Catholic women in the Irish Diocese of Killaloe oppose the ordination of male permanent deacons in their parishes. Although I think that Irish dioceses do need to ordain permanent deacons because of their grave shortage of priestly vocations, I do have sympathy with the women in the diocese who have protested at yet another male-only ordained ministry.
There were of course many ordained women deacons in the early Church, including the fourth century St Oympia, who I included in the litany of saints for my own diaconal ordination. Olympia (or Olympias) was a wealthy woman from a noble family who gave away most of her inherited fortune to the poor and needy and for the building of churches. She served the Church as a permanent deacon and was close to many Fathers of the Church, including St John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople and a Doctor of the Church.
Thousands of women served as fully ordained deacons in Catholic parishes during 10 long centuries. Some of them ministered in Italy and Gaul, but the vast majority lived and worked in Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine and Egypt. At that time, the Orthodox East was still fully part of the Catholic Church. Interestingly those early women deacons fulfilled pastoral ministry at baptism, communion, and the anointing of the sick.
When St Augustine arrived in England in 597, at the request of Pope Gregory the Great, it is thought that he brought with him the sacramental ordination rites for both women and men deacons that were substantially the same.
Why was the permanent diaconate restored after the Second Vatican Council to men only? I would guess that this was because the transitional diaconate had been merged into the process of men being ordained priests. Our church leadership would have been mistakenly concerned about creating a slippery slope to demands for the priestly ordination of women. Paul VI had removed consideration by the Second Vatican Council of contraception, ordination of married men, and the ordination of women priests.
Michael Phelan is a permanent deacon
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40 years ago I started work in England and in my very first London parish there was a permanent deacon. The married deacon lived with his family at the edge of the parish close to a Mass centre. During the week he worked in a local factory and on Sundays he assisted the priest at the Mass centre. He was given a pastoral responsibility centred around his end of the parish. This consisted mainly of parish visitations and taking communion to the housebound. His day to day attire was that of an ordinary working man: he did not wear a clerical collar.
I soon realized that our parish deacon was one of only a few deacons in the Westminster diocese. Soon Cardinal Heenan ordained deacons for many other local parishes. His successor Cardinal Hume was not keen on deacons and the permanent diaconate and so this aspect of ministry declined in the diocese. It was said that Cardinal Hume felt that the creation of permanent deacons diminished the pastoral role of laity, most notably that of women. Most other English dioceses continued in their recruitment and deployment of deacons. Now Irish dioceses are fostering this all male ministry.
Under Cardinal Murphy O'Connor permanent deacons gradually again became a lively feature of pastoral life in many parishes. What I noticed this time round was that deacons dressed more like priests and they played an ever increasing ceremonial role at Mass to the extent that they often clericalized such aspects as Bidding Prayer
I would like to go even further.
Volunteering for service in the Church (or outside!) - lay or ordained - is not going so well. Lots of noble professions like nurses, social service workers, teachers as well as the ordained ministry and religious life are not really attracting enough talented people to it.
Part of the problem is that we are paying so very little for these important work.
Let's see if we can find solutions by turning the problem the other way around. Instead of working to earn money, how about if we get paid (first) to work? With an unconditional basic income payable to every man and woman in the land, volunteerism should be more do-able.
From gender equality point of view: why should women - who rightly or wrongly do most of the caring of young and old in the family - not get paid? Are they not doing meaningful work?
I have a daughter of my own, and would like to see a Church that appreciate her contributions that she could offer when she grows up. In the meanwhile, Michael and I could try and fight for perhaps easier battle to get basic income for all?
While I see no good reason why women shouldn't be ordained deacons, it is still just another ordained ministry. My understanding of the concern expressed in the diocese of Killaloe to the introduction of the permanent diaconate was in regard to the exclusion of the laity. Especially coming so soon after the diocesan listening process. Was that a waste of time?
'Catholic women in the Irish Diocese of Killaloe oppose the ordination of male permanent deacons in their parishes'. Michael Phelan, any chance we can have some data to support this bold assertion?
The shortage of priests in Ireland has its origins in the early years of the Free State, from whence the priesthood gradually became 'incorporated' - a sort of quasi-civil service. While post-independence Ireland laboured to establish itself over several decades, the priesthood helped with the bonding of people and State.
Subsequently, the near-simultaneous emergence of the Celtic tiger economic boom and revelations of abuse by a small but utterly wicked minority of priests inflicted a massive blow to the reputation of the priesthood.
The emergence of vile priestly behaviour, at about the same time as many Irish people were tempted to genuflect before the new Baal of seemingly limitless consumer growth, undoubtedly made vocations to the priesthood deeply unattractive.
The subsequent inertia that gripped many within the Hierarchy - coupled with the serial negativity of the vocal leadership of the Association of Catholic Priests - has reinforced the negative image of the priesthood.
The chimera of 'female deacons' is nothing more than a window of opportunity for a certain brand of so-called 'reformer'. Until the Church in Ireland objectively examines. and comes to terms with, past errors - both abuse and connivance in statecraft - vocations will be scarce.