Summary of the History of the Diaconate

The Permanent Diaconate is new and yet it is very old. The Diaconate had its origins in apostolic times and flourished in the first four centuries of the Church’s history. From the beginning, the role of the deacon was associated with service to the members of the church. The deacon performed duties in collaboration with the bishop and priests. More specifically, the deacon in the early church was concerned with three tasks: he assisted in celebrating liturgy; he gave instructions in the faith, and directed charitable work.

While the Diaconate continued for many centuries as an effective part of the church’s ministry, it was not destined to retain its original importance. During the middle ages, for very complex reasons, the Diaconate as permanent ministry disappeared. In the Eastern Church, the deacon’s liturgical roles were fully retained, though the role of serving the needs of the community was gradually obscured. In the Western Church, the Diaconate became a stepping-stone to the priesthood. We call these deacons transitional.

It was the second Vatican Council that restored the Diaconate as a permanent ministry in the Church. In the discussion before, and at the council that led to this decision, three primary motives were at work. The first was a desire to restore to the Church the full complement of active apostolic ministries. A second motive was the desire to integrate and strengthen with sacramental ordination and grace those who were, in fact, already exercising diaconal functions. The third goal was to provide ministers for those regions where functions vital to the church’s life could not be carried out.