Why so few deacons in Latin America?

Why are there so few permanent deacons in Honduras and many other parts of Latin America?

I don’t have the answers but, as one of them, I offer these reflections as a starting point for a serious discussion. 

 One answer I have heard, from a US missionary with decades of experience in Honduras, is that the permanent diaconate was not popular in Honduras decades ago – and so not approved until recently – in part because of the concern that priests, who at times depended for their sustenance on stipends for the sacraments, were concerned about losing this important source of income.

This may be a factor, but I think, at least in Honduras, there may be other reasons. In 1966, in response to the lack of pastoral attention by priests in distant villages, the diocese of Choluteca initiated a program of Delegates of the Word. The Delegates, chosen from their communities and trained, would lead Sunday Celebrations of the Word. It spread throughout Honduras and is now a significant part of Church life in the villages. There is hardly a village in our diocese that does not have delegates.

Another factor may be the educational level of many people in the church in Latin America.

The first two permanent deacons ordained in Honduras are university professors and continue to function in the university system in the Tegucigalpa region. Recently a third permanent deacon was ordained for the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa. I don’t not know his profession.

I am the first ordained in our dioceses, Santa Rosa de Copán, and the third in the country. Though I too have an advanced university degree I do not teach in a university, despite several offers. My ministry, which is full-time, is in a rural parish, with almost fifty villages.

Most of the delegates in our parish have less than six years of formal education. Some learned to read by studying the Bible while in the training sessions for delegates. There are some who are, or have been, primary-school teachers and some of the newer delegates or those in training are younger men and women who have finished high school. But those who have more than a sixth grade education are the exception.

Among the delegates and the extraordinary ministers of communion, I see a few who would be great deacons, because they are already living a diaconal life. I wish the church here in Honduras would chose, train, and ordain some of these, in response to paragraph 16 of Ad Gentes, Vatican II’s Decree on Missionary Activity:

Where Episcopal Conferences deem it opportune, the order of the diaconate should be restored as a permanent state of life, according to the norms of the Constitution on the Church. For there are men who are actually carrying out the functions of the deacon’s office, either by preaching the Word of God as catechists, or by presiding over scattered Christian communities in the name of the pastor and the bishop, or by practicing charity in social or relief work. It will be helpful to strengthen them by that imposition of hands which has come down from the apostles, and to bind them more closely to the altar. Thus they can carry out their ministry more effectively because of the sacramental grace of the diaconate.

I think our bishop would resist the temptation to choose deacons among the college-educated and demand college level classes. But I’m not sure that would be accepted by other church authorities in the country.

The lack of permanent deacons in some countries may also be related to a serious lack of understanding of the ministry of the deacon.

     

In a national clergy study meeting a few years ago, I was asked by a priest from another diocese, why I was not going to be ordained a priest. The diaconate is my vocation, I responded. He promptly denied that that I had that – after all, I was celibate.

This only reflects a misunderstanding of the diaconate that is also found in a book by a Spanish priest published by a prominent Latin American Catholic publisher. He seems to see the permanent diaconate as a concession to married men who want to dedicate themselves to work for the church. He does not seem to value highly the vocation to the diaconate for celibate men.

A major factor that will affect the future of the permanent diaconate in Latin America is clericalism. The deference given to the priest has complicated roots. In an parish where there are few people educated past sixth grade, people look to the priest for answers, not only in terms of religious questions and access to the sacraments. Where there are few counselors, people look to the priest for advice in marriage and family problems and in times of psychological crises. In a country like Honduras where the government seems to cling to a partisan client-based allocation of funds and work, the mayor and the political party offer money, work, and repairs to the roads and other infrastructure projects. Otherwise, the school teacher and the priest may be the ones most knowledgeable in a rural community.

Where would a deacon fit in such a situation. Clericalism, I believe, thrives on power and prestige where a few control access to knowledge and power. Will the diaconate be considered in mostly power terms?

There is already a problem, at least in some parishes I know, where the delegates have assumed a power over the local churches which rivals (and sometimes exceeds the clericalism of the clergy). A priest I know was concerned that becoming an extraordinary minister of communion might be seen as gaining more power in the local village church, as well as the  

There is one further factor that I think needs to be addressed: Where do deacons minister?

To try to answer this,there is one question for which I do not have an answer: How many of the permanent deacons in Latin America and Africa are living and ministering in rural parishes or, exclusively, in poor barrios? In Honduras, there is one married permanent deacon, a Salvadoran ordained in the US, who works as a missionary in a poor gang-ridden area of Comayaguela, but the first two deacons ordained in the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa are university professors, continuing in their profession.

I have no problem with professionals as deacons. In some cases, it is extremely necessary in order to penetrate the professional world with the Good News of the Gospel. In fact, I think this may have been one of the concerns of the priests who dialogued about the permanent diaconate in the Dachau concentration camp during World War II.

But in Latin America, the need is for evangelization of the poor in the barrios of the cities and in the remote villages. There are some of us who try to do this, but I wonder if the permanent diaconate has been seen as much more connected with the city and the demand for professionals in the order of deacon.

