A little information about deacons (married)

For circulation in my parish this w/e

Thank you! From Deacon Brian
Take and Read!

Dear Friends

Thank you so much to Fr Roger and to you for all your loving support last weekend on the occasion of my ordination as a deacon, and our celebrations in the parish the following day, when I was presented with a beautiful parish present and many individual cards and gifts from individual parishioners. I’ll be writing to some of you on an individual basis when I get the chance.

I was so pleased to see so many parishioners who generously gave of their time to be at the Cathedral. It really made the whole event seem like an intimate parish event, but in a much larger church.

I pray for you and your families. I know of the challenges many of you face in your own life, families and at work. Modern life is tough and demanding for many of us of any age. God is present in all of it, especially when it all seems to much for us. Like you, I work and have a family and know from my experience God is present in it all. I have the evidence. It’s written in the Bible and has been passed on to us by Catholics over the centuries from the men and women who first witnessed it. It’s called the Cross & Resurrection.

What else is the Cross but the evidence of God’s love for us? What else is the Resurrection but our hope of future glory with him? Both the Cross & Resurrection are experienced during Mass.

My God pour out his blessings on you and help you to endure whatever challenges come your way in this life, sustained by the grace and healing of the Eucharist.

You will have read my Updates over the years of formation, so will be familiar with the role of a deacon. Clearly I am now in Holy Orders, but not an assistant priest. My first priority is always God, just as he is for all of us! I place God first by prioritising my secular job working in health and safety consultancy and my wife and family. A married deacon is not paid by the Church, so consequently he can only offer a few hours each week, in addition to his liturgical duties. Therefore I have to be flexible in my service but also focused on those areas where it has been agreed that I can best be of service. The day to day administration and running of the parish is best left to the current experts – Fr Roger and my wife, Margaret, the Parish Administrator. However, as I have also been appointed here by the Archbishop as an ordained minister I get a say in the way the parish is run, especially in respect of its pastoral affairs. And remember that your view counts as well – so make it known!

So that you know what to expect from your newly ordained minister here’s a handy summary of what I can and cannot do and what I feel are the areas where I can best serve as as an ordained minister in the short time available each week.

• As a deacon I stand at the side of the priest throughout the Mass and assist him.
• I can proclaim the Gospel at Mass and sometimes preach. You will get to hear me preach probably once a month. I’ll try not to be boring or to long! Please let me know if I am, or jabbering on about something that makes no sense or is irrelevant to you. If you have to listen to me, then I think you deserve a right of reply! I might not always agree with you, though!
• I am able to give blessings at the time of the distribution of Holy Communion to those who are unable to receive communion because they are not Catholic or properly disposed to receive.
• If Fr Roger is on holiday, we will need a supply priest as only a priest can preside at Mass and consecrate the bread and wine. I am in Holy Orders, just like Fr Roger, but not a priest – or even a mini-priest!
• Equally, I am unable to administer the Sacrament of the Sick (anointing) and celebrate with a penitent the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), which involves absolution.
• In exceptional and rare circumstances I am authorised to lead a Word and Communion service. This is a Liturgy of the Word followed immediately by the Communion Rite, with a distribution of Holy Communion using hosts which have been consecrated at a previous Mass and are reserved in the tabernacle.
• I wear liturgical vestments during Mass that appear similar to the priest. I wear a stole (a long strip of material like a scarf) over my alb, which is worn across my left shoulder and breast and hangs down by my right side. Over these items I wear a green outer vestment called a dalmatic. The dalmatic has sleeves, whereas the priest wears a chasuble which is sleeveless. Also his stole hangs freely from his neck in two strands at the front of his body over his alb.
• I am also entitled to wear clerical dress. In this diocese it is expected that clergy will wear it to give witness and make it easy to be identified. Therefore a priest cannot be identified from a deacon and vice versa – until you speak to them. I will only wear it on Sundays and other times when I am at Church or visiting in the parish.
• I can, in general, bless people and objects when asked to.
• I am happy to visit your home and pray with you and your family and bless your home, and other items such as statues, rosaries, and anything else that can be used in a good way.
• I am obligated, as indeed are all clergy, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours each day for the Church and the needs of the world. My obligation in this respect is to pray Morning and Evening Prayer. This takes me about 45 minutes in total.
• I can witness and bless marriages outside of a Nuptial Mass, baptize children and adults, administer Viaticum (Holy Communion) to the dying and conduct funeral and burial services.
• I can expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament and bless people with the Blessed Sacrament in its monstrance during Adoration and Benediction.
• However, my special role as a deacon is to lead and coordinate service in the parish to those who are in any type of need, or poor, and ensure that their needs are met and prioritized along with everything else we do.

There are so many of you helping others in many ways that I have been privileged to find out about. God is clearly working in your life and you are a true witness to the love of Jesus Christ for our neighbour. As you know this will be one of the criteria by which we will all be judged by God when we go before him – so I don’t want to be caught out when my time comes! Anyway, what we do in Church is to help us be better at living as Christians in our day to day life. As you kindly listened to my first homily without falling asleep in the pew, you will know that I have a passion for the Word of God, that is, the Bible. Ignorance of the Sciptures...is ignorance of Christ! I really want us all to become more familiar with it, but particularly find new and creative ways in which we can put what God wants us to do into practice. I am interested in your views and thoughts. Our Bible Study and Prayer Group will start towards the end of the year.

I think that’s about it. Please ask me about anything if you have questions.
Having a married deacon in the parish is something that we might need a little time to adjust to, especially as there aren’t that many of us around, though numbers are growing in the diocese. Please forgive in advance the mistakes that I will inevitably make as I feel my way into the role.
If you are aware of anyone in any need please let me know so that we can help them.

If you would like to see the pictures from the ordination at the Cathedral, go here:

http://cursormundi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/three-new-permanent-deacons-for-diocese.html

If you’ve had enough of me already...stop reading now!

God Bless!

Deacon Brian
Rev Brian McMahon
Parish Deacon
July 2012