What is a Deacon?
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Deacons are called by their vows to make Christ's redemptive love known to the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely (BCP 543).
Modelling servant ministry in their daily life and work, deacons are icons of servant ministry through their liturgical roles in worship. At all times, by their life and teaching, deacons are to show Christ’s people that in serving others they serve Christ himself. |
It is the special responsibility of deacons to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns and hopes of the world. Deacons entrust their gifts to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to empower others to name, claim and engage fully the work God gives us all to do.
Those who sense they might be called to ordination as a deacon demonstrate servant ministry in the world, either in an institutional setting or in other forms of service, and their calling is firmly rooted in their faith and recognized in their actions. |
Deacons in Liturgy
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Deacons have distinct roles in worship, each one representative of a specific aspect of their ministry.
Deacons read the Gospel. Deacons, like all ordained ministers, are charged to proclaim the Gospel. Deacons set the table. A primary part of the first call for deacons (Acts 6) was to assist in the care and feeding of the poor. At the Eucharistic table, their service models what deacons did then and what deacons continue to do in the world. Deacons give the dismissal. Deacons remind us that the people of God are to go out into the world and serve. In the deacon's dismissal, they have the last word, reminding us of every Christian’s responsibility to serve in the world. |
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Deacons in the World
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"In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.' (BCP 543)
Deacons are called to serve the poor, weak, sick and lonely. What this looks like in practice is different for every deacon. Some deacons minister to veterans, some manage food pantries, some serve as prison chaplains and much more. But what sets a deacon apart is their commitment to bring the needs of the world to the Church, and to bring those in the Church out in to the world to meet those needs. Don Cady, a deacon in the Diocese of Virginia, works as a volunteer chaplain at McGuire Veterans' Administration Hospital in Richmond, providing pastoral care and counsel to the veterans involved in conflict in wars ranging from World War II through Iraq and Afghanistan. Don's vital ministry is made specifically diaconal by his workshop "Serving Those Who Have Served Us,” which outlines the needs of our wounded warriors and the the ways in which parishes can minister to the veterans and their families. |
Deacons in the Church
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How do deacons fit into the polity of the church?
Deacons often serve in parishes under the supervision of the rector, but they report to and are responsible to their diocesan bishop.
Deacons are the conscience of the church, seeing where the needs are in the world, encouraging parishioners to act in response to those needs, and inviting those who are hurting into the church. |
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Deacons' Vestments
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In the adjacent graphic, from left to right are examples of a deacon's, a bishop's, and a priest's vestments.
The Stole The Deacons' School takes its insignia from the deacon's stole. The stole, the vestment which hangs around the neck worn by bishops, priests and deacons, is used during services to indicate that the wearer has taken Holy Orders. The deacons wear their stoles as a sash to indicate their particular order. There is some debate about the origin of the stole and whether its original use was practical or symbolic. Some say it symbolizes the towel that Jesus wore around his waist at the washing of the feet, a sign of the deacon's servant ministry. |
Read More
Read "Cross Diocesan Formation & Joint Ordination" by Theresa Lewallen, Deacons' School alumna, from Diakonea, the newsletter of the Association of Episcopal Deacons.
Read "Serving Christ Through Servanthood," the 2014 series on the Vocational Diaconate, which appeared in the Virginia Episcopalian, the Diocese of Virginia's quarterly magazine.
Read "Serving Christ Through Servanthood," the 2014 series on the Vocational Diaconate, which appeared in the Virginia Episcopalian, the Diocese of Virginia's quarterly magazine.
