In the Bishop’s Garden at Washington National Cathedral stands a remarkable cedar tree.
In the Bishop’s Garden at Washington National Cathedral stands a remarkable cedar tree.
Its branches stretch wide across the garden, some nearly touching the ground before turning outward again. The trunk is thick, weathered, and strong. Time and storms have shaped it. The tree does not grow in perfect symmetry. It twists, bends, widens, and reaches.
And beneath its canopy sits a simple bench.
People pause there. They pray there. They rest there in the shade the tree now offers so naturally that it is easy to forget how many years it took for that shelter to grow.
The story of the diaconate in the Diocese of Washington reminds me of that tree.
Today, deacons serve throughout our diocese in congregations, schools, hospitals, food ministries, advocacy work, prisons, shelters, and countless places where the Church meets the world. The ministry feels increasingly woven into the fabric of diocesan life.
It was not always so.
The vocational diaconate in the Diocese of Washington is still relatively young, but its roots are growing deep. While deacons have always had a place in the Church’s life, the restoration and intentional development of the vocational diaconate in our diocese began in earnest at the direction of Bishop Mariann near the beginning of her episcopate. In 2012, as a result of a pilot program initiated before her ordination and consecration, she ordained the first vocational deacons for the Diocese of Washington and challenged the diocese to think carefully about what this ministry could become.
Like all newly planted things, growth did not happen overnight.
There were questions to answer and relationships to build. What is a deacon? How does the ministry differ from that of a priest? How can deacons serve as bridges between the Church and the world while remaining deeply rooted in congregational life? A task force was formed. In 2014, the formation process for deacons started with 17 people answering the call of the Spirit into discernment.
The early years required patience. Formation processes were developed. Expectations were clarified. Congregations learned through experience what a healthy diaconal ministry could look like. Deacons themselves helped shape the answers through faithful service, listening, advocacy, and relationship-building.
Roots deepened. Of the 17 original members of this new program, the first five were ordained in 2017 and the other twelve were ordained one year later.
Over time, additional cohorts entered discernment and formation. Deacons were deployed throughout the diocese in a growing variety of ministries. New partnerships emerged with clergy, congregations, and community organizations. What once felt unfamiliar gradually became an expected and valued part of diocesan life.
Today, the Diocese of Washington is blessed by 35 active deacons serving in 34 congregations and ministries. There will be four new deacons ordained in September (September 12 at Washington National Cathedral). In addition, 14 aspirants, postulants, and candidates are currently discerning and preparing for future ministry. What began as a small planting has become a thriving part of the diocesan landscape.
Yet the story is not primarily about numbers.
Over the years, the Diocese of Washington has come to understand the diaconate not only through tasks or liturgical functions, but through relationships. Deacons are called to listen deeply, build bridges, encourage collaboration, and help congregations recognize where God is already at work in the world around them. Whether serving in a parish, a school, a hospital, or a community ministry, deacons remind us that ministry begins not with doing for others, but with being with them.
The ministry of a deacon is deeply relational. Deacons stand at thresholds — between Church and world, prayer and action, liturgy and daily life, grief and hope. They remind the Church that ministry is not only what happens inside our buildings, but also how we accompany people in the realities of everyday life.
Perhaps that is why the cedar tree feels like such an appropriate image.
The tree does not draw attention to itself. It simply offers what years of growth have made possible. Its roots stretch deep beneath the soil. Its branches extend outward, creating space for others. People gather beneath its canopy without necessarily knowing how long it took for that shelter to develop.
The same may be said of the diaconate in the Diocese of Washington.
The ministry has grown slowly, relationally, and faithfully. It has taken root through the commitment of the bishop, clergy, congregations, discerners, and deacons who believed that the Church is called not only to serve, but to accompany; not only to act, but to listen; not only to speak, but to be present.
Like the cedar tree, the diaconate continues to grow. Its roots deepen. Its branches widen. New people find shelter beneath its shade.
And perhaps that is the real measure of growth—not how large the tree has become, but how many people find a place to rest beneath its branches.
The Venerable Steve Seely
Archdeacon & Diocesan Liturgist
