THE MINISTRY OF DEACON - #3

What makes successful parishes flourish? I am sure that many ingredients go into answering this question. No doubt successful parishes are places where Jesus Christ is at the center, where God is met in warm greetings and in congenial discourse, where the Spirit inspires human embrace and familiar handclasp. Furthermore, parishes flourish where people of every age mix the ingredients of prayer and praise, plaudit and participation. Parishes are built on relationships: the vertical relationship between God and community and the horizontal relationship among the sisters and the brothers.

I suspect that relationships are what make successful parishes flourish. Relationships are important for the development and the integration of natural and social life. Leslie Paul Thiele writes about environmental relationships in this way:

"Fritjof Capra has observed the emergence of a new 'social paradigm' grounded in the recognition of a dynamic interconnectedness that spans diverse fields of inquiry and action. This paradigm is defined as 'a constellation of concepts, values, perceptions, and practices shared by a community, which form a particular vision of reality that is the basis of the way the community organized itself.' This paradigm is grounded in a vision of 'the fundamental interdependence of all phenomena and the embededness of individuals and societies in the cyclical processes of nature' (Environmentalism for a New Millennium, NY: Oxford U.P., 1999, p. 43)."

Thiele envisions "a globally interconnected world in which biological, psychological, social, and environmental phenomenon are all interdependent.... A sustainable human community is aware of the multiple relationships among its members. Nourishing the community means nourishing those relationships (p. 43-44)."

Relationships change because nature and humankind, economic and ecological systems and human communities constantly undergo change, shifts, and fluctuation. "Safeguarding the 'interrelationships among species' is now the key ecological strategy....if one is going to 'build an ark to last,' one had better build it big enough to roll with the storms' (p.45)."

Parishes safeguard the interrelationships among its members' gifts. A wide variety of people get on the bark called church. Parishes have to cultivate relationships in order to roll with the storms. Both leaders and members need flexibility to protect entire ecclesial ecosystems, to birth and to maintain "the flow and dance of evolution.' The goal is to facilitate (or at least not impede) nature's resilience in the face of change (p. 46). "The goal for parishes is to facilitate relationships amid the vicissitudes of life today.

The ministry of deacons is important for nurturing and fostering relationships. Deacons are ordained for service in the diocesan church. They stand in direct relationship with their bishop and they are bridges between the church and the world.

Most deacons (94%) are married. They mirror the meaning, the blessing, and the give-and-take that occurs in successful marriages. Deacons build relational bridges between the clergy and the Religious, the church professionals and the dedicated members of a parish. In addition, deacons promote and sustain the apostolic activities of lay people.

Ultimately, all church life is in the service of relationship. Christian communities promote the reign of God in local settings, streets, and sanctuaries. Parishes flourish when they act on behalf of the Kingdom or the reign of God. Parishes flourish when cooperation and mutual regard bowl together on the ecclesial commons.