Deacons Persuasive Essay

The role of the deacon has been part of the church for centuries. In order to become a deacon, an individual must fit the required criteria and endure the proper training. Deacons have many jobs within a parish. Their roles and responsibilities differ from other parish members. The job of a permanent deacon has pros and cons and has recently been restored within the Catholic Church. Permanent deacons must fit a certain criteria, go through training, fulfill their duties to their parish, and endure the pros and cons of their reinstated job.
Permanent deacons must be males over the age of 35 that are baptized and active members of the Catholic Church. They must have no intention to become a priest, as they can only be deacons. In order to become a deacon an individual must take a vow of celibacy, however if they are married, the individual’s marriage must be recognized by the Church. A deacon must have completed high school and must have completed the five-year formation program which consists of their training. The role of a permanent deacon within a parish is to aid the priest in visiting the sick, giving spiritual
guidance to the community and being a servant of God. Alongside these tasks, a deacon can witness marriages, perform baptisms, lead funerals and burial services, give out Communion and deliver the Homily.
There are many pros and cons of being a permanent deacon.
A pro is that it allows men to continue being deacons rather than going on to priesthood. This lets deacons to develop and strengthen their relationship with God in a more constant and stable environment. Another pro is that being a deacon allows married men to serve within the Church. A con is that deacons are at the lowest rank in the Church’s hierarchy. This makes it difficult for deacons to bring upon change within the Church as they must speak with those above them. The Catholic Church has restored the role of the permanent deacon because it allows more people to serve within the Church. Permanent deacons can get married and do not have to turn to priesthood which makes becoming a deacon appeal to people. The position of permanent deacon gets more people involved in the Church
community.
Permanent deacons are expected to fulfill a certain criteria, go through training and do their jobs within a parish. The role of a deacon has pros and cons and has recently been reinstated by the Catholic Church. Through meeting the required criteria and finishing their training, deacons become members of the Church. They then must fulfill all their duties towards the parish they are a part of. Deacons must deal with the pros and cons of their job which has been recently restored.