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“If anyone has a gift of service, let him serve” (Romans 12:7)

 

Duties of the Deacon

A deacon is a man of faith who dedicates his life, time, and family to serving the altar of the Lord. Through ordination by the laying on of hands by the parish bishop—especially in the rank of Evangelical Deacon—he receives the grace of the Holy Spirit for his ministry. In the Chaldean Church, there are three ranks of deacon: Reader, Subdeacon, Evangelical Deacon.

  

Responsibilities of the Deacon

• Assisting the priest in the celebration of the Eucharist and offering the divine sacrifice at the Lord’s altar.
• Cleaning and arranging the altar and preparing the Sacred Vessels.
• Participating in all liturgical and ritual celebrations, leading prayers, rosaries, and spiritual exercises.
•  Assisting in the administration of the sacraments: baptism, marriage, blessing and distribution of the Eucharist.
• Providing pastoral accompaniment to the faithful in their needs: visiting the sick, prisons, presiding over funerals, and accompanying the deceased to their burial places.
•  Currently, the parish has approximately … Reader Deacons, … Subdeacon Deacons, and … Evangelical Deacons.

 

Teaching: Doctrinal Constitution of the Church

“29. At the lowest level of hierarchical authority are the deacons, who receive the laying on of hands not for priesthood but for service. Strengthened by the sacramental grace, they serve the people of God in communion with the bishop and the body of priests, in performing the liturgy, preaching, and spreading love.

According to the arrangements made by the competent authority, deacons may administer baptism ceremonially, safeguard and distribute the Eucharist, assist in blessing marriages in the name of the Church, carry the viaticum to the dying, read the Holy Scriptures to the faithful, teach and instruct the people, lead public prayers and devotions, serve as ministers of the Sacred Vessels, and preside over funeral prayers and burials.

Ordained for works of charity and administration, deacons should heed the exhortation of the blessed Polycarp: “Be merciful and zealous, walking in the truth of the Lord who became a servant to all.”

Since performing these essential duties is challenging in many areas under the Latin Church system, the diaconate may in the future return to its original form, a permanent rank within the hierarchical structure. Local episcopal councils, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, may decide whether to establish deacons and designate regions in which souls need their service. With the Roman Pontiff’s consent, the diaconate may be conferred upon adult men, even married ones, especially young men of suitable qualification, provided they observe the law of steadfast celibacy.”