For 18 men of the Diocese of Sacramento, their ordination to the permanent diaconate June 10 will begin a life of service to the local church. Indeed, the name deacon is derived from the Greek word for service—“diaconia.”

The 18—ranging in age from 35 to 67— will be ordained by Bishop William K. Weigand at an 11 a.m. Mass in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento.

Christian service and witness in the community are at the heart of the permanent diaconate, according to Sister Paulina Hurtado, director of the permanent diaconate for the diocese.

Christian service and witness in the community are at the heart of the permanent diaconate, according to Dominican Sister Paulina Hurtado, director of the permanent diaconate for the diocese. Cathy Joyce/Herald Photo

Both the history and theology of the permanent diaconate indicate that “service is the main call of the deacon—service in worship, proclaiming the word and in charity,” said Sister Hurtado, a Dominican Sister of Charity of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, who has directed diaconate formation for the past three years.

In the early church “the deacons were born out of the need for help in circumstances of justice for and helping the poor, distributing aid and being conscious of doing what the apostles weren’t able to do,” she said. “That is why the symbol of the diaconate became service.

“The deacon is present in the midst of the church and in society, raising the social consciousness regarding suffering and the need to elevate it, to give assistance, to offer compassion and to work for social justice.”

Deacons are defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “ministers ordained for task of service of the church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance and the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their bishop” (1596).

After their ordination, each will receive an assignment from Bishop Weigand. Most will be assigned to parish ministry, but many are moving into other specialized areas of ministry, including hospitals, alcohol and drug counseling, prison chaplaincy and marriage preparation and enrichment, Sister Hurtado said.

The Catholic Church restored the diaconate to its hierarchy after the Second Vatican Council. The men to be ordained this month are the tenth class of deacons to be ordained for the diocese since 1981. They will bring the total to 118 English and Spanish speaking deacons serving in the diocese.

Candidates for the permanent diaconate often must rearrange their lives to meet the time commitment involved in the four-year formation program—one weekend each month to attend classes at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, Sister Hurtado said. The program emphasizes academic, pastoral and ministerial aspects, she said.

She said the diocese has also established a one-year preparatory period as an aspirant before someone is accepted to begin his four-year preparation.

Some deacons have also completed the diocese’s lay ministry formation program before entering the diaconate, Sister Hurtado said.

Wives are required to participate, and those who complete the program with their husbands earn a certificate of ministry in ecclesial services or community outreach. The certificates qualify them for ecclesial services such as catechetical formation and assistance in various programs, or for outreach in the form of evangelization or charitable services.

Sister Hurtado noted that like their husbands, wives are active in various parish ministries, as well as in careers of their own. Couples often collaborate in their ministries, she added.

The diaconate formation program is “not only an opportunity for wives to support their husbands and better understand their vocation, it is an opportunity for them to enrich their own knowledge and further develop their ministerial skills,” Sister Hurtado said.

She said a new group of 16 married couples will begin the English formation program for the permanent diaconate beginning in August. They will join 11 couples who will be starting their third year in the Spanish formation program.

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