Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Summer 2014 Issue | Page 4

Serving Christ through Servanthood
The Vocational Diaconate
Emily Cherry

Upon their ordination, men and women who join the Sacred
Order of Deacons are charged with the following:
God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly
under your bishop. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve
all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

At first glance, the ministry of deacons is pretty straightforward:
They are called to serve. But for some, the vocational diaconate is
still shrouded in a bit of mystery – and confusion.

The vocational diaconate is an order still relatively new in the
Diocese of Virginia. To be a vocational deacon means that you are
ordained to serve out your entire ministry as a deacon. Today, 14
people are vocational deacons, and 12 more – eight from Virginia
and three from Southern Virginia – are in the process through
the new Deacons’ School (see article, p. 6). The first class of
vocational deacons in Virginia entered the formation process in
2008, and the deacons were ordained in February 2011.

Change doesn’t always come easily – particularly in a diocese
as historic and steeped in tradition as Virginia. So the “new to
us” order of the vocational diaconate comes with something of

a learning curve. How is a priest different from a deacon? What’s
the difference between a transitional deacon and a vocational
deacon? And what is the role of the deacon in litur