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PERMANENT

DEACONS

IN THE UNITED STATES

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GUIDELINES ON THEIR FORMATION

AND MINISTRY : ? i
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PERMANENT DEACONS

IN THE UNITED STATES

GUIDELINES ON THEIR

EORMATION and MINISTRY

Bishops’ Committee

on the

Permanent Diaconate

1971

Publications Office

UNITED STATES EATHOLIE EDNFERENEE

1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.E. 2DD05



Copyright © 1971
National Conference of Catholic Bishops



Contents

HISTORICAL PREFACE 1

CHAPTER ONE—DEACONS IN THE POST-CONCILIAR
CHURCH 4

A. Christ as Servant in the World 4

B. The Church as Servant in the World 4

C. The Deacon as Called and Ordained Servant 5

D. The Deacon's Service in Liturgy, Word, Charity .... 8

Ministry of Liturgy 9

Ministry of the Word 9

Ministry of Charity 10

CHAPTER TWO—THE COMMUNITY AND THE SERVICE OF
CHURCH AND DEACON 11

A. General Principles 11

B. Diaconal Ministry Needed in Particular Communities . . 12

I. Diaconate in the Black Community 13

Deacons as Intermediaries 13

Adequate Representation and Identification of

Needs 13

Accurate Knowledge of Resources 13

Specialists with Church Endorsement 14

Service to the Entire Church 14

Real Needs Served? 14

Conclusion 15

II. Diaconal Ministry in Communities of Spanish-

speaking 15

Recruitment and Training 16

Ministries 17

Commitment 17

III. Diaconal Ministry in the Rural Community 18

Rural Community Life 18

Rural Poverty 18

III



Rural Ministry 19

The Rural Diaconate 19

IV. Diaconate in the College and University Campus

Community 20

CHAPTER THREE—SPIRITUAL FORMATION OF THE

DEACON CANDIDATE 23

Goal 23

The Human Foundation of Christian Life 23

Program 24

Growth in the Christian Life 25

Means 25

CHAPTER FOUR—THEOLOGICAL FORMATION OF THE

DEACON CANDIDATE 28

CHAPTER FIVE—PASTORAL FORMATION OF THE

DEACON CANDIDATE 31

Relationship to Ministry 31

Relationship to Spiritual and Academic Formation 32

The Role of Theological Reflection in Pastoral Formation. . 32

Types of Ministerial Involvement 33

Group Work as an Aid in Theological Reflection 34

Supervision 34

Catholic Charities Agencies as a Resource 35

CHAPTER SIX—PROCEDURES IN ESTABLISHING A

FORMATION PROGRAM 37

The Initial Decision: Role of the Community 37

Community Awareness 38

The Emerging Candidate: Recruitment 38

Screening and Acceptance 39

Styles of Program Leadership 40

Family Considerations 41

IV



CHAPTER SEVEN—MINISTRY AND LIFE AFTER

ORDINATION 43

A. The Deacon's Ordination and Relationship to His

Bishop 43

The Deacon's Bond With His Diocese 44

Title of Ordination 44

B. The Process of Assignment to Ministry 44

Formal Agreement to Ministry 45

C. The Deacon in Relation to Priests and Lay People .... 46

Deacons and Priests 46

Deacons and Lay People 47

The Deacon as Bridge 48

D. Consideration for the Deacon's Wife and Family .... 49

E. Protecting the Deacon's Human Dignity, Rights, and

Security 50

The Part-Time Ministry 50

The Full-Time Ministry 50

F. The Deacon's Continuing Education and Growth In

Christ 51

EPILOGUE—NEW DIRECTIONS 53

A. Current Suggestions for Change in Church Discipline

Regarding Diaconate 53

Age—Celibacy—Ordination of Women 53
B. Some Further Questions 54

Religious 54

Laicized Priests, Seminary Deacons, and the Question

of Permanence 55

C. Influences on the Growth of the Diaconate 55

D. Lessons of Other Countries 56

APPENDIX—THE PERMANENT DIACONATE IN RELATION

TO CATHOLIC CHARITIES 58

NOTE OF THANKS 60

V



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/permanentdeaconscath



PERMANENT DEACONS

IN THE UNITED STATES

Guidelines on Their Formation and Ministry

Historical Preface

1 A little more than four years ago, in June, 1967, Pope Paul VI

began the restoration of the permanent diaconate suggested by

the Second Vatican Council in the Dogmatic Constitution on the

Church and the Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity. The

principles of decentralization and response to local need were

prominent, as the Holy Father restored the diaconate only for

those countries that wished it. Our own National Conference of

Catholic Bishops made such a request . . both to complete the

hierarchy of sacred orders and to enrich and strengthen the

various diaconal ministries at work in the United States with the

sacramental grace of the diaconate." Pope Paul approved the

U.S. request in late August of 1968.

2 When the Bishops' Committee on the Permanent Diaconate

came into existence in November, 1968, its principal responsibili-

ties had already been outlined by the NCCB. Three functions of

the committee stood out:

a. to offer local bishops recommendations concerning con-

crete details of and questions about the diaconal voca-

tion;

b. to establish a formation program including doctrinal, pas-

toral, and spiritual aspects of training;

c. to review and approve plans for the use (i.e., specific

ministry) of deacons developed by the various dioceses.

3 Within two months of its inception, the Bishops' Committee

1



received initial proposals for training from the four units that

were to become the pioneer centers—The Orchard Lake Schools
in Michigan; St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota; the

Archdiocese of Detroit; and the Josephite Fathers in coopera-

tion with the Archdioceses of Baltimore and Washington and

the Diocese of Richmond. The opportunity to once again have

permanent deacons had been accepted as a gift from God; crea-

tive people were responding to that gift.

4 By the middle of 1969 the committee clearly recognized that

the need for experiential models responding to local situations

extended to programs for the training of deacons, not just to

plans for using their ministry. The development of national forma-

tion guidelines, sought by the NCCB and listed above as "func-

tion b," was deliberately delayed until an adequate experience

base had been built up. The committee and its secretariate direc-

tor, William W. Philbin, thereupon sought to generate widespread

interest in the diaconate, communicating not just with bishops

but with vocation directors, seminary rectors, chancellors, priests'

senates and associations, lay leaders, and with a wide spectrum

of national organizations. People began to think about the diaco-

nate in terms of its contribution to the Church's total mission.

The Catholic Theological Society of America was asked to reflect

theologically on the nature of the diaconate as well as on par-

ticular questions that occurred with its growth.

5 Spring of 1971 saw thirteen programs In operation with a total

of 430 candidates. Ordination to the permanent diaconate came

in May and June, 1971; by September there will be approximately

50 permanent deacons in the U.S. Our conviction grows that the

experience developed up until now is just a hint of the future.

Formation and ministry plans must remain open to what is being

learned in dioceses across the country. The laymen who have

offered their lives and services to this office are already helping

shape its form; their experience after ordination will do so even

more. Although the recommendations In the main body of the

text have been developed within the framework of existing church

law, various broader suggestions for the future are included In

the epilogue, "New Directions."

6 The following pages articulate general lines of direction found

in the first thirteen formation programs and in those of other

2



dioceses well along in planning. The original thirteen programs

were those of Baltimore, Chicago, Des Moines, Detroit, Gallup,

Galveston-Houston, Hartford, the Josephite Fathers for Washing-

ton and Richmond, Orchard Lake, Phoenix, St. John's University

In Collegevllle, San Antonio, and San Diego. Responsibility has

remained local but there has been generous sharing of what

has been learned. After broad consultation we recommend these

first guidelines towards a program for the training and ministry

of lifetime deacons. May their lives remind all of the Servant

Christ.

August 5, 1971—BISHOPS' COMMITTEE ON THE PERMANENT

DIACONATE

Harry A. Clinch, Bishop of Monterey

Maurice j. Dingman, Bishop of Des Moines

Francis j. Furey, Archbishop of San Antonio

F. Joseph Gossman, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore

Walter J. Schoenherr, Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

John S. Spence, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

Ernest L. Unterkoefler, Bishop of Charleston, Chairman

3



Chapter One

THE DEACON IN THE POST-

CONCILIAR CHURCH

7 Delineation of a deacon's ministry and of an appropriate

preparation for that ministry presupposes some knowledge of

what a deacon is. This opening chapter describes and identifies

the deacon in terms of his symbolizing the Church's service in

the world, of his relationships to other persons and ministries

within the Church, and of the threefold scope of service that

he shares with bishops and priests: ministry of liturgy, of the

word, and of charity.

