www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Deacons and blessings east and west and baptism

Are Deacons not allowed to give official blessings in the Eastern Catholic Rites or Orthodox Church? I think I read that somewhere before. or instance, I went to a Latin Rite Baptism and it was performed by a Deacon. In the West we believe anybody can baptize (I am assuming that this is true in the East as well) but the Deacon had to bless the water to make it holy water before performing the baptism. Would an Eastern Deacon have been able to do this?
Also is blessing the water necessary for a baptism? If anyone can baptize but not anyone can bless what if I were in a life and death situation and needed to baptize someone? Would I have to bless some water and just assume that it is accepted as a less than priestly blessing but still valid enough for a baptism?

in a word - NO the more knowledgeable will explain why .

As to Baptism - again this is a Sacrament in both East and West BUT in the East the child is Chrismated [ Confirmed] and Communed at this - and this doesn't happen in the West - so as you can see an Easter Deacon cannot baptise a child

hmm. thanks. I wil hope for more of an explanation from someone as to why the West allowed this and the East does not. However, I can now se why maybe a Deacon can not perform the chrismation as well, however, I still would think that in the East any person can baptize if it were a life or death situation. I suppose the person would not then be able to be chrismated. Afterall the East does accept baptism from other religious groups as valid, so I would thnk they at least acknowledge that a priset does not have to perform all baptisms.

From the CCEO

Canon 676
In a case of urgent necessity, baptism can be licitly administered by doing only those things which are necessary for validity.

Canon 677
1. Baptism is administered ordinarily by a priest; but, with due regard for particular law, the proper pastor of the person to be baptized, or another priest with the permission of the same pastor or the local hierarch, is competent for its administration, which permission, for a serious reason is lawfully presumed.
2. In case of necessity, baptism can be administered by a deacon or, in his absence or if he is impeded, by another cleric, a member of an institute of consecrated life, or by any other Christian faithful; even by the mother or father, if another person is not available who knows how to baptize.

It is not that a deacon cannot baptize, but that under normanl circumstances baptism and chrismation are performed together so a priest is required. The only way I could see a deacon performing a baptism solemnly in an Eastern Church is in a situation where a priest would be unavailable for an extended period, 6 months or more.

Thanks all for help. But can anybody tell me more about why Western deacons can administer sacramental blessings and Eastern ones can not?

Essentially, the act of blessing is fundamentally a sacerdotal act and is regarded as outside of the ordo of a deacon by the Christian East. The "restoration" of the diaconate by the Latins after Vatican II, while largely positive, has often taken the form of a blended sacerdotal-diaconal role with all sorts of presidential responsibilities beyond the scope of the historical diaconate. Some appear to function as "priests second class" while their ordinary liturgical responsibilities (such as the intercessory prayers) are usurped by the laity.

The East has tried to maintain much of the integrity of the original vision of the diaconate (although at times it has been reduced to a purely ritual function). Therefore deacons do not bless as priests do in the Christian East.

God bless,

Gordo

I just wanted to add that it is not quite true to say that deacons cannot bless. In the eastern tradition, everyone can bless. But there are particular ways to give blessings to show respect for the priesthood. I was introduced to this when a 80+ Baba (from the old, old country) used to bless me after I had visited her to give her communion. She held her hand the way believers do when they make the sign of the cross and then made a cross over my head after I had blessed her. When I asked her about it, she replied that it was a "baba's blessing" and it was the blessing she gave to everyone who visited her!

If you read the life of St Innocent of Alaska, you will see that this was routinely done in the Alaskan context. By the way, this was also done with marriages -- people were "married" by the local elders and then received a sacramental blessing when the priest finally arrived for his annual visit.

This has been my experience as well. I've noticed deacons of the Roman Rite regularly presiding at Baptisms & Marriages, giving blessings and blessing homes, preaching homilies ... Yet, when it comes to the Liturgy their usual Liturgical role such as intercessory prayer is undertaken by a lay person.

"Essentially, the act of blessing is fundamentally a sacerdotal act and is regarded as outside of the ordo of a deacon by the Christian East."

That is certainly the current school of thought. I would argue that the act of blessing is fundamentally an act of spiritual fatherhood or motherhood. Scripture and Patristic evidence bear this out. In the Eastern Church even non-ordained but fully professed monks are addressed as father and their blessing sought. Now there is certainly a hierarchy that should be maintained and deacon should not bless as a priest does, just as a priest does not bless as a bishop does. It would seem the way outlined by Father J above would make sense for deacons. This is the way I bless my own children.

I would also note that Abbesses wear a pectoral cross and give sacerdotal blessings in their monasteries in the eastern tradition as well. It is even traditional for a priest to ask blessings of the Abbess when he enters her monastery! It is often a scene very reminiscent of the meeting between Fr Zosima and St Mary of Egypt as each tries to be the first to ask for the blessing!

Anyone can bless making the sign of the cross with three fingers over the person being blessed - read Dostoyevsky, Hohol or various other Russian or Ukrainian authors, as well as stories of the startsi and you will find this as a common custom.

I also do it over my wife and children every night - they were also blessed by many parish babas over the years at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic parishes we belonged to.

I have blessed my children almost every night for 17 years. Clearly I was not arguing against general blessings, particularly in a familial context! It is part of our common priesthood, and closely tied, as was observed, to parenting.

I was primarily referring to blessings in a liturgical context, particularly of a sacramental nature (the liturgical blessing of a house or an icon, for instance).

God bless,

Gordo

Dear Searching East,

Your question is a good one and the answers you received are equally good.

Regarding using Holy Water, as opposed to tap water, if the Baptism is the "emergency" type Holy Water is not necessary.

Regarding the prohibition of Eastern Deacons giving Liturgical Blessings, the Eastern Churches give a clearer division of clerical "charisms." If a deacon could bless the impression may be formed that priests are not necessary, that Deacons could replace them. Following the same logic, if a Deacon is present the priest shouldn't proclaim the Gospel, nor perform the general incensations.

In the Latin church I don't understand why the intercessions are performed by laypeople. It seems to blur the lines between clergy and laity. The same seems true of the distribution of the Eucharist, except for "extraordinary" circumstances.

Fr. Deacon Paul