Endorsements
Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM, Cap., Archbishop of Boston
Deacon Tim O’Donnell’s book provides an accessible overview of the theological foundations of the diaconate and the distinctive quality of the deacons’ ministry. One of the great achievements of the Second Vatican Council was to lift up for us the Order of Deacons and the treasures that this vocation can bring to our Church. I highly recommend Deacon O’Donnell’s book, which provides Catholics and all those seeking to learn more about the work of the Church with a thoughtful and enlightening understanding of diaconal ministry.
Deacon Greg Kandra, journalist and blogger, “The Deacon’s Bench.”
Superb. Deacon Tim O’Donnell gives us a clear and comprehensive vision of the diaconate that helps us all see our ministry with new eyes. Drawing on history, theology, scholarship, and practical experience, he offers an important work that should be a part of every deacon’s— and, for that matter, every priest’s library.
Richard R. Gaillardetz, Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology, Boston College
Tim O’Donnell’s accessible yet meticulously researched book makes a much-needed contribution to contemporary ecclesiology and the ministerial life of the Church today. The permanent diaconate represents one of the most important developments to emerge out of the Second Vatican Council. And yet, with over 46,000 permanent deacons worldwide, almost half of whom minister in North America, it has remained, in many ways, a ministry in search of a theology. O’Donnell offers a coherent and compelling theological account of the distinctive contribution that permanent deacons offer the Church. This book will be of immense value to theologians interested in a theology of ministry, those involved in diaconal formation and, most of all, those engaged in diaconal ministry in service of the Church today.
John W. O’Malley. S.J., University Professor, Georgetown University
By calling upon his decades of research on the permanent diaconate and on his own experience as a deacon, Tim O’Donnell clarifies what the permanent diaconate is, what its ideals are, and how it functions in today’s Church. The book fills an embarrassing gap in our understanding of ministry today. It will be indispensable reading for bishops, priests, and deacons, and enlightening reading for all of us.
Dr. Monica Verploegen, Ph.D., Co-Founder/ Retreat Director, Tatenda International
Who are these deacons? As one involved in diaconate formation for over a decade, I greatly appreciate Tim O’Donnell’s crafting of a book integrating historical and theological perspectives with current ministerial experience. A thorough and quality melding of scholarship and formative reflection on the reemergence of those called to service and bridge-building!
Deacon Tony Schmitz, Director of Studies, Bishops Conference of Scotland Diaconate Commission
This is the book we have been waiting for. Deacon Tim O’Donnell writes elegantly and comprehensively. He fully justifies his claim to work out a theologically coherent and pastorally applicable understanding of the distinctive identity of the order of deacons – who they are, what they do, and what is distinctive about them. His investigation of sources is remarkably wide-ranging: ordination rites; the New Testament; patristic, medieval, and Tridentine sources; papal and other teaching documents; the Second Vatican Council; and the contributions of theologians before, during, and since the Council. Particularly valuable is his ability to draw the major French, German, and Italian writers on the diaconate into conversation with American and other English-language theologians. This promises to be the definitive book on the subject for at least a generation. It will be indispensable for those involved in the formation of deacons and for scholars of sacramental theology and ecclesiology, while being completely accessible to deacons and diaconate candidates as well.
Msgr Charles Murphy, S.T.D., Founding Director of the Permanent Diaconate, Diocese of Portland, Maine
Decades after the restoration of the permanent diaconate, Deacon O’Donnell provides a much-needed theological clarification of its specific nature and purpose: as the model of a distinctive Christian ministry of service to others, and of creative presence and outreach to all who are on the peripheries of society and the Church.