A. Christ as Servant in the World

8 After washing the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper

Jesus said, "What I did was to give you an example; as I have

done, so you must do." (John 13:15) If any Image captures the

proper relationship not only of Christians to one another but of

the whole Church toward the rest of mankind, it is that of Jesus

washing his disciples' feet. Only through fidelity to the Son of

Man who came to serve can the Church be the light of all nations,

the sign of union with God and of the unity of mankind.

B. The Church as Servant in the World

9 Perhaps no words of the Lord were repeated so often during

the Second Vatican Council as, "The Son of Man came not to

be served but to serve." Pope John had identified the Council

as pastoral; "diakonia" became one of its great themes, generating

a search for the "signs of the times" and culminating in the

Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

10 In his recent (May 14, 1971) letter to Cardinal Roy "in re-

sponse to the new needs of a changing world," Pope Paul VI

repeatedly stressed the theme of the Church's serving mankind.

The following passages can be noted:

4



''The Church, in fact, travels forward with humanity and

shares its lot in the setting of history. At the same time that

she announces to men the good news of God's love and

salvation in Christ, she clarifies their activity in the light of

the gospel and in this way helps them to correspond to God's

plan of love and to realize the fullness of their aspirations."

(# 1 )

"To build up the city, the place where men and their ex-

panded communities exist, to create new modes of neigh-

borliness and relationships, to perceive an original applica-

tion of social justice and to undertake responsibility for

their collective future, which is foreseen as difficult, is a

task in which Christians must share." (#12)

"Today more than ever the word of God will be unable to

be proclaimed and heard unless it is accompanied by the

witness of the power of the Holy Spirit, working within the

action of Christians in the service of their brothers, at the

points in which their existence and their future are at stake."

(#51)

11 Precisely in this context of the Servant Church will the deacon

discover his identity and his proper role. All Christians have

shared the Church's common responsibility to service and charity,

but in the early ordained ministry, which consisted of overseers,

elders, and deacons, it was the third group whose very name

described their function of being living sacraments of service.

This same symbolism has returned in our time.

12 In the wide sweep of history, today's restoration of the per-

manent diaconate is especially timely. Just when the Church

has changed her emphasis on "despising" earthly things in con-

trast to heavenly things and has rather seen all of life as sacred

and as experiencing redemption, just at this time when the Church

has reemphasized her servant role, so at this time does she

restore an office of certain Christians to be living symbols of

that service.

C. The Deacon as Called and Ordained Servant

13 Catholic tradition has recognized the sacramental nature of

diaconate as a sharing in the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ.

5



But what distinguishes the deacon from lay people? In the past,

the reservation of particular functions to the ordained deacon

provided the most popular and practical means of distinguishing

him from the Christian lay person. But a more penetrating view

goes beyond those specific functions, which have varied accord-

ing to different times and structures. Instead the deacon can be

identified by his relationships to the Christian community that

surrounds him.

a) Sacred Scripture describes the first deacons as men "full

of the Spirit." The sacrament of holy orders Is freely given

at the Initiative of the Holy Spirit. God calls and Invites

those whom He chooses, "You have not chosen me but

I have chosen you." This is the active presence of the

Holy Spirit, always at work in the Church and in her

ministry. The vocation to diaconal service effects a new

relationship to the Holy Spirit. The deacon's ministry

becomes a visible response to the God who has called

him.

b) The local church through the bishop by means of

sacramental ordination effects and witnesses to the call

of the Spirit. Through the sacramental sign of holy orders,

the Church gives public acknowledgement to the action

of the Holy Spirit. Thus the call received and accepted

in personal grace takes on a church-wide dimension.

As is true of all sacraments, holy orders relates to the

whole community of believers. The entire community

is committed to the deacon and the deacon to the entire

community. Through the bishop a new relationship to the

entire Church becomes visible in the Christian who is

ordained deacon.

c) The deacon enters into special fraternal relationship with

all ordained priests of the universal Church. With them

he is united in a fraternity of service and sacramental

ministry. This sharing of the one sacrament in witness to

the call of the Spirit makes them brothers in service and

commitment to the People of God.

d) The vocation to ministry, whether priesthood or diaco-

nate, implies a relationship of mutual trust and ac-

ceptance. The ministry of the Church calls for a bond

6



of charity. The effectiveness of the deacon's service is

very much conditioned by acceptance from those whom

he would serve. Without this new relationship of trust,

the deacon's service would be severely limited.

e) A final relationship is necessary in order that the diaco-

nate be fully realized. The call of the Spirit and the

imposition of hands by the bishop assume meaning and

force only when the deacon fully and totally responds

to and accepts the call with a responsible and perman-

ent personal commitment. The commitment of the dea-

con is a dedication which accepts responsibility for

communicating God's word and announcing His king-

dom, with the special task of living and speaking and

acting as one who shares the apostolic mission of Jesus.

Thus the deacon becomes accountable in a new way for

the task of building God's kingdom on earth. The deacon

expresses his commitment in the way he lives out his

relationship to the bishop, to the priests, and to the

people whom he serves.

14 The deacon, therefore, is more properly defined in terms of

who he is rather than of what he does. He is a person with a

special mission requiring special relationships within the com-

munity of God's people. With such a self-understanding, the

deacon will realize that his roles, his duties, his functions of

service are to be performed not only in response to the needs of

the people but also in the light of all those relationships by which

his office of deacon is verified. His functions will not be limited

by historical precedent but will show a flexibility and a crea-

tivity that express his identity in any given place and milieu where

the Holy Spirit invites his ministry. However much these func-

tions may vary, the essential elements of diaconal identity re-

main: the invitation of the Spirit, the manifestation and realiza-

tion of this call through sacramental ordination for the benefit

of the universal Church, the special fraternal sharing of accounta-

bility for the kingdom with all ordained ministers, the acceptance

by the community he is called to serve, and the complete personal

commitment of self to serve in the name of Christ and His Church.

15 Where the above elements are present, the deacon will be

recognized, in whatever service he performs, as one who shares

7



in a proper and distinct way in the priesthood of Christ, as one

who is a special servant of Christ and His Church.

D. The Deacon's Service in Liturgy, Word, Charity

16 Though much of a deacon's work can be done by either lay

people or priests, though his identity is therefore to be found

more in his official mission or ordination than in what he does,

though his overall symbolizing of service is more meaningful

than his specific function*, the legitimate question remains

"Since the deacon is ordained to do something, what is it?"

17 In Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, Pope Paul outlined eleven

specific tasks for the deacon, most of them liturgical and most

of them already mentioned in the Dogmatic Constitution on the

Church. But the diaconal role might best be approached by

viewing it in terms of the three ministerial areas of word, sacra-

ment, and pastoral service so familiar with regard to priesthood.

The Constitution specifies these same three areas regarding dea-

cons: "For strengthened by sacramental grace, in communion

with the bishop and his group of priests, they serve the People

of God in the ministry of the liturgy, of the word, and of charity."

(#29)

18 Many possible functions can be appropriate to deacons; the

ones suggested in the following paragraphs do not comprise an

exhaustive list. Other functions will be discovered or created,

especially through the ministries of our early permanent deacons.

But it is important to see each function in its proper category

under ministry of liturgy, word, or charity, so that the three areas

can be seen in proper balance. Otherwise there is danger that

the diaconal ministry can be identified exclusively with one or

another ministerial area. For example, a deacon might be con-

sidered solely in terms of his liturgical functions, with no regard

for a complementary service of charity; or, conversely, a deacon

might be seen as a community organizer, without relationship

to altar and liturgy. To illustrate what is meant by needed balance,

most of the specific functions outlined by the Council and the

* Cf. Report on the Restoration of the Office of Deacon as a Lifetime State,

made to Bishop Unterkoefler and the BCPD by a committee of the Catholic

Theological Society of America, Par. 22.

8



Pope have a liturgical emphasis. Yet the servant symbolism is

communicated more strikingly through ministry of charity. To

cite another example, when a deacon is recognized for his work

with individuals and groups within a community, something very

powerful is communicated by such a man's functioning as deacon

at mass. The areas of diaconal service are then seen in harmony

and the danger of lingering pelagianism is averted. The lesson

is that apart from Jesus the Servant there is no church ministry.

