Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan said today he hopes the National Conference of Catholic Bishops will approve the permanent diaconate so it can be instituted in missionary areas of the United States, including parts of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

The prelate said, “The Archdiocese of Atlanta, in harmony with the New Testament, the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI, would welcome this new arm of the Church. I sincerely hope that our episcopal conference will approve it so that hundreds of scattered Catholics will have the services of these devoted men.”

“For example, in upper Georgia we have only 15 churches and temporary chapels in 23 counties,” Archbishop Hallinan said. “North of a line running from Athens, Ga., to Rome, Ga., there are 14 counties in which the Church is unable to make her presence felt because there are just not enough Catholics in any one place to build a church and keep it going.

“The money can be secured,” he commented. “It’s the shortage of priests and the widely scattered pockets of few Catholics which impedes the Church’s growth. In this large area there are only nine priests including our Redemptorist, Glenmary and Verona fathers.”

The Pope’s regulations reestablishing the permanent diaconate made it clear that the reestablishment of the diaconate in the Western Church depends on the decision of the competent national or territorial bishops along with the consent of the pope.

In discussing the diaconte, the archbishop said it was encouraging to read that nearly 70 per cent of the persons who replied to a poll in the Georgia Bulletin would like to have permanent deacons in the archdiocese.

“I suspect that many of our people are familiar with the New Testament. They recall Stephen and other deacons ordained by the Apostles for other Church duties so that the 12 could devote themselves to preaching and prayer.”

The archbishop said the custom withered and the dicaonate is usually thought of only as a step in the priesthood. “Three years ago, the archdiocese put our deacons, who are our priests-to-be, to work. In our parishes they preached, baptized, distributed Holy Communion and worked with the poor.

“But Vatican II and Pope Paul went way beyond that. The council restored the diaconate as a permanent rank in the hierarchy along with priests and bishops, and on June 27 the pope spelled out their duties, preparation and sustenance, leaving to the episcopal conferences of each country the decision on whether to use the permanent deacons in the particular region.”

The archbishop said American bishops, led by Bishop Ernest Unterkoefler of Charleston, S.C., discussed the diaconate. “At first only missionary areas like Puerto Rico and Alaska where the shortage of priests is critical were discussed. The bishops of the South and Southwest began to point out that large sections of the United States were just as mission-oriented as Latin America or Asia.”

The archbishop said according to the council and Pope Paul, there will now be two kinds of permanent deacons. Young men (over 25) will receive three years instruction and training. At present they will be required to remain celibate. But mature men (over 35) may be already married. Their instruction and training will be more flexible.

“For example, suppose that an upright and well-respected Catholic laymen, either employed or retired, wished to serve as a deacon in one of the northern towns of the archdiocese where there might be 20 Catholics.

“If accepted by the Church, he could preside at the Liturgy of the Word, preach, give Holy Communion, officiate at marriages and funerals. Probably the Church would also add the power to anointing the sick. A priest would visit the town once a month, offering Mass and hearing confessions.

“That would be the official task of a deacon. In addition, he would do what the early deacons did-serve those in need as well as administer the parish, instruct children and converts and ‘promote the apostolic activities of the laity.”

“As the deacon won the full spiritual confidence of his people, the scope of his day would become wider,” the archbishop said. To those who ask “Why can’t a lay teacher, catechist or any zealous layman do most of these things? the answer is—a special grace. The deacon, unlike the laymen, is an ordained member of the hierarchy, endowed by God with special grace of holy orders.”