Looking Back with Joy

“The call was never just about serving within the four walls of the church, but about being an altar in the world—living out my baptismal promises and the mission of the church. ” — The Venerable Patricia Malcolm

Photo: submitted

What is a Deacon?

by Cynde A. Bimbi

In the Episcopal Church, the diaconate is one of the three ordained orders alongside priests and bishops. Deacons are called to a distinctive and special ministry of servanthood, bridging the church and the world. Their role is not primarily within the sanctuary; rather, they are to proclaim the gospel through acts of compassion, justice, and service in daily life.

Some deacons are ordained for a short time on their way to becoming priests (called “transitional” deacons), but many — like Archdeacon Pat Malcolm — are “vocational” deacons, called to this ministry for life. Vocational deacons are often found at the margins — working with the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, and the forgotten — bringing the needs of the world into the prayers of the Church and sending the Church back out into the world to serve in Christ’s name.

What follows is a reflection from Archdeacon Pat Malcolm, who looks back on 16 years of diaconal ministry with gratitude and joy.

by the Venerable Patricia Malcolm

I am looking back with joy these days, reflecting on the past 16 years of diaconal ministry. On a cold, rainy day in December 2009, St. Stephen’s in Harrington was overflowing with tears of joy, wonder, gratitude, humility — and more than 400 family, friends, neighbors, and church leaders. Six of us — Cecily Sawyer-Harmon, Susan Phillips, Sheila Sharpe, Dorothy Vuono, Tom McCormick, and I — knelt at the altar for the laying on of hands by the bishop, the Rt. Rev. Wayne P. Wright.

deacons pose with bishop wright at the 2020 ordination — L to R: Susan Phillips, Rita Nelson, Sheila Sharpe, Cecily Sawyer Harmon,
Wayne Wright, Pat Malcolm, Dottie Vuono, Tom McCormick

As one person has said, “If you know a deacon or when you see a deacon, I encourage you to thank them for their ministry.”

The call was never just about serving within the four walls of the church, but about being an altar in the world — living out my baptismal promises and the mission of the church. I am constantly humbled that God saw something in me, and charged me to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world.

My diaconal vocation was hospital chaplaincy, working with the pain and palliative service at Christiana Hospital, serving under Tim Rodden, director of Pastoral Services, and Dr. John Goodill, director of the medical team.

This ministry was about identifying and supporting patients experiencing unmet spiritual needs and/or spiritual distress during a serious or life-limiting illness. I understood that each person’s room was to be a place for compassion and mercy. In our time together we were in a sacred space, standing on holy ground.

We all start out as lay persons sitting in the pew, discerning where God is calling us to serve the church. And, although I am resigning from full-time ministry in a few short months, I am still discerning where and how God is calling me to serve him in the next chapter of my life.

In addition to my ministry as a deacon, another place I find joy in serving the Church is being a member of the Commission on Ministry, a bishop-appointed group that is tasked with helping members of our diocese discern their ministries ordained or lay. I am a part of a discernment process where I hear the hearts of others and the wonderment of the Spirit’s call. I am a spiritual companion journeying with other travelers who are discerning where God is calling them to serve in the church, whether it be ordained ministry, a Sunday school teacher, working on the altar guild, singing in the choir, serving on a diocesan committee, or some other way to serve and glorify God.

After being appointed as the archdeacon of the Episcopal Church in Delaware, it was first a challenge to balance the administrative duties of the archdeacon while remaining true to the responsibilities of my diaconal ministry. It was through the prayers and support of my sister and brother deacons that I learned my new role was not different — it was still about being a servant leader modeling humility, compassion, and dedication.

The greatest joy has been serving with the clergy, vestry, and my sisters and brothers at Christ Church in Dover. We have cried together, laughed together, discovered together, and prayed together, and we have gone out to love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit, together, Alleluia, Alleluia!

The Venerable Patricia Malcolm is retired from the Episcopal Church in Delaware, where she served many years as a deacon and also archdeacon. She spent much of her vocation serving at Christ Church in Dover. Pat will soon be licensed as a spiritual director.