Women Deacons, Part I

Understanding how the Catholic Church could ordain women as deacons

11/09/2023

One of the more controversial suggestions to come out of the Synod on Synodality is the proposal of ordaining women as deacons. Have you heard about that? Some people have said that such a step is absolutely impossible, but I am not so sure. In other words, I think it might be possible to ordain women as deacons but it would require a radical re-thinking of what it means to be a deacon in the first place.

When I was graduating from Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary, I was asked a curious question after my final exam in canon law. My professor was Fr. Kevin Rhoades, who is now bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN. He said: “This is not part of your exam, but I was wondering if you thought the Church could or should ordain women as deacons?” I answered a little nervously: “You are sure this is not part of my exam, right?” Then I added: “I think it may be possible, but it is not opportune, that is, it is not a good time. We have changed so much since Vatican II and people’s heads are still spinning.” So, now I would like to explore how possible ordaining women as deacons really is, and finish that nervous answer I gave back in 1996. Perhaps such a step is now opportune.

First, we should note that back in 1994, Pope St. John Paul II did not entirely slam the door shut on the possibility of ordaining women as deacons. However, he made it crystal clear that women could never be ordained as priests or as bishops. In his apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (On the Ordination of Priests), he wrote by way of conclusion: “Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (Lk 22:32), I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitely held by all the Church’s faithful” (no. 4).

The pope’s declaration is noteworthy both for what it said, but also curious for what it did not say. He insisted that priestly ordination cannot be conferred on women, and by that he indicated both priests and bishops. But he omitted – a rather loud omission to anyone well versed in theology – the ordination of deacons. In other words, kind of like my answer to Bishop Rhoades, the pope was leaving the door open on the possibility of women becoming deacons.

First, let us set the background for this conversation with a little basic Catholic theology. We all know that the sacrament of Holy Orders has three ranks, or levels, or degrees, that constitute the Church’s hierarchy. By the way, the word hierarchy comes from Greek and literally means “the rule of priests.” I rather like that word personally. Those three levels of the hierarchy are deacon, priest, and bishop. Therefore, every time a deacon or priest or bishop is ordained he receives another rank of Holy Orders. In modern parlance we would say he is “promoted” like you get a promotion at work, moving from manager to director to vice president to CEO.

For example, Dc. Greg, Dc. Charlie, Dc. Cesar, and Dc. Candelario were ordained and received the first rank of Holy Orders. Back on May 25, 1996, I was ordained a priest and received the second rank of Holy Orders. On July 22, 2022, my friend Erik Pohlmeier was ordained a bishop and received the third rank of Holy Orders. All other ranks we hear about – monsignor, archbishop, cardinal, and even pope – are all variations on these three fundamental ranks of the Catholic hierarchy. All ordained clergy are at root either deacons, priests, or bishops.

Now even though these three ranks of Holy Orders enjoy a tight unity (all belonging to the hierarchy), there also exists a rather bright red line of demarcation between deacons and the higher ranks of Orders (priests and bishops). That is, there is a fundamental difference between what deacons can do and what priests and bishops can do. The functions and ministries that a deacon does ordinarily and properly, a lay person could do in extraordinary circumstances. For example, it is the proper role of a deacon to celebrate a wedding without a Mass. But if a couple were on a deserted island – think of Gilligan’s Island – where the Professor and Mary Ann wanted to get married, then Ginger could officiate at the wedding. Not so many years ago in Catholic hospitals doctors and nurses were taught how to baptize a baby in an emergency. What a deacon can do ordinarily, a lay person can do extraordinarily.

Or take another example, preaching at Mass. Ordinarily and properly, delivering the homily at Mass is always reserved to the ordained clergy, deacon, priest, or bishop. However, if there is a shortage of clergy on a given Sunday – both Fr. Bala and I have COVID and must be quarantined, and all the other priests in Fort Smith are on vacation – the bishop could give permission to a lay person to conduct a Celebration of the Word in the Absence of a Priest, which includes preaching, as prescribed by canon 766. Notice again how a ministry that a deacon performs as an ordinary part of his duties can be fulfilled by a lay person when the circumstances are urgent and warrant it.

In other words, there is a certain overlap between lay persons and deacons. In a sense, and I say this with great love and respect, deacons are glorified lay persons whose ordinary ministries are lay person could carry out in extraordinary circumstances. However, that overlap stops abruptly at the order of priests and bishops. That is, under no circumstances, no matter how dire, even in the case of life and death, could a lay person celebrate Mass, or hear a penitent’s confession, or anoint the sick with sacred oil. And I hope it goes without saying that the two sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders that belong properly and principally to a bishop can under no circumstances be performed by a lay person.

Can you see the bright red line between the rank of deacon and the higher ranks of priests and bishops? In other words, this fundamental difference between deacons on the one hand, and priests and bishops on the other hand, is why both Pope St. John Paul II, and I said that women absolutely cannot be ordained as priests and bishops, but they might be ordained as deacons.

Praised be Jesus Christ!