Diocesan Diaconate Discernment and Information Day, Saturday, February 25; 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at Christ Church, Dover. The Discernment Day is for all persons who are considering a call to the diaconate and also for parishes who would like to engage the ministry of a deacon. The purpose of the session is to interpret the ministry and work of a deacon, how one becomes a deacon and the responsibilities of a diaconal parish. To register for the Discernment Day or if you have questions, please click here to send Father Larry Hofer an email.
PHOTO, L-R: In October, 2011, Deacons Dorothy Vuono, Tom McCormick, Sheila Sharpe and Pat Malcom traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to attend the Association of Episcopal Deacons meeting for Province III. There, along with over 40 other deacons and archdeacons, they were priviliged to hear keynote speaker Bishop Eugene T. Sutton speak on "The Prophetic Role of the Diaconate" and to share ministries, ideas, and questions. It was an uplifting time for all.
Deacons in the
Episcopal Diocese of Delaware
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.
Contact Us
To learn more, explore the following documents:
(PDF documents can be printed. Also, they can be saved to your computer and emailed to others.)
- 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
- 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
- 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
Wells for Hope a Success! (See photos below of wells.) The Deacons of the Diocese of Delaware thank all who participated in the "Wells for Hope" campaign in early 2011. The Diocese has raised $8,173 to purchase a well through Episcopal Relief and Development. We are blessed to have had such support in this endeavor. Our well-building program is centered in Nicaragua this year of 2011. A well, including the drilling, the liner, the pump, the training around hygiene, and maintenance costs about $5,000. This will serve a whole village. The funds we are contributing will be combined with others to underwrite the costs of 2 wells in the Nicaragua country program, and the accompanying activities. (In the photo above from diocesan convention are, left-to-right, Deacons Katherine Tate, Patricia Malcolm, Sheila Sharpe, Cecily Sawyer Harmon, and Dorothy Vuono.)
Above: pictures of wells recently dug at the San Lorenzo project in Nicaragua. Two more wells will be dug there by Episcopal Relief and Development, wells to which we contributed $8,173. Click on either of the images to see them larger.
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.
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.
Current Examining Chaplains and their areas of competency:
- Practical Training and Experience, (open)
- Theory and Practice of Diaconal Ministry, The Rev. Joann Barker
- Holy Scriptures (Academics), The Rev. Russell Bohner
- Human Awareness & Understanding, The Rev. Jeffrey Ross
- Ethics & Moral Theology (Academics), The Rev. Canon Lloyd Casson
- Spiritual Development and Discipline, The Rev. Celeste Cox
- Liturgy (Practical Application), The Rev. Ed Godden
- Church History (Academics), Dr. William Innes
- Theology including BCP Theology (Academics), The Rev. Canon Carl Kunz
The original Diaconate Program Committee:
The Rev. Rita Nelson, Program Director
The Rev. Barbara Duncan
Ms. Christina Brennan Lee
The Rev. Dr. James L. White
Mr. Joseph Gates
The Rev. Canon Dr. Mark Harris
Ms. Patricia Hampton
Ms. Rae Booth
Mr. Ralph Peters
Ms. Barbara Krieger
Ms. Diane Burlew