Deacons and the Church

Deacons and the Church presents a popular narrative history of the Order of the Diaconate in the Catholic Church from its dawn on the biblical scene in the Acts of the Apostles through the “golden age” of deacons in the fifth century. With the emergence of the “cultic priesthood,” the diaconate as a unique and discrete member of the clergy declined into a transitional role—but never disappeared. The Second Vatican Council restored the Order of Deacon to a “full and permanent” membership in the clergy, along with priests and bishops. Now, 30,000 deacons serve the Church throughout the world and remain the fastest-growing clerical rank within the Latin Church. Owen F. Cummings reflects on how this surge in the membership of the Order of Deacons will affect the Church in the years to come.