Deacons in the
Episcopal Diocese of Delaware
Deacons attended the North American Association for the Diaconate (NAAD) Conference in June, 2010. All six diocesan deacons attended the tri–annual NAAD Conference held in Chicago. During the conference, the deacons met with author and Archdeacon Ormonde Plater. Pictured left to right are Deacons Tom McCormick, Pat Malcolm, and Dorothy Vuono, Archdeacon Ormonde Plater, and Deacons Sheila Sharpe (AF), Cecily Sawyer Harmon, and Susan Phillips.
Deacons take their place in the life of the Church as one of the four orders of ministry, along with lay persons, bishops and priests.
Their ministry is defined by scripture, tradition, custom, and canon law. The Deacon is a primary sign of the relationship of the Church to the society, as a reflection of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s relationship to the world.
The Deacon is charged to speak the truth to the Church, and the Church’s truth to the world, based on the experience of service to the broken, the downtrodden and the helpless. The Deacon is therefore expected to contribute to the prophetic role of the Church as experience, vision, and the Holy Spirit give voice. The Deacon offers prayer and service as an outward and visible sign of the ministry of the whole church.
Deacons provide a sacramental focus for the ministry of prayer and service to the poor and poor in spirit, and for this reason Deacons are set apart and ordained by solemn vows. They are part of the church’s visible order, part of the outward and visible sign of the grace which lies at the center of our lives in Christ. Deacons are diocesan ministers. They serve in direct relationship to the bishop. They serve together in a community with other deacons in the diocese. Individually they take their part in the governance of the Church as canon allows. They may serve in the congregation from which they were raised up, in other congregations, or in specialized ministries.
To learn more, explore the following documents:
(PDF documents can be printed. Also, they can be saved to your computer and emailed to others.)
- Updated: Diaconate Competency Syllabi (Course Requirements) (PDF) Areas include Holy Scriptures, Theology, Ethical and Moral Theology, Church History, Liturgy, Theorgy and Practice of the Diaconate, Human Awareness and Understanding, Spiritual Development and Discipline, and Practical Training and Experience. April, 2010
- New: Supporting the Vocational Deacon Process: The challenge for parishes to support those aspiring to be vocational deacons in the Episcopal Church, by the Very Rev. William Lane, Dean, The Cathedral Church of Saint John. March, 2010
- What Does a Deacon Do? (PDF) Deacon Dottie Vuono lists the many possible activities of an active deacon. December 2009
- What does it mean to reach out? Diaconate aspirant Kathryn M. Jakabcin reflects on why people deserve care and why deacons give it. November 2009
- Diaconate brochure answers frequently asked questions and more (PDF). December, 2008
- A Guide to the Diaconate Discernment Process (PDF) Deacon's Handbook to the discernment process, focusing on the diaconal aspirant. February 2010
- A Guide to the Congregational Discernment Process for Deacons (PDF) The discernment process, focusing on the congregation sponsoring the diaconal aspirant. February 2010
- Updated: Diaconate Competency Syllabi (Course Requirements) (PDF) Areas include Holy Scriptures, Theology, Ethical and Moral Theology, Church History, Liturgy, Theorgy and Practice of the Diaconate, Human Awareness and Understanding, Spiritual Development and Discipline, and Practical Training and Experience. April, 2010
- Contemplation for Diaconate Discernment Committee (PDF) Eight pages of scripture and tradition. November, 2008
- or contact us if you have a question.
Recent History of Deacons in the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware
On Saturday, December 5, 2009, Bishop Wright (center) ordained Delaware’s first class of vocational deacons among a standing-only crowd at St. Stephen’s, Harrington. “The joy and spirit of the ordination could not be dampened by the weather,” said the Rev. Gary Rowe, Canon to the Ordinary. “It was a great culmination to the ordinands’ years of discernment and hard work.” Pictured with the bishop (from left to right) are Deacon Susan Philips, All Saints’, Rehoboth Beach; the Rev. Rita Nelson (leader of the diaconate program); Deacon Sheila Sharpe, St. Albans, Wilmington; Deacon Cecily Sawyer-Harmon, the Cathedral Church of St. John, Wilmington; Deacon Patricia Malcolm, Christ Church, Dover; Deacon Dorothy Vuono, Christ Church, Milford; and Deacon Thomas McCormick, St. Martha’s, Bethany Beach. Photo by Bob Gilley. Click on the photo to see it larger.
Click here to read Bishop Ihloff's sermon given at the ordination.