The Deacon

One of the more overlooked treasures of our vocation as deacons is the way we participate, truly and uniquely, in the one priesthood of Christ. At first hearing, such language can raise eyebrows. The Church, after all, maintains a clear distinction between the diaconate and the presbyterate. The ministerial priesthood belongs to bishops and priests alone. Yet, as Lumen Gentium reminds us, there are two participations in the one priesthood of Christ: the common priesthood of all the baptized and the ministerial priesthood of the ordained (No. 10). This raises a question: If we deacons are no longer laymen, and if the Sacrament of Holy Orders changes the way our baptismal priesthood is lived, might there not be a “diaconal participation” in Christ’s priesthood?

Pope St. John Paul II seems to have thought so. In his catechesis on the diaconate, he spoke of “a specific spiritual participation in the priesthood of Christ” proper to our order, one that commits us to a life conformed to him by the Holy Spirit (General Audience, Oct. 20, 1993). This participation is not about presiding at the Eucharist or absolving sins; rather, it is about allowing our service, our diakonia, to take on the character of sacrifice. In this sense, we become both priest and victim, not in a sacerdotal way, but in a profoundly diaconal way: pouring ourselves out so completely in service that the service itself becomes an offering, united to Christ’s own self-offering.

Here lies a critical shift in perspective. If we think of diaconal ministry merely as what we do — proclaim the Gospel, baptize, serve the poor — we risk reducing our vocation to function. The deeper reality is that ministry is not first an activity but a gift: not something we do, but someone we give. The deacon offers himself, his whole self, as an instrument in Christ’s hands. This is the difference between delivering a homily and giving a homily, between organizing a food pantry and giving yourself to the hungry. It transforms ministry from a mechanical act into a gift of self.

In this light, the diaconal “priesthood” is exercised every time we connect person to person, soul to soul, making Christ the Servant present. And because Christ is one, Servant, Priest and King, our making him present in service also makes visible the crucified and risen Lord. This explains why no man should be called to the diaconate merely for what he has done, but for how he has lived what he has done. The diaconate is not an honorary medal; it is a sacramental configuration to Christ the Servant.

Our model is Christ himself, who unites service and sacrifice in his very identity. The mandatum, Jesus washing the disciples’ feet on the night before he died, is not a mere gesture of humility; it is a priestly act embedded in the Paschal Mystery. In it, we see that diakonia and priesthood are not opposites but two facets of the same self-emptying love. Likewise, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah reveals the mystery of one who bears others’ burdens, offering himself for their salvation.

Recognizing a priesthood in the diaconate does not diminish the presbyterate. On the contrary, it complements and enriches it. Just as every priest remains a deacon, every deacon, by baptism and ordination, shares in Christ’s priesthood in a way that is proper to his order. This vision calls us to approach our ministry not simply as tasks to be done but as a life to be offered, an altar upon which we place our very selves.

DEACON DOMINIC CERRATO, Ph.D., is editor of The Deacon and director of diaconal formation for the Diocese of Joliet, in Illinois.