Life as a Deacon

– Brought to you by: Rev. Deacon Craig Aburn and Rev. Deacon Tito Pereira

Aas we have 2 Deacons from England who are joining us at Mass this morning, Fr. Bernardino has asked them both to write something about their vocation and the Deacon’s ministry, as not many people know about Deacons and their role in the Catholic Church.

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The Rev. Deacon Craig Aburn was recently ordained as a Deacon. He has been here many times during his formation time and today will be his first homily in Madeira as a Deacon.

I am Deacon Craig Aburn from the Diocese of Portsmouth in England. I am one of about 40 deacons in our Diocese and some dioceses in England have many more than us. Although some dioceses and even some countries still don’t have Permanent Deacons, the Ministry was restored at the Second Vatican Council over 50 years ago.
The Deacon’s Ministry is to assist the Bishop and Priest. It is a threefold ministry of Word (proclaiming the Gospel and preaching at Mass), Altar (assisting with specific duties at the altar – preparing the altar, giving the invitation to exchange the sign of peace, administering Holy Communion, cleansing the vessels and giving the Dismissal at the end of Mass) and Charity (pastoral and administrative work, visiting the sick, Catechesis, etc.) The Deacon can also bless articles of devotion and people and give Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. All Priests are also Deacons as they are ordained Deacon some months before being ordained Priest and carry out all the duties of the Deacon at Mass if there is no Deacon present. Permanent Deacons can be married, although not all are. I am here with my wife, Nicki, my two children and also my mother.

God bless,
Deacon Craig
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The Rev. Deacon Tito Pereira was ordained 9 years ago and is now visiting Madeira, and has also been in our Chapel many times before.

I was born in Funchal, Madeira, into a normal Madeiran family. Catholic traditions were part of our day to day life. I recall all the festivals especially Christmas and Easter and how important they were to us. In the 70s my parents emigrated to England and I ended up living over there. When I started attending catholic school I became aware of the importance of the faith in my family. I married an English woman and had three sons. As a family we attended Mass each week and got involved in parish life, teaching and preparing young people for the sacraments.
One day, my priest invited me to have a talk with the vocations director where I was introduced to the diaconate. After a period of discernment, I started the diaconate program. I was ordained as a permanent deacon in 2007.
One of the most important aspects of the diaconate is the work of charity, being involved with poor and marginalized people. I have been able to work with some of the poorest people in society through both my work and through my parish. I continue to prepare young people and adults for the sacraments and in the parish I assist the priest with baptisms and weddings and occasionally with funerals. I have assisted Masses in both Portuguese and English, including conducting my own grandmother’s funeral in both languages.
Most of my ministry takes place not in the sanctuary but on the street or in people’s homes. Often, I have access to people who never attend church or are not catholic. I have found that most of the time I am not even aware that I am ministering to people, but later they tell me that they want to join the church or come back to church.
The diaconate is not the priesthood; it is different, just like a monk or a nun is different. It can be hard to define the diaconate because for every deacon the ministry is different. Permanent deacons work in the world, as teachers, prison officers, business, in fact the whole array of jobs and each one offers an opportunity for reaching out to those in need in whatever circumstances they find themselves.
I hope that more deacons are introduced in Portugal. At first people may be anxious about this ministry but it is a ministry that is as old as the church.
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Interestingly, Madeira honours two deacon saints: São Vicente (Saint Vincent of Saragossa) and São Lourenço (Saint Lawrence), who both have towns named after them on the island