Anthony Paganoni CS: a new vision needed for deacons

It is true that a new vision is needed, one that widens the focus of the deacon from his threefold ministry of Altar, Word and Charity, that is, worship leadership, preaching and charity.

The mix of these three factors, however, has yet to reach an amicable level of acceptance. Ever since the introduction of permanent diaconate by the Vatican Council, there has been a juggling act around the globe, with varying expectations and emphases being brought to bear on it by countless external factors and agents. The overall tilting is in favour of service, that magic area called diakonia.
But even this Greek word seems on the verge of losing its long-revered meaning and century-old understanding for a wider application.
German scholars have yielded interesting results in relation to the meaning that diakonia carried for the Greek-speaking people who were members of the early communities of the Church.
In the book Diakonia: Re-interpreting the Ancient Sources, it is argued that the various meanings of diakonia had nothing to do directly with “Works of Charity”. For ancient Hellenists –whether Christian or not – diakonia was an expression that implied carrying out tasks of whatever kind under a mandate, be it political, religious, civic or domestic.
At first, this novel interpretation has not been well accepted. Recently, at least in academic circles, however, this interpretation has been gaining  ground. It is argued that the term diakonia never occurs in the New Testament: it is rather part of the general currency and has nothing to do with the radical Christian emphasis on love of neighbour. If this is accurate, it clearly signals the need to make a sustained effort at radical re-thinking. This new understanding would also reposition the sense of the deacon’s identity and ministry in Catholic circles. 
In the midst of this startling diversity of theological understandings, the diaconal identity should rather be pursued in his relationship with the Bishop, by way of assisting and serving the needs of pastoral oversight as determined by the one who exercises that oversight. According to Prof John N Collins, the Australian New testament scholar with a special interest in issues of ministry, “it is no longer acceptable to try to define the ministry of the deacon in terms of such service, as many have done in the past …”. Instead, he proposes a theology of the diaconate grounded in ways in which the historical diaconate was shaped toward servicing the Bishop’s ministry of episcope.
Sacred Order 2. pastoral (basically boundary problems, involving the issue of who does what) and 3. personal (connected with the theological and pastoral grey areas, causing, in many dioceses, a morale problem for the diaconal ministers). This morale problem may be the result of an unclear theological interrelationship between roles, or it may stem from the issue of the deacon’s marital status. On many occasions, marriage or family life requires the full attention of the deacon.
He finds himself in a dual sacramental situation: his married life and his diaconal life. And the celibate clerical leadership, both Bishop and priest, may not be sensitive or appreciative of the pull factors between family and ministry.