National Directory

8

PREFACE

Team Procedures , 39 and (3) A National Study on the Permanent Diaconate in the Catholic Church in the United States, 1994-1995, published in 1996 . 40 The 1996 Study focused on concerns that had surfaced at a special assembly of the NCCB that was convened to address vocations and future church leadership. Those concerns included the identity of the deacon, his effective incorporation into the pastoral ministries of dioceses and parishes, and the need for better screening and train ing. 41 The 1996 Study confirmed the success of the restoration of the diaconate in the United States of America in terms of the number of vocations and in its significant, almost indispensable service to paro chial communities. However, the Study also substantiated the concerns raised by the bishops and provided guidance in addressing them. 42 12. In 1994, the committee organized a national conference for deacons. Its purpose was to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their resto ration in the Church in the United States of America.The first National Catholic Diaconate Conference was convened in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The theme of this conference was “ Diaconate: A Great and Visible Sign of the Work of the Holy Spirit .” In June 1997, partici pants gathered in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and there explored the theme “ The Deacon in a Diaconal Church: Minister of Justice and Charity .” A third conference was convened in June 2000 in the Diocese of Oakland; the theme of this Jubilee Year 2000 conference was “ The Deacon in the Third Millennium—New Evangelization .” 43 A confer ence was convened in July 2018 in the Archdiocese of New Orleans to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration of the perma nent diaconate in the United States.The theme of this conference was “Christ the Servant:Yesterday, Today, Forever.” IV. The Development of This National Directory 13. In March 1997, Most Rev. Edward U. Kmiec, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate, 44 convened two subcommittees to oversee