Deacon

Deacon is a Covenant title. As the name suggests, a Deacon is used for religious reasons rather than combat. A Deacon is sent to help reinforce the spirituality of ships in which not much is present. They are taught in the religion of the Covenant and work to increase faith in others. Deacons are also learned in the "Sacred Glyphs" that the Forerunners use in their machines. Deacons command more respect than the rank and file Grunts, but are still held in low esteem. They still do not command as much authority as even a minor Jackal and so it is unlikely that they minister to any of the other races. They look like Grunt Ultras but wear what appears to be uniform or dress. A Kig-Yar shipmistress, named Chur'R-Yar, was tempted to lose a Deacon named Dadab "out of an airlock", if not for his ability to communicate with the Huragok Lighter Than Some.

Known Deacons

 * Dadab
 * Pipit

Trivia

 * Deacons are mentioned in Halo: The Flood, Halo: Contact Harvest and Halo: The Cole Protocol. The Unggoy Dadab and Pipit are the only known named Deacons. However, there are presumed to be many more, due to Dadab mentioning the group that he had studied with to gain the title.
 * It is added that a Grunt becoming a Deacon is very rare, presumably due to a Grunt's low intelligence and sometimes insincere belief in the "Great Journey". Therefore, it is odd that Deacons are included in Halo Wars as upgrades for Grunt squads. They "inspire" the other Grunts, resulting in the lance inflicting higher damage. However, because there is one per lance, it contradicts the prior rarity of Grunts becoming Deacons, meaning that it is more than likely that this is just to enhance gameplay and is regarded as non-canon.
 * In Halo Wars a Deacon can be added to Grunt infantry. If a player places the Grunts onto a cliff on Fort Deen and zooms in towards the ground they can see the Deacon. Also a picture of a deacon can be seen in the instruction manual.