Admin,

Why would any deacon or deacon candidate post messages on Byzcath.org message board? Do deacons really want their heirarchs or others to read their 'private' discussions? What is so private about an internet messge board? There is always the phone for that.

Elias

Good questions.

The idea for "The Deacon's Door" forum came from several deacon candidates. This forum will provide a meeting place for all Byzantine deacons and deacon candidates. People often lead hectic lives and it is sometimes very difficult to keep in contact with more than a few people, but one can post messages at any time of the day or night. Since there are currently about 100 deacon candidates in the Byzantine Catholic Churches in North America (Ruthenian, Melkite, Ukrainian, Romanian) it will be a good place for them to meet others discerning the same vocation and form friendships. They can also hook up with functioning deacons to see what this ministry of service to God's people is really like. The private nature of "The Deacon's Door" is not so much for privacy (nothing on the internet is really private!) but really just to create a corner of the forum where they can be confident that they are chatting with others who are also called to this ministry of service. I see this as a only plus for our Church.