Jubilee of Deacons: Connecting the Altar to the Street
Friday 7th March 2025A permanent deacon from our diocese joined thousands of others from across the world for a joyful celebration of hope in Rome.
Deacon Stephen Scott, assistant director of our diocesan permanent diaconate programme, travelled to the Vatican to celebrate the Jubilee of Deacons in February.
Representatives of the diaconate from across the world took part in the celebration, bringing along their wives and families to total more than 6,000 pilgrims celebrating this specific jubilee.
The programme began on Friday 21 February with recitation of the Midday Prayer, before afternoon catechesis and sharing of experiences.
Saturday presented the deacons with an opportunity for pilgrimage to the Holy Door at St Peter’s, in addition to the International Meeting of “Deacons in a Synodal and Missionary Church: To be Witnesses of Hope”.
The weekend ended with a special ordination Mass presided by Archbishop Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, on behalf of Pope Francis, during which he relayed the Pope’s message to deacons in his homily.
He said: “Dear deacons, your mission sets you apart from society only to be re-immersed in it in order to enable it to be an ever more open and welcoming place for everyone. It is one of the finest expressions of a synodal Church, one that “goes forth.””
This seemingly contradictory concept of being both “apart” and “immersed” in society was a theme that particularly resonated with Deacon Stephen, who reflected on a deacon’s mission to connect “the altar to the street”.
He said: “During the Jubilee celebrations, three distinct words were shared with the deacons to highlight our mission of service: humility, patience, and listening.
“One beautiful aspect of our unique ministry is our call to bring Christ to the centre of everyday life, undoubtedly in our parish communities but crucially in our family lives and in the workplace.
“By simply being present in the heart of the ordinary, a deacon can strive to bring the peace and love of Christ to everyone around. Through humble service, patient understanding, and careful listening, our aim is to point our friends, families, and colleagues towards a God that walks with us through the everyday; a God of hope who is always patient, always listening, always helping us draw ever closer to Him.”
The Permanent Diaconate in our Diocese
We are delighted to see the permanent diaconate beginning to flourish in our diocese, serving parishes, schools, and communities by living the Gospel through a unique combination of family, work, and parish life.
If you would like to find out more about what the permanent diaconate means for your parish, or are perhaps discerning a vocation to the permanent diaconate, please speak to your parish priest or find out more by clicking here.
To contact a member of the team, please email:
Fr Chris Gorton – Director of the Permanent Diaconate Programme – at chris.gorton@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
Deacon Stephen Scott – Assistant Director of the Permanent Diaconate Programme – at stephen.scott@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
Tagged | Jubilee 2025 | Vocations
