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Here is a listing of numbers of Latin Permanent Deacons by region and country as of Dec. 2002 (with percentage increase over 1997 numbers)

http://www.nccbuscc.org/deacon/worldstats.htm

As a bit of sharing here.

I'm in the Deaconate Program for the ArchDiocese of Detroit as an Applicant . Which means I'm accepted into the Seminary while the Cardinal decides on my Application.

I found out last week that I have to work out of town for the next 9 weeks. So I had to drop all my classes for this semester and I'm pretty certain that my Application will be postponed to next year.

So I've got a lot of dissapointment right now

Sigh, time for some humble submission to the Will of God...

I am fortunate enough to belong to a Byzantine
parish that has TWO deacons...........

Here are last years statistics on Eastern Catholic Churches from the Annuario Pontificio. In the Eastern Churches too it seems deacons are a New World phenomenon. The European and Middle Eastern jurisdictions, with a few exceptions, have one or two or none.

http://www.cnewa.org/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat03.pdf

My dad is a RC deacon; he was ordained when I was 9 in the early Eighties. What a blessing for me! I'm sure I'd be a different person today if he wasn't a deacon.

More permanent deacons would be great for the religious life of their families.

Here's one for those who like trivia: what distinguishes the stole of a (Latin) "permanent" deacon from the stole of a(Latin) "transitional" deacon?
Icognitus

Mmmmmmmm
the fastening at the lower end ?

It is permanent for the Permanent Deacon and is intended to be removed easliy for the Transitional Deacon

The Permanent deacon usually has fine chain fastening the two ends and the Transitional Deacon has some thread there.

[ Actually I will ask my 5th Year Seminarian friend this one ]

Anhelyna

Try the middle of the stole.
Incognitus

OF COURSE - silly me - forgot I was given it back to alter the following June. <blushing badly after being caught out on such a simple thing >

Good job I am not making one for Gerald's Diaconate next year - might have slipped up badly there
Anhelyna

That good to hear. That's about how old my son will be when I'm ordained.

As we attended Mass out of town yesterday, my son got to see a deacon at Mass for the first time.

I find it interesting that the Chaldeans list 80 deacons serving 14 parishes, which would allow an average of more than five deacons per parish. On one occasion, the Eastern Catholic Clergy of Arizona gathered for a Liturgy at the Chaldean Catholic parish of Mar Abraham. Prior to the Liturgy, I overheard some teenage boys discussing who was going to be "deacon" that evening. During the liturgy, an older man served as deacon during the liturgy, but it was one of the boys who intoned the deacons parts (in English). I wonder if the Chaldean parishes in the US eparchy count as "deacons" the unordained who serve as "deacons"?

Fr. Deacon John,

I suspect that the Chaldeans are counting ordained subdeacons, who may be ordained as boys. I also believe they allow the subdeacon intone the deacon's parts as you experienced. The Syro-Malabars and Maronites allow the same thing, I believe.

Fr. Deacon Lance