Father Daniel Dozier
Animators of Charisms in Worship and Life
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One of the prominent features of the deacon in the Eucharistic liturgy in every Christian tradition — Eastern or Western — is his use of particular phrases, sometimes called petitions or commands. In the Byzantine tradition, these sound like: “It is time for the Lord to act! Reverend Father, give the blessing!”; “Let us pray Read More
The Ladder of the Spiritual Life
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In the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, the priest offers a prayer before the reading of the Gospel while the deacon is incensing the holy table and the faithful. In it, he prays, “Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, so that, having trampled all carnal passions, we may lead a spiritual life, both Read More
Servant of the Epiclesis
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Within the Divine Liturgy, there are many different kinds of prayer. One type of prayer, which is offered in nearly all of the sacramental mysteries in the Christian East, is a particular type of invocation to the Holy Spirit known as an epiclesis. This prayer involves the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon an Read More
Divine Grace and the Diaconate
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In the Byzantine ordination rite of a deacon, the bishop places his omophorion (stole) and his right hand on his head and offers the following prayer: “Divine grace, which always cures the infirm and supplies what is wanting, ordains the devout subdeacon N., to the diaconate; therefore, let us pray for him that the grace Read More
Repentance and Lamentation
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Since our first parents’ exile from paradise, two very important forms of prayer in response to sin have developed, which I believe have much to tell us about a Christian response to the clerical sexual abuse crisis. The first is the prayer of repentance. Repentance is both a turning away from evil and a calling Read More
Diaconal Lessons for Priestly Ministry
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After 12 years as a deacon, on May 2, 2020, the feast of St. Athanasius, I knelt before the Holy Table of St. Stephen’s Byzantine Catholic Cathedral in Phoenix and was made a priest of the Catholic Church. As I knelt, I consciously offered my life to God on this Holy Table, asking him for Read More