…which was a big topic of discussion following this post, the deacons of the Diocese of Brooklyn received a letter this weekend from Bishop DiMarzio.

It begins with this quote from the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States:

The deacon’s ministry, as Pope John Paul II has said, ‘is the Church’s service to the sacramentalized.’ Therefore, the deacon’s service in the Church’s ministry of word and liturgy would be severely deficient if his exemplary witness and assistance in the Church’s ministry of charity and justice did not accompany it…As a participant in the one ecclesiastical ministry, [the deacon] is a specific sacramental sign in the Church of Christ the Servant. His role is to ‘express the needs and desires of the Christian communities’ and to be a ‘driving force for service, or diakonia,’ which is an essential part of the mission of the Church.'”

The letter then continues with this personal message:

The Permanent Diaconate is truly a unique vocation within the Church, as it is the only ministry dedicated exclusively to the preaching of the Gospel in word and in deed. Essential to this ministry of service to God’s people is an extraordinary dedication to Charity and Justice, the essential dimensions of Christianity as found deeply rooted in the Scriptures.

The Tribunal, as the juridical court of the Church, is where justice is dispensed, primarily in the investigation of marriages that have failed. Also, it is an essential necessity within the diaconal ministry of Charity and Justice, to determine the sacamental status of God’s people, especially those who find themselves in a precarious marital situation. To that end, I am assigning the most pastoral part of this sensitive process in The Tribunal, to the ministry of the Permanent Diaconate, in order for deacons to serve as Advocates for those in need within their parish and cluster.

The bishop goes on to explain that classes will be set up in the next several months to learn more about this ministry and what it will entail. He concludes:

It is my sincere belief that permanent deacons, who were always known through the centuries as “The Bishop’s Men,” will continue to preach the Gospel, both in word and deed, in this most discriminating part of their ministry within “The Bishop’s Court,” as they have in their dedication to God’s people in both word and in deed.

This sounds like an exciting and challenging new ministry for us all — and one which does indeed expand the deacon’s ministry of charity and social justice.

Stay tuned.