National Directory

165

ORGANIZATION, STRUCTURE, AND PERSONNEL FOR DIACONAL FORMATION

board should maintain appropriate links to other diocesan entities to ensure a collaborative and integrative approach to the understanding and use of deacons and diaconal ministry throughout the diocese.

Norms

1. The diocesan bishop is the one ultimately responsible for the dis cernment and formation of aspirants and candidates, as well as the pastoral care of deacons. He exercises his responsibility personally, as well as through the Director of the Permanent Diaconate, whom he has appointed. The Director of the Permanent Diaconate, who must always be a cleric, is responsible directly to the diocesan bishop or, in his absence, to a cleric whom the bishop has appointed as his delegate. (279) 2. The director of formation, who must be either a priest or a deacon, is appointed by the diocesan bishop to be head of the deacon for mation program. He is directly responsible to the Director of the Permanent Diaconate. (284) 3. The diocesan bishop may set up a formation policy board to assist him and the director of formation in matters of diaconal formation. (296) 4. The director of spiritual formation, who must be a priest, is nom inated by the director of formation. He is approved and appointed by the diocesan bishop. He personally oversees the spiritual forma tion of each participant and provides an orientation to other spir itual directors, who must also be priests and who may be chosen by the aspirants or candidates with the approval of the diocesan bishop. (286, 287) 5. The coordinator of pastoral formation, who corresponds to “the pastor (or other minister)” required by the Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons of the Congregation for Catholic Education, is nominated by the director of formation. He is a cleric who is approved and appointed by the diocesan bishop. (288, 289) 6. Professors are nominated by the director of formation and then are approved and appointed by the diocesan bishop. (290) 7. Mentors for aspirants and candidates, who are to be knowledgeable and competent to assist the director of formation, are nominated