Why does the priest sit while the deacon prepares the altar before the Liturgy of the Eucharist? Shouldn’t he be helping since Jesus tells us that He “came to serve, not to be served” (Mark 10:45)?
This is exactly the right Scripture passage to help us understand this moment of the liturgy! The title “deacon” goes all the way back to the Greek word for “one who serves.” That means deacons are called to live out Christ’s example of humble service in a very special way.
Deacons serve our community in many ways. The Acts of the Apostles (6:1-6) tells us that the first deacons were appointed to help with the Church’s works of mercy so that the apostles could preach the word. However, almost immediately, they can also be seen serving the Church by their preaching (Stephen in Acts 7:1-53) and by baptizing (Philip in 8:26-40), two roles that they continue to serve today.
However, it is also true that the Church recognizes that deacons have a special role in “preparing the altar and in serving the celebration of the Sacrifice” (the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 94). It is important to clarify, though, that the deacon’s service at Mass is a service to Christ and not to the priest himself.
Therefore, the priest is asked to remain seated not because he is more special or “in charge”; he remains seated precisely as a sign of respect to the deacon since “it is the Deacon’s place to take care of the sacred vessels himself” (GIRM, 176).
I think an example from my childhood can illustrate this. When I was growing up, when my parents would have a dinner party or host a family holiday meal, my mom would always have candles lit at the main dining table. The responsibility of putting out the candles with a candle snuffer would then be given to one of the children as a special privilege. And we loved to do it — even fighting for the right to “put the candles out” at any given dinner! If a guest arrived and, not knowing our custom, put out the candles himself, trying to be helpful, then we would have been greatly disappointed at not being able to fulfill our role.
So, while I take seriously Christ’s command to be of service, especially as a priest, I would never try to be of service by taking the deacon’s special role in the liturgy away from him. I am very grateful for the good service our deacons do in all our parishes.
Father Chris Schroeder is senior associate pastor of St. Charles Borromeo and St. Peter parishes in St. Charles.
