Q: It seems that the liturgical books don’t differentiate different forms of the Diaconate. The Roman Pontifical provides one rite of Ordination of Deacons. When various books speak of the Deacon’s role at Mass they don’t make a distiction of two communities of Deacon. Is there a document that outlines two forms of Deacon? Is it only a recent tradition?
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A: A deacon is a deacon. Some will be called to priesthood, but many are called to remain in the diaconate. The liturgy of the Church makes absolutely no distinction between them.
I’ve treated the ordination rites in my book Present for God’s Call.