| Sounds like a good note. I was just voted a deacon in my church. Its
a New England Congregational Church......located on the town
common,i.e.
The duties so far, have been to assist during the service....i.e.
collect pray messages, collect money, help to distribute the Sunday
service notices, distribute communion.
There is another side that I will be seeing next month, when I attend
the monthly meetings. Here, the direction of the church, and other
spiritual aspects will be determined and discussed.
Marc H.
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| In Catholic tradition, as shown by Holy Scripture and ancient Christian
writings, there have been since ancient times three orders of Ministers
in Christ's Church -- Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.
To be admitted to these offices a candidate is to be called, tried, examined,
and known to have the qualities necessary for the office, after which
candidates would be admitted to office by public prayer, laying on of hands,
and reception of the Holy Spirit to perform the duties of the office.
A scriptural reference to the office of deacon appears at 1 Tim 3:8-13.
In "The Form and Manner of the Making of Deacons" the 1928 Book of Common
Prayer requires the Bishop to address the candidates for Deacon as follows
prior to their ordination (in part):
It appertaineth to the Office of a Deacon, in the Church where he
shall be appointed to serve, to assist the Priest in Divine Service,
and especially when he ministereth the Holy Communion, and to help him
in the distribution thereof; and to read Holy Scriptures and Homilies
in the Church; and to instruct the youth in the Catechism; in the absence
of the Priest to baptize infants; and to preach, if he be admitted thereto
by the Bishop. And furthermore, it is his Office, where provision is so
made, to search for the sick, poor, and impotent people of the Parish,
that they may be relieved with the alms of the Parishioners, or others.
In practice, a deacon will be a graduate of a seminary. All priests will
have first been ordained deacon, though it's possible for ordination to the
priesthood to follow immediately. Some persons will remain deacons; when
exercising this role, they are known as members of the Permanent Diaconate.
The authority of a deacon (or bishop or priest) is not any authority of
his own, but is the authority of Christ exercised through him. As a man
or human being, the Bishop, Priest, or Deacon is no more than anyone else.
The difference lies in the fact that he is the ordained representative of
Christ in the Church, and the official representative of the Church to the
individual.
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| In an Episcopal parish, the duties you have would be performed as follows:
Collecting prayer messages: A parishioner, desiring that the Mass be
offered with special intention, calls the parish office and
speaks to the secretary. The intentions are then read by
the celebrant (priest) or, if he is assisted by another
priest or deacon, by that person.
Collecting money and distributing notices: Done by ushers.
Distribute communion: The hosts may only be administered by a priest or
deacon. Lay persons may be licensed as Eucharistic Ministers, but
unlike the Roman Catholic Church, Eucharistic Ministers may only
administer the chalice.
The parish priest is assisted in financial decisions about the parish by
a group of lay persons elected by the qualified membership of the parish
to the "vestry" for a one-year term. The parish priest is president of
the vestry; other officers include the Wardens, Parish Clerk, Treasurer,
etc.
/john
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| Allow me to share what little I know of the diaconate.
First of all, the term deacon comes from the Greek diakonia, and can
mean servant, helper, administrator, assistant, worker.
Secondly, in a letter attributed to him, Paul referred to Phoebe as
a deacon, using the masculine form of the word. The word is, nevertheless,
often translated as "deaconess."
Thirdly, various churches (denominations) have assigned different
responsibilities to the deacon, ranging from mowing the lawn and cleaning
the restrooms to officiating at weddings and funerals.
In the United Methodist church, there are presently two types of
diaconate. One is a step in becoming ordained: deacon, then elder.
The other is a consecrated lay ministry and may be a full-time paid
professional ministry.
Peace,
Richard
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| deacon -- Seven officials are appointed "deaonein" in Acts 6. Notionally in
charge of distributions to the needy, they in fact seem to be a heirarchy
subordinate to the Twelve, and in charge of the Helenist Christians, but
preaching and baptising just like the Twelve. Later, deacons seem to be
authoritative officers, mentioned after presbyters. Acts 6; Romans 16:1,
Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Theological glossary - American Bible Society
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