W. Shawn McKNIGHT Understanding the Diaconate. Historical, Theological, and Sociological Foundations. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2018. pp. 309. pb. ISBN 978-0-8132-3035-1. Reviewed by Péter TÖRÖK, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, H - 2120.

Bishop McKnight’s comprehensive and synthetic work on diaconate is a must-read for all who are concerned with and about the presence and future of diaconate. Although Pope Saint John Paul II claimed that “it is time for the church to say, ‘Deacons, become what you are’” (p. 271), after reading McKnight’s book, we might quietly note that it is easier said than done. For today’s deacons are searching their identity and, as a consequence, their place as well in the contemporary church. The thorough theological, historical and social scientific analysis presented in the logical structure of Understanding the Diaconate will help formulate both the deacons’ healthy identity and institutional functions within the church.

The thesis of the book which originated mainly in the social sciences is that the deacons are social intermediaries and symbols of communitas. The author defines “social intermediary [as] an institution in which roles have been entrusted (and therefore knowledge, power, and authority to perform these roles) to facilitate the distribution of power, authority, and resources throughout the social body” (p. 86, italics in origin). While this definition is so precise that even sociologists would envy it, it might not be understandable at first glance. Bishop McKnight makes sure that through his detailed historical analysis and the contemporary applicability of deaconate this definition would make sense to everyone.

For many readers, and not only in North America but also in Europe, deacons might look like ‘mini priests’ i.e. substitutes for priests in areas plagued with shortage of vocations. The second component of Bishop McKnight’s thesis, the symbol of communitas, explains thoroughly the possibilities and (symbolic) meanings of the deacons’ role in the liturgy. Thus the deacon cannot be mistaken for a priest; he is truly an intermediary between the higher leadership – especially the bishop, but also the priest – and the people of God.

Furthermore, deacons as intermediaries are to give “witness of charity as their special charge among the ordained ministers” (p. 58); and consequently, “the heart of what the diaconate is all about: the deacon’s ministry is to be viewed in the perspective of charity” (p. 55). Viewing only this statement might lead the reader to the conclusion that deacons are (mini) social workers within the church. Once a deacon is placed into a congregation, the faithful might feel justified relaxing and pointing out that the work of charity is the deacon’s responsibility. Not so in Bishop McKnight’s view. He claims unequivocally, that in this function the “deacons should be organizers and animators” (p. 232). Thus the deacon’s identity is a multifaceted and nuanced one, but its complexity and richness is not known. It is mostly unknown for the deacons themselves, let alone the faithful.

It is probably not accidental that the book ends with Pope Saint John Paul II’s  quoted appeal to the deacons to become what they are. Although Bishop McKnight delineated the main directions of what we should follow in this rather uncharted territory of re-institutionalizing the diaconate in the everyday life of the church, many details are still to be worked out. The author started to synthesize several scientific disciplines in the hope of a better understanding. However, given the parameters of the book, this synthesis could not be complete. Reading it as a sociologist, one immediately recognizes that today's deacons have role conflicts, not only from opposite expectations of the different members of the church, but also from ‘conflicts between the different roles’ of deacons. In any case, W. Shawn McKnight’s book provides a solid  foundation for deacons as intermediaries and symbols of communitas.