What is a Deacon?

The order of the Deacon has been an integral part of Church history since the very beginning of Christianity. Tradition has it that in the 1st century, seven men were selected and identified as the first deacons. According to Acts 6, these men were "Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch". Most famous among the seven deacons was St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr who was killed in Jerusalem in 35 c.e. These men were to be servants and ministers to the Church and focus their energy on charitable work among the community. Originally, the deaconate was meant to be a permanent position, but over the centuries, the office of the permanent deacon fell out of use. However, the tradition of transitional deacons continued unabated. The transitional deaconate is a step for all men preparing for the priesthood. Transitional deacons have the exact same responsibilities as a permanent deacon, but they only remain in the order of the deacon for about a year before their ordination as a priest. Vatican II (1962-1965) brought about a reinstating of the permanent deaconate. Today, there are about 13,000 permanent deacons of the Catholic Church in the United States.

So what exactly does a deacon do? According the the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the deacons mission is threefold. "As ministers of Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach, and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of Sacrament, deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services As ministers of Charity, deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshalling the Church's resources to meet those needs. Deacons are also dedicated to eliminating the injustices or inequities that cause such needs." Unique to the order of the deacon is that the office is open to married men. Married men aged 35 or older are allowed to become deacons, while single men may enter the deaconate at age 25. If a deacon's spouse precedes him in death, he is not allowed to remarry, and must then assume a celibate life. Most deacons also have jobs outside of the church which leaves them in a position that falls somewhere between lay person and clergy. It is a unique role within the Church, and ultimately very enriching for the Christian community.

On May 1st, 2010, the St. Paul Seminary will be holding a deacon ordination for their 3rd year Seminarians. For those interested in witnessing an ordination and supporting the future leaders of our church, the service takes place at 10 a.m. at the Basilica in Minneapolis.

Catholics are Hilarious!

A cop pulls over a car full of nuns. The cop says, "Sister, the speed limit on this highway is 55 mph. Why are you so slow?"

Sister replies, "I saw a lot of signs that said 41, not 55."
The Cop says, "Sister, that's the name of the highway, not the speed limit."

"Silly me," the embarrassed nun says, "Thanks for letting me know. I'll be more careful."

But then the cop glances in the back seat where the other nuns are quaking with fear. He asks,

"Excuse me, Sister, what's wrong with your friends?"

Sister says, "Oh, we just got off Highway 101."

Q: What do you call a sleep walking Nun?

A: A Roamin' Catholic

Little Johnny opened the big family Bible with fascination, and looked through the old pages.

Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. Little Johnny picked it up and looked. An old leaf from a tree had been pressed between the pages. "Momma, look what i found," he called out.

"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.

With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: "I think it's Adam's swim suit!"

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. There was a note posed by the fruit. "Take only one," it read. "God is watching."

At the other end of the line was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. One child whispered to another, "Take all you want. God's watching the apples."

Q: How did the bishop make holy water?
A: He took some tap water and boiled the hell out of it.

Did you know the apostles actually edited the Bible story about the woman caught in adultery because what really happened was quite awkward?

It seems Jesus was writing in the sand and said, "If anyone of you is without sin, you be the first to throw a stone."

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a rock came sailing in and whacked the poor woman in the head. Jesus stood up and with great exasperation

said, "Mother!"

A couple had two very mischievous little boys, ages eight and ten, who were always getting into trouble. The parents knew that if any

mischief occurred in their town their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a monsignor in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The monsignor agreed. The mother sent the eight year old in first.

The monsignor, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the young boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response. He just sat there with this mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the monsignor repeated the question in an even stronger tone, "Where is God?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer.

So the monsignor raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet clamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!"

-For more HILARIOUS jokes, check out The Book of Catholic Jokes by Deacon Tom Sheridan

Catholic Fun Facts

Total Number of Popes:

265

Most Common Name used by Popes:

John - There have been 23 Pope Johns

Longest Reigning Pope:

Pope Pius IX
1846-1878 (31 years, 7 months, 23 days)

Pope John Paul II comes in second place

1978-2005 (26 years, 5 months, 17 days)

Shortest Reigning Pope:

Pope Urban VII

Sept. 15, 1590 - Sept. 27, 1590 (13 days)

Canonized Popes:

76 Popes have been canonized saints - Pope John Paul II is currently in the beatification process and will most likely become the 77th canonized Pope.

Number of Catholic in America:

As of 2005, there was an estimated 66.3 million Catholics in the United States. That is approximately 22% of the total population.

Number of Catholics Worldwide:

According to the Vatican in 2005, there were 1.086 billion Catholics worldwide.

Countries with the most Catholics:

Brazil, Mexico, and the United States