Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Dioceses move to ordain more deacons
By Tony LaRussa
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, July 17, 2005
At a time when the number of Roman Catholic priests is declining, two Western Pennsylvania dioceses are moving to ordain more deacons -- a position that for centuries had been a stepping stone on the road to the priesthood.
"Over the years, there has been a growing realization that there are a number of men who, while not called to be priests, feel they are called to do more to serve people," said the Rev. James Wehner, who oversees the training of priests and deacons as rector of St. Paul Seminary in Crafton. "Knowing this, the church has a responsibility to respond to that and provide them with the training."
In June, Pittsburgh Bishop Donald Wuerl announced the creation of an ongoing deacon training program. In the past, the diocese had ordained deacons as needed. The largest class of deacons -- 33 -- was ordained in 1999.
The Greensburg Diocese is developing a deacon training program, which is expected to be unveiled in the fall, said spokesman Jerry Zufelt. There currently are no deacons serving in the diocese.
Since 1965, the number of Catholics in the United States has grown from 45.6 million to 63.4 million, and the number of parishes has increased from 17,637 to 19,081. But the number of priests has dropped from 58,632 to 43,634.
In 1965, there were 549 parishes in the United States without a resident priest. In 2003, there were 3,040 parishes with no priest in residence.
Based on current trends, an estimated 1,200 men in the United States would have to enter the priesthood each year to keep up with the growth in Catholic population, according to Mary Gautier, senior research associate for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which conducts research for the church.
About 400 men a year enter U.S. seminaries to study to be priests. The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of deacons nationwide has increased 30 percent over the past 20 years, and the trend is expected to continue.
Probably the biggest misconception about deacons is that they are intended as replacements for priests, said Deacon William Ditewig, executive director and secretariat for the diaconate at the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops.
"While they have a role in assisting priests by performing certain sacramental duties, their primary focus is to go out into the community to serve people in the way Christ did," Ditewig said.
Only a priest has the power to consecrate bread and wine into what Catholics believe is the body and blood of Christ, to forgive sins and to administer the sacrament of anointing of the sick.
Deacons can read the Gospel and preach at Mass; distribute communion; teach; and preside over baptisms, marriages and funerals. They often serve people in facilities such as detention centers, nursing homes, hospices and hospitals. They typically minister on a part-time basis, which allows them to work at their regular careers.
While deacons have a ministry that is distinct from the priesthood, they can help ease the workload in dioceses with an insufficient number of ordained ministers, said the Rev. Joseph Koterski, professor of philosophy at Fordham University, a Catholic university in New York.
"The re-emergence of the permanent diaconate does two things for the church," said Koterski, a native of Pittsburgh. "First and foremost, it fulfills Vatican II's call for greater participation by the faithful in all aspects of church life. And while it is not one of the reasons it was renewed, the presence of permanent deacons in the church helps ease some of the workload created by the shortage of priests by having more ordained men serving in ministries."
Married men are permitted to become deacons, however, they cannot remarry if they become widowed. Single men at the time of their ordination must remain celibate.
During the fifth century, the church began ordaining men deacons before they became priests. But in the 1960s, the Second Vatical Council restored it to a distinct vocation, which it was been during the time of the apostles.
"It was seen by the council as a means to "enrich the church with the functions of the diaconate, to strengthen with the grace of diaconal ordination those who already exercised many of its functions of service, and to provide regions, where there was a shortage of clergy, with sacred ministers," said Wuerl.
One such man is Tom O'Neill, 64, of South Fayette. He spends part of each week at the Allegheny County Jail, where he is known as Deacon Tom.
"I try to help them see that they need God in their lives if they hope to stay out of here once they leave," said O'Neill.
O'Neill had considered the priesthood as a young man, but during the summer after his 1959 graduation from St. Columban in Silver Creek, N.Y., his life went in a different direction.
"When I got back to Pittsburgh, I prayed and reflected a great deal and came to the realization that I wasn't being called to the priesthood after all," said O'Neill, who married, raised three children and had a successful career as an attorney and as an executive with Black Box Corp.
When the church put out the call in 1999 for deacons to work in charitable and justice ministries, O'Neill's parish priest suggested he consider becoming a deacon.
"Probably like most people, I didn't really know much about what deacons did. But once I began looking into it, I got a great sense of the Lord saying 'I have something for you to do.' It just seemed to be the right thing for me," said O'Neill, who is retired.
Gary Pielin, of McCandless, is among the hundreds of men the Pittsburgh diocese expects to apply to the Pittsburgh diocese's diaconate program in the coming weeks.
He considers ministry a natural extension of his 25-year career as a funeral director, where he has comforted grieving families. Pielin works at the Brusco-Falvo Funeral Home in Beechview.
"I've been praying about this since the class of deacons were ordained in 1999 and feel that it is the right thing for me to pursue at this time in my life," said Pielin, 53. He has been married for 23 years and has two children, ages 19 and 21.
Pielin, who serves as a Eucharistic minister at St. Teresa of Avila in Ross, said he "already made the commitment to myself and God" to complete the program "because there is a lot more I believe I can do to help people. I'm excited about getting started."
A few good men
Here are the general requirements for men entering into the Pittsburgh diocese's five-year permanent deacon program:
# Must be between the age of 31 and 61.
# Earned a bachelor's degree.
# Converts to Catholicism, or those who have returned to the church, should wait three years before applying.
# Recently married or widowed men are asked to wait two years before entering the program.
# Once ordained, deacons cannot marry or remarry.
# Married men must receive permission from their wives to enter the program.
# Interested candidates should contact their pastor, who will conduct an interview and submit a nomination form.
# Candidates will get an application packet that must be completed by December.
# Between June and December 2006, applicants will receive preliminary instruction.
# Candidates will be selected in December 2006.
# Between January 2007 and December 2010, men in the program will be required to take 24 courses and eight workshops and participate in eight days of reflection. Additionally, they must attend five retreats and four 10-week pastoral experiences.
# Ordination is scheduled for January 2011.
To learn more
The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese is hosting a series of parish meetings for people interested in learning more about the diaconate. To register, call the listed parish. Following are the scheduled dates for the meetings:
# July 26: 7 to 8:30 p.m., St. John the Baptist, Unity, 412-793-4511
# July 27: 7 to 8:30 p.m., Immaculate Conception, Washington, 724-225-1425
# July 30: 9 to 11:30 a.m., St. Paul Seminary, Crafton, 412-921-5800, ext. 22
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/pittsburgh/s_354145.html Tony LaRussa can be reached at tlarussa@tribweb.com.
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