Ministry of Liturgy

19 In his central liturgical function the deacon serves and assists

the bishop and the priest rather than presides himself; his liturgy,

like any Christian's, must be the Eucharistic action. Even in cities

where there are enough priests for Sunday masses, the deacon

should function at the Eucharist because it is appropriate that

one who communicates God's word and serves God's people

also minister at the altar. It is from the altar that the deacon is an

ordinary minister of Holy Communion, no less a privilege because

lay people also share it. The deacon may also read the gospel

at mass and give the homily. His liturgical role, whatever it may

become as it continues to develop, goes beyond meeting im-

mediate needs; the deacon has a role in liturgical worship be-

cause he is a deacon.

20 The deacon's other liturgical functions develop from his role

in the Eucharistic action. He may administer baptism solemnly.

He may witness and bless marriages, officiate at wakes, funerals,

and burial services, administer sacramentals, and preside at prayer

services. Through the deacon, people at worship are linked more

closely to their bishops, to ordained priests, and to their local

church. This last point applies equally to a crowded city and to

a remote country area where people are without a priest.

Ministry of the Word

21 The deacon's most solemn ministry of the word is that of

reading the gospel and preaching at the liturgy. But as one

deputed to bring the good news, he can extend this ministry in

almost unlimited ways. At many gatherings and at formal and

informal meetings—literally In his own back yard—he can com-
municate a word of joy and hope. Adult education and education

9



of young people can become part of his concern. At the same

time he need not administer or be in charge of such educational

programs simply because he has been ordained. What is ap-

propriate to the office of deacon is simply that he proclaim and

witness God's word in all his services, ministries, and actions.

22

Most of the new permanent deacons, as married men with

full-time secular occupations, will have limited time to give to

the church community. And each man will have his own per-

sonal limitations of talent, training, and experience. The "uni-

versal deacon" will be rare. Some, for instance, may not desire

the faculty to preach or even to teach; various services of charity

will take up nearly all the time they have to give.

Ministry of Charity

23 Loving and serving individuals and the community of persons

in Christ is the deacon's most characteristic ministry; like the

Lord he washes the feet of others. For many people the deacon's

chief witness will be in person-to-person encounters. For the

aged, the sick in hospitals and homes, prisoners, the poor and the

rejected—for all of these a deacon can be one who cares, who
brings good news from the heart of the Christian community.

In all of this exchange it is to be hoped that he will neither appear

nor feel different from lay Christians. Rather, as one who has

come to value the Christian life profoundly, his service will inspire

and support their work of charity.

24 The deacon must be a community man, with all the self-

sacrifice and self-giving that the expression implies. This can

involve participation in parish council sessions, in special discus-

sion or action gatherings, in sub-groups within a parish, or in

pastoral units independent of parish structure. Some bishops

intend to assign deacons formally to such pastoral units.

25 The deacon as sign of the Church serving the world has a

place in the lay Christian's more proper apostolate, that to

the secular community. Recurrent environmental anti-pollution

drives, cultural developments, and movements for the improve-

ment of government, of schools, playgrounds, and community

services—all these are appropriate spheres of activity for the
deacon.

10



Chapter Two

THE COMMUNITY AND THE
SERVICE OF CHURCH AND

DEACON

A. General Principles

26 The Church must truly be part of the community in which it

serves. Presence alone is not enough to achieve the necessary

integral relationship with the community in its social, civic, eco-

nomic, cultural, and broad human aspects. The Church can

serve only in a an experiential context of genuine interaction with

the many varieties of concrete situations in which communities

live.

27 Deacons, as well as other representatives of the Church's

ordained ministry, must therefore be part of the communities in

which they serve. The Church they officially represent must be-

come flesh and blood through the quality of their personal

witness. The gospel of Jesus Christ and his example must be

shared with people in terms they can understand, especially in

living terms of service.

a) The sympathetic understanding and rapport necessary

for effective ministry can best be attained through the

ordination of people indigenous to a given community

—

whether that community be centered around values that

are cultural, racial, linguistic, or geographical. Since the

flexibility of the permanent diaconate allows for ordain-

ing married men with varying occupations and edu-

cational backgrounds, the ordaining of deacons who

emerge from the community in question should have

the highest priority.

b) Some deacons will nevertheless seek to serve in com-

munities not previously familiar to them. In order to

minister effectively such deacons must be willing to leave

'll



their own personal life-styles and prior habits of sociali-

zation, "resocializing" themselves in a new environment.

28 All ordained representatives of the Church must be sensitive

to the cultural dimension of ministry. The life of a community

as well as of individual persons is profoundly Influenced by cul-

tural conditions. Human behavior grows out of the learned,

shared responses to the needs people have for social experience

and interrelating. The deacon must therefore not only listen to

the concerns of the community and recognize its feelings and

values; he must allow himself to be sensitized by these cultural

realities. The community itself, with its natural leadership, be-

comes the training ground for his service.

29 In the light of the gospel, the Church's ministry must go

beyond identifying with what the community is and work towards

what that community can become. This means that the deacon

and other ministers must learn the processes and dynamics of

social change. Ministry that is relevant to the community's best

potential demands the wisdom and courage to challenge social

customs in a positive, creative way, in a way that is perceptive to

the implications of social change. The motivation for such ministry

is fidelity to the Kingdom of God and to the community of peo-

ple, with a profound respect for their genuine interests. The

deacon thus makes practical response to Jesus' command, "Love

one another as I have loved you."

B. Diaconal Ministry Needed in Particular Communities

30 In the United States there are many examples of communi-

ties with distinguishable needs and challenges. Some of these

needs are local and particular. Others are shared in common

with members of the same community across the country.

Eskimo and Indian people, in addition to many groupings of

people based on age and culture, have distinct needs, although

not outlined in these guidelines. Because the following four com-

munities are represented in almost every U.S. diocese, the par-

ticular need for diaconal service is described for the black com-

munity, for the Spanish-speaking communities, for the rural

community, and for the community of the college and university

campus. In each case the descriptions are the work of repre-

sentative spokesmen from the community concerned.

12



I. DIACONATE IN THE BLACK

COMMUNITY

Deacons and Intermediaries

31 The restored permanent diaconate should reflect the Didas-

calia of the Apostles which calls deacons the ears, the mouth,

the heart and soul of the bishops, with whom they make, as it

were, one. They are the bishop's ear so that he may know the

desires of the laity, for deacons are the intermediaries between

them and him. They are his heart to minister to the necessities

of the poor and the sick and all those who are In need.

32 In an attempt to draw up guidelines, the Bishops' Committee

on the Permanent Diaconate has followed the spirit of the Didas-

calia of the Apostles: they have felt the need of the deacon

in the very attempt to identify the needs of the laity. From its

early meetings to the present, the Committee for the Permanent

Diaconate, giving an example to diocesan committees, has ap-

pointed consultants suggested by the black community and has

questioned a variety of persons and organizations in the forma-

tion of its guidelines.

Adequate Representation and Identification of Needs

33 Dioceses, therefore, in the establishment of deacon pro-

grams should involve black priests, sisters, and laity from the

very beginning. Such representation and involvement must be

strong enough to identify accurately the needs of the black

community. Interested blacks know from experience that some

deacon programs have been planned without their participation,

and that others used token representation, causing the black

voice to be lost In the multitude. In judgments about representa-

tion from the black community, that community itself should

have a voice in the selection of its representatives on policy

boards.

Accurate Knowledge of Resources

34

Acceptance criteria for the diaconate should reflect the

diverse needs of the community. The needs of blacks are unique

and even these unique needs will vary somewhat from place to

13



place. The black participation and planning will guarantee, for

example, the Inclusion of men, who, because of social circum-

stances, were unable to acquire academic credentials but whose

talents and Christian lives make them obvious candidates for

the diaconate. Such men should be admitted as a matter of course

rather than by way of exception. Further, as representatives of

the black community have told the Bishops' Committee on several

occasions, the present legislation on remarriage, celibacy for

young deacons, and the age question are a severe handicap to

the development of the permanent diaconate in the black com-

munity.

