Directive from Heaven - No. 4 - Permanent Deacons/Extraordinary Ministers? given at to Veronica Lueken at Our Lady of the Roses Shrine at Bayside, New York

#4 - Permanent Deacons/Extraordinary Ministers?

"It must be taught, then, that to priests alone has been given power to consecrate and administer to the faithful, the Holy Eucharist. That this has been the unvarying practice of the Church ... as having proceeded from Apostolic tradition, is to be religiously retained." - The Catechism of the Council of Trent

FARCE
"Pastors, no hands other than those consecrated by a legally-ordained priest shall give the Host to others. Better that you spend more time consummating your role as the representative of Christ than joining the world. The extraordinary [Eucharistic] ministers have become a farce! Women? Children? Whatever shall become of you? The rules of discipline in the houses of My Son have already been given to you.
"Only legally-ordained representatives of My Son—they receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit deems that they shall bring the Host to the man and the woman recipient and the children!" - Our Lady, August 21, 1975

ONLY A PRIEST
Veronica - As a representative of Jesus, a legally-ordained priest must be the only instrument of God to bring the Body of Jesus to the multitudes. Only in a severe manner must a man—and this severe manner being the absence of a priest in the face of a death, then the priest will allow a deacon—a man, not a woman—a deacon, a man in the extremist emergency to take the Sacred Body of Jesus to a dying person. And that will be the only time. - November 19, 1977

TEARS
"We ask and repeat that no one handle in unconsecrated hands the Body of My Son. It will be defiled and discarded, unless only a legally-ordained priest, a man of God with purified fingers of the Holy Spirit, give the Body and Blood of My Son to each one under his care. There is no need, My child, for women to rush into the sacred portals. There are enough throughout the world, men consecrated and chosen as ministers of the Eternal Father, of the Body and Blood of His Son, to distribute among mankind this Sacred Body. I have cried tears of great sorrows. I am truly the Mother of Sorrows, as I watch this constant desecration of My Son’s Body!" - Our Lady, September 6, 1975

LAZINESS
"My child, you ask why I cry? I shed tears of great anguish. I watch anew the desecration to My Son’s Body being committed upon earth. None shall place their hands upon His Body! My Son has given you in trust those He has chosen among mankind to represent Him—your priests. None others shall carry My Son to mankind! You shall not defile His Body by giving Him into the hands of women, or those that have not been prepared by the Father as legally ordained priests in the houses of God—laziness, preoccupied with the world and with the pleasures of the flesh! Return to your habits and set an example as a man of God in the House of God, an example that will gather the sheep, not scatter them!" - Our Lady, November 1, 1974

DISRESPECT
"My child, please, you must make it known to Our clergy that they are defiling My Son’s Body in many ways. Disrespect and dishonor, how many tears have I shed at the sight! Only consecrated hands shall give and bring My Son to the peoples of earth, legally ordained and given the Holy Spirit—the clergy chosen by the Father to bring His Son to you! Unclean hands shall not touch My Son’s Body! You must not allow My Son to be defiled any longer. No children shall carry My Son’s Body in the hands! Know, My child, that only one exception can be made: when a legally ordained priest is unable to reach the dying, he will send his deacon* to bring My Son to him. But only in severe trial and need, I say! Only to the dying. All others, My child, will be given the needed grace if they pray." - Our Lady, December 31, 1974

* Deacon: it is understood here in the traditional sense: a celibate man soon to be ordained a priest.

NO WOMEN
"And I say unto you: none but legally-ordained priests in My House shall bring My Body to the multitudes! No woman shall stand in the Holy Place! No woman shall vie or compete for rulership in My House.
"I say unto you, you must go back and read the commandments of the Eternal Father; you must go back and read the rules that Paul gave to you. You cast him aside and you write another book, a bible, a tome; you write it to suit your own basic, carnal, human nature.
"The way has been given to you in the past, and the way does not change. It is a simple way. The rules have been given, and you change them for what? Were they imperfect? Have you considered the Eternal Father to be in error? I say unto you, you blaspheme in your consecration. I say unto you, you will return My House to its former status of honor, glory, discipline." - Jesus, July 15, 1977

ETERNAL FATHER
"I repeat for your enlightenment again: no woman shall stand in the Sacrifice as a priest. How dare you set yourselves for a change created by satan! The plan of the Eternal Father has been made quite clear to you. Your father now is not the Eternal Father of Heaven, but the father of all liars, satan! My Son’s Body, sacrificed for you, tortured for you, is now being re-crucified in His own Church!" - Our Lady, March 18, 1970

DISOBEDIENCE
"Repeat what you hear, My child, and shout it from the rooftops. No woman shall be on the altars of God! Disobedience, lack of respect for the Holy Father-what will this bring you to but your own destruction!" - St. Paul, March 24, 1974

WOMAN’S DESTINY
"My child, make it known to the world that woman must return to her place as woman, for she has been misled. Was it not woman who fell to satan in the beginning? Her disobedience to the will of God brings much sorrow upon her and her children. It would be better now, My children, if woman would be silent, for she does not know the road she is traveling. It is only satan who has set her to rebel against her destiny." - Our Lady, March 24, 1974

