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Ireland
Permanent diaconate coming
Bishops cite priest shortage
Ireland’s Catholic bishops will seek the Pope’s permission for the introduction of permanent deacons. The bishops said they made the decision “in the light of the pastoral needs of the Church in Ireland.”
The bishops’ spokesman said it would be up to each bishop to introduce deacons in his own diocese. Single men must be over 25 and take a vow of celibacy, while married men must be over 35 and have the consent of their wives. “It is recognized that the marriage is their priority,” said spokesman Father Kevin Doran.
The issue of women deacons was also discussed. “Women certainly exercised many functions of the diaconate in the early church,” said Father Doran. A commission was recently set up in Rome to discuss the issue of women deacons.
Formation and training of the new deacons will take three years. The ministry is expected to be mainly part time. Deacons may preach, baptize, witness marriages, officiate at funerals, and take communion to the sick, but may not celebrate Mass or hear confessions. The first permanent deacons could be ordained within four or five years.
The permanent diaconate has been under discussion by the bishops for over a year, in response to the declining trend in priestly vocations. So few candidates are now coming forward for ordination that many parishes face the early prospect of having no priest to administer the sacraments. A decade ago, an Irish Church without priests would have been unthinkable: today it is a real possibility.
Back to Catholic World Report December 2000 Table of Contents