Specialists With Church Endorsement

35 Another benefit of black participation in planning would be

the development of Christian specialists who have the endorse-

ment of the Church by ordination to serve the black community:

not a mere multiplication of clergymen to serve only traditionally

recognized needs, but the development of black deacons with

a new task of clearly spelling out also the special needs of the

changing black community and of proposing to the bishop cor-

responding ministries.

Service To The Entire Church

36 DIaconal candidates, both black and white, should have a

sufficient understanding of the psychological and sociological

conditions that breed the racism found in the Church and govern-

ment and condemned by both. Such an understanding would in-

deed help the deacon develop means to change the attitudes

supporting, reinforcing, and continuing prejudices that strike at

the very foundations of Christian brotherhood.

Real Needs Served?

37 The black deacon's effectiveness will be judged by his minis-

try to the real needs of the black community—in preaching, in
liturgy, and most importantly, in works of charity, I.e., individual

and community Christian service. This may mean that, acting in

the name of Christ and as a representative of the bishop, the

black deacon may at times have to act with the community against

established procedures, customs and structures.

14



Conclusion

38 The principles enunciated in Chapter Two, "The Community

and the Service of the Church and Deacon," are generally ac-

cepted. Whether the above-mentioned problems and questions

are adequately solved and answered on the diocesan level will

determine the effectiveness and success of the restored diaconate

in the black community:

a) Has the bishop used black people nominated by the

community In the planning of the permanent diaconate

program and has there been adequate representation?

b) Have black people identified the needs of the black

community and also Its resources?

c) Will the deacon be a true specialist or only serve tradi-

tionally recognized needs?

d) Will the diaconate as a whole work to change conditions

that breed racism?

e) Will the black deacon be allowed to serve the real needs

of the black community?

Prepared by Very Reverend Eugene A. Marino, S.S.j., consultant

of the National Office of Black Catholics to the Bishops' Com-

mittee on the Permanent Diaconate.

II. DIAGONAL MINISTRY

IN COMMUNITIES OF SPANISH-SPEAKING

39 Throughout the West and Southwest, and In certain other

areas of the country, the greatest pastoral challenge facing the

Church, In terms of people. Is the Spanish-speaking community.

In the West and Southwest, the diocesan Catholic populations

comprise anywhere from 50% to 85% Spanish-speaking. Yet in

the Church, as in the general body politic, this people is an

alienated people because of a different culture and language,

compounded by poverty and discrimination. For the same rea-

15



sons, there is a critical dearth of clergy from within its own

ranks to serve this community. There is no decision-making power

within the Church structure that represents the voice of the

Spanish-speaking. This leadership gap within the Church has also

been a factor in alienation.

40 It is within this context that a permanent diaconate program

for the Spanish-speaking must be seen. If the mistakes of the

past are not to be repeated, then programs must be devised in

which the Spanish-speaking themselves have significant input

and decision as to training, candidacy, and types of ministries.

41 These programs will vary from community to community,

because it must be understood that there is no one Spanish-

speaking, monolithic community in the United States. No one

group can definitively speak for all the rest. The needs of a

Mexican-American rural community In the Yakima Valley cannot

be equated with those of urban Mexican-Americans in San An-

tonio or with those of the urban Puerto Ricans in New York.

Therefore, these guidelines can only be very general.

Recruitment and Training

42 Educational background, economic conditions, cultural and

linguistic differences must all play an important part in recruit-

ment and training. These elements form the basis for setting down

qualifications for candidacy and for the type of training. Guide-

lines based on an affluent white, middle-class life-style will simply

not be adequate for the Spanish-speaking. A truly pertinent diac-

onate program will be bi-lingual and bi-cultural.

43 Existing diaconate programs and guidelines emphasize close

liaison with the family of the deacon candidate. This emphasis

will have to be particularly strong for Spanish-speaking candidates

because of the family-centered culture he comes from. The

extended family relationships of the Latin cultures, in contrast to

the atomized family structure of the dominant American culture.

Is what causes the Spanish-speaking generally to be non-joiners

of clubs and organizations. Hence, any program will have to take

this into account for the Spanish-speaking more so than for their

Anglo counterparts. This emphasis on the deacon's family will,

moreover, be an excellent witness in Spanish-speaking communi-

16



ties, where religious matters are traditionally left in the woman's

hands.

44 Training should be given within the barrio context in which

the candidates live. Since quite a few of the cleric-teachers will

be from outside the barrio, it will be necessary for the teacher

to come to where the pupils are. In this way, hopefully, his

teaching will be adapted to and influenced by the environment.

The specific world-context in which a candidate lives must be

used as an essential element in theologizing.

Ministries

45 Besides the variety of ministries that are open to deacons,

there are two areas that will be peculiar to minorities and to

Spanish-speaking deacons.

46 The first is the ministry to migrants, the "forgotten Ameri-

cans." The need here for the Church's presence in her deacons is

absolute. The training and actual ministry will tax the ingenuity of

program developers and the openness of bishops to allow these

ministers to function as they travel from diocese to diocese.

47 The second peculiar area of ministry will tax the openness

of bishops still more. This is in the area of "La Causa." Because

of the position of the Spanish-speaking as subjects of discrimina-

tion, second-class citizens, as persons lacking in human dignity

and representation, a primary scene for diaconal activity should

be in this area, where the struggle is bitter. Unless the Church

sees that this is "where it's at" and that the Church's presence

must be felt through her deacons, a large segment of the Spanish-

speaking leadership will see the diaconate as meaningless or as

just an attempt on the Church's part to keep the Spanish-speaking

merely pious and content with their lot.

Commitment

48 Finally, we come to a more delicate area—the area of time
commitment asked of a candidate. There is no doubt that the

diaconate is a permanent state in the sense that once ordained

a person is never re-ordained. But to go from this theological

statement and jump to the psychological arena and state or as-

sume that, therefore, a candidate must intend to function all his

17



life (''permanently") as a deacon, does not follow. We must make
clear distinctions between state, function, and time commitment.

49

It is felt that unless these distinctions are made, any develop-

ment of the diaconate in Spanish-speaking communities will be

seriously crippled.

Prepared by representatives of PADRES (Associados para Dere-

chos Religiosos, Educativos y Sociales) and the Division of Span-

ish Speaking, United States Catholic Conference.

III. DIAGONAL MINISTRY

IN THE RURAL COMMUNITY

Rural Community Life

50 The rural community has traditionally fostered close family

ties. The frequent presence of the father in the home has pro-

tected family life. There is also a neighborhood identity in which

people are conscious of their mutual interdependence. Villages

and towns experience a strong sense of community. The open

space of the countryside encourages a sense of freedom.

Rural Poverty

51 The United States has moved, and is continuing to move,

from a labor intense form of agriculture to a capital intense form.

This has caused a loss of population in many of the non-metro-

politan counties of the country. With a loss in population comes

a corresponding decline in the economy, in the vitality of institu-

tions and government, and in the social climate of villages and

towns. Empty homes, business failures, and the flight of youth

contribute to a sense of helplessness and psychological fatalism.

52 The rate of poverty and suffering is usually significantly

higher in rural areas. Many poor persons are forced to leave their

rural communities because there is not sufficient employment

available. They have been and are continuing to feed the urban

slums. Young people in great numbers are also forced to enter

18



the urban scene, often without sufficient preparation. The plight

of the migrant worker should especially be noted. They are with-

out voice or power, not only in government but also in the

Church.

Rural Ministry

53 Because dioceses are centered in urban areas, and because

priests sometimes do not understand the mentality of the rural

residents, the rural community is estranged from the major struc-

tures of the Church. Rural people think of themselves more as

recipients than participants. A deacon, taken from their midst and

continuing his secular employment, would bring them more into

the mainstream of Catholic Church life by becoming part of

the organizational life of the Church, even while remaining one

of them.

54 Too often small towns are used as training grounds for pas-

tors to move up the ecclesiastical ladder or as retirement possibili-

ties for the sick and aged. In either case, creative, concerned lead-

ership is often lacking. The Church could begin to correct this

situation by encouraging deacons to commit themselves creatively

in a rural ministry.

55 More than six hundred counties in the United States are

without a resident Catholic priest. The small group of Catholics

in these counties usually finds itself without pastoral leadership.

A deacon could be their leader, their "pastor," uniting them into

a community of love, worship, and service.