VATICAN II
"You will not destroy My Son’s House, Church, by consorting with the enemies of My Son! You will not convert the enemy by lowering the standards. Your example must be one of a steadfast faith.
     "Change! What need is change when the foundation has stood through the test of time? It is a dissatisfied man, a greedy and lustful man who seeks change. Does he change to bring man to God? No! He changes to take man from God and give him to Lucifer!
     "Satan was present, he listened with careful ears at the great Council. He awaited every move, and he placed his agents among you! Recognize and reconstruct your path. You have been deluded. You are on the wrong road. Turn about now, or you will sow the seeds for your own destruction!
    "How many warnings will you receive before the hand of your Father will descend upon you? No date do I give unto all mankind, but only to few. All those who accept the grace given freely for the asking will not be caught unawares. They will prepare themselves. All mankind upon earth should prepare for his death.
     "We look upon a world where mankind goes about defaming himself and the Father, wallowing in all manners of lust and pleasure, abomination—even in the House of God! He lives as though he never will die. No human flesh will be eternal, but the soul is eternal and will live on forever." - Our Lady, August 14, 1974

NO COMPROMISE
"You must not, O pastors, you must not compromise your faith; do not be misled. O pastors, you have forgotten your teachings. You must renew in a manner that is not new. You must go back, I say, go back and start anew with Tradition! You cannot separate Tradition, for you held the truth. You were given the grace, the greatest of gifts to mankind, to be born into or come into by conversion, My Son’s Church. And now you go about, O you of little Faith, to chip away and chop at the walls until it crumbles. But you shall not remove the foundation, for the foundation is My Son. You are re-crucifying Him in His own House." - Our Lady, April 10, 1976

CONTINENCE ASKED BY THE FATHER
"Men who are representatives of My Son in His Houses must now gather the flock and replenish their starving souls. It is apparent, My child, that many care more for filling their coffers than to feed their souls. The love of money has destroyed many. The love of power, power for the things of the world, has destroyed many. You cannot have both. You will not have this world and the Kingdom of God! For when you leave over the veil, you will enter the Kingdom of the prince of darkness, or you will join Us with great joy in the Kingdom of the Father.
"Continence**, My child, is the sacrifice asked by the Father. You cannot divide yourselves; there must be a full dedication to the will of God. If you care more for man and cannot turn to the light and follow My Son, you are not a true representative of My Son. For he who cares more for man cannot give his heart to My Son." - Our Lady, March 24, 1974

**Cardinal Stickler, writing on the history of clerical celibacy, explains that "[T]he initial understanding of celibacy, which from the beginning was correctly termed ‘continence’…" (The Case for Clerical Celibacy: Its Historical Development and Theological Foundations, Alfons Maria Cardinal Stickler, p. 13)

NO MARRIED DEACONS***
"Why are you now planning to take married men, making them what you call deacons, to give the sanctity and holiness, the grace in marriage to My sheep? What right have you to change the rules and the direction? Understand well: when I appointed the Apostles there were no names given as cardinals or bishops; but Peter was the first Pope, the leader, and would you say not that the Apostles were the first bishops? And after that they chose from out of multitudes, seven whom you call deacons and listed as deacons, but they were truly priests at that time. But you do not need the procedure now. If you are willing to ask the Eternal Father, and if you do not give yourselves over to doctrines of demons, you will have priests sufficient to carry out the ministry. But what do you do now? You will seek to make instant priests, against the will of the Eternal Father! You will delude others to think that your deacons can take the Sacraments and give them as in the priesthood! A priest, My children, is a chosen man of God. A true legally-ordained priest is far superior than any man, as he represents Me in the Godhead." - Jesus, May 23, 1979

