National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent ...

I would like to offer a word about the organization of the documentspresented in this volume. There are two major sections to this book. Thefirst section contains the official National Directory for the Formation,Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. This is the primarytext, the text for which the recognitio has been received.The second section consists of two secondary documents prepared asresources for the implementation of the National Directory. The first ofthese resource documents contains the Basic Standards for the formation ofpermanent deacons in the United States. Prepared by the Bishops’Committee on the Diaconate following considerable consultation in tandemwith the National Directory, these Standards were approved by a voteof the full body of bishops in June 2000.The second of these resource documents is the sixth revision of thecommittee document Visit of Consultation Teams to Diocesan PermanentDiaconate Formation Programs. This document is designed as an aid to thediocesan bishop and his staff in providing a mechanism for both programself-evaluation and for a formal visit and consultation by the Bishops’Committee on the Diaconate as outlined in the National Directory. Thiscontinues a resource offered by the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconatesince the earliest days of the implementation of the permanent diaconatein the United States.In the name of the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate and theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I express our gratitude forthe participation of all who assisted in the preparation of the NationalDirectory and its related resources. Our heartfelt thanks to all those whoserve so generously as deacons, as well as their families, pastors, and coworkersin ministry.Bishop Frederick F. CampbellDiocese of Columbus, OhioChair, Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate1 Congregation for Catholic Education and Congregation for the Clergy, “Joint Declaration and Introduction,”Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons/Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons(Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1998), p. 8.