56 Regional and multi-county groupings are beginning to

emerge on the secular scene, displacing neighborhood and village

communities as the dominant units of society In rural areas. The

new diaconate form of ministry might be able to respond to this

new rural structure more easily than the traditional small town

parishes do.

The Rural Diaconate

57

Deacon candidates will be coming from widely scattered

communities. This will require special adaptations to particular

training programs. Correspondence courses, individual tutoring,

weekend visits by theologians, week-long summer programs are*

all possibilities.

19



58

Rural communities have a special need for orientation to the

diaconate. The deacon is a religious leader, but he Is also a citizen

with multiple relationships in the business, educational, political,

and social systems of the community. To be effective he must

be fully accepted in each of these relationships. Although this is

true in any area of ministry, it is especially true in the rural areas.

Prepared by representatives of The Glenmary Missioners and the

diocese of Des Moines.

IV. DIACONATE IN THE

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY

CAMPUS COMMUNITY

59 Many people are convinced that the academic community

is the most influential segment of American society today. Faculty

members and students often set patterns later on taken up by

others, not just in fashionable concern of the moment but in

enduring values and attitudes.

60 The campus is also the place of contact between society in

general and the culture of younger people, so many of whom

feel alienated from the ascendant culture of society and "the

establishment," with all its human failures. In the university

community, thought is brought to bear on the cultural chasm

between younger and older people; the potential for reconcilia-

tion is present. The kind of ministry exercised within the academic

community therefore becomes all important for the sake of the

whole society.

61 For the sake of the academic community itself, the principle

that ministry can best come from the ordination of people

indigenous to the community is most appropriate. Priests, sisters,

and lay campus ministers already find that they must become

part of the community, usually by teaching, in order to authen-

ticate their ministry. Ffowever, ordination of professors would

ground ministry in the university community more genuinely.

Such ordained deacons would add new power to the pastoral

teams of priests, sisters, and lay people.

20



62 The ordination of qualified faculty members, especially those

tenured and holding high status in their various academic depart-

ments and disciplines, would contribute in substantial ways to

obviate many problems facing campus ministry programs. Briefly

noted:

a) The faculty member would give stability to the campus

apostolate, since the student is but a temporary sojourner

on campus and as such only a temporary participant in

any program.

b) The faculty deacon as a resident of the local community

could do much by both presence and understanding to

resolve "town and gown" misunderstandings.

c) As a recognized minister holding faculty status, the

professor-deacon would enhance not only the campus

ministry program in the sight of university administrators

and faculty colleagues but also could bring into academic

areas legitimate aspects of religion.

d) With his broad and special academic background, the

faculty deacon would give a new dimension to the diaco-

nate itself. (NOTE: "Occupational prestige scales" place

the college professor fourth in rank—above that of or-
dained minister.)*

e) The special research skills and experience of the professor-

deacon would permit and promote greater latitude and

more fruitful results in purposeful experimentation in

various campus ministry programs.

f) The professor-deacon could by presence and personal

dedication overcome the strong feeling of alienation

manifested by the majority of students toward faculty

members.

g) As long as the deacon program itself is still on an experi-

mental basis, the active and close cooperation through

personal involvement of the most literate of any com-

munity could not but give optimum indices for evalua-

tion of the diaconate.

63 Particularly in metropolitan areas In any diocese where there

are colleges and universities, thought should be given to a par-

* Joseph Kahl, The American Class Structure, p. 73.

21



ticular kind of diaconate designed for the local academic com-

munity and its needs. But relationship should be maintained with

the overall diaconal program of a diocese, since reconciliation of

elements within society and concern for the total good are para-

mount. Some experimentation in preparing university professors

to be deacons has already begun in the Boston area; similar

initiative would be welcome In other areas of the country.

64 The limitations of existing church law are likely to appear as

constricting for a university diaconate. Younger professors (under

35) will be ineligible, as will be the sisters and lay women who

have already been accepted as integral to pastoral teams. But

such anticipation should not hold the university apostolate back

from preparing deacons from the rest of the faculty. Their ordina-

tion will link the university life to the institutional church. Limita-

tion actually experienced in present church discipline will afford

all the more reason for amending such discipline.

Prepared by Campus Ministry Department, Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate, Martin W. Davis, S.D.S., Coordinator.

22



Chapter Three

SPIRITUAL FORMATION OF THE

DEACON CANDIDATE

Goal

65 The goal of Christian spiritual formation is union with God

in Christ. There are many possible ways to that goal, all of them

involving a growth and development that is fundamentally the

work of the Spirit. To put on the mind of Jesus Christ is to see

life circumstances and activities constantly in relationship to the

Father, sharing the awareness of common possession of the Spirit

with others.

The Human Foundation of Christian Life

66 Those responsible for the formation of deacon candidates

should not talk about spiritual formation without careful con-

sideration of human formation and development. Deacon candi-

dates, like people generally, cannot develop a strong spiritual

life unless they have first developed a strong human life. Aca-

demic proficiency Is cold and aloof if not accompanied by such

warm human virtues as compassion and love. Even an externally

well-defined and regulated spiritual life would be nothing more

than a shell of pious practices if the individual were not a well-

integrated human being. Academic preparation and spiritual de-

velopment should therefore be preceded and accompanied by

genuine human growth.

67 Such human development ought to include a high degree of

self-knowledge and self-esteem, the ability to be spontaneous

and properly self-assertive, the capability of having appropriate

emotional reactions and of being free to respond to others. More

than anything else it is a question of helping a person to come to

terms with himself and with his own abilities and limitations.

Such self-knowledge will not only help one chart his own growth

pattern but it will also help him avoid many frustrations he might

otherwise encounter in ministry. More important, it will help

him deal with the anxieties peculiar to any ministerial involve-

ment.

23



68

It is important that a person learn to relate well to others

before he enters into any kind of ministerial service. Even a pro-

found knowledge of theology fails to serve unless one can com-

municate it to others. Therefore a deacon candidate should de-

velop both confidence in expressing himself and openness in

listening to others. In view of a deacon's function of community

leadership, it is also important that the candidate learn to con-

front issues in a constructive way, to express disagreement, and

to express support. When someone has developed along these

lines, he is ready to study theology and focus attention on a

spiritual life.

Program

69 Christian spiritual development is a gift of the Holy Spirit

and therefore cannot be arranged by techniques. A program can

only make available certain generally recognized means for the

meeting of man and the Spirit.

70 Available means must recognize not only the diversity among

individuals but also the high degree of diversity and individuality

among and within the various ethnic and cultural groups. Aside

from age and urban versus rural differences, black people and

people who speak Spanish and other languages than English

should have modes of liturgical and doctrinal expression that fit

their life-experiences and prior spiritual development based on

their own cultural heritage. These recommendations repeat the

emphasis of Chapter Two that the Church and its ministers be

immersed in the culture of a given community.

71 Much of spiritual growth occurs outside the scope of any

program. For example, if a deacon candidate continues in his

job, that very job offers him opportunity for spiritual growth by

his applying the gospel perspective to it. The job is no longer

simply "secular," for it has become a grace-opportunity for him.

In that sense there are only "full-time" deacons; adequate spiritual

orientation will show the candidate that his whole life is diaconal.

72 In no way should the program of spiritual formation be a

means of promoting clerical or monastic forms among men whose

life circumstances are meant to remain thoroughly lay. To use

"spiritual formation" as a psychological technique to clericalize

the mentality of deacon candidates, even inadvertently, is to

24



prejudge the general rethinking of ministry presently going on

in the Church.

Growth in the Christian Life

73 Spiritual formation in any Christian's life is an ongoing proc-

cess. Preparation for the diaconate attempts to stimulate and

facilitate that process with a view to new service. The deacon

candidate's deepening exposure to sacred scripture, to doctrinal

studies, and to pastoral experience leads him to new sensitivity

concerning the faith-value of his family and job; the brotherhood

of deacons, priests, and bishops; and his new ministering stance

towards the People of God. He becomes more than ever a "com-

munity man," a man of the Church, in his image of himself, in

his awareness of his mission, and in practical relationships with

people. The deacon candidate's spiritual formation penetrates

and is part of all other aspects of his growth. Consequently, the

following assumptions must be made:

a) that the candidate is seeking to grow In self-knowledge

and the ability to communicate with others;

b) that the candidate already is living a spiritual life—related
to his vocation as worker, husband, and father—that
finds expression in prayer and apostolic work;

c) that the candidate will selectively choose from among

those means of spiritual growth made available by his

further studies and experiences.

