National Directory

102

VOCATION, DISCERNMENT, AND SELECTION

program in which the applicant has spent time in formation, includ ing explicit reference to the evaluations of the applicant and the votes he received k. A thorough criminal, cyber, and social media profile background check of each nominee under the auspices of the diocesan diaconate office, including a report of the applicant’s financial stability l. Proof of legal residency and canonical domicile or quasi-domicile in the diocese 21 m. A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s employer 22 n. A personal autobiography, which is helpful in getting to know the applicant more intimately 187. Assessment of readiness at the application level is accomplished in a variety of ways. Common resources are letters of recommendation by those who know the applicant; a self-assessment prepared by the applicant, usually as an autobiographical statement; an interview with the committee on admission, and a review of his pastoral experience, especially noting any experience with the poor and the marginalized. Intellectual readiness is often assessed on the basis of prior experience through academic transcripts from schools attended and through evi dence of participation in a lay ecclesial ministry formation program, parish adult education programs, or similar adult religious training. V. Admission into the Aspirant Stage of Formation 188. The diocese’s committee on admission must develop a procedural process to review the application dossier of each applicant. Because admission into the initial stages of formation occurs through two dis tinct but unified processes—(1) acceptance into the aspirant stage; (2) admittance into the candidate stage of diaconal formation 23 — the committee should nominate to the diocesan bishop only those Discernment of Readiness for the Aspirant Stage of Formation