By Deacon Rick Scheierl
Ministering as a deacon in the Catholic Church for over 24 years has filled me with many joys as well as some challenges along the way. Bringing the presence of Christ the servant to the community has allowed me to enter the lives of many wonderful people. Whether preparing a grieving family for a funeral, a couple to enter the Sacrament of Marriage, welcoming a new member of the Church through baptism or reaching out to the area community through a meal, I have been greatly blessed by diaconate ministry. However, there are times when I have been mistaken for a priest since many are still not familiar with the role of a permanent deacon, especially as I greet people in the Church entrance after a Sunday Mass. Overall, the restoration of the permanent diaconate has been well received in the Church, but an increased understanding of the role of the permanent deacon in the life of the Church is still needed.
Deacons were recognized as active and vibrant ministers in the Church in Acts 6:1-7, when seven men were elected to serve the needs of the people. Scriptural examples in the early Church include Philippians 1:1, where St. Paul addresses his letter to the saints in Philippi “with the bishops and deacons,” indicating that diaconate ministry was an established office. As well, in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, St. Paul gives specific qualifications for those who serve as deacons, including requirements for their character, integrity and family.
The ministry of deacons has gone through many developments over time. However, the role of the deacon in the life of the Church has essentially remained the same. Diaconate ministry involves the three-fold area of word (preaching and teaching), altar (liturgical celebrations) and charity (outreach to the poor and marginalized). Deacons serve as a bridge between the hierarchy of the Church and the secular world by having a foot in both areas. Acting as social intermediaries, deacons are ordained ministers who function as servants, assisting the bishop as he ministers to the needs of the community both within the walls of the church as well as in the larger world.
Unfortunately, the ministry of the permanent diaconate fell into disuse in the Western (Latin) Church for centuries, until its restoration in the 1960’s following the Second Vatican Council.
In 1968 Pope Paul VI gave permission to restore the ministry of the permanent diaconate in the United States of America. Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, was chosen as one of four pilot training programs in the U.S. for the formation of deacons. This program led to the ordination of the first permanent deacon in the Diocese of St. Cloud, John Scott, in 1971, by Bishop George Speltz.
Following the pilot program, the diocese established a permanent diaconate formation program in 1978. The first ordained through the program were: Fred Reker, Mike Keable, Ken Kruchten and John Salchert, all ordained by Bishop George Speltz. The program was revamped in 1996 and included the Deacons Jerry Schwarzbauer, Don Tzinski and John Woods.
Bishop John Kinney mandated a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry (or equivalent) for all deacons ordained after 2001. This revised formation program established high standards, some of the most rigorous in the nation.
As the population of Spanish-speaking Catholics in the diocese increased, there became a need and desire for Spanish-speaking deacons. In collaboration with the Emmaus Institute and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, a program for Spanish-speaking diaconal candidates provided intellectual and ministerial formation. Five deacons already ordained through this new program are Deacons Jorge Armondo Carrillo, Jesus Hernandez Chavez, Mario Gonzalo Mancilla, Carlos Pesqueda Silva and Lorenzo Sanchez Rodriguez.
The diocese continues to regularly ordain new permanent deacons, in partnership with the Emmaus Institute, St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary, and the Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) in San Antonio, Texas.
The most recent development in the permanent diaconate has been the permission recently granted by Bishop Patrick Neary for permanent deacons to wear either black or gray clerical shirts when involved in active ministry. As ordained ministers in the Roman Catholic Church, deacons are part of the clerical state and many of our neighboring dioceses had already given permission for permanent deacons to wear clerical shirts. Wearing the Roman collar serves as a public witness to the deacon’s ordained ministry and their role in serving the community. This practice fosters a visible identity for their roles within the Church, while also giving witness to pastoral ministry in settings outside the church walls, such as in hospitals, prisons, assisted living facilities, homeless shelters, etc.
The re-establishment of the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of St. Cloud has produced much fruit. There are currently 65 permanent deacons serving in the diocese and 17 men in formation. Deacons are currently ministering in parishes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, jails and in other outreach areas such as homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Acting as social intermediaries between the church and the broader community, deacons will continue to be a vital presence of Christ the servant in the church and in the world.
Deacon Rick Scheierl is the Deacon Moderator for the office of the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of St. Cloud.