One of the Gospel imperatives which the prevailing culture denies very vigorously is that of servant-hood. It is true that servant leadership is one of the concepts proposed and taught in management studies, but if servant leadership is practised in the corporate world it is because of its ability to increase margins of profit in the world of business.

Its use in this way tends however to cloud the real meaning of Gospel or evangelical servant-hood. This is servant-hood as practised by Jesus. One of the constitutive elements of this type of servant-hood is availability for the work of the Kingdom.

It is true that there are many persons who in their business transactions seek to live ethical lives. It is also true however that most people are so involved in trying to make ends meet that the notion of being available to others so that God’s kingdom of Harmony, Peace, Justice and Love may be implanted in our land is almost totally non-existent.

It is in this situation that we must view the ordination of the first permanent deacons of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain and ask ourselves: “Why?”

We answer that question by dispelling a few false impressions and then by explaining just what is the diaconate. First of all, the diaconate is not an institution formed to solve the problems caused by the lack of priestly vocations. Neither will the diaconate do away with the need for lay ministers. The diaconate is the first in the sacrament of Orders in the Church. As such, a permanent character is given to deacons, which marks them out for service and which remains with them even if for one reason or another they return to the lay state and do not exercise the ministries in which they can take part. They are members of the clergy.

The diaconate came about because as the needs of the early Christian communities grew, the need for a new ministry of service became apparent. This ministry was necessary so that the apostles would not have to be caught up in looking after the material needs of the early Christians, especially the widows, and could have the time to dedicate themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6: 1 – 7). We are also told that seven men were presented to the apostles who, after prayer, laid their hands on them thereby infusing them with power for their work.

Permanent deacons are different to transitional deacons for whom the diaconate is one of the important steps on the road to priesthood. Permanent deacons, many of whom are married, have a special vocation in the Church. This vocation is to witness to evangelical servant-hood. While bishops and priests have a share in the governing office of the Church, deacons witness to another aspect of Church life – servant-hood or availability for the Kingdom. In the world of today, characterised as it is by an unbridled individualism, the witness of availability to others for the sake of the Kingdom – without counting the cost – is of extreme importance.