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

8 PrefaceNOTES1 There is one Sacred Order of Deacons. Some deacons, who are in transition to ordinationto the priesthood, usually exercise the Order of Deacons for a brief period of time.The vast majority of deacons live and exercise it, however, as a permanent rank of thehierarchy in both the Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches. This Directory addresses onlythe formation, ministry, and life of permanent deacons.In 1995, as authorized by the General Secretary of the National Conference of CatholicBishops, the word “permanent” was discontinued in the title of the bishops’ committee, inthe National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for the Diaconate, and in itscommuniqués. In this text, therefore, the word “permanent” is not used unless it is containedin a specific quotation or in the title or committee of a publication. When the word“diaconate” is mentioned in this text, it refers to those who seek to be or are ordained permanentdeacons.In 2001, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the “canonical entity,” and theUnited States Catholic Conference, the “the civil entity,” were canonically and civillyreconstituted as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This reconstitutedentity is implied in this document except in those circumstances where the text requiresreference to the previous nomenclatures.2 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, Final Report, Ecclesia Sub Verbo Dei Mysteria ChristiCelebrans Pro Salute Mundi (December 7, 1995).3 LG, no. 1.4 CCC, no. 738.5 Ibid., no. 849.6 Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church (Ad GentesDivinitus) (AGD) (December 7, 1965) (Washington, D.C.: United States CatholicConference, 1965), nos. 15-16.7 CCC, no. 776. Cf. LG, nos. 9-17, 48; GS, nos. 1-3, 26-30, 32, 45.8 LG, no. 24. Cf. Acts 1:17, 25; 21:19; Rom 11:13; 1 Tm 1:12; Pope John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, The Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in theChurch and in the World (Christifideles Laici) (December 30, 1988) (Washington, D.C.:United States Catholic Conference, 1988), no. 22.9 Ibid., nos. 18, 20.10 Ibid., nos. 20; cf. nos. 22-23.11 CCC, no. 1534.12 LG, no. 29. Cf. AGD, op. cit., nos. 15-16; OE, no. 17.13 Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Letter, Ad Pascendum (AP) (August 15, 1972), citing Mt 20:28.14 DMLPD, no. 27.15 BNFPD, no. 88.