The one exception that I know of is the effort made in the diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. It was temporarily suppressed because of some concerns by the Vatican, but I believe that it has been restored.

If the Church proposes to increase the number of deacons in Latin America, it must be clear on the ministry of the deacon.

What then is my vision for the diaconate in the diocese where I serve?

The deacon candidate should be chosen among those who are already witnessing to a diaconal life of faith, in the church.

The deacon candidate should show a real commitment to the poor and the marginalized – not only bringing communion to them but also accompanying them in their suffering as well as in their efforts to be liberated from the conditions of impoverishment in society.

The deacon candidate should be willing to wash the feet of the poor, literally and figuratively. In our parish, the pastor insists that the extraordinary ministers of communion must be ready to help wash and clean the sick. At least one person withdrew from the formation program because of this.

The formation of the deacon must be serious but adjusted according to the formal educational level of the candidates. This must not be a dumbing-down of the faith, nor should it be a mere memorization of the Catechism or other church documents.

The formation must be integral – not limited to doctrine and liturgy, but including the social teaching of the church and, even more, pastoral practice that accompanies the poor, the marginalized, the sick.  

The deacon candidate should be encouraged to continue his current pastoral work while studying.

The deacon candidate’s wife and family should be involved in the formation process as far as possible.

There is much more to consider, especially the formation of the priests in the ministry of the deacon. But that is another blog entry.

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UPDATE:
Just did a little research; the stats come from various years and so they are not always accurate to make a true comparison; also, there is no way that I know to see if some of these permanent deacons belonged to religious orders. 
Brazil has 4,800 permanent deacons; Columbia has about 486, plus 254 candidates; San Martín Argentina has 35; Santiago Child has 385; Lima Perú has 3; Buenos Aires has 12; Santiago, Dominican Republic has 140 and Santo Domingo, DR, has 166; Nicaragua has 27 - 18 in Bluefields; El Salvador has 2; Guatemala has 4; Mexico City has 108; the diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, has 450!.

How long?

When I came to Honduras in 2007 and for several years after, people asked me how long I would stay in Honduras?

My response was “hasta que Dios quiere,” which was my loose translation of my response when an English speaker asked me the same question – “until God calls me somewhere else.”

My English response was deliberately ambiguous, partly because I thought I might remain here until God calls me home – and that’s not to the US.

Yesterday, listening to a program Radio Progreso to commemorate 70 years of Jesuit presence in Honduras, I heard a Jesuit say that some of the early Jesuits who came from the US and other countries came with the intent of staying here until they died. He put it in a really beautiful way: They wanted to die and be buried here so that on the last day they would rise with the people they had worked with.

It’s about resurrection with the community of faith one lives with.

Thus I have no plans to move from here and I want to be buried wherever I die. If I die here in Plan Grande, I hope that there is a place in the cemetery in nearby Candelaria. But that won’t be my call – thank God!

But if God calls me to somewhere else, I pray that I have the detachment to leave here and follow God’s call.

This struck home this morning when talking with Padre German about the death in Mexico on Thursday of father Henry Rodriguez, a priest of the diocese. The details of the transport of the body are complicated and who knows when we will have the Mass here.

But it also struck me because today the Capuchins are celebrating in Ocotepeque fifty years of their presence in the diocese. I had thought of going but…

Finally, my ordination as a permanent deacon for the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán reaffirms my initial thoughts.

Now I am no longer identified as a missionary. As a deacon and thus a member of the clergy, I am a member of the church of the diocese, a member of the church of Honduras.

When I was ordained, I was in a real sense identified and chosen – by God and the Church – to serve in Honduras in a special way, as an ordained servant.

How long? Until God calls me on…

Monseñor Darwin Andino offering me a greeting of peace at the ordination Mass

Berta Cáceres and the response of the church

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca woman who stood up for the Lenca people and advocated for the care of our common home, this earth which is God’s gift.

Her killing on March 3 in La Esperanza leaves Honduras without the gift of her love and struggle for the earth and for the Lenca people.

The world has responded in protest of her killing and demanding a just and prompt judicial process – something which is rare in Honduras.

I have not written until this moment but I have been deeply affected by this example of the persecution of another person committed to the poor and to our common home.

A question some may ask is, “Where has the Catholic Church been in this time?”

There has not been the outpouring of concern I had hoped – but there are small efforts.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the major role that the Jesuit-supported Radio Progeso has played in responding to the killing of Berta Cáceres. Padre Melo (Ismael Moreno, S.J.) was at the front of the crowd on the day of her burial, together with Padre Fausto Milla of our diocese and two Claretian priests. A friend who was there told me how Padre Melo’s talk was interrupted by the mourning rites of the Garifuna. Rather than being distraught, he invited them to come forward and pray the Our Father in Garifuna.  He invited representatives of other indigenous groups from Honduras and Guatemala to come forward and pray the Lord’s Prayer in their languages. The prayer was also offered in Spanish and English. A US clergywoman who works with refugees was among those at the front.

But what about other sections of the church, especially the institution?

Perhaps the strongest institutional response to date has come from the Vatican. Yesterday I came across a strong letter from Cardinal PeterTurkson from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, dated March 15, lamenting the death and calling for an “independent and impartial investigation.”

