Use Deacons as Priests

The number of priests is declining. The Pope however cautions his congregations not to put in place of priests the laity for that could lead to an over reliance on laypersons and finally fade out the priestly presence.

However, parish after parish is discovering that it is forced to call upon laypersons to act on behalf of the church. The reason? There simply is no priest within miles.

In some cases, nuns are doing much of the priestly spiritual work. When nuns are not there, to whom can the congregations turn to but their own — laypersons?

In other words, the Vatican still proclaims the historic Catholic ideal — a church led by ordained priests. The reality however spells out another paragraph in local church life, that is, laypersons are left without ordained priests; but they are not left without their own lay commitments to the church.

“The number of permanent deacons has increased from 11,371 in 1995 to 15,027 in 2005. The United States has more deacons now than the rest of the world combined.

“A lay person, with the bishop’s approval, can conduct prayer services and distribute the Eucharist that a priest has previously consecrated, while deacons have the further ability to preach homilies.

“Canon law gives preference to the deacon as parish leader and, ‘Some bishops use deacons as the first line of replacement’ in priestless parishes. ‘And the fact that they are ordained has ecclesiastical significance.’

“Deacon John Bresnahan of Lynn, Mass., said, ‘What needles deacons in some dioceses is there’s a push to use lay administrators’ rather than tap the diaconate.

“‘One of the biggest arguments you hear for ordaining women is the shortage of priests,’ he said. ‘Well, the number of deacons is up. Let’s look at this positively and use them,’” per Gail Besse via National Catholic Register at http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=20205

Feminists are itching to take over Catholic pulpits. The Vatican resists their moves at every turn. Therefore, the reasonable turn is to ordain deacons to see through the work of the priests, that is, utilizing the commitment of ordained deacons as fully recognized priests.

It could very well be that future reality of priests diminishing to practically a zero level will force the hand of ordained deacons acting out all the duties of the ordained priests. Why not?

According to Stephen Bates of the Guardian: “Father Radcliffe, now a monk in Oxford but tipped by some as a leader of the Catholic Church in England, said: ‘It is clearly the case that in many parts of the world celibacy has actually largely broken down — in many countries in Latin America, parts of Africa, to some extent in the United States.

"If it turns out to be the case that it is being largely ignored or bypassed, then a very negative witness is being given; and so we have to ask is it possible now — either we have to provide celibate priests with considerably more support or we have to explore the possibility of them being married."

In addition, I have another suggestion. It is that ordained deacons be permitted to become the married priests.

"I’d bet a nickel to a donut that you’re a priest-wanna-be," I offered the newly ordained Catholic deacon.

We were seated in his dining room. His wife sat alongside him, smiling knowingly.

It did not take long for this Maine Lakes Region college professor to respond. "I guess you're 'right on'," he laughed heartily. With that, he showed me his ordination photos — prayers by clergy, congratulations from friends, priests greeting family. John surely was one proud fellow.

When I came upon Ken, another ordained deacon, both he and his wife were exceptionally pleased that in his retirement years he could serve his church as a deacon.

Since then, John has become Catholic chaplain at Maine Youth Center. Ken has become executive of the Knights of Columbus in another state. Both are beaming with fulfillment.

So there you have it, I thought. They are ordained to ministry. They are married.

A Lakes Region practicing Catholic shared with me: "With what's going on in my church, I wonder what's going to be the end result."

I posited that with the statistics of priests taking a downturn, it just could be a practical move to see those ordained as deacons becoming full-fledged priests. "Seems like history is taking a stand on this issue," I suggested.

The next time I attended Mass, I read Father Richard P. McBrien’s candid column, "Gays in the Priesthood." It was published in Maine's Catholic weekly, "Church World" (April 4, 2002, page 16).

This popular Catholic university professor stated forthrightly: "In recent weeks (there has been) increased expressions of antipathy toward gay priests, of whom there are surely thousands in the United States alone. Even though prominent psychiatrists and psychologists have been reminding us on television . . .that there is no necessary link between homosexuality and pedophilia, the popular view to the contrary still holds sway in many parts of the Church and in society at large. In such precincts the solution is easy: Get rid of gay priests and we’ll finally be rid of this horrible problem of sexual abuse of children.

"Surprisingly the starkest expression of this view emanates from one of the highest sources in all central administration of the Catholic Church: Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the pope’s official liaison with the media and psychiatrist by training. The Vatican spokesman has questioned whether homosexuals can validly be ordained, comparing the situation of a gay priest who may not realize that he is gay to that of a gay man who marries a woman while also unaware of his sexual orientation.

