National Directory

10

PREFACE

seek a simple recognitio from the Congregation for Clergy to renew the first edition of the National Directory for another five years. At the June 2014 plenary assembly, the body of bishops voted unanimously to accept CCLV’s recommendation and sought a simple renewal of the recognitio . The recognitio was received from the Congregation for Clergy in December 2014, with the understanding that the USCCB would update the National Directory within five years. In March 2015, Most Rev. Michael F. Burbidge, CCLV Chairman, convened a working group to oversee the revision of the National Directory . He named Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, member of the committee, as chairman of a working group comprising bishops and experts in the field of the diaconate. 46 In November of 2016 Joseph Cardinal Tobin became CCLV Chairman following his 2015 election. The working group completed a draft of the document in spring 2017, which was then reviewed by the follow ing USCCB Committees: Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, Child and Youth Protection, Cultural Diversity in the Church, Divine Worship, and Doctrine. After revising the document based on the input of the collaborating committees, in September 2017 the CCLV Com mittee approved a draft of the National Directory , 2nd edition, and, in accord with the Regulations Regarding United States Conference of Cath olic Bishops Statements and Publications , submitted it for review to the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance (CACG) and the Committee on Doctrine. In June 2018, having revised the draft document based on the recommendations of the Doctrine and CACG Committees, the CCLV Committee approved the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States , 2nd edition, and recommended that the draft be presented to the body of bishops in the General Assembly session in November 2018 following the required authorization of the Administrative Committee if the agenda would allow. Given the extraordinary circumstances of the Church in the United States in the fall of 2018, the Administra tive Committee decided to postpone the discussion and vote. In 2019 the CCLV Committee requested that the Administrative Commit tee approve the inclusion of the National Directory on the June 2019 General Assembly agenda for discussion and vote. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the document at the General