On March 3, a letter was distributed which was signed by Caritas Honduras as well as several other diocesan offices of Caritas, together with various congregations of religious and parishes, mostly in the dioceses of San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba. I will translate this soon. I found it on the Caritas Honduras website but have not been able to access the site last night or today.

Caritas Honduras also had a statement on the killing of Berta Caceres dated March 11which I came across yesterday. 

The diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán had hoped that there would be a Mass for Berta Cáceres on the day of her burial and sent a priest with a special message. For various reasons they were unable to celebrate the Mass. This is my unofficial translation of the homily which was prepared for the funeral Mass.  (I will post the Spanish in my Spanish blog later since I only have the homily in printed version.)

Homily for the celebration of the funeral of Berta Cáceres
Parish of Our Lord of Intibucá
 Texts: Genesis 1, 1-31; Psalm 8; Luke 11: 21-27
 Brothers [and sisters]:
 We are gathered to entrust to the infinite and merciful love of God, our Father, Bertita Cáceres, whose death has filled with sorrow all of us citizens of Intibucá, of Honduras, and of the international community. At the same time we wish to console her family and her community with the tenderness of God, as the psalmist says.
 It is not our place to judge anyone; only God knows the depths of persons and only he knows that which is enclosed in the human heart. Therefore, his justice is always wrapped in mercy. In these moments, we turn our gaze to Christ who died for our sins and rose for our justification; be believe in him, we trust in him, and we hope in him.
 It is this Christian hope which we celebrate in a special manner in the holy Mass, since this sacrament is the memorial of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, his Passover, which gives all of us Christians a profound hope in the moments of grief and sorrow. It is a  certain faith that life continues for all those who believe and hope in Christ.
 We have heard the Word of God in the book of Genesis, which reveals to us God as Creator; he created the earth, water, trees, animals and everything that exists and as the summit of work that generates life, he create man and woman in his image and likeness. We are not the owners of the earth, nor of the [natural] resources, nor of life. We are simply administrators. Our obligation derives from this. To care, protect, and defend this common home. The goods which the Lord has created were destined for the common good, not for the good of a few. Thus we believe that our sister Berta understood this and struggled much for this.; she consecrated her life and sealed this struggle with her blood: to defend our natural resources and the rights of the indigenous.
 In this respect, our bishops in the Fifth Latin American Episcopal Conference in Aparecida declare the following:
 “The Church is grateful to all who devote themselves to defending life and the environment. Particular importance must be given to the most serious destruction under way in human ecology. She is close to small farmers who with generous love very laboriously work the land, sometimes under extremely difficult conditions, to draw out a livelihood for their families and to provide all with the fruits of the earth. She especially cherishes the indigenous for their respect for nature and love for mother earth as source of food, common home, and altar of human sharing.” (472)
 Analyzing the actions against the environment, such as the ominous consequences for the present and future of our Latin American continent, our bishops point out, continuing to point out that
 “Today the natural wealth of Latin America and the Caribbean is being subjected to an irrational exploitation that is leaving ruin and even death in its wake, throughout our region. A great deal responsibility in this entire process must be attributed to the current economic model which prizes unfettered pursuit of riches over the life of individual persons and peoples and rational respect for nature. The devastation of our forests and biodiversity through a selfish predatory attitude, involves the moral responsibility of those who promote it because they are jeopardizing the life of millions of people, and particularly the milieu of peasants and indigenous, who are pushed out toward hillside lands and into large cities where they live overcrowded in the encircling rings of poverty. Our region needs to advance in its agroindustrial development toward appreciating the wealth of its lands and its human talents at the service of the common good, but we must mention the problems caused by the savage uncontrolled industrialization of our cities and the countryside, which is polluting the environment with all kinds of organic and chemical wastes. A similar warning must be made about resource-extraction industries which, when they fail to control and offset their harmful effects on the surrounding environment, destroy forests and contaminate water, and turn the areas exploited into vast deserts.” (473)
 As the diocesan church we are grateful for the testimony and the struggle of Berta Cáceres in the defense of our natural resources, and we are in solidarity with our Lenca indigenous brothers [and sisters], making our own the words and sentiments which his holiness, Pope Francis directed to the indigenous in his recent visit to Mexico, by affirming to them:
 “In a systematic and structural way, your people have been misunderstood and excluded from society. Some have considered your values, cultures, and traditions as inferior. Others, dizzy with power, money, and the laws of the market, have stripped you of you lands and have implemented actions which contaminate them. How sad! Would that we all make an examination of conscience: forgive us, forgive us, brothers [and sisters]. Today’s world, despoiled by the throw-away culture, needs you.”
 With the words of Jesus which we have heard in the holy Gospel, we address the family of Berta: “your brother will rise; likewise we make clear our accompaniment, assuring you of our prayers.
 Brothers and sisters, let us renew the supreme act of handing oneself over to death which Jesus did to save us. Trusting also that the redemptive sacrifice reaches our sister Berta in so far as it is needed and that it be a source of forgiveness also for those who caused her death.
 The risen Lord strengthens our Christian hope: I am the Resurrection and the Life.