PROCESS OF DIACONATE FORMATION
III. The Vocation of Deacon
A call to Holy Orders is a grace from God; a grace that comes through prayerful discernment and conversations with priests, deacons, family, and members of the parish community. The deacon is called to be a servant of God. Just as Jesus said, “I come not to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28), so too, a deacon is called to a life of service, specifically in service to the bishop.
The Second Vatican Council restored the diaconate to a permanent rank of Holy Orders. Luman Gentium, from the Documents of the Second Vatican Council, gave recognition to the diaconate as a divinely established ecclesiastical ministry. The Church Fathers at the Council anticipated that deacons through their ecclesiastical service were necessary for the life of the Church, especially in the Ministry of Charity. The Church Fathers also saw that the pastoral care of the faithful is an important necessity for the life of the Church and the diaconate is an important pastoral dimension. With the restoration of the diaconate came a clarification of Holy Orders. The sacerdotal nature of the bishop and priest is expanded to include the apostolic sacred ministry of diakonia.
