Deacons

Deacons are below priests in the church hierarchy. Permanent deacons are men who are ordained to the office of deacon who have no intention of moving on and becoming priests. They can be single or married. However, they must be married before they become deacons. A deacon is not allowed to get married. If a deacon's wife dies, he can be ordained a priest with the permission of the local bishop.

Transitional deacons are seminarians, or students in the last phase of training to become priests. After being a deacon for a year, they are ordained as priests by the bishop.

Deacons can baptize, witness marriages, perform funerals, preach the homily (the sermon given after the Gospel in the Catholic Mass), and are required to pray the Divine Office (Breviary) every day. The Divine Office (also called the Breviary and the Liturgy of the Hours) consists of the 150 Psalms and Scriptural readings that each priest, deacon, and bishop must pray every day. This is done to ensure that the Church clerics are exposed to more Sacred Scripture each day of their lives.

Permanent deacons usually have jobs outside the Church as their source of income. They also help out the priest by visiting and advising parishoners and usually hold a spot on the parish council. Deacons, priests, and bishops are considered clerics (members of the clergy) in the Catholic Church.