Their faces are familiar and comforting. Their lives inspire compassion and their ministry animates us to become more fully involved in Gospel works of mercy.

Our permanent deacons are truly blessings for the people of the Diocese of Helena.

The deacons and their spouses are living examples of radical discipleship, the embodiment of people who have chosen to walk daily in the footsteps of Christ the Servant.

Shortly after I arrived in the Diocese of Helena, in June 2004, a significant number of pastors and parishioners proposed a common question: “Do you intend to call forth a new class of deacons?” My response was simple: “If there are pastoral needs that can best be met by diaconal ministry, I will give this matter serious consideration.”

Our Diocesan Pastoral Council involved over 1,400 people, commissioned to establish the new pastoral priorities in the Diocese of Helena for the next few years. The Diocesan Pastoral Council wisely recognized the need to inspire and form all aspects of ministry in our diocese – both the lay apostolate as well as ordained ministry.

In doing so, the Diocesan Pastoral Council acknowledged that in our diocese there are pastoral needs that can best be met through the ministry of the permanent deacon. Therefore, I have decided to call forth a new class of deacons to support and assist our pastors and serve the pastoral needs of our highly diverse communities.

What kinds of ministries are proper to the diaconate? How is it that the deacon can meet the unique needs in our local Church? The ministry of deacon is three-fold, and comes to us from the earliest days of the Christian community. It is a ministry that shares in the life and mission of Jesus Himself.

The deacon is teacher, and is commissioned by virtue of ordination to preach and teach in the name of the Church. As teacher he is obligated to know the mind of the Church and to lead others to understand and embrace its teachings and traditions. By virtue of his ordination, the deacon is given the faculty to preach on occasion at Eucharistic liturgy and to have a special role forming those seeking baptism and full communion with the Church.

The strongest message the deacon preaches is found in his commitment to holiness, which challenges others to live a life of radical commitment to Jesus Christ.

Secondly, the deacon is envisioned as a minister of the altar. In that capacity, he receives the Sacrament of Orders and assists bishop and priest, as a minister in the sanctification of the Christian community.

The ministry of sanctification is expressed in the deacon’s life of prayer and commitment to holiness, which he shares with the rest of the baptized. As minister at the altar, he is allowed to celebrate the sacrament of baptism, assist at marriages, preside at funerals and administer the sacramentals of the Church. As a public minister of the Church, he is asked to pray with and for the people, and inspire others to pour out their lives in loving service, which is the third charism of diaconal ministry.

As minister of charity, the deacon identifies with Christ the Servant, and is to attend to the needs of the poor, the voiceless and vulnerable.

From the earliest days of the Christian community, the deacon was described as the “eyes and ears of the bishop,” commissioned to identify the unmet needs of the poor and bring them to the attention of the whole Christian community.

As minister of charity, the deacon is to symbolize the connection between altar and service, prayer and compassion, liturgy and justice, love of God and love of neighbor.

In the early part of 2008, the Diocese of Helena will identify men in every deanery who, along with their spouses, have been recommended by their pastor to begin a year of aspirancy, or discernment. We will look for individuals who are already deeply involved in the life of their local faith community and distinguished by their commitment to holiness and charity.

I believe that the Holy Spirit will guide us during this important year of discernment so that we will once again identify outstanding individuals who inspire compassion and challenge each of us to participate more deeply in the life of the Church and community.

I ask all of you to remember this important intention in prayer so that the Diocese of Helena and our people will be given a new generation of deacons who will assist all of us as we walk together in the footsteps of Christ the Servant.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 23, No. 10, October 19, 2007.