JUBILEE OF DEACONS
22nd – 23rd February 2025

The Jubilee of Deacons has a theme: ‘Deacons: Joyful Witnesses of Hope’, reminding us that Deacons
help bring the hope and love of Christ to a world which has lost hope.

PRAYER FOR DEACONS

Mary, who as teacher of faith, by your obedience to the word of God, has co-operated in a remarkable
way with the work of redemption, make the ministry of deacons effective by teaching them to hear the
Word and to proclaim it faithfully.

Mary, teacher of charity, who by your total openness to God’s call, has co-operated in bringing to birth all
the Church’s faithful, make the ministry and the life of deacons fruitful by teaching them to give
themselves totally to the service of the People of God.

Mary, teacher of prayer, who through your maternal intercession has supported and helped the Church
from her beginnings, make deacons always attentive to the needs of the faithful by teaching them to
come to know the value of prayer.

Mary, teacher of humility, by constantly knowing yourself to be the servant of the Lord you were filled with
the Holy Spirit, make deacons docile instruments in Christ’s work of redemption by teaching them the
greatness of being the least of all.

Mary, teacher of that service which is hidden, who by your everyday and ordinary life filled with love, knew
how to co-operate with the salvific plan of God in an exemplary fashion, make deacons good and faithful
servants, by teaching them the joy of serving the Church with an ardent love. Amen.

The Ministry of Diaconate

The origins of the ministry of Deacon can be traced back to the days of the New Testament, and were
well-established early in the life of the Church. From the earliest decades, ordination by the laying on of
hands was conferred on deacons, presbyters and bishops, these orders being three grades of one
sacrament of Holy Orders. Over the years, however, as the priesthood grew in prominence, the diaconate
declined.
Eventually, in the Latin Church, the diaconate became a mere formality on the path to priesthood. After
Vatican II the diaconate was restored as a permanent order and is open to both married and single men.
Ordained to be Ministers of the Gospel, deacons are called to evangelise, to spread the good news of
God’s saving love, to introduce the entire world to Christ, the Word of God.
Through baptism, all the faithful are called to be evangelists. All are anointed with Christ’s Spirit of true
servanthood, supremely witnessed by Christ, the original and true deacon. Commissioned by the Father,
the Son of God humbled himself, becoming the greatest through the self-emptying gift of himself in
service to the people beloved by God.
By virtue of their ordination, deacons are called to give expression to the mystery of Christ’s loving gift of
himself to the Father for the sake of the world.
The Church’s deepest nature, reflected in the integrated, threefold exercise of Word, Sacrament, and
Charity (LG 29; Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est 25), is ‘sacramentalised’ by the ministry of the
deacon (Pope John Paul II, ‘The Heart of the Diaconate: Servants of the Mysteries of Christ and Servants
of Your Brothers and Sisters,’ 19 September 1987).
Cardinal Walter Kasper has pointed out that one challenge for the Church after Vatican II has been to
emphasise once again that the deacon is the bishop’s right-hand man, with a distinct ministry. Such a
ministry is primarily directed toward diocesan-wide ministry and groups or special needs within a
deanery or parish. His task is to animate the mission of the diocese in collaboration with the bishop.

What do Permanent Deacons Do?

The first responsibility of the deacon is to be an effective visible sign of Christ who came to serve rather
than to be served. The deacon is called to be an icon of Christ the servant. The areas of ministry which
may be entrusted to deacons fall under three general headings, Charity, Word and Altar:

Charity
• Facilitating the development of lay ministry
• Visiting the sick
• Visiting prisoners
• Visiting the bereaved
• Youth ministry, and the facilitation of peer-ministry among young people
• Promoting awareness of the social teaching of the Church
• The promotion of justice and human rights

Word
• Proclaiming the Gospel at the Liturgy
• Preaching the homily
• Participating in sacramental preparation programmes
• The formation of Ministers of the Word
• Facilitating study of, and prayer with, the scriptures

Altar
• Assisting the priest at the celebration of the Eucharist
• Bringing the Eucharist to the sick at home and in hospitals
• The formation of altar servers and Ministers of the Eucharist
• Presiding at Exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
• The celebration of Baptism
• Celebrating marriages (with the appropriate delegation)
• Presiding at funerals

The Deacon is called to minister in close co-operation with priests and with members of the lay faithful who are entrusted with various ministries.
Collaborative ministry is already a reality in very many parishes, especially with the development of parish pastoral councils, baptism teams, bereavement support groups etc. Deacons are not intended to replace lay ministers. On the contrary, they are called to play a key role in the development and coordination of lay ministry. Neither are deacons intended to be ‘mini-priests,’ making up for a shortage of priestly vocations.