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

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Preface I. THE DIACONATE IN THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL AND THE POST-CONCILIAR PERIOD: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 1 1

One of the great legacies of the Second Vatican Council was its renewal and encouragement of the Order of Deacons throughout the entire Catholic Church. The Council’s decisions on the diaconate flowed out of the bishops’ discussions on the sacramental nature of the Church. As noted in the final report of the 1985 extraordinary synod of bishops, the Fathers of the Council present in concise, descriptive, and complementary images a comprehensive magisterial teaching: The Church is “mystery,” “sacrament,” “communion,” and “mission.” 2 The Church is “like a sacra ment or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race.” 3 “In her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.” 4 This “missionary mandate” 5 is the Church’s sacred right and obligation. 6 Through the proclamation of God’s Word, in sacramental celebrations, and in response to the needs of others, especially in her ministry of char ity, “the Church is Christ’s instrument . . . ‘the universal sacrament of 1 There is one Sacred Order of Deacons. Some deacons, who are in transition to ordination to the priest hood, usually exercise the Order of Deacons for a brief period of time. The vast majority of deacons live and exercise it, however, as a permanent rank of the hierarchy in both the Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris . This Directory addresses only the formation, ministry, and life of permanent deacons in the Latin Church. In 1995, as authorized by the General Secretary of the NCCB, the word “permanent” was discon tinued in the title of the bishops’ committee, in the NCCB’ Secretariat for the Diaconate, and in its communiqués. In this text, therefore, the word “permanent” is not used unless it is contained in a specific quotation or in the title or committee of a publication. When the word “diaconate” is mentioned in this text, it refers to those who seek to be or are ordained permanent deacons. In 2001, the NCCB, the “canonical entity,” and the United States Catholic Conference, the “civil entity,” were canonically and civilly reconstituted as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, or USCCB. This reconstituted entity is implied in this document except in those circumstances where the text requires reference to the previous nomenclatures. 2 Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, Final Report Ecclesia Sub Verbo Dei Mysteria Christi Celebrans Pro Salute Mundi (December 7, 1995). 3 LG, no. 1. 4 CCC, no. 738. 5 CCC, no. 849. 6 AGD, nos. 15-16.

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