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Glite Dictionary
🎓 Deacon's office ⛪ Group of deacons
diaconate

diaconate

1 9.9
The job of serving as a church helper who helps at services and cares for people
  • noun
  • /ˈdaɪəˌkɒnɪt/
: diaconado
  • The tradition of deaconesses (used to help women adults converts) cannot be the same as ordination to the diaconate; it is not the sacrament of holy orders in the same way as deacon-priest-bishop.
  • ordination to the diaconate
  • permanent diaconate
  • women to the diaconate

Examples

  • After years of study and preparation, he was finally ordained to the diaconate and began serving his local church.

  • When I first heard about women being ordained to the diaconate, I was also very uncomfortable.

    Blog text (17)

  • I think when we learn to see the diaconate for what it is instead of a stepping stone to become a priest, we could be more open to our tradition.

    Blog text (17)

  • Later, the diaconate would serve as an entry-level position to begin a career rising through the church hierarchy, but this notion was absent in the early church.

    Blog text (13)

  • His career also involved ordination to the diaconate and presbyterate, and eventually to his consecration as archbishop of Paris on July 28, 1159.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Basil of Ancyra and his fellow conniving bishops convinced the emperor to exile Aetius and depose him from the diaconate.

    Academic text (2018)

  • The church held a ceremony to celebrate the contribution of deacons, highlighting the significance of the diaconate in their community.

  • Many young men and women are now pursuing the diaconate to serve in various ministries within the church.

Surface Forms

diaconate singular
diaconates plural

Morphology

diaconate = deacon (semi-transparent) = diacon + ate

The formation from 'deacon' is straightforward, but the noun-forming '-ate' meaning 'office or period of service' is specialized vocabulary that may not be fully transparent to learners.

Etymology

Diaconate comes from the same root as deacon, from Greek diakonos meaning 'servant' or 'one who serves'. So diaconate can mean the office, rank, or the period of service of someone who serves as a deacon.