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Archdiocese of Boston's first class of permanent deacons is pictured at their ordination at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, May 22, 1976. Pilot photo/courtesy Archdiocesan Archives

From the Archdiocesan Archives

Celebrating 50 years of the permanent diaconate in Boston

Friday, May 1, 2026Culture

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Cardinal Medeiros ... reflected that "the restoration of the vocation of the deacon as a permanent state has taken hold and will be a great sign of the Servant Church in these United States."

Fifty years ago this month, on May 22, 1976, 36 men, along with their wives and families, joined Cardinal Humberto Medeiros and other clergy at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for a momentous day. These men had studied for two years to embrace a newly restored ministry following the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) and the guidance of Pope Paul VI. They were the first class of permanent deacons ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston.
While the exact history of this vocation is difficult to ascertain, the permanent diaconate traces its roots to the Apostolic Era, when "the deacon's office was first seen as one of service and charity," as noted in The Pilot on May 14, 1976. Later, as Christianity evolved, "the growing importance of the priesthood, often accompanied by conflicts and misunderstandings between priests and deacons," led to a decreased interest in the permanent diaconate. By the 11th century, the permanent diaconate had fallen into disuse in the Latin Church, and the diaconate was primarily a transitional step to priesthood.

Vatican II was convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962 with the goal of updating Church practices to meet modern needs. Following his death in 1963, the Second Vatican Council was continued and eventually concluded by Pope Paul VI in 1965. In line with "Lumen gentium," the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church established by Vatican II, Pope Paul put forth the Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, general norms for restoring the permanent diaconate in the Latin Church, on June 18, 1967. These norms, enacted in the U.S. by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1968, allowed bishops to establish a permanent diaconate based on the needs of their see.
Cardinal Richard Cushing, then the Archbishop of Boston, was active in Vatican II, particularly in the drafting of "Nostra aetate," a declaration on Catholic-Jewish relations. His opinions on implementing the permanent diaconate are unclear; by 1968, he was in poor health, and his passing in 1970 left the decision up to his successor.
Cardinal Medeiros instituted the Permanent Diaconate Program in the Archdiocese of Boston in 1972, appointing Father William C. Burckhart as its first director. The Archdiocesan News Bureau (ANB) reported on July 6, 1973, that 160 men in Greater Boston indicated "serious interest" in the new diaconate program, and that following application review, the first class of about 30 men would begin the course of study. The curriculum would last a minimum of two years, with special training for an additional year or two, and would "integrate pastoral skills with Theology and Scripture," as well as "practical field education experience" in local parishes. By the time of their ordination, the new deacons would be authorized to preach, teach religion, distribute Communion, baptize, and serve as Church witnesses to marriages.
In practice, The Pilot described on May 28, 1976, how "a Deacon ought not to spend more than two hours a week on Liturgical functions," to avoid being seen as a "mini-priest," but that his Liturgical ministry "gives him public ecclesial visibility and validates his Service ministry as making Christ present in a new Church dimension." The Pilot advises that priests and deacons collaborate to make best use of a deacon's talents and time, as his primary role is "a minister of Charity ... in service of the poor, the elderly, the sick, the alienated, the handicapped, youth, pre-Baptismal or pre-Marriage instruction, prayer groups, or with community groups serving peoples' needs."
The permanent diaconate quickly grew as a vocation around the U.S. An ANB press release dated Sept. 26, 1978, put the numbers at about 2,500 nationwide and 72 in Boston. Cardinal Medeiros, quoted in this press release, reflected that "the restoration of the vocation of the deacon as a permanent state has taken hold and will be a great sign of the Servant Church in these United States."
The Pilot has recently been publishing a series of profiles of transitional deacons who will be ordained as priests this year. In that spirit, we want to acknowledge and celebrate the permanent diaconate Class of '76, those who are still active in the archdiocese and those who have passed to the Lord. Many were veterans of armed conflicts, including World War II and the Korean War. At home, they began families and careers in fields like engineering (Deacon Florian F. Yanikoski); advertising (Deacon Joseph L. Delaney); and information technology (Deacon Michael A. Iwanowicz). As deacons, they actively and faithfully served their parishes and engaged in meaningful ministries, such as prison and fire chaplaincy, like Deacons Robert W. Alence and Norman P. LaPointe, respectively. As a group, they paved the way for others to answer the call to the permanent diaconate in Boston.
Today, there are 164 active deacons in the Archdiocese of Boston. The Office of the Permanent Diaconate plays a vital role in the archdiocese, supporting those discerning this vocation, who, in turn, go on to support the faithful at parish communities around the archdiocese. To learn more, visit www.bostondiaconate.org.
This story is one of many featured in the Archives' new RCAB History Timeline, created to commemorate the U.S. Semiquincentennial and contextualize archdiocesan history over the past 250 years. This timeline can be viewed online at bostoncatholic.org/rcab-history.
The resources referenced in this article are housed at the Archdiocese of Boston Archives. To learn more about our collections, visit us online at bostoncatholic.org/archives.

REBECCA MAITLAND IS AN ARCHIVIST OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON.