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WASHINGTON — Fifty-seven Orthodox Christian clergymen and lay leaders, including the heads of two leading Orthodox seminaries in the U.S., have issued a public statement calling on church leaders to defend Orthodox teaching on the creation and calling of man as male and female by opposing the appointment of deaconesses in the Orthodox Church. The statement comes in response to a public statement issued in October by nine Orthodox liturgical scholars in the U.S. and Greece, expressing support for the Patriarchate of Alexandria’s November 2016 decision to “restore” the ancient order of deaconesses and its February 2017 appointment of deaconesses...

VATICAN CITY, August 2, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — An American professor appointed to Pope Francis’ newly announced Special Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women subtly advocates for women’s ordination to the priesthood, and several other appointees have expressed questionable theological views. Pope Francis announced the members of the commission on Tuesday. In May, he promised a group of religious sisters that he would set up a commission to study the question of women deaconesses.   “After intense prayer and mature reflection,” Pope Francis decided to set up this commission, the Vatican announced in a press release. Rorate-Caeli...

The Character of Diaconal Ordination The Character of Diaconal Ordination | Deacon James Keating, Ph.D. | Ignatius Insight (This article was originally published on Ignatius Insight on August 17, 2010.) For such a "simple" station in the Church's hierarchy, the vocation of the deacon is complex. The complexity arises from the net of relationships in which the deacon finds himself upon ordination, a net that is not to be escaped but embraced. Unfortunately, the intricacy of the relationships of the diaconate can tempt a man to despair as he makes efforts to please all of his constituencies: wife, children,...

Featured Term (selected at random):TRANSITIONAL DIACONATE The temporary state of men who intend to go on for the priesthood. Before their ordination as deacons they must indicate whether they wish to enter the permanent or the transitional diaconate. They must also decide whether to marry or remain celibate. Once they are ordained deacons, they cannot marry and continue in the Church's ministry. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

16 new permanent deacons ordained Event marks "significant and memorable moment" in the life of diocese, says Bishop Loverde   Permanent Diaconate Ordination     Gretchen R. Crowe | Catholic Herald 1/15/11 It was a good day to be a deacon. From both the "old hats," including retired Deacon Sam Taub who was ordained a permanent deacon in 1973, and the 16 "new kids on the block," who were ordained Saturday morning, a spirit of joy and gratitude filled the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington. "Welcome to the family." "God bless you." "Congratulations." These words, accompanied by...

Featured Term (selected at random):CLERGY Those specially ordained for Divine Service as deacons, priests, or bishops. In this sense the clergy form the Church's hierarchy. Entrance into the clerical state now takes place when a man is ordained deacon. Formerly it was at the time he received first tonsure. (Etym. Latin clericus; from Greek kleros, lot, portion; the clergy whose portion is the Lord.) All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With Jump to: The 7 Sacraments (The Holy Mysteries)The 7 Corporal Works of MercyThe 7 Spiritual Works of MercyThe 3 Eminent Good WorksThe 7 Gifts of the Holy Ghost (& the Charismata)The 12 Fruits of the Holy GhostThe 3 Theological VirtuesThe 4 Cardinal VirtuesThe 7 Capital Sins & Their Contrary VirtuesThe 6 Sins Against the Holy GhostThe 4 Sins That Cry Out to HeavenThe 3 Conditions of Mortal SinThe 9 Ways We Participate in Others' SinsThe 10 CommandmentsThe 2 Greatest CommandmentsThe 3 Evangelical CounselsThe 6 Precepts of the ChurchThe Holy Days of Obligation (English)The...

Featured Term (selected at random):SUBDIACONATE Formerly one of the major orders, although not considered a sacrament. a subdeacon assisted a deacon and had certain other auxiliary responsibilities. The subdiaconate was the normal prelude to the diaconate and priesthood. Subdeacons took the vow of celibacy before ordination. The subdiaconate was suppressed by Pope Paul VI for the Latin Church in 1973. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

A number of indicators point to a resurgence in Catholic orthodoxy. A new group of emerging Catholic thinkers, writers, apologists, and leaders are already carrying the New Evangelization into the third millennium. Among them is Deacon David Hess. Perhaps not yet as well known as some of his colleagues, Hess has nevertheless received considerable attention for the depth of research in his co-authored apologetic book Jesus, Peter and the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy (Queenship, 1996). Hess's current research and writing project will defend the Church against attacks from schismatic traditionalist movements. If that work is anything like...

Document on Women Deaconesses Nears a Final Vote VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 27, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The International Theological Commission is now analyzing the final draft of a document that addresses the issue of the ordination of women deaconesses. A Vatican Press Office statement said the document will be voted on next week, when the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith holds its annual plenary assembly. The congregation coordinates the work of the theological commission. The Vatican congregation commissioned the document. ZENIT learned that the subcommittee which wrote the document was presided over by Henrique de Noronha Galvâo, a member of...