THE DIACONATE
IN TRIBUTE TO REV. DEACON CHARLES APPEL
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
BISHOP MICHAEL DUDICK - DEACON CHARLES APPEL - FATHER PHILIP SCOTT
This Web page will explore for the reader the origins, history and functions
of the diaconate in the Eastern Church and the role therein of our Deacon
Charles Appel, of recent memory, to whom it is dedicated. Of the three
major orders of the Church, the diaconate is third, following after the
episcopacy and the presbyterate. It was created by the Apostles in the
early days of the Church. According to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter
6, a dispute arose in the Church of Jerusalem between Greek and Aramaic-speaking
Christians, wherein the former complained that some of the poor were being
neglected. The dispute reached the Apostles who responded: "It is not
right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table", and directed
that seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, be appointed
to the task. (1) First of those chosen was Stephen,
first deacon and later first martyr of the Church. As remains the practice
in all of the ancient Apostolic Churches today, the seven were ordained
to the task by the imposition of the hands of the Apostles.
 The
word, "deacon", from the Greek word, "diakonos", means servant or helper.
The deacons in the early Church were the servants of the bishop and in
that capacity acted under the bishop's authority and subject to his orders,
being assigned tasks by him of pastoral administration and the care of
the needy. As the presbyters (priests) were eventually assigned duties
to act on behalf of the bishop, the deacons became increasingly the servants
of the priests. By the end of the fourth century the deacons became increasingly
associated with the eucharistic function as the priests' assistants and
therewith the liturgical function of the diaconate became paramount to
the exclusion of their charitable functions which were eventually taken
over by laymen. (2)
By the Middle Ages the diaconate in the Western Church was widely regarded
as irrelevant, or merely as a step on the way to the priesthood. (3)
In the Eastern Church, however, it retained its full vigor as it had evolved
in the first three centuries of the Church. By the time of St. John Chrysostom
the diaconate in the Eastern Church had achieved its paramount function
which it preserved in later centuries, namely that of serving bishop and
priests in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and other religious services
of the Church. (4) According to Theodore of Mopsuestia,
a fellow Antiochene and contemporary of St. John Chrysostom, one ought
to think of the deacons, when they carry out the gifts at the Great Entrance
for the offering, as images of the cherubim who minister at the eucharistic
liturgy, not only in their liturgical function but even in their outward
garb. The symbolism which Theodore developed for the transfer of the gifts
exercised lasting influence on the Byzantine liturgy and gives the rite
a greater importance than it has in other liturgies. So too, when the
deacons have brought in the gifts and placed them on the altar where they
stand in waiting at the side thereof, they may also be said to represent
the angels who stayed by Christ during His repose in the tomb until they
saw Him rise from the dead. See "THE BYZANTINE LITURGY" by Hans-Joachim
Schulz; pp. 18-19, ISBN: 0916134725. Thus Theodore of Mopuestia attributed
to the diaconate in its liturgical function a role far exceeding that
of mere servants, one seemingly quasi-sacerdotal, yet not reaching that
plane.
With the above as preface, we may now turn our attention to Deacon Charles
Appel, to whom this Web page is dedicated. Our deacon was born in 1921
of German parentage in Brooklyn, NY in a family of six children. He was
baptized and educated in the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), in which
he later served in many lay capacities. Years later when the Missouri
Synod split between conservatives and liberals, Charles, a conservative,
"went East", i. e. to Eastern Christianity where theological orthodoxy
and adherence to traditions are prized.
During the Great Depression Charles worked hard to contribute to the
support of his family. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor he joined
the US Navy and served as a Hospital Corpsman for the duration. He was
discharged honorably in 1946, the year that he married Elsie Alicea. Of
that union two children were born, a daughter, Cynthia, and a son, Neil.
From war's end until his retirement in 1986 Charles worked for shipping
companies, whereupon he, Elsie and their daughter moved to Georgia, where
he joined Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church in Roswell, GA.
At Epiphany, Charles served in religious education and as a reader-acolyte.
He studied for the diaconate and was ordained on June 23, 1991 by Bishop
Michael Dudick. (5) - (See Appendix
below) Following his ordination Deacon Charles served at the celebration
of the Holy Mysteries and other religious services of the church. Among
his duties was the solicitation of a fund for the construction of a new
iconostasis, which is in final stages of preparation.
After the death of Deacon Charles' daughter in 1999, he and Elsie moved
to New Jersey to be with their son and his family. Declining health was
the scourge of his final years. On December 17, 2000 he slipped the surly
bonds of earth, reached out with his orarion and touched the face of God.
