The Curia’s decision to introduce permanent deacons has been long coming. Vatican Council II restored the permanent diaconate half a century ago paving the way for lay Church members, even if married, to celebrate marriages, baptisms, funerals, bring the viaticum to the dying, instruct and exhort people and preside over the worship and prayer of the faithful. The role of permanent deacons is to be of service to the community.

The idea was floated in Malta during the diocesan synod over a decade ago. Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona was keen on introducing permanent deacons and in 2012 appointed a commission to look into the proposal. He announced the decision at this year’s diocesan assembly, aptly named ‘The Church at the service of man, at the service of life’, though the move took many by surprise.

The change will not happen overnight. Men who come forward to be ordained permanent deacons will be screened and their vocation discerned by the Church. This will be followed by a three-year course. Married men would need the consent of their wives.

Interestingly, Mgr Cremona said the introduction of permanent deacons was not the result of a falling number in vocations for priesthood. They would not be linked to a particular parish but to the diocese and be assigned work according to the needs of the diocese, although they may serve in parishes too.

The move, once implemented, would not just increase the Church’s resources but also enhance the new archbishop’s ability to deploy his resources in a more efficient manner.

This contrasts with the situation in some Western countries where permanent deacons generally make up for the shortage of priests. Especially in areas where no priest is available to celebrate the Eucharist, deacons are called upon to take on a more missionary role among Christian communities.

The archbishop’s delegate for the laity, Joe Farrugia, has emphasised that permanent deacons should be welcomed not just by the community but even by the clergy. He foresees that permanent deacons as being very useful as part of the Church’s outreach in hospitals, prisons and among families facing problems arising from social or economic challenges.

The decision on permanent deacons came to a background of a bishops’ synod on the family at the Vatican. Titled ‘The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelisation’, the synod struck a more conciliatory tone by calling for more acceptance and appreciation of divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and homosexuals.

Speaking at the synod in Rome, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech called on the Church to use merciful language that brought healing when speaking about families.

The reality, he said, is that the “family” today includes scenarios in which a man and a woman, who are both divorced, are living together in a second relationship, where a son or daughter are gay and where relationships have been torn apart by failure. Writing in this paper, the bishop also said that the Church needed to give fresh answers to those who, because of their critical marital situation, have to “carry a hefty spiritual, human and social burden”.

One way to reach out to these families would be through permanent deacons, especially married ones who, once properly trained and strengthened by their own life experiences, can be a great asset for the Church.

In view of the state of some Maltese families, permanent deacons certainly have their work cut out.