deacons

The number of permanent deacons in the Catholic Church in the United States continues to rise, according to a national survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, at Georgetown University. Nationally there are more than 18,000 deacons, about 3,000 of them retired. Many permanent deacons hold jobs outside of the ministry. An estimated 21 percent of active permanent deacons are also compensated for ministry. A small percentage of deacons work full-time in pastoral care in a parish or at a social services agency. Ninety-three percent of active deacons are currently married; 4 percent are widowers and 2 percent never married. About a quarter are in their 50s; 43 percent are in their 60s; and 25 percent are 70 or older. “The statistics are encouraging,” said Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. “But they also alert us to the fact many of the deacons will soon reach retirement age. This suggests a need for bishops to recruit a greater number of men to join the ranks of the permanent diaconate.”

This article appears in August 26-September 2 2013.