The Deacon - Phoenix of Roman Catholic Clergy (original) (raw)

Towards a Common Understanding of Diaconal Ministry? *

Ecclesiology, 2012

This article explores the latest developments of the deacon’s ministry in the churches of the Porvoo communion, based on the Anglican-Lutheran regional agreement of 1996, the Porvoo Declaration and the Porvoo Common Statement. In the Porvoo Declaration the signatory churches agreed on a common commitment to work towards a common understanding of diaconal ministry. The article analyses the understanding of the deacon’s ministry in the Porvoo churches as expressed in their liturgical acts of admission to this ministry and their educational requirements for deacons. Special attention is paid to the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Denmark and its contribution to the common understanding of deacon’s ministry in the Porvoo communion, as that church has recently signed the agreement.

The Update of the Different yet Complementary Priestly Ministries in the Western Catholic Church

Louvain Studies , 2014

The progressive disappearance of Christendom (i.e., the Church as a social model) and the recent changes affecting Christianity have upset the identity of diocesan priests. The newest phenomenon is the multiplication of perceptions among both the laity and the clergy of who or what the priest is. Starting from research undertaken in 2010 in the diocese of Namur in Belgium, the author highlights the tension between the Dean and the community priest. Taking into consideration this tension in pastoral projects is necessary but not sufficient. The pastoral ministry is subject to major changes related to the context of postmodernity (" liquid modernity "). The author proposes to update the pastoral ministry by innovating to new type of parishes, in which various types of ordained ministries could be exercised.

Deacons as Emissary-Servants: A Liturgical Theology

Quarterly Review, 1999

This was the first academic journal article I wrote, and for some reason I've never put it up on academia.edu. It represents my first attempt at providing a theology of the United Methodist diaconate when I was still a seminary student at Boston University School of Theology. It engages with the ecumenical experience of the diaconate in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Episcopal churches and looks especially to liturgical expressions of Christian eschatology for some hints of what a theology of the diaconate might entail. The United Methodist (permanent) diaconate was instituted just three years prior to me writing this article.

Restoring the Permanent Diaconate for Women in the Roman Catholic Church

“From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles” A Summary and Analysis of the brief sections of this document addressing the historicity of ordained women deacons in the early Church and the prospects of restoring permanent Diaconate for women in the present day. It also brings into question the traditionally held definition of the “deacon.”