ETERNAL MEMORY, ETERNAL MEMORY
BLESSED REPOSE AND ETERNAL MEMORY
ST. STEPHAN - FIRST DEACON - FIRST MARTYR
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In preparing this Web page, the author drew thoughts and words from the
New Testament; from an essay on the diaconate by Orthodox Archpriest,
Georges Florovsky, Orthodox Church in America; from Orthodox priest, John
Matusiak, Orthodox Church in America; from Fr. David Petras, Msgr. John
Sekellick, and Fr. Philip Scott, of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy
of Pittsburgh; from Mrs. Elsie Appel, and from the poetry of John G. Magee,
Jr.
FOOTNOTES:
1) In the early Eastern Church, women were selected as "deaconesses"
whose function was limited to the catechesis and care of women and children,
and preparing women for baptism and assisting therewith. At no time were
they ordained or admitted to a liturgical function. In time their role
was supplanted by other laymen and their service became unnecessary. From
time to time there is agitation in some quarters for the restoration of
deaconesses, a proposition ill received in the Churches of East and West
under the suspicion that the same might also be advanced by radical feminists
as a stepping stone to the ordination of priestesses, a notion wholly
alien to the traditions of the Church and theologically untenable.
2) In the Eastern Church there is a clear distinction between
ordination to the diaconate and ordination to the priesthood. The ordination
of a deacon takes place after the anaphora, i. e. after the consecration
of the holy gifts, which signifies that the deacon has no part in the
consecration. Ordination to the priesthood, however, takes place before
the anaphora so that the new priest may join the bishop and other priests
in the consecration.
3) Whereas the Western Church speaks of the "restoration
of the permanent diaconate" following Vatican Council II, after its demise
in the Middle Ages, the Eastern Church never lost the diaconate or reduced
it to a stepping stone to the priesthood.
4) For a more detailed summary of the diaconate, see Fr.
Georges Florovsky's essay, THE PROBLEM OF DIACONATE IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH,
which may be found at: http://www.philosophy-religion.org/diaconate/chapter_4.htm
5) The authority of a bishop to consecrate another bishop
or to ordain a presbyter or deacon derives from his succession to the
Apostles. On the first Pentecost, Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the power
of the Holy Spirit, vested in the Apostles as the first bishops, the authority
to govern His Church and to preach the Gospel to all nations. This mandate
was subsequently passed on by the Apostles to their successors by imposition
of the hands and by the power of the Holy Spirit, generation after generation
unto the present. The process by which Christ's original mandate has been
passed down to the bishops of today is called APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION and
is the essential mark of the Church recognized as such from its inception
by all of the ancient Apostolic Churches.
APPENDIX
RITE OF DIACONAL ORDINATION
There follows below the Rite of Ordination to the Diaconate according
to the usage of the RUTHENIAN BYZANTINE CATHOLIC (Greek Catholic) CHURCH
OF THE UNITED STATES. The rite takes place during the Divine Liturgy after
the anaphora and consecration of the holy gifts and following the words,
"And may the mercies of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ be with
all of you."
The subdeacons bring out the bishop's chair and place it before the holy
table, a little to the left, so that his back will not be to the holy
mysteries. The bishop sits in the chair and places the miter on his head.
The candidate for the diaconate is led out of the northern doors by the
archdeacon, who carries a cross and a candle. In the middle of the church,
the archdeacon says:
"By the will of God and by the work of the most
holy and life-giving Spirit , by the blessing of our Most Reverend Archbishop
and Metropolitan (name) the pious subdeacon is being promoted to the
diaconate, Most Reverend (Arch)Bishop, direct him."
When this has been said, the candidate makes a prostration. The Bishop
responds:
"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
by the breath of His mouth all their host."
The archdeacon and candidate approach a little closer:
Bless him, Most Reverend Bishop.
The candidate again makes a prostration. The Bishop says:
The Lord bless him from Zion. May he see the prosperity
of Jerusalem all the days of his life.
The archdeacon, standing with the candidate before the doors of the holy
altar, says:
Pray for him, Most Reverend Bishop.
The candidate again makes a prostration. The Bishop says:
The Holy Spirit shall come upon him and the power
of the Most High shall overshadow him.
And then immediately the candidate kisses the Bishop's hand, his epignation
and his right shoulder, and the Bishop says:
Christ is among us.
The candidate answers:
He is and He will be.
Then the archdeacon leads the candidate around the holy table three times,
as the candidate kisses the four corners of the altar. The cantors sing:
O holy martyrs, you have suffered courageously and
received your reward; pray to the Lord, our God to have mercy on our
souls.
Glory to You, O Christ our God; glory to the Apostles; joy to the martyrs
who proclaim the consubstantial Trinity.
