Female Deacon

[Vickles]

I am female thinking of a vocation in the church (outside of the nunery) when I'm older and was wondering if it is possible for a female to be a deacon. If it is, how? If it isn't, why?

Thank you very much.

[Cam42]

Hi Vickles,

This is a short answer. No. You cannot become a deacon.

[quote]When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church." (Ordiantio Sacerdotalis #1)[/quote]

Now, you may be thinking, I said deacon not priest. Well, the office of deacon is a ministry that is DIRECTLY linked to the priesthood. It is the first level of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, so ordination is not possible.

The three levels:
1. Diaconate
2. Presbyteriate
3. Episcopate

[quote]Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful. (OS #4)[/quote]

I would implore you to read [url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html"]Ordinatio Sacerdotalis[/url] and [url="http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df76ii.htm"]Inter Insigniores[/url].

I think that those two documents will sum it up quite nicely AND they are not too difficult to read.

Cam