wales

In Lumen Gentium, one of the Vatican II documents, the restoration of the diaconate was called for. Over the last 25 years this ministry has gradually become established and there are now 778 deacons working in England and Wales, with over another 100 who will hopefully be added to their ranks over the next 18months. The first ordination to the diaconate in Scotland was in 1986 and there are now 30 practising deacons, with a further 30 in formation. Ireland, so far has not started its diaconate programme, but hopes to start it soon.

Not all bishops have been as in favour of it as others, which has led to huge diocesan differences in numbers. The Southwark diocese, for example, has 78 deacons, while Salford has no deacons at all. Cardiff so far has only one deacon, but now has 14 in formation all of whom are expected to be ordained next year. A permanent deacon may be married, but if his wife dies, he cannot marry again (except in special circumstances). Wives are encouraged to participate in their husband's formation, as their support is considered vital. The ministry of a deacon is threefold: the word, the altar and charity. As such the deacon is able to preach, perform baptisms and preside at weddings and funerals among many other things. Formation for the diaconate lasts between three and four years depending on the diocese, and is usually a mix of distance learning, weekend courses and summer schools. There are 3765 secular priests and 1363 religious priests currently in England and Wales.

For further details of the diaconate contact:
National Office for Vocation
The Chase Centre
114 West Heath Road
London NW3 7TX
Tel: 020 8458 6017
Website: www.ukvocation.org/callings/perm.html