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

NDPD 287

National Directory for Permanent Deacons

nominated by the director of formation and is approved and appointed by the diocesan bishop.

287 The director of spiritual formation must be dedicated to the Church’s diakonia and particularly knowledgeable of the diaconate and its mission within the Church. He should possess formal training in spirituality and related areas, including ascetical and mystical theology, pastoral counsel ing, and referral skills. Coordinator of Pastoral Formation 288 An integral formation must relate the human, spiritual, and intellec tual dimensions to pastoral practice. “The whole formation imparted [to aspirants and candidates for the diaconate] . . . aims at preparing them to enter into communion with the charity of Christ. . . . Hence their formation in its different aspects must have a fundamentally pas toral character.” 14 To ensure that all pastoral formation experiences are closely integrated with the human, spiritual, and intellectual dimensions of formation, the coordinator of pastoral formation assists the director of formation in the apostolic formation of aspirants and candidates. He sys tematically introduces the aspirants and candidates into suitable pastoral experiences, equipping them with practical skills for pastoral and, eventu ally, diaconal ministry. The coordinator of pastoral formation, who must be either a priest or a deacon, is nominated by the director of formation and is approved and appointed by the diocesan bishop. The coordinator of pastoral formation corresponds to the office of the “pastor (or other minister)” required by the Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons of the Congregation for Catholic Education. He administers and coordinates the program of pastoral formation for the aspirant and can didate stages of formation. In consultation with the director of formation

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). 14 PDV, no. 57.

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