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

Preface3tion the Holy See for authorization. In their letter of May 2, 1968,the bishops presented the following reasons for the request:1. To complete the hierarchy of sacred orders and to enrich andstrengthen the many and various diaconal ministries at work inthe United States with the sacramental grace of the diaconate2. To enlist a new group of devout and competent men in theactive ministry of the Church3. To aid in extending needed liturgical and charitable services tothe faithful in both large urban and small rural communities4. To provide an official and sacramental presence of the Churchin areas of secular life, as well as in communities withinlarge cities and sparsely settled regions where few or no priestsare available5. To provide an impetus and source for creative adaptations ofdiaconal ministries to the rapidly changing needs of our society6. On August 30, 1968, the Apostolic Delegate informed theUnited States bishops that Pope Paul VI had agreed to their request.In November of that year, a standing committee on the diaconatewas created by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops(NCCB).21 In 1971, the conference approved and authorized thepublication of the committee’s document, Permanent Deacons in theUnited States: Guidelines on Their Formation and Ministry. 22 TheseGuidelines served the Church in the United States well as it beganto assimilate the new ministry of deacons. 23 In February 1977, thecommittee organized a comprehensive study “to assess the extent towhich the vision” for the diaconate had been realized. 24 The resultsof that appraisal were published in 1981 under the title A NationalStudy of the Permanent Diaconate in the United States. 25 The reportacknowledged that the purpose of the diaconate and its integrationinto the life of the Church in the United States had not yet beenfully realized. Building on this Study, the NCCB commissioned therevision of the 1971 Guidelines. In November 1984, new guidelineswere published with the release of Permanent Deacons in the UnitedStates: Guidelines on Their Formation and Ministry, 1984 Revision. 26USCCB Committeeon the Diaconate