74 The deacon candidate can assume that the program offered

to him for his spiritual growth will respect his prior development

and his unique family and work situations. Since each candidate

has a personal spiritual foundation to build upon, care should

be taken that the program offer individualized means for growth.

Means

75 The means to spiritual formation can be put in four cate-

gories: fraternities, a spiritual coordinator, a personal spiritual

consultant, family and job. These recommendations are not meant

to be exhaustive of the possibilities; nor need they all be used

in any given program.

76 Fraternities. Candidates and ordained deacons may be or-

ganized into small groups for the purpose of employing the

advantages of group dynamics toward the continuing spiritual

25



development of the deacon. Group prayers, liturgy, and other

spiritual activities are often more meaningful for spiritual develop-

ment in a small group that maximizes individual participation

than in a large group where most individuals must assume a more

passive role. Where lay-oriented spirituality movements are

available to the deacon candidates, they could be used in addi-

tion to or in conjunction with the deacons' fraternities. These

small groups, meeting together on a regular basis, provide a

framework for sharing experiences and stimulating mutual as-

sistance and encouragement, as each member strives to com-

plement the others in his own way. The presence of men with

various skills and abilities in a closely related group will facilitate

the growth of each member. Looking on the group as a sounding

board may enable an individual to develop from the collective

wisdom present. Each member of the group, having different

experiences and interests, assists the others by making them aware

of events, thoughts, means, and methods of spiritual growth that

an individual could hardly become aware of by himself. As to

leadership, a leader may arise from within the fraternity, he may

have to be appointed, or there may be a diffused leadership of

many members. Regardless of the method of selection, the group

must have careful leadership.

77 A spiritual coordinator should be responsible for organizing

workshops and seminars or giving retreats and formal classes

on the spiritual life. He can unify the various aspects of the total

program. Spiritual growth has a priority in the formation process;

but it is achieved in the context of theological and apostolic

formation, and in the situation of the candidate's family life and

work.

78 A personal spiritual consultant should be chosen by the can-

didate to counsel, guide, and help search through problems as

they arise. Perhaps it would be well to select someone outside

the program in those cases where problems arise concerning the

program Itself or its leadership. And a man with black or Spanish-

speaking heritage might be encouraged to seek an advisor from

his own community. Certain values in having a personal spiritual

consultant are as follows:

a) Such a one can "meet the candidate where he is." The

background of candidates may vary broadly from those

26



who have a highly structured spiritual life to those whose

faith and awareness of God is very simple.

b) He can deal with problems, questions, and concerns which

might not emerge in classes or which the candidate might

be reluctant to discuss even in the intimate atmosphere of

the fraternities.

c) He can assist the candidate to reflect on his dispositions

toward Christ, the Church, and his family. Along with

the program spiritual coordinator, he can be concerned

with how doctrinal instruction is finding expression in

apostolic activity; with creating an inner disposition to-

ward Christ and the Eucharist; with challenging the candi-

date to be a man of contemplation, i.e., one who sees

all reality in the perspective of the gospel.

79 Family and job. In general, the deacon candidate's family

and job should be psychologically and spiritually supportive to

his formation, but should not be part of the program. Wives

can be included in spiritual activities such as retreats and small

group masses, but they must not be required to participate.

Especially in equalitarian marriages, the wives can take the op-

portunity to grow spiritually along with their husbands if they

wish to. Getting together with wives of other deacon candidates

seems to help a wife understand the new dimension in her

marriage. Liturgies provide the best opportunity to express and

build upon the oneness of purpose that deacons' families share.

80 Any listing of means of growth in the Christian life suggests

jesus' words, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes

to the Father but through me." (John 14:6) The vision of Christ

as the way to life in God and as the center of ongoing redemption

calls attention to the gift of participation in the Eucharist. The

deacon candidate's previous life in Christ was nourished in the

Eucharist; the power of his later diaconal work will come from

the altar. No less should his formal diaconal training find its

strength in the Eucharist.

81 Since spiritual formation is a continuing process and fills a

lifetime, the program should be open-ended and leave the candi-

date with the conviction that there is much left to be done after

ordination.

27



Chapter Four

THEOLOGICAL FORMATION

OF THE

DEACON CANDIDATE

82 The academic program of diaconal formation is designed to

recognize the faith commitment of the candidate, to sustain and

develop that faith commitment, and to enable the candidate to

articulate it. The specific goal of the study program is to prepare

ministers of the gospel rather than professional theologians. To be

effective as an ordained representative of the Church, the deacon

should have enough knowledge of theology to be competent

In the specific ministry he exercises.

83 Through lectures, seminars, small group discussions, and indi-

vidual direction the candidate should develop a basic under-

standing, appreciation, and integration of the following:

a) sacred scripture—the experience of God in the com-
munity of Israel and In the primitive Church as evident

in the sacred writings;

b) Christology—the person and mission of Jesus Christ, Lord
and Savior, as perceived by the primitive Church and by

Christian believers today;

c) the Church—concepts, structures, and tasks of the Church
in word, sacrament, and service;

d) pastoral sociology and psychology—a consideration of
the individual and society, a study of the cultural, eco-

nomic, social, and political influences affecting the family

of man.

84 In the ministry of liturgy, of the word, and of charity the

deacon will appear frequently in the community as a preacher,

celebrant of the liturgy, religious instructor, counsellor, leader of

small groups, and community organizer. For effective ministry

his particular talents should be recognized and strengthened.

28



This can be done by training in homiletics, religious education,

counselling, and community organization. It is not the purpose of

a training program to prepare every deacon for all ministries, but

rather to recognize areas of competence and develop them.

85 The aim of these theological guidelines is not a fixed roster

of courses but an emphasis on basic areas of study and pastoral

experience. As far as possible, each training center should be

encouraged to develop programs that Integrate theory and prac-

tice, which should enable the candidate to be an effective minister

of the gospel.

86 Programs should recognize the varied experiences and par-

ticular qualities of each candidate. Because of the necessity for

a diversity of ministries to a variety of peoples, programs should

encourage and recruit candidates from ail backgrounds and

cultures. While some candidates may well profit from courses

at universities, colleges, or seminaries, others may best be served

through programs specifically developed in new structures on

a diocesan or regional basis. These considerations need especially

to be noted in arranging curricula: language and cultural dif-

ferences, academic background, and age.

87 Poverty, racism, and ethnic problems are realities in the

United States. Therefore a deep respect for different groups

should be made possible through any program, and an opportu-

nity offered for mutual enrichment, developing bonds of brother-

hood In ministry across the lines of age, race, language, and

economic condition.

88 Since deacons will minister to younger as well as older

people, candidates should be assisted with the most skillful of

modern pedagogical methods, including the use of television,

programmed Instruction, and audio-visual devices. Reflection

on personal experience, under the guidance of a trained super-

visor, is a fundamental dimension of learning, as is indicated at

greater length in Chapter Five. It should be noted that most

diaconal candidates have matured through adult experiences of

work and family life. They must be trusted to learn at their own

pace, with their own selection of priorities, and inspired by their

own Inner motivation.

89 Academic programs may or may not be accredited. Where

29



accreditation is possible without excluding good candidates, it

should be sought with appropriate certificates or degrees from

colleges, seminaries, or universities. In this way the academic

work performed can receive particular recognition, and improve-

ments in the resources of library, faculty, and administration can

be made more secure.

90 During the two-year diaconal training period, the arrange-

ment of theological, pastoral, and spiritual formation should be

designed with a pattern of lifetime continuing education as goal.

A third year of formal training after ordination might mark the

transition to the less guided program of continuing education.

As part of the continuing education envisioned, adequate under-

standing of current developments in the Church's teaching and

special mission in areas such as poverty, world peace, and justice

can often best be attained through workshops, study weekends, or

specially designed courses.

91 The faculty engaged in the training program should be com-

prised of competent teachers deeply committed to the Church's

ministry of service. Faculty members should exemplify in their

own life-style the content they present In lectures, discussions,

seminars, etc. Every effort should be made to develop a faculty

that works closely In Integrating the academic, pastoral, and

spiritual aspects of the program.

