The word deacon is from the Greek diakonos, meaning “servant” or “helper.” In the early days of the Church in Jerusalem, the apostles appointed seven deacons to help minister to widows and the poor so that the apostles could devote themselves to teaching. From the third to the eighth centuries, both men and women were ordained deacons. Women had a role in assisting at the baptism of other women, admitting new female members to the assembly, caring for items in the sanctuary, distributing Holy Communion to sick or elderly women at their homes, and caring for sick and needy women in the parish. However, they were excluded from altar service, public proclamation, and administering solemn baptism, and they were not involved in teaching or leadership positions in the Church.

Deacons are ordained ministers; their role in the Church appears below that of priests on the hierarchical pyramid. Today, most men who are deacons are on their way to becoming priests. However, the Church once had a permanent deaconate, in which deacons fulfilled specific functions.

Over the centuries, the roles and the duties of the deacon were quite extensive:

• Assisting the priest at Mass and with other liturgies

• Reading the Gospel

• Leading the faithful in gestures and responses during services

• Pronouncing the dismissal after Mass

• Instructing the catechumens in the sacraments of Initiation

• Preparing the altar for Mass and looking after the sacred vessels, the chalice, and ciborium

Deacons oversaw the care of the poor, the sick, and the elderly, reporting to their bishops on the state of things and following the bishop's directives. In some locations, they served as managers of the goods and properties of the Church. They could also act as inspectors for the bishops and as emissaries to political officials, such as kings and local councils.

Vatican II encouraged the re-establishment of a permanent deaconate in the Church. Today, deacons still care for the chalice and can offer the chalice to the faithful when they receive communion under both species.