The Deacon is the “waiting-man or servant”. The Church defines a deacon as men ordained by the bishop to serve. They receive the Mystery of Holy Orders but not the ministerial priesthood. Through ordination, a deacon is conformed to the Christ who said He came to serve, not to be served. They can assist a priest in all of the liturgical services and were and are asked to dedicate themselves to all the charitable endeavors of the Christian Community in which they serve. This was their primary ministerial role in New Testament times. We hear in the Acts of the Apostles that this was the original reason why the order of deacon was first founded. The first task of a deacon was and still is to oversee the charitable works which, from the beginning of the Church, are seen as an integral part of the Jesus WAY – the works of mercy. As the Church grew, the function and role of deacons expanded.

Another primary task of a deacon is to witness to Jesus Christ. Stephan, one of the first seven called, witnessed to Jesus during his trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin. This witnessing lead him to becoming the first martyr of the Church and with this event we see the start of the persecution of the Church.

Another of the seven first deacons, Deacon Philip, went to Samaria and preached the Good News there. From there he was led by The Spirit to go down to Gaza where, in Chapter 8 of Acts, we hear of the conversion of the Ethiopian by Philip’s teaching and witnessing. Philip then ends up baptizing the Ethiopian.

Deacon Stephen

Preaching and witnessing is the second task assigned to a deacon. Today it is seen by his major role in the liturgy. His proper role is the proclamation of the Gospel and, with the permission of the presiding priest, to preach on occasions.

By extension this is also a call to teach and instruct outside of liturgy. Further, a deacon is also a messenger or instructor during the liturgy, calling the congregation to prayer. Because our present service books were written for celebrations without a deacon, the role of a deacon is not as evident.

It is the role of the deacon to call the congregation to prayer with various directives, like: Wisdom. Be Attentive!

During liturgical services a deacon is called upon to lead the congregation in prayer – he sings all of the litanies and asks all to   respond, beginning with the petition: “In peace let us pray to the Lord”. A deacon is the person who proclaims, “Master, Give the Blessing” as he raises his orarion, the unique   vestment of his office, and asks the priest to begin the celebration. In effect, a deacon is truly like a master of ceremonies, his primary role is to keep the liturgical actions moving and to be the leader of the prayer of the faithful.

A deacon in the Eastern Church, unlike his Western counterpart, only leads, assists and directs, he never     performs any of the sacred mysteries on his own. This lack of being a presider in the liturgical assembly only reinforces the role of a Deacon’s role as servant. Something truly unique and wonderful in the Churches of the East.

It is my hope in future installments to relate stories about some of the great deacons in the Church because their core role and service to the church crosses the boundary of East and West and because their ministry is core to work of the Church. This is what Father Wayne so eloquently preached on the Sunday of the Paralytic Man. Deacons are ministers of the works of mercy.