92 Evaluation of the program by the candidates, the faculty, and

the program directors should be a regular part of each year's

activity, in order that continued improvements in every area

may be assured. Through continued concern for such evaluation,

candidates themselves can be encouraged to foster evaluation

of their own performance after ordination on a regular basis, and

thus guarantee the likelihood of continued improvement in their

ministry of service.

30



Chapter Five

PASTORAL FORMATION OF THE

DEACON CANDIDATE

Relationship to Ministry

93 Those preparing for the public ministry of the ordained

diaconate are already consciously in mission; like other men and

women in a church with a variety of ministries, they have been

serving others. Whenever and however men conscious of Christ's

saving presence and aware that Christ acts through them for the

good of others—whenever and however such people are "for
others"—they "minister." Such an open-ended, unspecified de-
scription is needed in view of the varied modes of ministry the

diaconate may employ.

94 This broad understanding of the ministerial development

looks to the entire diaconal mission in liturgy, in word, in charity-

inspired service. For this reason the term "ministerial formation"

is suggested here to supplement the more familiar term "pastoral

formation." However, just as previous chapters have concentrated

on spiritual and theological growth, the focus of this chapter is

on the candidate's experience of different ways to encounter and

serve others as a deacon. Thus the emphasis is on ministries

of charity and Is In this sense "pastoral."

95 Through deepened faith understanding, through the awaken-

ing that men experience in their common search for God, through

grappling with what Is needed in the actual field of service and

what is possible with each one's talents—through these, men of
faith refine and particularize their Individual ministries and their

pastoral orientation. As Bishop Unterkoefler said at the national

workshop on the diaconate in Chicago, in December, 1970,

"There is a feeling that the Holy Spirit, at this time in history,

has called us upon an uncharted course, a venture in creativity,

based upon the needs of men and the needs of the Spirit."

31



96 Any valid ministry is at once an expression of faith and a

skill. The structures of any diaconal training program should re-

late to this dual thrust: one learns both by reflecting and by doing.

The process is an experience of grpwth.

Relationship to Spiritual and Academic Formation

97 It is crucial to bear in mind throughout all phases of forma-

tion that the gospel is to be proclaimed. This should provide the

reason for study as well as an incentive to prayer. The study

of theology is not, therefore, simply a pursuit of greater knowl-

edge but an effort to equip each candidate to share the insights

of revelation more competently and authoritatively and become

an increasingly believable sign of the true ministry of service

embodied in the person of Christ. Greater and more enlightened

pastoral and ministerial activity should be the natural result of

growth In understanding the mysteries of faith. Both from such

deeper understanding of the word of God and from more active

ministry should come a spirit of prayer.

98 The entire formation program should have a radical minis-

terial focus. Its Immediate concern is not to assist the develop-

ment of professional theologians but to provide necessary knowl-

edge and sensitivities for those who would dedicate themselves

to a special ministry of service In the community.

99 Active involvement reveals how theological-scriptural disci-

plines are relevant to the mission of service. Conversely, learn-

ing through doing is an essential part of the educational process.

Therefore, during the formation process itself the candidate

should be actively involved in some form of ministry as in-service

training. The experience of pastoral ministry emphasizes the

necessity of teaching methods that constantly integrate the the-

oretical and the practical.

The Role of Theological Reflection in Pastoral Formation

100 Pastoral formation involves both the acquisition of skills,

so that the diaconal candidate can secure a sense of confidence

in his leadership and talent, and some answer to the deeper and

more personal question of why things are done. Ultimately, the

second is the more important. The former question is one of

32



experience and practice; the latter is a lifelong search to extend

the insights and demands of '"mission." The question of one's

personal limitations and potentialities, the need for continual

creativity in presenting the word, the evaluation of goals, one's

personal dedication—all of these questions must be explored.

101 This kind of questioning is usually called "theological re-

flection," or sometimes "faith awareness." Formation calls for a

continual evaluation, arising in a context of prayer, of how the

activity that engages us has value for the "mission" that we share

as Christians. Theological reflection demands the honest evalua-

tion of the genuineness of what one is doing, so that it might be

seen as authentic and charismatic, that is, truly from the Spirit.

Thus a basis is provided for seeing the world as an essential ele-

ment for theologizing.

102 By such reflection diaconal candidates begin to develop

patterns of prayer concerning the roles that they perform, bringing

the theological questions into greater perspective. They try to

make an intellectual and systematic response to the needs of the

day, so that the scriptures and their developing prayer lives offer

a solution to the problems that must be faced.

Types of Ministerial Involvement

103 In such a living situation, deacon candidates can acquire

a sensitivity to the needs of people, to their- hopes and aspira-

tions. They become better acquainted with the various life styles of

today's world, probing some of the questions and the reactions

of people. Since theological questions are viewed in the context

of life, candidates become increasingly conscious of the fragile

human elements surrounding such questions.

104 Unlike seminarians in preparation for the priesthood, most

diaconal candidates come with some expertise through past serv-

ice. The task of involving them in ministry is not difficult, but

the type of such involvement is very important. First of all, the

candidates should be helped to analyze their present pastoral

involvement, refining and renewing their commitment to it. Then

they should encounter a variety of programs, including experience

with such things as catechetics, home visitations, political and

community organizations, housing, school boards, prayer groups.

33



work among addicts, etc. This will enable them to appreciate the

scope of the Church's mission, to test their own flexibility, and

to acquire the ability to cope with the unusual. The result should

be a deepened faith awareness and a strengthened commitment

to service.

Group Work as an Aid in Theological Reflection

105 In implementing theological reflection on the various expe-

riences of ministerial involvement, discussion and interaction

groups have been found helpful. Such groups are much like the

''fraternities" described in Chapter Three as a means of spiritual

formation. Ideally, groups would consist of eight to twelve peo-

ple, with a facilitator to assist but not necessarily direct the various

processes set in motion. Although the size of reflection groups

might vary in different dioceses, the number suggested here ap-

pears ideal for ministerial growth during the training program.

106 Personal development is more likely to take place through

active interrelating with other people than through passive listen-

ing. Honest, open encounter provides the foundation for self-

knowledge and growth. Furthermore, by exchange, confrontation,

and support within their groups, deacon candidates can minister

to one another and witness to the presence of the Spirit. The

group becomes a model of their broader apostolic community

and of the total community that is the Church.

Supervision

107 Supervision of pastoral activities and experiences should

reflect that openness, flexibility, and multi-faceted approach to

service that is inherent in the notion "diakonia" itself. During the

past several years, however, new field education and clinical

pastoral education programs within seminaries and various ad-

vanced seminars and laboratories concerning ministry have

stressed the importance of supervision as a specialized skill. To

be qualified as a pastoral supervisor, one must have pastoral

experience and skill; beyond this, he should be trained In the

art of supervision, which is more than an assembly of skills and

techniques. Even though the formation of mature men should

take advantage of their experience and should therefore be dif-

ferent from that of seminarians, the person responsible for the

34



pastoral formation of deacons should nonetheless be highly

trained in supervision, just as a seminary field education director

should be so trained.

108 One area of a supervisor's work has to do not so much with

facilitating for the candidate the acquisition of particular skills, but

rather with providing that broad experience of ministries to which

a deacon candidate is profitably exposed. This broad experiential

base provides an index not only of the candidate's initiative but

also of his ability to cope with many personalities and with a

variety of experiences. And it opens him to the possibilities of

integrating and synthesizing a whole complex of ministries, as

well as refining his selection of a particular area of ministry.

109 The second area of supervision has to do with specializa-

tion of ministry. In this case the candidate who is in training for

a particular apostolate might be assigned to a "supervisor" either

in field education or at an institute for clinical training. Under

the sympathetic guidance of—and demanding confrontation with
—the supervisor, the candidate can develop to a level of com-
petence in a particular ministry. The application of supervisory

skills to pastoral work in social welfare agencies, hospitals, and

prisons is already highly sophisticated. More and more, such

supervision is finding a place in parish work and in special

apostolates.

110 Supervision and instruction that respond adequately to the

needs of the community should be as open and varied as the

needs themselves. Through the creative ministries to be under-

taken by deacons, pastoral work and the supervision that ac-

companies it may extend to new frontiers and open the lives

of more people to the good news of Christ.

