Celebrating a Mass and then holding a dialogue at the annual Convocation for Permanent Deacons and Wives held Nov. 9 at St. Joseph Church in Largo, Cardinal Wilton Gregory thanked deacons and their families for their service to the Church, and spoke about the recent Synod of Bishops and its goals for the Catholic Church’s worldwide family of faith.
In his homily at the Mass that opened the gathering for permanent deacons of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, the cardinal said, “Those who serve us as deacons in the Church must never lose sight of their common bonds with those that you seek to minister – as should all priests and especially those of us in the episcopacy.”
Washington’s archbishop said that instead of having a superior attitude of clericalism, clergy must always have a “common touch” as they prayerfully seek to be servants of the Gospel and servants of their neighbors.
“We are servants – first and last – and the gifts that we bring to the Church are intended to unify and strengthen all those within the Church,” he said.
Concluding his homily, the cardinal thanked the deacons “for the love and dedication that you and your wives and families bring to the Church here in the DMV and specifically to the diaconal ministry.”
About 100 permanent deacons and their wives, joined by deacon candidates, sat together at the Mass, with some of the deacons wearing their white dalmatic vestments and stoles, and others wearing clerical black or grey.
Afterward, Cardinal Gregory held a dialogue with the deacons and their wives, discussing key themes from the Synod on Synodality held in October in Rome.
“The very name Synod means that we walk together. We are in union with each other… The spirit of the Synod calls us to help bridge the differences we have, culturally, age-wise, in terms of clergy and religious,” the cardinal said.
He noted that after the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. Paul VI revived the idea of having Synods in the Roman Church, continuing a tradition from apostolic times that has been a key aspect of the Eastern Church, to call together bishops, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit to surface needs, “to help guide, focus and inform the Church” and to propose solutions. That was a dynamic of the Church from the beginning, he said, noting how the diaconate was formed in a similar spirit by members of the early Church coming together to address the needs of widows, and the ministry of deacons expanded to serve the poor, which continues to be central to their ministry today, along with preaching the Gospel.
Synods, the cardinal explained, “focus on the needs, the possibilities, the hopes, the dreams and the difficulties” facing people in the Church and those whom they serve.
Cardinal Gregory pointed out how recent Synods of Bishops have focused on key Church topics, like priestly identity, religious life, vocations and youth, and also have addressed concerns of the Church in Europe, Africa, the Americas and in the Amazon region.
For the Synod on Synodality, preparatory sessions were held on diocesan levels, with key points consolidated at the level of bishops’ conferences and then on a continental basis, before Synod gatherings last year and this year that included the active participation of laity, religious and people of other faiths joining the bishops.
The cardinal noted how the Synod participants sat at round tables in different language groups.
“One of the things that I found most encouraging and edifying was there was a spirit of respect that was present in all those conversations,” Cardinal Gregory said. “…The Synod was intended to allow us to speak honestly, openly and candidly, and to listen to what other people had to offer.”
During the dialogue with the permanent deacons and their wives, Cardinal Gregory summarized six key themes from the Synod’s final document, which has not yet been translated into English:
- Transparency and accountability – Cardinal Gregory noted how the lack of those things has been at the root of much of the sorrow that the Catholic Church has experienced in recent years due to issues like the clergy abuse crisis and the Vatican’s financial scandals. “The Church must be more accountable in its direction and much more transparent,” he said.
- Lay participation – “The Synod document will say that the Church is best as the Church when it includes everyone in the Church, laity as well as clergy,” the cardinal said. He added that means the laity playing a larger role in the Church’s decision-making process, such as in helping to propose and vet bishop candidates.
- Relationships – The cardinal said that involves “how do we get along with each other within the life of the Church, as well as in the life of our neighbors who do not share our faith? It touches on ecumenism. It really is a key part of the way we should be Church.”
- Ecclesial discernment – “We have to turn to each other to make judgments for the life of the Church,” Cardinal Gregory said, noting how when he arrived as Washington’s archbishop, he asked that two or three lay couples be a part of the board reviewing candidates for the priesthood.
- Popular piety – Washington’s archbishop noted how the archdiocese includes “a wide variety of cultures and ethnic communities, and they bring their forms of prayer with them.” They enrich the Church and reflect its universality, he said.
- Rights of lay people – “We have to learn as clerics to respect the rights of those we seek to serve,” Cardinal Gregory said, noting there are times “when we as clerics don’t see and respect the dignity, the wisdom and the experiences of our lay folks.” He added that clergy need to recognize and draw on the gifts of lay people.
Responding to questions from the convocation participants, the cardinal said that he hoped that the Synod document would strengthen the bonds between those serving in parish ministry, including priests, deacons, religious and lay people.
Cardinal Gregory said the table conversations of Synod participants from around the world showed that “some of our problems are their problems, too.”
“There was significant conversation on how do we pass on the faith to a new generation of young people” and engage them in the life of the Church, he said.
Responding to a question from a deacon serving in an inner-city parish, the cardinal said, “The synod took up the issue of the Church’s responsibility to the marginalized, to the poor. Pope Francis has made no secret of his admonition to the whole Church to reach out to the peripheries.”
Washington’s archbishop added that material and spiritual poverty impact people. “The diaconate has a special responsibility to the poor, whether in the inner city or in some of our most affluent communities,” where some people experience depression and loneliness, he said.
Cardinal Gregory said deacons “are the bridge builders,” linking their ministry at the altar to their outreach to those in need. “You bring the poor into the presence of Christ,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, the cardinal underscored the importance of passing on the faith to young people, saying the time he spends with them at schools and parishes “is the best time of my life.” He added, “I really think I can make a positive gesture toward these young people.”
Cardinal Gregory noted that in December, he will mark his 41st anniversary as a bishop, and during that time, he estimates that he has confirmed about 150,000 young people. “The thing I want to accomplish,” he said, “is I want the youngsters to say, ‘I only met one bishop in my life personally, and he liked me.’”
The deacons and their wives and the deacon candidates then stood and applauded the cardinal.