***NON-CELIBATE DEACONS IN THE ROMAN RITE: A BREAK WITH TRADITION

Fr. James McLucas explains that "The preparation for optional celibacy began with the introduction of the permanent diaconate following the Second Vatican Council." Although it was claimed that this change was nothing more than the restoration of a classic practice, many Church leaders "remained silent, however, about the fact that there had never been a Holy ‘Order’ that was non-celibate since the mandating of celibacy in the Western Church." Fr. McLucas goes on to say that "The Vatican signaled early on its growing indifference towards celibacy within Holy Orders by permitting widowed permanent deacons to remarry. This contradicted an ancient practice that even the Eastern Church, which permits a married clergy, does not allow." ("Emasculating the Priesthood," Fr. James McLucas)
     He emphasizes that "even during those periods in the history of the Church which witnessed an active diaconal office, the deacon was celibate and was utilized mainly as a direct assistant to the bishop. He was not an ordinary minister of the Eucharist." This truth is borne out in many manuals on sacramental theology. For example, the 1963 edition of The Administration of the Sacraments states, "It is a certain teaching that the priest alone is the ordinary minister of Holy Communion." (Nicholas Halligan, O.P., The Administration of the Sacraments, 1963, p. 107, Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman) Fr. Halligan also reiterates Canon 845, § l-2 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law: "By ordination a deacon is the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion but only with permission of the local Ordinary or of the pastor granted by either for a serious reason, but this permission may be presumed in case of need. Apart from necessity a deacon would not be justified in acting without permission." (ibid., p. 108) Fr. Halligan then explains that an ordained transitional deacon would sin gravely if he administered the Eucharist without permission, and without necessity: "The deacon in administering Holy Communion observes the ceremonies as prescribed for the priest.... Unlike inferior clerics the deacon, although sinning gravely, does not incur an irregularity if he acts without permission." (ibid., p. 108) This theological understanding of the role of the transitional deacon is the same as that given by Our Lady of the Roses message.
     With the above facts in mind, we can better understand Fr. McLucas’ concern: "The creation of the married permanent diaconate eliminated the entwined and inseparable relationship among priesthood, celibacy and exclusive Eucharistic stewardship that had been the norm in the Western Church." (ibid., McLucas)
     During the debates at Vatican II, several high ranking clergy were adamantly opposed to reviving the permanent diaconate: "Cardinal Bacci, of the Roman Curia, spoke out against the principle of a married diaconate; it was both inopportune and dangerous. If the law of celibacy were relaxed for deacons, the number of priests would certainly decline, since youth ‘would choose the easier way.’ Moreover, if the Council waived the obligation of celibacy for deacons, the plea would soon be heard that the same should be done for priests." (The Rhine Flows into the Tiber: A History of Vatican II, Fr. Ralph M. Wiltgen, S.V.D., p. 98)
     The bishops of Portugal were also against restoring the permanent diaconate: "Archbishop Custodio Alvim Pereira, of Lourenço Marques, Mozambique, spoke on behalf of thirty-eight bishops from Portugal. He said that, if a candidate did not have the knowledge required of a priest and was not celibate, he was not fit for the diaconate; if, on the other hand, he did possess that knowledge and was celibate, he should become a priest. He contended that it was generally agreed that a married diaconate would undermine priestly celibacy." (ibid., p. 99)
     Bishop Franic of Yugoslavia, "speaking for the 16 Latin bishops of his country, declared that a married diaconate would be harmful to a celibate priesthood." (The Second Session: Letters from Vatican Council II - the Debates at St. Peter’s, Xavier Rynne, p. 103)
     But the most thorough argument against restoring the permanent diaconate was given by Francis Cardinal Spellman of New York. In fact, Cardinal Spellman’s argument is essential the same as that given in Our Lady of the Roses message:

"The first to speak on this controversial theme was the Cardinal of New York, Francis Spellman, in his ‘maiden speech’ on the floor at this Session (Oct. 4). He praised Chapter II as ‘very well composed’ except for Paragraph 15. The proposal to resurrect the diaconate as a permanent degree of the hierarchy was a disciplinary matter, he felt, which should not be included in a dogmatic constitution. The question then arose whether it should be treated anywhere else and his sentiment was that it should not for the following reasons. 1) Although it was true that the diaconate had formerly been a permanent office in the Church, it was now merely a transitional stage toward the priesthood.… Permanent deacons would have to be prepared for their functions, but ‘it is hardly or not at all possible to establish seminaries for candidates for the priesthood. How then can other houses be provided for deacons?’ 2) The main reason why permanent deacons become obsolete, it seems, was the need of the ministry for more priests, an organizational reason. ‘But this condition still prevails in almost the entire world.’ 3) Many lay religious and other members of lay institutes today carry out the functions formerly performed by deacons, and the number of laymen in the service of the Church is continually growing and being fostered. There would appear to be not need for permanent deacons on this score. 4) The proposal to revive permanent deacons stems mostly from liturgists who wish to restore ancient ways without taking into account present conditions. [The French newspaper] Le Monde quotes the cardinal as having said here: ‘Let us not indulge in archeology.’ [Le Monde, Oct. 6-7, 1963]. Pius XII in Mediator Dei warned against considering something as good simply because it was old.* 5) Seminarians obviously wanted to become priests. This is a sign of their divine vocation and nothing should be done to interfere with this. ‘God exercises his Providence over the Church according to present conditions’ the cardinal concluded. ‘It must be decided whether it is better to by-pass the divine will and have fewer priests along with permanent deacons, or more priests without them.’—It was obvious that practical considerations dominated the cardinal’s thought throughout and that he, or his advisers, had little sympathy for the pastoral-theological side of the question developed by modern theologians such as Karl Rahner.… In a press interview the same day at the Grand Hotel, Cardinal Spellman repeated the substance of what he had said on the floor. ‘The reason I am against it,’ he said, ‘is that it is unnecessary.’" (The Second Session: Letters from Vatican Council II - the Debates at St. Peter’s, Xavier Rynne, pp. 99-100)

* Pope Pius XII warned against the error of indiscriminately restoring old practices: "ancient usage must not be esteemed more suitable and proper, either in its own right or in its significance for later times and new situations, on the simple ground that it carries the savor and aroma of antiquity." (encyclical Mediator Dei, November 20, 1947, #61)

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