"Dr. Navarro-Valls pointed out that just as such a marriage can be annulled on the grounds that it was invalid from the start, so, too, the ordination of a gay man might similarly be declared invalid. A few priests have privately observed that, if this were actually to happen, the Roman Catholic Church might lose two-thirds of its priests under the age of 45 and some bishops as well. At the same time, many of its seminaries could be emptied of all but a handful of students."

Well, I mused, all the more it sounds reasonable to celebrate ordained deacons as full-fledged priests, thus alleviating the dwindling priest supply while at the same time putting into full-time ministry dedicated married servants of the church.

It would also open up the priesthood to more consecrated heterosexuals who presently shy away from the calling due to scandal attached to the priesthood.

So, as a non-catholic, can deacons be married? If so, why not Priests?

DogwoodSouth gave a good response. To take it one step further, here is a commentary made by Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church.

Speaking to the 11th General Synod Fathers, gathered for their eighth meeting at the Vatican, Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who is Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon--a Catholic rite which allows for married priests--addressed the issue, which has been brought up by many, particularly in light of the U.S. sex abuse scandal, of commonly permitting married priests in the Roman rite.

Vatican City, Oct. 07, 2005 (CNA) - The Cardinal defended the practice of the celibate priesthood and discussed the beauty of the tradition, calling it the "most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church."

While pointing out that "the Maronite Church admits married priests" and that "half of our diocesan priests are married", the Cardinal Patriarch said that "it must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious."

"A married priest", he said, "has the duty to look after his wife and family, ensuring his children receive a good education and overseeing their entry into society. ... Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners; his bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.

He noted that "married priests have perpetuated the faith among people whose difficult lives they shared, and without them this faith would no longer exist."

"On the other hand," he said, "celibacy is the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church,"

Lamenting a culture which is all but outright opposed to purity, the Cardinal asked: "How can [celibacy] be conserved in an atmosphere laden with eroticism? Newspapers, Internet, billboards, shows, everything appears shameless and constantly offends the virtue of chastity."

Suggesting that their are no easy solutions to the problem of priest shortages in the Church--an oft brought up point during the Synod--he noted that, "Of course a priest, once ordained, can no longer get married. Sending priests to countries where they are lacking, taking them from a country that has many, is not the ideal solution if one bears in mind the question of tradition, customs and mentality. The problem remains."

Since these men take a marriage vow before ordination, their first responsibility is to their family. This, as the Patriarch points out, poses a new set of problems when assigning them to parishes. In the Maronite Catholic Church, only celibate priests are assigned to the diaspora - USA, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Africa and Australia. Their total commitment of service to our Lord is evidenced by the work they accomplish. My Maronite pastor, who is bi-ritual, also assists the RC Diocese by saying Mass at priestless parishes and serving as Chaplain at a local area hospital. His total dedication and devotion to serving God keeps him active in ministry, 7 days per week. He has often said he could never do this with a wife and children. BTW, despite the fact that his grandfather was a married priest, he chose the celibate priesthood.

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besides, its in canon law that girls can only serve if there are no guys available.

Incorrect. Canon Law says no such thing. It's up to the Bishop whether females will or will not be allowed to serve Mass in the diocese and a Priest is not required to use females if he chooses not to independent of the presence or lack thereof of males. If you have verifiable Canonical citations to the contrary, please post them.

Litterae Congregationis

Letter of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

On possible admission of girls, adult women and women religious to serve alongside boys as servers in the Liturgy

Notitiae - 421-422 Vol 37 (2001) Num/ 8-9 - pp 397-399

A Bishop recently asked the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments whether a Diocesan Bishop would be able to oblige his priests to admit women and girls to service at the altar. This Dicastery has considered it opportune to send this letter to the Bishop in question, and given its particular importance, to publish it here.

_______________

Prot. N.2451/00/L

July 27, 2001

Your Excellency,

Further to recent correspondence, this Congregation resolved to undertake a renewed study of the questions concerning the possible admission of girls, adult women and women religious to serve alongside boys as servers in the Liturgy.

As part of this examination, the Dicastery consulted the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts which replied with a letter of July 23, 2001. The reply of the Pontifical Council was helpful in reaffirming that the questions raised by this Congregation, including the question of whether particular legislation could oblige individual priests in their celebration of the Holy Mass to make use of women to serve at the altar, do not concern the interpretation of the law, but rather are questions of the correct application of the law. The reply of the aforementioned Pontifical Council, therefore, confirms the understanding of this Dicastery that the matter falls within the competence of this Congregation as delineated by the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, § 62. Bearing in mind this authoritative response, this Dicastery, having resolved outstanding questions, was able to conclude its own study. At the present time, therefore, the Congregation would wish to make the following observations.

