By Susan S. Sullivan

A quarter of a century after the role of permanent deacon was restored to the church in the United States, that role is being celebrated and possibly refined.

The silver anniversary of the permanent diaconate will be observed in the Archdiocese of Atlanta with a special liturgy Oct. 30 at St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn.

Archbishop John Donoghue will be the principal celebrant at the liturgy, which will include a reconsecration of the deacons to their ordination commitment. The 7 p.m. liturgy will be followed by a dinner for deacons and their wives.

There are 122 permanent deacons in the archdiocese ministering in 48 parishes, according to Alfred Mitchell, director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate. Currently 14 permanent deacons are in formation.

Deacons are most visible in their liturgical roles on Sunday, but that view of permanent deacons my be changing, according to Mitchell.

"As people learn more about what deacons do, their role will expand," Mitchell said. "More and more deacons will be found ministering to those in hospitals, to the homeless and to those with AIDS. They are there now and you'll probably find more and more in what I call social justice ministries."

Permanent deacons in the archdiocese are generally age 50 or older (men must be age 35 or older to be considered). All but four are married and most have full-time jobs. They have been carefully screened before entering the four-year formation program.

"Some have been encouraged by a pastor," said Mitchell of the call to the vocation, "others by people in the parish. Some feel the calling and come on their own."

Mitchell himself has been a deacon for six and a half years. He is one of a dozen permanent deacons who work in paid positions full-time for the church. His duties for the archdiocese are complimented by his responsibilities at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Decatur.

"For me it's been an awakening spiritually, though I was awake before, but now I'm much more involved in the lives of other people. I happen to enjoy very much what I'm doing.

"My job for the archdiocese has three parts," he continued, "formation administrative needs and a pastoral component. My work in the parish is almost exclusively pastoral. I don't dislike the other components, but I like the pastoral component more."

Mitchell said he is particularly enriched by working with people one-on-one. He is also uplifted by his role teaching adults about their faith and by the reading he does in preparation for preaching.

Evaluation of the role of permanent deacons is taking place on a national level, Mitchell noted, with the U.S. bishops commissioning a study of the permanent diaconate. Locally the archbishop has also appointed a committee to study the permanent diaconate.

"Both will have an impact on the future of the diaconate," Mitchell said. "We will know more about the local committee's responsibilities after we meet with the archbishop Nov. 2 to discuss what he wants us to do."