The Diaconate in Christ
A First Step towards the Restoration and Renewal of the Ministerial Role of Orthodox Deacons in Modern America
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”It is my contention that Orthodox deacons in America suffer from a lack of understanding about their role and function in the church. This confusion and lack of understanding of the nature and identity of the diaconate is also shared by many among the laity as well as by quite a few among the other clerical ranks of the church hierarchy. There are many reasons for this situation, notably the relatively few deacons that are actually engaged in some form of active ministry in our day. In addition, there is the lack of diaconal experience among bishops and priests, few of whom have served as deacons or have worked closely with deacons as ‘brothers and fellow-ministers’. And perhaps the greatest contribution to the problem is the minimalist teaching about the diaconate among modern theologians and the common notion that the diaconate is simply a transitional step toward the priesthood. Unfortunately, the church hierarchy is perpetuating the status quo – either due to indifference to the departure from ancient tradition or through conscious adoption of the minimalist teaching as a comfortable and convenient church policy, however aberrant this may be.
…“In any case, the current effect of this problem in my church is quite evident in that new deacons are unsure of how to live up to their calling as deacons. On the one hand, they know that they have received the sacrament of Holy Orders and are no longer laymen. On the other, they know they are not presbyters and have certain limitations to their ministry as clergymen. In this book, I shall demonstrate from scriptural, patristic and canonical perspective what the character of the diaconate is and demonstrate the proper ministerial role of deacons according to the ancient tradition of the Orthodox Church.” “I hope… that the fruit of this research project will ultimately be the complete restoration of the diaconate. By asserting this, am I effectively saying that all deacons should do all of the things that I have identified in this dissertation? Certainly not! As at least one respondent correctly points out the scope of service should depend upon the gifts that each individual deacon is blessed with. In my case, that means that those whom I trust and respect as co-laborers would simply recognize me as a trusted and respected brother and fellow minister in the vineyard of the Lord.”
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About the Book
The late Deacon David Mascarenas was keenly interested in the historic diaconate and its restoration in the Orthodox Church. He was encouraged by the example of the Roman Catholic Church, where the permanent diaconate had become a present-day reality since Vatican II. No such movement had taken place officially in Orthodox Christianity and, as he realized, the practice and theology of the church was all over the map in terms of understanding and local use. Deacon David sought in his doctoral studies to engage both practically and historically with the issues to offer a possible restoration of the permanent diaconate within the Orthodox jurisdictions. His work should be of interest to priests, deacons, and laypeople who seek to understand the fuller possibilities for ministry in Orthodoxy.
About the Author
Deacon David Mascarenas was born July 5, 1960 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. David received his BA from the University of New Mexico in 1986. As an adult David went in search of historic Christianity and he was received into the Orthodox Church by chrismation on January 6, 1990. He was tonsured a Subdeacon by Bishop Basil of Wichita in 1996. David and Marilyn Buhl married on August 15, 1998. David received the MTS degree from Holy Cross Seminary, Brookline MA, in 1999. On September 2, 2001, David was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Archbishop Dimitri (Royster) of Dallas. After further studies David received the D.Min. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2006. After a lengthy bout of cancer, Matushka Marilyn reposed on August 30, 2013. Deacon David owned the Mascarenas Insurance Agency of Albuquerque. At the time of his repose on December 9, 2015, he was serving as Attached Deacon at St. Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission, Las Cruces, NM, V. Rev. Gabriel Rochelle, pastor.