CONSIDER BECOMING A DEACON

St. Helena Parish is growing. We are currently being served by three Piarist priests and three Piarist seminarians and a lot of lay volunteers, but we are missing a vital member of the parish ministry team - a deacon. If you would like more information about becoming a deacon, please contact the parish rectory. A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three groups,or "orders," of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, presbyters and deacons. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ,who came "to serve and not to be served." The entire Church is called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, in virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church. All ordained ministers in the Church are called to functions of Word, Sacrament,and Charity, but bishops, presbyters and deacons exercise these functions in various ways. As ministers of Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of Sacrament,deacons baptize,lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church's resources to meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs. But no matter what specific functions a deacon performs, they flow from his sacramental identity. In other words, it is not only WHAT a deacon does,but WHO a deacon is,that is important. When the diaconate was restored as a permanent order in the hierarchy, the Second Vatican Council declared that could be opened to “mature married men,"later clarified to mean men over the age of 35. This is in keeping with the ancient tradition of the Church, in which married men were ordained into ministry. Also in keeping with ancient practice is the expectation that while a married man may be ordained, an ordained man, if his wife should die, may not marry again without special permission. There are many reasons for you to consider becoming a deacon. First, bring it to prayer and see if the lord might be calling you, and then contact the rectory for more information about this exciting program.