The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and the Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (Ascension)

NDPD

Organization, Structure, and Personnel

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structure, diaconal formation takes place in its entirety, usually with personnel drawn from the various academic, spiritual, and forma tional resources of the diocese. 2. The college/university -related model incorporates one or more parts of formation from diocesan staff and resources, while one or several parts of formation, such as the intellectual and/or pastoral, are provided and supervised by a Catholic college or university, usu ally located within the diocese. In these situations, diocesan coordi nators carefully and comprehensively integrate the components of formation. Similar to the college/university model is the model that involves a graduate school of theology . 3. A diocesan or religious seminary may offer valuable resources for the formation of deacons. The unique and dedicated role of the seminary for priestly formation and the distinction between priestly and diaconal identities must be maintained. “Prudent, lim ited” use of seminary facilities may be a useful resource available to the diocesan bishop in the formation of participants in a diaconal formation program. 3 4. In a collaborative model, several specific groups, such as religious institutes or dioceses of a province, may choose to unite their resources. The groups maintain separate formation directors and selection processes, but they join together for one or more parts of formation. Care must be taken to ensure that the various com ponents of formation are integrated in a comprehensive manner so that each participating group has a clear understanding of its specific responsibilities. Distance Learning 275 Regional provinces, as well as large individual dioceses, may consider employing distance learning as an alternative model for achieving part of

3 Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy, Joint Study of the US Draft Document–The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States , Prot. No. 78/2000 (March 4, 2002).

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