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

Preface510. Following this plenary assembly, the Congregation for theClergy published a Directory for the Ministry and Life of PermanentDeacons and concurrently, the Congregation for Catholic Educationissued Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons. Both documentsprovide episcopal conferences with directives and norms onthe selection, formation, and pastoral care of aspirants, candidates,and deacons in accord with the intent of the Second VaticanCouncil and the subsequent teachings of Pope Paul VI and PopeJohn Paul II. 38 These documents were promulgated as a joint text byPope John Paul II on February 22, 1998, the Feast of the Chairof Peter. 3911. In 1995-1996, the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate,under the chairmanship of Most Rev. Dale J. Melczek, issued threedocuments: (1) Protocol for the Incardination/Excardination ofDeacons, (2) Policy Statement: Self-Study Instrument and ConsultationTeam Procedures, 40 and (3) A National Study on the PermanentDiaconate in the Catholic Church in the United States, 1994-1995. 41This Study focused on concerns that had surfaced at a special assemblyof the Conference that was convened to address vocations andfuture church leadership. Those concerns included the identity ofthe deacon, his effective incorporation into the pastoral ministries ofdioceses and parishes, and the need for better screening and training.42 The Study confirmed the success of the restoration of the diaconatein the United States in terms of the number of vocations andin its significant, almost indispensable service to parochial communities.However, the Study also substantiates the concerns raised bythe bishops and provides guidance in addressing them. 4312. In 1994, the committee organized a national conference fordeacons. Its purpose was to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary oftheir restoration in the Church in the United States. The firstNational Catholic Diaconate Conference was convened in theArchdiocese of New Orleans. The theme of this conference wasDiaconate: A Great and Visible Sign of the Work of the Holy Spirit. InJune 1997, the participants gathered in the Archdiocese ofMilwaukee and there explored the theme The Deacon in a DiaconalChurch: Minister of Justice and Charity. A third conference was convenedin June 2000 in the Diocese of Oakland; the theme of thisJubilee Year 2000 conference was The Deacon in the ThirdMillennium—New Evangelization. 44Directory for theMinistry and Life ofPermanent DeaconsBasic Norms for theFormation ofPermanent DeaconsDevelopment of thediaconate in theUnited StatesNational CatholicDiaconate Conference