By Deacon Gary Stone
AT a Mass in St Stephen’s Cathedral on the feast of St Lawrence (a deacon) on August 10, the Archdiocese of Brisbane celebrated the success and amazing growth of the diaconate in the archdiocese over the last 30 years.
Ordination to the Diaconate for married mature age men, restored by the Second Vatican Council, has been operative in the archdiocese since 1994.
Since then, 18 deacons have been ordained for the archdiocese, four joined from other dioceses, and eight military deacons have exercised ministry in the archdiocese on rotation.
One has died, six have retired due to ill health, and two have resigned from ministry.
From six deacons in 2012, the ministry of deacon has flourished exponentially under the episcopate of Archbishop Mark Coleridge.
In addition to the 22 deacons we have now, nine candidates are now in pre-ordination formation.
Another ten applicants are under consideration.
On this 30th anniversary of the Diaconate, we could do well to celebrate this growth as a gift from God.
In the latest Archdiocesan Directory for the Diaconate, published in August 2018, Archbishop Coleridge indicated his desire that deacons exercise their ministry in a “field of mission” with special focus on works of charity, especially to those on the margins of the church as well as taking the Gospel into the broader community.
From an earlier focus on parish ministry, this new approach has certainly been fruitful, and also in accordance with Pope Francis’ call for missionary discipleship.
Deacons are active in ministries to the disabled, in prevention of suicide, in promotion of health and wellbeing among the depressed and traumatised, in ministry to those in prison, in chaplaincies to our service people and the police, in chaplaincies to cultural communities, and in marriage enrichment.
Three deacons are involved in administering parishes, one leads the extensive ministries of Evangelisation Brisbane, and another is director of our archbishop’s office.
All deacons assist in preaching at Masses and liturgies, and preside at baptisms, weddings, and funerals, but their primary focus is on engaging with those we don’t see in church.
Having already experienced a secular working life, marriage, and in most cases parenthood, deacons are testaments to living the Christian life successfully in our diverse and busy society.
They inspire and encourage the diakonia of the laity, engage with those on the margins, as well as witnessing to the vitality and sacredness of the sacrament of marriage in support of the mission of Christ.
Many in and outside the church would be unaware of the diversity of roles that our Catholic deacons are filling, and the goodness they bring to society, but as our Synod seeks to find ways to move forward, including exploration of how we might possibly involve women in this ministry, it seems like the Holy Spirit is raising up missionary vocations before our eyes.
Worldwide there are now 49,176 married deacons in the Catholic Church – and year by year now outpacing vocations to the priesthood and religious life in Brisbane, across Australia, and around the world.
As our longest-serving Archdiocesan deacon, I have reflected long and hard on my diaconal journey.
I was already engaged as a layperson in diaconal-type ministry long before I was ordained.
I felt called around age 20, as a young Army officer, to the ministry of evangelisation.
My wife and I engaged in many of the movements of the church like Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, Teams Of Our Lady, and Charismatic Renewal as we travelled on postings near and far.
I considered my service as a peacemaker in the military as a Christian vocation in itself, but by the 1980s, in the military, we were seeing fewer and fewer chaplains being provided.
I was asked/called by Fr John Tinkler if I would consider becoming a chaplain.
The military required all chaplains to be ordained, and I agreed and underwent four years of formation at Banyo Seminary and was ordained deacon at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, on December 9, 1994.
Ordination was both a spiritual experience for me, and an authentication to the people I was to serve that I was professionally trained and in a Holy Order and discipline, with structures in place that both supported me and held me to account.
The military (and God) saw me deploying to many more challenging situations around Australia and overseas, in military and police chaplaincy, in delivering humanitarian aid, and for the last 10 years in leading a mission to the veteran community that now involves more than 60 lay leaders and mentors healing and uplifting traumatised veterans into ministries of care themselves.
My “parish” then, and even now, was and is the people all around me, with whom I live, work, and play.
Thirty years later, I can still say that my journey has been one of not so much building the Church, but of being an agent of transformation in society – doing the works that Jesus engaged in.
In Luke 4, Jesus picks up the scroll of Isaiah and declares, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted, to proclaim liberty to captives, to bring new sight to the blind, set the downtrodden free, and proclaim the Lord’s favour.”
That has been my mission, and it has required me to be present, with mud on my boots, with the smell of the sheep, with those most in need, irrespective of their race, religion, and beliefs.
Recently, a veteran contacted me and said, “I’ve been watching what you do, and I now want you to receive me into the Catholic Church because I want to be involved too in what you are doing and belong to a missionary community.”
I haven’t directed my focus on getting people into church, but rather have been bringing Church to them, and helping them experience the love of God, understand what Jesus did and said, and then encourage them to engage in mission themselves.
I also see the diaconate as a ministry of leadership.
My best outcome is always to raise up diaconal people – to encourage and nourish lay leaders for mission.
At a time when we are about to engage in Synodal decision-making, diaconal service, whether ordained or lay, must be part of how we move forward as a Church.
Despite 2000 years of operations, we must still imitate what Jesus did.
He didn’t sit in the synagogue waiting for people to come to him; he got out and about and engaged people in need.
That’s what Pope Francis’ call for us to refocus on missionary discipleship is all about.
Archbishop Coleridge is oft to say, “The best is yet to come.”
May we follow the example of Jesus to bring this about.
Thanks be to God.
Deacon Gary Stone OAM has been 30 years ordained and 50 years married.
