Deacons serve a very important role in the Church; however, many people misunderstand their role, according to several Mass-going Catholics.
Many people mistake deacons for priests, and although the two roles are similar in some ways, there are also important differences.
Archbishop Riordan High School has two deacons: Deacon Iwan Soegiharto and Deacon Christopher Mariano. Deacon Soegiharto explained how priests are not permitted to get married while deacons can be married, and also that priests can perform certain sacraments that the deacon cannot.
“The priests do celibacy, which means they don’t get married but the deacons can have a family. The priest can consecrate the hosts but the deacon cannot, and the priest can do the Sacrament of Penance and the deacon cannot,” Soegiharto said.
In addition, Soegiharto also mentioned how he decided to become a deacon, which was through God’s call.
The establishment of deacons goes all the way back to biblical times.
In the Acts of the Apostles 6:1-6, the apostles appointed seven men to support the needs of the Greek-speaking widows of the Church in Jerusalem.
The selection of these men is often interpreted as the origin of the diaconate, which is the office or order of deacons.
Deacon Don Warner, who is a director of the diaconate in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, described how deacons originally had a liturgical function.
“We can ascertain from texts in the New Testament that deacons in the early Church preached, baptized, and served the early Church community,” Warner said.
Deacons in the early church helped bishops and priests with sacred liturgy and gave out alms to the poor.
However, as time went on, deacons later became more important in the Catholic church. For example, if a diocesan bishop died, it was very often a deacon who would replace him after receiving ordination.
Riordan Deacon Mariano said that deacons are focused on access to the chalice during Mass, and on representing the Catholic community in general.
“We are the clergy of the cup,” he said. “So whenever you see a deacon at a Mass, especially at the consecration of the Eucharist, you’ll always see the deacon with the chalice. When there’s bread and wine at Mass, you see a deacon give the chalice to the community.”
He continued, “The biggest thing we represent is the community. A lot of deacons come from the community they serve. We are the voice of the community.”
When asked about the value of priests and deacons in the Church, experienced altar server Jerard Loyola ’26 said, “Priests and deacons are essential to the Catholic Church. Together, they are the modern face of Jesus Christ, preaching God’s teachings now that Christ and the original twelve Apostles are no longer with us.”
