were set aside, ordained to the task of serving Christ’s Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia points
out that the appointment of the first seven was the first separation of an ecclesiastical nature from
the Apostolate. These seven men were representatives of the Apostles because they were full of
the Holy Spirit. 4 Although not specifically called deacons in this passage of Acts, as early as the
second century, St. Irenaeus speaks of Stephen as the first deacon. These men, from the
beginning, were involved in more important matters referring to spiritual life. St. Ignatius of
Antioch would say in his letter to the Trallians, “Not just servers of meats and drinks but servants
of the Church of God…let all reverence the deacons as an appointment of Jesus Christ, who is
the Son of the Father.” 5 St. Ignatius, a contemporary of St. Paul, writing in the first century AD,
refers to deacons as servants of the Church, in the same manner as priests and Bishops serve the
Church. Scripture tells us that Phillip would go to Samaria and preach with much success. He
baptized the faithful and his evangelization was so fruitful, Apostles John and Peter would go to
Samaria to bestow the Holy Spirit on those Phillip had baptized. Not much was written about the
rest of the seven, however it has been said that Prochorus was one of the seventy-two sent out by
Jesus. It does seem, though that the diaconate from its beginning was an integral part of the early
Church. As noted in the introduction the Greek word diakonos means, “to serve another, a
servant or minister.” Another definition offered by the Theological Dictionary of the New
4
Johann Peter Kirsch. "Seven Deacons." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1912. Accessed July 6, 2018, .
5
Ignatius of Antioch. “Letter to theTrallians,” Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. From Ante-
Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY:
Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. Accessed June 19,
2018. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0106.htm.
7