The Diaconate in Christ: A First Step towards the Restoration and Renewal of the Ministerial Role of Orthodox Deacons in Modern America

The late Deacon David Mascarenas was keenly interested in the historic diaconate and its restoration in the Orthodox Church. He was encouraged by the example of the Roman Catholic Church, where the permanent diaconate had become a present-day reality since Vatican II. No such movement had taken place officially in Orthodox Christianity and, as he realized, the practice and theology of the church was all over the map in terms of understanding and local use. Deacon David sought in his doctoral studies to engage both practically and historically with the issues to offer a possible restoration of the permanent diaconate within the Orthodox jurisdictions. His work should be of interest to priests, deacons, and laypeople who seek to understand the fuller possibilities for ministry in Orthodoxy.