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

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National Directory for Permanent Deacons

III. SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS 8 The documents of the Second Vatican Council convey “a great deal about bishops and laity and very little about priests and deacons.” 30 In 1990, St. John Paul II convened an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops to con sider the life and ministry of priests within the Church in order “to close this gap on behalf of priests with the completion of some important initiatives . . . for example . . . the publication of the post-synodal Apos tolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis 31 and, as an implementation of this document, the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests . 32 ” 33 9 Seeking further to promote “a certain unity of direction and clarifica tion of concepts, as well as . . . practical encouragement and more clearly defined pastoral objectives,” 34 the Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for Catholic Education organized a plenary assembly to study the diaconate. This gathering responded to concerns that had sur faced through the ad limina visits and reports of the bishops since the restoration of the diaconate had begun. 35 The members of the congrega tions and their consultants convened in November 1995. St. John Paul II met with the participants and focused his comments on the identity, mission, and ministry of the deacon in the Church. 36 10 Following this plenary assembly, the Congregation for the Clergy pub lished a Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons; and con currently the Congregation for Catholic Education issued Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons . Both documents provide epis copal conferences with directives and norms on the selection, formation, 30 Most Rev. Crescenzio Sepe, Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, Address to the National Catholic Diaconate Conference, New Orleans, LA (July 21, 1994). 31 PDV. 32 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests (Washington, DC: Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United States Catholic Conference, 1994). 33 Sepe, Address. 34 BNFPD and DMLPD, joint declaration. 35 These concerns centered upon an incorrect understanding of the role of the deacon in the hierarchical structure of the Church, of the doctrine on ministries, on the role of the laity and the role of women, as well as on concerns regarding selection, adequate intellectual formation, and proper pastoral ministries for deacons. See Sepe, Address. 36 PDO.

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