The Vision of a Ministering Church

 

 

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard’s article, The Vision of a Ministering Church: Personal observations and reflections on the Nature of the Diaconate and Ministry in the Church

 

A Commentary

Deacon Anthony P. Cassaneto, Ph.D., Ed.D.

When I first read His Excellency’s article, I was impressed by his boldness, clarity, and understanding of a deacon’s ministry.  At the time of its publication, I was Director of Formation and Director of Ministry and Life inr the Archdiocese of New York. As Director of Formation, I had the opportunity to share His Excellency’s thoughts with the staff and faculty and encourage them to incorporate in their classroom instruction and personally His Excellency’s thoughts and reflections regarding the Nature of the diaconate and its ministry in the Church.  I thought this was important since the identity and ministry of the deacon at that time was still in question.  Why do we need deacons?  was the outcry of the day.   

The vocation of the laity is to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will (CCC §898).  They are to transform the world by proclaiming Christ by word and the testimony of life (CCC §905); and they are to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life (CCC §910). 

The man called to diakonia moves beyond his own self and reaches out to others in need—the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the lost and lonely. “He is strengthened by sacramental grace and dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service (diakonia) of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of mercy”(CCC §1588).

The collaboration of clergy (bishop, priest, and deacon) and the laity is the foundation of Christian ministry.  The bishop and priest have a sacramental role that enriches the Faithful in the Church through the reception of the graces received in the sacraments.  The deacon is the minister who brings Christ to those who are in corporal or spiritual need.  The laity called by their baptism serve the needs of the community by the gifts and charisms.   “You will know that they are my disciples by the way they love one another.”

 His Excellency enumerates three major principles that he suggests underlie the ministry of deacons, namely, (1) The diaconate is an extension of the mission of Jesus, the Servant-Healer; (2) This [diaconal] vocation is an authentic ministry of service; (3) The focal point of the deacons’ mission and ministry is the HUMAN PERSON who has been created by God with a dignity that is unique, sacred, and inviolable.

In order to do justice to these principles, I will only treat one principle at a time.  I challenge myself by asking a question based on the principle discussed.  For the first principle I may ask myself:   Am I a Servant-Healer to the People of God in the community to which I belong?  That will provide an opportunity to reflect on our activities, to determine whether or not some transformation is necessary in my diaconal ministry, and to pray for the humility and grace to live up to the principle that will identify me in my unique role of servant. 

Principle 1:  The diaconate is an extension of the mission of Jesus, the Servant-Healer.

Firstly, the deacon’s vocation is intimately rooted in the mission of Jesus and in what He came to say and to do in the world, namely, to proclaim the Good News of God’s saving love for humanity. 

We read in scripture, Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in His love.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. [John….]

Secondly, the deacon’s vocation is intimately rooted in the mission of Jesus and in what he came to say and to do in the world, namely, to transform the world through a pardoning, forgiving, reconciling, and liberating love.

The deacon outreaches to the community in many ways.  He brings to the table his own talents and attributes that serve as magnets and draws all those who are lost disciples back to the Church.  

 The deacon develops an affective maturity.  What does this mean?  Basically, agape (selfless love) becomes the driving force of his ministry.  He appreciates the importance of love in his own life and struggles against his own sense of selfishness.  St. John Paul II wrote in the Encyclical, Redemptor hominis,

man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it (§80).

 

Likewise, St. John Paul II explained in Pastores dabo vobis, this is a love which involves all the aspects of the person, physical, psychological and spiritual and which therefore demands full dominion over his sexuality, which must become truly and fully personal (§81).

Of particular importance for deacons, called to be men of communion and service, is the capacity to relate to others. This requires that they be affable, hospitable, sincere in their words and heart, prudent and discreet, generous and ready to serve, capable of opening themselves to clear and brotherly relationships, and quick to understand, forgive and console (§79).

 Deacons should be:

> persons who set standards that are higher

> persons who are more open, generous, and reassuring in relationships with others

> persons who, even in the midst of the meanness, violence, fear, stupidity, suffering,

            greed and injustice of this sin-wounded world of ours, strive not to waver from

            that call of Jesus to be meek, humble, gentle, poor in spirit, sufferers for

            justice sake. 

> more enthusiastic in their support of religious and civic causes

> more resolute in their attempts to establish genuine community

> more humane and compassionate in their ministry of healing and reconciliation.

 

Deacons are to be all of the things that the world around us considers to be the foolishness of Jesus Christ [John’s Gospel, Ch. 6], but which Jesus himself reveals to be THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.

 

In fulfilling the mission of Jesus, we must make every effort to reach out to those in need—be they physical or spiritual. 

 

The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy provide us with a specific way we are able to heal, to teach, to console, etc. They are our checklist of pastoral outreach projects that we can undertake in a parish community.

 

Corporal Works of Mercy

Charitable actions by which we help our neighbors in their bodily needs

FEED THE HUNGRY

GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY

SHLETER THE HOMELESS

CLOTHE THE NAKED

VISIT THE SICK

VISIT THE PRISONERS

BURY THE DEAD

GIVED ALMS TO THE POOR

 

“The Apostles’ decision to appoint ministers to attend to the needs of the Greek-speaking widows of the early Church at Jerusalem has long been interpreted as a normative step in the evolution of ministry.  It is seen as a practical response to Jesus’ command during the Last Supper mutual service among his followers.

 

In a world hungry and thirsty for convincing signs of the compassion and liberating love of God, the deacon sacramentalizes the mission of the Church in his words and deeds, responding to the master’s command of service and providing real-life examples of how to carry it out.”

[National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. § 36. USCCB.  2005].

Spiritual Works of Mercy

Actions that help our neighbor in their spiritual needs

COUNSELING THE DOUBTFUL

INSTRUCTING THE IGNORANT

ADMONISHING THE SINNER

COMFORTING THE SORROWFUL

FORGIVING INJURIES

BEARING WRONGS PATIENTLY

PRAYING FOR THE LIVING

AND THE DEAD

REFERENCE:

Article Title:  “The Vision of a Ministering Church: Personal observations and reflections on the Nature of the Diaconate and Ministry in the Church”

Author:  Bishop Howard J. Hubbard

Periodical:  Diaconal Reader published by BCD/NCCB

 

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR 

“The Most Rev. Howard J. Hubbard was born October 31, 1938, in Troy, N.Y. He attended St. Patrick’s School and La Salle Institute, both in Troy, and entered Mater Christi Minor Seminary in Albany in 1956. He furthered his studies at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, where he earned his college degree in philosophy. He continued his studies for the priesthood at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Albany on December 18, 1963, at the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome. He later did post graduate studies in social services at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

 

On February 1, 1977, he was appointed as the ninth Bishop of Albany by Pope Paul VI, making him the youngest bishop in the United States at that time; he was 38 years old. He was ordained to the episcopacy on March 27, 1977, at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y.

 

Bishop Hubbard submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Francis when he reached the age of 75, as required, and on February 11, 2014, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had accepted his resignation. At the time of his retirement, Bishop Hubbard’s 37 years as Bishop marked the longest tenure of any Bishop in the history of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

 

As Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Albany, he continues to be a voice for the poor, an advocate for justice, and a pastoral presence.”  [The Diocese of Albany page on the biography on the Bishop Emeritus Hubbard]

 

Bishop Hubbard was a member of the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate / National Conference of Catholic Bishops. As the National Association of Diaconate Directors’  President,  I had the opportunity to meet His Excellency and was very impressed with his perspective on the diaconate.  It was a fresh look at a ministry that was yet in its infancy stages.  Today his words are as relevant today as they were many years ago.