As is clear from the Responsio ad propositum dubium concerning can. 230, § 2, and its authentic interpretation (cf. Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, Prot. n. 2482/93 March 15, 1994, see Notitiae 30 [1994] 333-335), the Diocesan Bishop, in his role as moderator of the liturgical life in the diocese entrusted to his care, has the authority to permit service at the altar by women within the boundaries of the territory entrusted to his care. Moreover his liberty in this question cannot be conditioned by claims in favor of a uniformity between his diocese and other dioceses which would logically lead to the removal of the necessary freedom of action from the individual Diocesan Bishop. Rather, after having heard the opinion of the Episcopal Conference, he is to base his prudential judgment upon what he considers to accord more closely with the local pastoral need for an ordered development of the liturgical life in the diocese entrusted to his care, bearing in mind, among other things, the sensibilities of the faithful, the reasons which would motivate such a permission, and the different liturgical settings and congregations which gather for the Holy Mass (cf. Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, March 15, 1994, no. 1).

In accord with the above cited instructions of the Holy See such an authorization may not, in any way, exclude men or, in particular, boys from service at the altar, nor require that priests of the diocese would make use of female altar servers, since "it will always be very appropriate to follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar" (Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conference, March 15, 1994, no. 2). Indeed, the obligation to support groups of altar boys will always remain, not least of all due to the well known assistance that such programs have provided since time immemorial in encouraging future priestly vocations (cf. ibid.)

With respect to whether the practice of women serving at the altar would truly be of pastoral advantage in the local pastoral situation, it is perhaps helpful to recall that the non-ordained faithful do not have a right to service at the altar, rather they are capable of being admitted to such service by the Sacred Pastors (cf. Circular Letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences, March 15, 1994, no. 4, cf. also can 228, §1, Interdicasterial Instruction Esslesiae de mysterio, August 15, 1997, no. 4, see Notitiae 34 [1998] 9-42). Therefore, in the event that Your Excellency found it opportune to authorize service of women at the altar, it would remain important to explain clearly to the faithful the nature of this innovation, lest confusion might be introduced, thereby hampering the development of priestly vocations.

Having thus confirmed and further clarified the contents of its previous response to Your Excellency, this Dicastery wishes to assure you of its gratitude for the opportunity to elaborate further upon this question and that it considers this present letter to be normative.

With every good wish and kind regard, I am, Sincerely yours in Christ,

Jorge A. Card. Medina Estévez
Prefect

Mons. Mario Marini
Under Secretary

Can. 230 §1 Lay men whose age and talents meet the requirements prescribed by decree of the Episcopal Conference, can be given the stable ministry of lector and of acolyte, through the prescribed liturgical rite. This conferral of ministry does not, however, give them a right to sustenance or remuneration from the Church.

§2 Lay people can receive a temporary assignment to the role of lector in liturgical actions. Likewise, all lay people can exercise the roles of commentator, cantor or other such, in accordance with the law.

§3 Where the needs of the Church require and ministers are not available, lay people, even though they are not lectors or acolytes, can supply certain of their functions, that is, exercise the ministry of the word, preside over liturgical prayers, confer baptism and distribute Holy Communion, in accordance with the provisions of the law.

That story about the 60 deacons ordained by Cardinal Mahony, of which 56 are married men, should send up red flags at the Vatican! This is a deliberate and intentional move on his part to shift priestly responsibility away from his ordained ministers and into the hands of the deacons. Note too, that he has also 'ordained' several women to run various parishes as Lay Ecclesial Ministers. What a slap in the face of his priests! They are retained to serve only as Sacramental ministers.

Mahony is not alone. We have the same situation here in Albany and you will find it in Rochester and other dioceses around the country.

Do you know if anyone has done any statistical breakdowns (number of priests, permanent deacons, seminarians for the presbyterate and for the permanent diaconate) on a diocese by diocese basis?

I am not aware of anyone who has done such a breakdown. To do one, would be challenging as it entails studying the mindset of the local ordinary to grasp his intentions. The one pattern that emerges in such a process is that Mahony, Hubbard, Clark and their ilk constantly lament the lack of applicants to their seminaries. I personally know of two men who applied and were turned away. These two men were both very orthodox in their views of Catholicism and that put them at loggerheads with the bishop. Besides that, who would want to consecrate their life to Christ when it would mean being 'used' as stricly a sacramental minister, wandering from parish to parish to hear confessions and consecrate enough hosts for their weekend, priestless, communion service.

Keep the faith! All of these bishops have now turned 70 and will reach mandatory retirement age in 5 more years. Over the span of 2000 years, this 40 year period is nothing more than a blip on the radar screen.

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