Then And Now
The Permanent Diaconate in The Diocese of Memphis
2006-09-26
“Therefore, brethren pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.” (Acts 6:3)With these words, the apostles instituted the Order of Permanent Deacons. These ordained clerics were to serve God through His Word (preaching the Gospel), at His Altar (assisting at Holy Mass) and in service to His People (the ministry to the poor and marginalized). These were turbulent times for the Early Church. As the fire of the Holy Spirit swept rapidly throughout the lands, harassment, discrimination and persecution abounded. And the deacons played an important role in assisting the apostles in spreading the Gospel of Jesus, sometimes at great personal cost. In fact, the Church’s first martyr, Saint Stephen, was a deacon. You can read his incredible story of triumphant faith in the seventh chapter of Acts.
Fast-forward to nearly 2000 years later. While the gates of Hell have yet to prevail against it (Matthew 16:18), the Church is arguably going through times every bit as turbulent as the early years. Secularism, hedonism, radicalism, moral relativism and a host of other “ism’s” plague the world today and generate their fair share of modern-day discrimination, persecution and martyrdom. And yet, there in the midst of the turmoil – on the front lines – you will find the deacons. Permanent deacons have been active in their ministry here in the Diocese of Memphis for nearly 30 years, after the Council Fathers wisely resurrected the Order of Permanent Deacon at Vatican II after a long hiatus.
The first class of Permanent Deacons, which included Saint Stephen, was ordained by the apostles themselves. What an honor. The first class in our diocese was ordained by a successor to the apostles, Bishop Carol T. Dozier. What an honor.
Deacon Ken McCarver was in that class that convened in the fall of 1974. “We didn’t know what to expect,” said Deacon McCarver. “After all, there hadn’t been a class in 1000 years in the Church, and there were no real norms for ordination to speak of. As one guy in our group put it, ‘we were the tip of the arrow…no one had been where we were going.’”
But, through it all he never doubted his call to serve God, even though he didn’t know exactly how he would serve Him. “All I knew was that I wanted to serve the Lord in some way,” the Deacon said. And his wife, Aida, supported him. “She didn’t support my buying a motorcycle, but she was always behind me 100% on the Diaconate.” And that’s no small thing. In fact, wives were required (not requested) to attend every class. At the outset, they accepted that this was a “couples” ministry and the ordained deacon would need the full support and participation of his wife, during formation and in ministry.
The classes were informative and thought provoking. Sister Jane Edward Schutz, OP, the Executive Director of Formation, remained focused on her goal to prepare these men for active duty. “If you missed a class, you got a phone call the next day from Sister Jane Edward asking ‘Where were you? We missed you,’” the Deacon Ken said.
Mostly the priests of the Diocese taught the material. “This was new to them as well,” said the Deacon. “We focused on the practical aspects of service and we spent a lot of time with the documents of Vatican II. We met 2 nights a week from 7-10PM, 10 months out of the year. This was all new territory and needless to say, we learned a lot.” One interesting aspect is that at this time, there was no Catechism of the Catholic Church as we have today. As John Paul the Great put it, the Catechism is a “sure norm for teaching the faith.” Well, they were on their own in 1974.
But, with the help of the Holy Spirit to lead them into all Truth (John 16:13), they managed.
The Diocese ordained 23 men in January of 1978 after a 3-year, intensive training program. And to this day, many of those men are still hard at work serving the Diocese…on the front lines. In fact, the Permanent Diaconate is alive and well in the Diocese of Memphis. We now have 50 men active in diaconal ministry. Where will you find them? In hospitals, in prisons, on the altar, in the baptistery, in homes of the poor and in soup kitchens. You name it…they’re there. You may not see them right off the bat, but look around. If it’s a ministry in the Diocese, chances are, there’s a deacon involved in some way.
Now, there is a crop of 25 “fresh” new Permanent Deacons in formation. I am privileged to be in that class. My kids call me a “DIT”, a deacon-in-training. I thank God I’m a dit. Like Deacon Ken McCarver. I have been called to serve. To serve my Bishop and his Church. To serve the people of our Diocese and those seemingly outside…in the margins.
And our formation, although more developed over the years, is every bit as intensive as the Class of ’78. Now a five-year program, we still have excellent instructors (mostly priests…but deacons, religious and laypersons as well); we have wonderful support and mentoring from a formation committee of deacons; we have a rich, well-spring of information – theological, spiritual and practical – being taught to us throughout the year; and, yes, our wives are here with us every step of the way. We are just itching to make Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD proud of us when (and if) we are called to serve him as ordained deacons sometime in 2008.
And, surprise, surprise…Deacon Ken McCarver is in the middle of it all. Along with all his other responsibilities, he is serving on the Diaconal Formation Committee and attends every class. He is an inspiration to me, and should be an inspiration to us all. He’s my hero. Why? Well, partly because when he was ordained, he had 7 kids at home. I have 9 and I look to him for advice all the time on practical ways to “keep it all together.” The man never stops. He’s always busy. He does it because he strongly believes in diaconal ministry. “The deacons have made a tremendous difference in our Diocese,” he told me. “From great preachers who have reached a lot of people to great servants who have fed and clothed a lot of people.”
When I asked if he would retire soon, Deacon Ken told me, “I’m not planning to retire anytime soon. It’s keeping me young physically, mentally and spiritually. My doctor says, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing…but, whatever it is, keep doing it.”
God Bless Deacon McCarver…and ALL the deacons of the Diocese. Pray that He gives them the fortitude and all the graces necessary to continue their respective ministries. And we ask you to pray for us, the 25 men being formed right now…that we may truly be the “men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” that we are called to be.