Rejoice, O Isaiah! The Virgin was with child and bore as Son, Emanuel.
He is God and Man. Orient is His name. By Extolling Him we also praise
the Virgin.
These are all sung within the altar once, and again by the choir outside
the altar once. Then the Bishop rises and the chair is taken away. The
candidate goes to the right side of the Bishop and bows before the holy
table, saying three times:
O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
The candidate then kneels on his right knee; he lays his arms on the
holy table in the form of a cross, and places his forehead between his
arms on the holy table.
The Bishop places the end of the omophorion on the head of the candidate
and blesses him on the head three times.
The archdeacon exclaims:
Let us be attentive!
The Bishop imposes his hand on the head of the candidate,
saying aloud:
Divine grace, which always heals illnesses and supplies
what is lacking, ordains the pious subdeacon (name) to the diaconate.
Let us pray for him, that the grace of the Holy Spirit may come upon
him, and let us all say with the priests within the sanctuary:
Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Then the cantors outside the sanctuary also say this three times. The
Bishop then signs the deacon's head three times, as he says:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, Amen.
The archdeacon then says:
Let us pray to the Lord!
The Bishop places his hand on the head of the candidate and says:
Lord, our God, by Your foreknowledge and unsearchable
power, You pour out Your Holy Spirit in abundance on those You ordain,
that they may be ministers and servants of Your incorruptible mysteries.
O Master, now keep in all holiness this, Your servant (name), whom in
Your good will You have ordained through me to the service of the diaconate,
holding to the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. Grant to him the
grace given to Your first martyr Stephen, whom You called before all
others into the service of this ministry, and graciously enable him
to serve well and to please You in the office which You have given him
in Your Goodness, for those who serve well prepare themselves a good
position. Show Your servant to be perfect in all things. For Yours are
the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever.
R. Amen.
The chair is brought again. The Bishop sits as the archdeacon says the
litany:
In peace, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray
to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the peace in the whole world, for the well-being of the holy Churches
of God and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have
mercy.
For our Bishop (name), for his priests, and for his protection, preservation,
health and salvation, and for the works of his hands, let us pray to
the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
For the servant of God (name), now ordained deacon, and for his salvation,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
That the merciful God may grant him a pure and spotless diaconate, let
us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.
Protect us, save us, have mercy on us, and preserve us, O God, by Your
grace. Lord, have mercy.
Remembering our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed and Glorious Lady,
the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us
commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life, to Christ, our
God. To You, O Lord.
The Bishop stands, and the chair is removed. The Bishop imposes his hand
on the deacon, and says this prayer:
O God, our Savior, You established the law of service
for Your Apostles by Your incorruptible voice. You chose the first martyr,
Stephen, as the first deacon. You proclaimed him the first to fulfill
the office of deacon, as it is written in Your Holy Gospel, "If anyone
wishes to be first, let him be your servant." Now, Master, fill with
all faith, love, strength and holiness this Your servant (name) whom
You have made worthy to enter the service of the diaconate by the coming
of Your Holy and Life-Giving Spirit. For it is not by the laying on
of the hands, but by the visitation of Your abundant mercy, that Your
grace is given to those worthy before You. Grant that he may stand blameless
before You, being free from all sin, and that he may receive the unfailing
reward of Your promise. For You are our God, and we give glory to You,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. R. Amen.
Then they lift him up, and remove his subdiaconal cinture, and taking
this orarion, the Bishop places it on his left shoulder, saying in a loud
voice:
AXIOS!(1)
Then those inside the sanctuary say three times:
AXIOS!
And the same is sung three times by those outside the sanctuary.
Then the Bishop gives the censer and says:
AXIOS!
And this is again sung three times by those within and outside the sanctuary
as above.
Then he gives the ripidion, and says:
AXIOS!
And this again is sung three times by those within and outside the sanctuary
as above. The newly ordained deacon then kisses the Bishop on the hand,
and stands at the altar fanning the holy gifts.
1) The Greek word, axios, means "he is worthy". This proclamation
reflects the assent of the faithful to the act of ordination, and is a
vestige of the practice of the ancient Church in which candidates for
the major orders were presented for elevation to clerical rank by popular
acclamation. This practice of public acclamation, however, does not serve
as any precedent in support of the contention made by some that the early
Church was "more democratic" or that it recognized the right or the intrusion
of laymen in the consecration of bishops and the ordination of priests
and deacons and in the governance of the Church. The mandate of Christ
to govern the Church and to preach the Gospel was vested in the Apostles,
their successors and designees, to the exclusion of laymen. The Church,
then as now, was and remains hierarchical.
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