The first deacons were a group of seven men chosen to serve the early Christian community. With rapid growth, complaints arose in the early Church that some of the widows of the community—a very vulnerable group in the ancient world—were not being cared for properly. Such neglect was unacceptable in a Christian community, but the Apostles recognized that they had an obligation to continue preaching the Gospel as the Lord had commanded them. So, they gathered the rest of the disciples together, explained their dilemma, and asked them to “pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty” (Acts 6:3).
Deacons today continue this tradition. Some are called transitional deacons, meaning celibate men who have been ordained deacons and whom the Church intends to ordain as priests.
The Rev. Mr. David Thomas Lee, deacon of the Diocese of Nashville, explains to EWTN News Nightly, “The step we took was an ordination to the transitional diaconate, so most of the men who were ordained within the next six to seven months will be ordained priests back in their home diocese, so this is basically the first step in the sacrament of Holy Orders that will be continued shortly with an ordination to the priesthood.”
The name “diakonia” comes from the Greek “to serve,” and deacons exercise this service in a variety of ways. The duties of deacons revolve around this ministry of service, both in assisting the worship of the community and in exercising works of charity.
On Thursday, September 28th, 18 men from the Pontifical North American College in Rome were ordained to the diaconate during a celebration inside Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Deacon Lee tells of the unique atmosphere of formation that takes place in Rome, “The North American College welcomes American seminaries and a couple of Australians, actually. But in America, it spans coast to coast with seminarians. Washington State all the way over to New York. And so it’s really a seminary for all the American dioceses where we come together to live in the heart of Rome and the heart of the Church, to learn more about our faith, to encounter people from all over the world.”
The deacon stresses the importance of being part of this American community in Rome, with daily communal prayer, as he and his brother seminarians prepare to be ordained priests for their dioceses in the United States.
The 18 men prostrated themselves in front of the altar and dedicated their lives in service to God’s Church and his people. The ordination for deacons takes place during the Mass after the Gospel is proclaimed. The ceremony begins with the presentation of the candidates. Each one is called forth by name, and standing, he answers, “Present.”
In St. Peter’s Basilica, an additional significance is had, as the deacon relates, “Such a great gift and blessing to be able to be ordained over the tomb of Saint Peter in a place where we’ve studied for these past three years at the North American College, as instilled by this overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the family and friends who supported me over these past few years, and have made the trip over to Rome to be there for the ordination. It was really overwhelming to feel all that love at once. I’m just really grateful to the Lord for all the people that he’s surrounded me with throughout these past years.”
Ordination to the diaconate marks the last stage in seminary formation before ordination to the priesthood.
Edited by Jacob Stein.
