The Sacred Order of Deacons in Four Parts

Dear friends,

St. Andrew’s is the first place I have ever had the opportunity to serve alongside a vocational deacon.  What a privilege it is to be here with Kathy Gray!  As you may know, Episcopal priests are ordained first as transitional deacons and then eventually as priests.  Vocational deacons like Kathy, on the other hand, have a life-long calling to the diaconal ministry of servanthood.  Their special joy is to bring the needs of the world to the church and the good news of Jesus to the world.  In our liturgy, we set aside special tasks for deacons to perform as they embody the ministry of servanthood and of proclamation.  I’ve asked Kathy to share some reflections on the particular role of vocational deacons.  I look forward to learning more, along with you, about the unique ministry of vocational deacons.

Blessings,
Anne+ 

Part 1 - The Historic Diaconate 

Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.  And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.  Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.”  What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.  They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of God continued to spread; the number of disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priest became obedient to the faith. 

Acts 6:1-7 

And so it was, in the aftermath of the resurrection of Jesus, as the young church grew from strength to strength despite persecution from the Roman Empire and the distain of the Jewish religious hierarchy, someone needed to feed the hungry and care for the disenfranchised.  Enter the servant ministry of the church, modeled after that of Christ himself, who washed the feet of his disciples, fed the multitudes, and made room at the table for those formerly cast out.  They took the Good News of Christ crucified for our redemption to those who were struggling in the world, and brought back to the church news of what the world in pain needed from those who claimed a faith made new by this Jesus of Nazareth.  Servant and messenger, service and Word, the bridge between those in the world, and those who found their peace in the church. 

This order flourished for several hundred years, and then slowly died out by the fifth century.  In those first 500 years, the ministry was carried by Stephen of the first seven called, Phillip, who baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, Lawrence, also martyred as Stephen was, and beloved Francis of Assisi.  The first woman deacon of record was Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2).  One deacon, Silverius, was actually raised to Pope on June 6, 536 A.D. 

At some point, the diaconate became a transitional order, in the process toward ordination to the priesthood.  It was revived in 1967 by the order of Pope Paul VI – one order, two distinctions, transitional and permanent (or vocational). 

To be continued….