Deacon Digest

The Aging of the Diaconate in the United States

The editors of Deacon Digest have asked that I do a series of columns on contemporary issues facing the diaconate, and this will be the first of that series. If there are particular issues you’d like me to address, please contact me at billditewig@msn.comand I’d be happy to get them into the mix!

A particularly significant issue that should be of concern for us all is the aging of the diaconate in the United States. We are easily the “oldest” diaconate in the world, with the average age of deacons in the United States being well over 60. In fact, the statistical extremes are quite interesting, with nearly one-quarter (24%) of our deacons over 70 years of age, and less than 1% who are under 40! In fact, only 10% of our deacons are under the age of 50, and 62% are over 60!

Let me put this into some perspective. At the Second Vatican Council, the proposals made to renew a diaconate permanently exercised, as well as to open the diaconate to married as well as celibate men, included the provision that married candidates could be ordained at the age of 40 and over. When the Council Fathers began debating these various proposals, the vast majority objected, saying that 40 was too old, and they lowered the age for married deacons to 35. Their vision was of a diaconate still heavily engaged in raising their families and in their secular occupations. In this way, the bishops felt, the Church’s sacred ministers would be present in those areas of society that could not be reached as readily by priests.

So, what has happened, and more important, what’s to be done? Over time, at least here in the United States, the diaconate has emerged as a kind of “second career” ministry: something to be done only after the more important work of raising a family and having a career are in the past. When I was serving at the USCCB, I once got a phone call from a gentleman who asked me all about the diaconate, and said that he felt a strong call to this ministry but that he was ineligible. When I asked him why he thought he was ineligible, he answered that he wasn’t old enough yet! I asked him how old he thought he had to be in order to be ordained a deacon and he replied, “60”! In his experience, it seems, every deacon he had met was over that age and he simply assumed that the diaconate was a ministry reserved for, shall we say, more mature men. So, I think that very often, a cause of the problem is simply the misperception that the diaconate is only open to older men.

In addition, however, other things are at work. As I travel the country speaking with groups of deacons and raise this issue, I often hear that the reason many potential applicants are deferring entering the process stems from increased academic standards and the other demands of formation. Certainly the process has become much more comprehensive, although most formation programs try very hard to be flexible and accommodating of the needs of aspirants, candidates, and their families. One consistently hears that, “If I was going through formation today, I’d never be able to do it.” Or, “How can I encourage younger applicants when I know how much pressure this will put on the families?” These are excellent concerns, of course, which need to be addressed.

So, we need to ask ourselves, “What can we do to reverse this trend, and get younger deacons into service?” I think there are several things we can do. First, we must actually encourage younger applicants in the first place. Every family is different, and simply because one family may find the rigors of formation too much for them at this point in time, another family may find that the blessings of formation are just what their family needs right now! We have to be careful not to “read into” someone else’s family dynamic. In fact, perhaps it is helpful to remember what we’re speaking about here is a vocation from God, a call from the Lord into service, a call to be discerned with and through the Church. As we all know so well, being a deacon is not just about acquiring a set of skills to be put to use in a series of functions: we are speaking about sacramental formation into a new way of life. If the Lord is calling this young family man into diaconate, how can we discourage that call, or even recommend that the person defer that call until it is more convenient? If we recognize the sacramental character of the diaconate, we should be encouraging that young man to get involved in the formation process and let the discernment begin. If this is not a good fit, or if now is not the right time, this will become quite obvious in short order. We should do what we would do with any other young person who expresses an interest in a vocation to priesthood or religious life: begin testing that vocation immediately!

The other thing we can do is what many other countries do. Other countries have younger diaconates because they involve the entire family in the process. Here in the United States, we’re pretty good at involving our wives in formation; but, elsewhere, the whole family is included—and this is, in fact, recommended in our own National Directory! A few dioceses here have tried it with great success. How does it work?

It’s pretty simple, actually. During formation, the entire family is invited to the formation “center,” and a team of youth ministers/child care providers greet the family. The kids go off and get involved with various age-appropriate activities while Mom and Dad head off to formation. At meal times and prayer times, the whole group gets together again and “a joyous noise is made unto the Lord!” Would such a pattern work in your own diocese? In some cases, it is the diaconate community itself which forms the nucleus of the “youth ministers/child care provider” team, so the whole community benefits.

The statistics are pretty clear, and we have to do something to reverse this trend if the diaconate is to remain vital and the kind of transformational force in society which was envisioned by the bishops at Vatican II. I think we can do a lot to correct our course if we provide better background on the diaconate itself and its requirements (specifically, that it’s not the “retirees’ club” that some people think it is). Secondly, we have to make sure that we ourselves communicate to potential applicants that this is truly a vocation and not simply a kind of “volunteerism” that revolves around function. If it is a vocation, we should treat it like one, with the respect and seriousness it deserves! Third, and finally, we can examine our formational processes to see how and where we can make them more “family-friendly,” which would then encourage greater numbers of younger families to get involved.

What do you think?

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Deacon William T. Ditewig, Ph.D., directs the offices of faith formation, permanent diaconate and pastoral planning for the Diocese of Monterey, California. He is also an adjunct professor of theology and a theological consultant. Former Executive Director of the Secretariat for the Diaconate at the USCCB, Deacon Ditewig is a retired Commander in the United States Navy.