Ordinations
On being a permanent deacon…
Vincent, 49, lives in Coxhoe, Co Durham. He is married to Christine and they have three children.
Vincent is Hospital Chaplain at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead and is also involved in teaching counselling skills to adults at Bishop Auckland College. He is the Chairman of the Diocesan Vocations Team.
Vincent was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate by Bishop Kevin on 11th June 2005
Vincent Purcell reflects on the Permanent Diaconate:
I've thought long and hard about being a deacon, and it’s fair to say that there have been times when I’ve had doubts about the whole idea – I mean, not just doubts of the “why me?” variety (although there were plenty of those!), but also doubts about the diaconate itself. Is the restoration of the permanent diaconate simply a stop-gap, a second best idea because we don’t have enough priests? Might it just be a human, pragmatic response to a difficult situation?
And you know, in one sense, there is a possibility that it could be seen as just that! However, tradition tells us that deacons were originally appointed in the dawn of the Church, when the first wave of new converts brought their particular needs to the attention of the Apostles. The roots of the diaconate, then, do seem to lie in a practical response to a particular need.
But then look at what the early Church achieved! The Holy Spirit works in ways that we cannot foresee or even imagine. There can be no doubt that He also works through our human, practical efforts, and inspires us to ever greater things.
Maybe our modern world has more in common with the early church than with the church our grandparents knew. We live in a world that has either never heard of Jesus Christ, or has lost sight of Him. The apostles were determined to bring the message of the risen Lord to all people through the twin track approach of preaching and practical action, an approach that called for the complementary skills of both priests and deacons.
We could say that the engine which drove the early church was the three-fold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon. If so, then perhaps our return to the permanent diaconate is a recognition that for many centuries the Church has been, so to speak, underpowered.
Through a renewed awareness of the power of our Baptismal calling, and through the sacrament of Holy Orders, perhaps we may once again see a more authentic picture of what it is to be a Spirit-filled Church.
Vincent Purcell June 2005