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Slightly off topic

The Latin Deacon at these Papal Masses is usually one of the Seminarians from the various Pontifical Colleges - he could quite easily be American or Irish or Scots etc etc.

The Colleges are asked to submit names of their Deacons who can also chant the Gospel in Latin .

According to this article the Deacon at a recent papal Mass was Greek Orthodox.

"The greatest innovation has been the proclamation of the gospel by a Greek Orthodox deacon, at a papal Mass where the Patriarch of Constantinople assisted at the Liturgy of the Word."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2092033/posts

I think it's pretty obvious that the reason a GO deacon was used was because Patriarch Bartholomew was visiting. Usually it's a Byzantine Catholic deacon.

Alexis

True. As I recollect, the Byzantine deacons are usually from the Exarchic Abbey & Territorial Monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata.

Many years,

Neil

Neil,

I think I've heard that as well. It would make sense, because usually the deacons look Italian/Greek to me.

Alexis

I presume the Patriarch would always travel with his Archdeacon at least, wouldn't he? After all, that's the Archdeacon's role: to support the bishop/patriarch and to keep the liturgical sheep in line.

How does one tell an Archdeacon from a Deacon?

Highly unlikely that one of the ancient and venerable monks of Grottaferrata would serve in Rome these days. The baton has passed to others long ago to provide the Greek Deacon to the Pope (used to be Subdeacon as well in the past).

Paul,

The monastic community there is not all aged. There is only a single seminarian at present, but there are a few others among the dozen or so monks who are not yet elderly.

Many years,

Neil

They have had one or two novices recently but their last profession was mature aged man. Before that many years had passed. The last monastic priest who would act as a deacon on the occasion of a the few solemn occasions in the monastery church at the monastery has been dead a few years. They have not held vocations for many years. They even got conned into taking Malabarese men at one stage. Of course they all moved on to Latin Rite congregations.

Exactly. The Greek Catolic deacon is normally proclaming the Gospel during solemn Papal Masses. The only exception are such ecumenical celebrations.

In the traditional (pre-concilliar) form of the Roman Rite, the Greek deacon also proclaimed Gospel, as well as the the Reading from the Acts of the Apostles was performed by a Greek subdeacon. During some contemporary celebrations, the Greek subdeacon is also reading during Papal Masses.

As far as I know, the Greek Catholic deacon who often proclaims the Gospel during Papal celebrations has an Italian surname.

In the Solemn Papal Mass, the Latin and Greek deacons chant the gospel, and the Latin and Greek subdeacons chant the epistle? Is that correct?

Alexis

The Greek subdeacon was dropped a while back. The Greek Deacon only appears now and again these days so it seems.

Yes, I wish the practice of whether or not to include a Greek deacon would be regularized, as it was in the past. Right now it seems pretty much random.

Alexis

That's true.

We can see a Greek Catholic subdeacon for instance during the Chrism mass presided by Holy Father on Holy Thursday in the morning.