The Deacon

On Easter night, Jesus appeared to the 10 apostles gathered in the Upper Room and said to them: “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:22-23). Hence, the Church teaches: “Since Christ entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation, bishops … and priests … continue to exercise this ministry. Indeed bishops and priests, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1461). Deacons, therefore, appear to have no role in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, one of the sacraments of healing … or do they?

As sacramental signs of the Church in the world, deacons are consecrated and visible witnesses to the kingdom of God made manifest in Christ the Servant. Therefore, deacons can play a role in both the remote and proximate preparation of penitents to receive the sacrament.

People are away from the Church for many reasons, and the deacon, who extends the graces received in the Mass to the wider society, serves as a living bridge of God’s merciful love to the poor in Spirit. Those who are broken, angry and hurting encounter the deacon who, in the course of his ministry beyond parish boundaries, empties himself in love and service by humbly entering the lives of others. Like the paralytic on the stretcher carried by his friends to the feet of Jesus (cf. Lk 5:18), those who are overwhelmed by sin can begin the process of healing and seeking God’s merciful love in the Sacrament of Reconciliation through encounters with deacons. Service as self-gift is what the life of the deacon sacramentalizes for the sake of the whole Church.

There are also those who need deeper catechesis on the sacrament’s meaning and purpose. I have personally met numerous Catholics who, after coming into the Church through OCIA, still struggle with why they have to confess their sins to a priest. Here is an opportunity for deacons to teach mystagogy — that is, post-baptismal catechesis — to help fledgling Catholics strengthen their knowledge of the sacraments and make deeper connections between the Faith and the everyday lived experience.

A liturgical connection between deacons and reconciliation occurs during common penance services. These typically occur in parishes during Advent and Lent, where the individual reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (not general absolution!) takes place as part of a short liturgical word service. It is during this service that the deacon may play a role.

The liturgical book used for these services, the Rite for Reconciliation of Several Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution, is divided into four main parts: Introductory Rites, Celebration of the Word, Reconciliation, and Dismissal of the People. During the Celebration of the Word, the deacon may read the Gospel and the prayers of the faithful.

In “Four Forms for a Common Penance Service” (Liturgical Press), in addition to the deacon proclaiming the Gospel, the rubrics state that during the Rite of Reconciliation, “at the invitation of the deacon … all kneel or bow their heads and say a form of general confession” — that is, the Confiteor or a similar prayer (cf. No. 27). This section of the rite includes an Introductory Prayer as well as a Litany of Repentance, both led by the deacon, that concludes with the Lord’s Prayer.

There is a funny saying among deacons that “we hear confessions all the time, we just can’t give absolution.” By listening with the ear of our hearts, deacons can truly help the lost find their way back to the healing ministry of the priest.

DEACON HAROLD BURKE-SIVERS serves at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Portland, Oregon.