A ministry of service: permanent deacons celebrate their jubilee

Although many Catholics recognise deacons as those on the journey to becoming priests, fewer may be aware that there are more than 50,000 permanent deacons around the world. In the Archdiocese of Melbourne alone, 22 men currently serve in this vital ministry, fulfilling a calling that is distinct from those of both the priesthood and the laity.

This year, Pope Francis has declared 21–23 February as the Jubilee of Deacons. In Rome and across the world—including here in Melbourne—Catholics will come together to celebrate these men who have answered God’s call to the permanent diaconate. This event offers a chance to honour their commitment and to shed light on a vocation that, while ancient, is still relatively unknown to many within the Church.

The permanent diaconate: a call to service

The permanent diaconate is an order of clergy distinct from the priesthood, rooted in the ministry of service. The Second Vatican Council’s foundational document, Lumen gentium, describes deacons as those ‘upon whom hands are imposed “not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service”’. Deacons are called to proclaim the Gospel, assist in liturgical functions and engage in acts of charity, forming a vital link between the Church and the broader community.

The origins of the diaconate can be traced back to the times of the apostles, when the need for organised service among the early Christians became apparent. As Scripture tells us in Acts 6, the apostles appointed seven men to serve the community and preach the Gospel. This early ministry was fundamentally about charity, ensuring that the vulnerable were supported, and that the communal responsibilities did not overwhelm the mission of the apostles:

... they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them (Acts 6:1–7).

In the early centuries of Christianity, not only did deacons serve as administrators of charity but they also played an active role in the liturgical and evangelical life of the Church. Over time, however, their distinct role diminished, and the diaconate largely became a transitional step towards priesthood.

Although there were many attempts over the centuries to restore the permanent diaconate, it was not until World War II that a strong movement began to form in favour of its renewal. Catholic priests and men imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps speculated about the role deacons could have played helping to minister to fellow prisoners, suggesting that the Church would benefit greatly from having this order of clergy reinstated.

This movement continued to grow over the following decades, and at Vatican II, a renewed emphasis was placed on the role of permanent deacons as a vital link between clergy and the communities they serve. However, it took many years for this vision to be fully realised. In the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the first permanent deacons were not ordained until 2012.

Answering the call: the first permanent deacons in Melbourne

Among the first cohort of deacons ordained by Archbishop Denis Hart in Melbourne were Deacons Kevin Pattison and Cris Creo, both of whom had long felt the call to serve.

‘It was in my consciousness from about the year 2000,’ recalls Deacon Kevin.

I was approaching retirement and thinking, there’s still something left in me. I want to help.

While studying theology at Melbourne Theological College, Kevin met Jim Curtain, a Royal Australian Air Force officer studying to become a deacon and chaplain. This encounter left a lasting impression, and as Kevin approached retirement from his role as a Catholic school deputy principal, he felt a growing urge to serve the Church in a new way.

‘I had a parish priest who was getting older and older, and that got to me at the time. I was approaching retirement and thinking, there’s still something left in me. I want to help,’ he says.

An urge to serve also drew Cris Creo to the vocation. As a young man in the Philippines, he was drawn to the priesthood but also felt that his true calling was to marriage and family life.

‘My parish priest told me about the permanent diaconate, where men could be married, but it wasn’t available in the Philippines at the time,’ he recalls. ‘When I moved to Australia with my family, I saw a pamphlet on the diaconate and immediately contacted the Archdiocese.’

Balancing family and ministry

Permanent deacons are unique among clergy in the Roman rite as the only order allowed to be married before being ordained. For Kevin and Cris, marriage and family life provide a valuable perspective in their ministry, but balancing these vocations requires careful discernment and support.

I need to be fulfilling my vocation as a husband and father, and if I’m doing that correctly, that serves what I’m doing as a deacon.

‘To [ordain a man] as permanent deacon, the Archbishop needs the consent of the wife. That’s crucial,’ explains Deacon Kevin. ‘Our wives are the ones who really, first and foremost, support our ministry in the Church.’

For Deacon Cris, the relationship between his vocations should always be in harmony.

‘It really needs to be carefully balanced, but it’s very fruitful as a family,’ he says. ‘I know by living my ministry, my vocation, I need to be fulfilling my vocation as a husband and father, and if I’m doing that correctly, that serves what I’m doing as a deacon.’

The role of a deacon in the Church

In addition to proclaiming the Gospel and undertaking charitable works, deacons are also able to assist bishops and priests in a variety of liturgical functions. This includes baptising, witnessing the exchange of vows and blessing marriages, distributing Holy Communion to the sick, and officiating at funerals and burials. An ordained deacon is usually appointed to one parish and can be asked by the priest to help prepare candidates for Baptism and couples for Marriage.

Many in the permanent diaconate hope that, over time, the laity and fellow clergy will come to a better awareness and understanding of the role deacons can play and how they can support clergy and serve as a bridge between the Church and the wider community.

They can see us as ordinary people doing ordinary things, but we are also called to an extraordinary mission to evangelise, to let people know that God is with us, very close to us.

Deacons Cris and Kevin view their ministry as akin to the role of a ‘boundary rider’ in outback Australia. These horsemen would check the fences and gates of the property to ensure they were secure and bring back news from surrounding farms. In the same way, deacons offer a connection between the life within the Church and the world outside.

‘We want people to know that being a Christian is 24/7, and I think a deacon can help to show these spheres of life and faith can fit together,’ explains Cris.

‘They can see us as ordinary people doing ordinary things, but we are also called to an extraordinary mission to evangelise, to let people know that God is with us, very close to us.’