Catholic Charities Agencies as a Resource

111 Because the third and characteristic area of a deacon's

apostolate, the ministry of charity, coextends with service already

being rendered by Catholic Charities agencies, these agencies

can give help to and receive help from emerging diaconate pro-

grams. Charities' agencies are accustomed to having lay people

in positions of heavy responsibility. Further, Charities' training

programs for their own ministry of service can be a resource

35



for the training of deacons, especially in the matters of personal

and professional accountability and of the art and skills of super-

vision. As an indication of the counsel and collaboration that may

be given to new diaconate programs, an appendix to these guide-

lines carries a statement from the director of the National Con-

ference of Catholic Charities.

36



Chapter Six

PROCEDURES IN ESTABLISHING

A FORMATION PROGRAM
The Initial Decision: Role of the Community

112 Traditionally the ceremony of ordination to priesthood has

given people an opportunity to approve or reject the choice of

men who will minister to them. Since no diocese is obliged to

inaugurate the permanent diaconate, people can have a more

radical and influential voice concerning this ministry. For instance,

they can advise whether even to have deacons, which diaconal

ministries to emphasize locally, what kind of training deacons

should receive, and how to incorporate the counsel of all seg-

ments of the Church into a plan for diaconal service.

113 There are practical limits and difficulties about a whole

diocese's advising its bishop on the question. Until an orientation

and education program has been functioning, most people are not

familiar enough with the diaconate to care whether it comes.

But the principle of having the community speak can still be

preserved. Thorough discussion can take place in the priests'

senate, diocesan council of religious, apostolic lay organizations,

and certainly in the diocesan pastoral council, where that body

has been established. Some dioceses have appointed committees

to study the feasibility of the diaconate in terms of local apostolic

needs, with committee membership drawn from various organiza-

tions and subgroups within the particular diocese.

114 Where such communal responsibility has been exercised

in evaluating and planning a possible diaconate, there are im-

mediate advantages. First, the bishop's task of decision-making

becomes easier since others, in addition to giving their final rec-

ommendation, have shared in all the information-gathering, pri-

ority choices, and evaluations that lead to the decision. Secondly,

If the decision Is to develop a diaconate program, every segment

of the diocese will have at least some initial readiness to under-

37



stand and receive the program, and a nucleus of working commit-

tees will already be available.

Community Awareness

115 Once the decision to start a diaconate program has been

made, it is already time to begin preparing priests, religious, and

lay people to learn about the new ministry that will soon affect

their lives. Part of this educational emphasis should be towards

understanding the nature of the Church and the responsibility

that each member bears for her life and growth. When the

development of the program has involved widespread collabora-

tion and many groups in the local church have pondered over

the kind of diaconal ministry needed, orientation and education

already have a strong beginning,

116 Many techniques and approaches can be used to make the

word ''deacon" a familiar one, including the use of the public

media, the diocesan newspaper, sermons, parish meetings, meet-

ings with clusters of parishes, meetings with priests and periodic

progress reports sent to them. Each diocese will finally devise its

own appropriate means for publicizing its diaconate program.

At present, however, it is the unanimous feeling of program co-

ordinators that a good publicity and public relations program is

essential if deacons are to operate in the ministry effectively. The

diaconate will be a major structural change in church ministry;

if lay people and priests are not prepared for it, the results could

be disastrous. There could be opposition not only to the deacon in

his role but to the deacon personally. With effective orientation,

however, the church community can move together to receive the

new kind of ministry and to grow in the love that is its goal.

The Emerging Candidate: Recruitment

117

From the experience of the past two years, clear delineation

of who a deacon is and what he is called to do results in many

applications for diaconal service. People of faith who have served

church and society in other ways come forward to be ordained

for this ministry. They come especially if their parish and parish

priests show esteem and enthusiasm for the diaconate. Together

with frequent news about diaconate coming from the orientation

38



program, such attitudes create a climate in which people ponder

whether the Holy Spirit may be attracting them to ministry.

118 It may be friends or members of the family who suggest

that a person become a deacon. It may even be that a local

parish community decides that certain of their members should

prepare to be deacons. In either instance the personal recruiting

should be seen as an Instrumentality of the Spirit. Up to the

present, priests have been the most effective recruiters of candi-

dates; subsequently deacons themselves are expected to be the

most Influential recruiting agents. Whoever he may be, the re-

cruiter searches out people who have the qualities necessary, i.e.,

who have strong faith and wisdom, who associate comfortably

with other people and yet have the courage to lead and to be

different. As an added help in reaching candidates, the diocese

might make available a paper on the meaning of diaconate and

the qualifications necessary for this service.

Screening and Acceptance

119 Whether a diocese has its own training program, sends

candidates to a neighboring diocese, or sends them to a nation-

ally oriented program like the ones at Orchard Lake, Michigan,

or Collegeville, Minnesota, the formalities of official acceptance

can be similar and should be implemented by a diocesan board.

Each potential candidate fills out an application that looks to

basic personal statistics and biographical facts. If he is married,

his wife is asked to state her feelings regarding his becoming

a deacon. Certificates of baptism, confirmation, and marriage are

required. Letters of recommendation are obtained from the candi-

date's pastor, from a lay person in his parish, from another priest

or religious, and from his employer. Finally, at least one personal

Interview Is held with the candidate and his wife.

120 The forementioned steps should be seen as an extension

of the parish community's offering and of the diocesan com-

munity's accepting of a man for immediate two-year preparation

to become deacon; the candidate's earlier life and Christian serv-

ice comprise his principal preparation.

121 The term "screening" suggests that certain qualities are

sought in a deacon candidate. The overall criterion is that the

diaconal office is one of active service and leadership; therefore

39



people should not be ordained simply as a recognition of moral

goodness or as a reward for past service.

122 Psychological testing has been used by most of the original

thirteen programs and is recommended by these guidelines but

not necessarily for screening purposes. It should rather be an in-

strument for development, to help the candidate assess his own

attitudes and the strengths and weaknesses of his personality. The

small group emphasis discussed in Chapters Four and Five also

offers an opportunity for continuous evaluation of the candidate's

qualifications by his peers in the program as well as by its staff.

Styles of Program Leadership

123 The various programs already functioning have taken dif-

ferent approaches to the immediate, week-to-week direction or

leadership of diaconal training. Common to all programs is the

insistence that, whatever its form, leadership be competent. Thus

from the previous chapters it is clear that there must be capable

and trained faculty in the fields of spiritual formation, theology

and scripture, pastoral supervision, and group dynamics. It is in

regard to overall administration that there are different styles of

leadership.

124 Most bishops have appointed as "Director" or "Vicar for

the Permanent Diaconate" a priest whose background equips him

to integrate the various phases of formation and to relate the

diaconal program to other areas of the diocesan apostolate.

One of his indispensable tasks Is to encourage, receive, and use

the insights and contributions of the candidates themselves, espe-

cially valuable because of their background of experience.

125 An alternate style of leadership puts the administration of

the program Into the hands of the candidates. Where the numbers

are small, candidates might act as a committee of the whole;

ordinarily, representative leaders would be elected by and for

the candidates. One appeal of this second style is that people

work more actively when they are involved in the decision-making

process. Another is that those who will function as deacons should

have significant voice in their preparation.

126 Concerning policy as distinct from administration, the

whole diocese should have representation on a deacon training

40



program's board of directors. Ordained ministry is the concern

of the entire local church and not just of those who will exercise

that ministry. Since a board of directors would link candidates,

faculty, and administration to broader church concerns and rep-

resent those concerns in the name of the bishop, it should be

constituted with great care. Representation should include priests,

deacons, men and women religious, people from organized lay

apostolates, lay men and women in general, young people, and

members of minority groups.

Family Considerations

127 Most deacon training programs take the candidate away

from his wife and family two evenings a week; periodic weekend

retreats or special meetings add to this time away; and the candi-

date spends additional time with the church or civic community

of which he is a part. Aside from the question of time, the nature

of a deacon's commitment to the community has reverberations

in his family. Though the time he can give is limited and his

commitment to his wife and family has clear priority, there is a

new kind of belonging to the community that has to be carefully

considered throughout the formation period so that the accepting

of ordination becomes a free and conscious choice, shared in and

supported by the man's wife and children.

128 Because of this family dimension, two-way communication

between the diocesan diaconate office and the wives of the candi-

dates Is crucial. Especially during the early period of a candidate's

training, the emerging picture of what repercussions the diaconate

will bring to his family may cause his wife to be apprehensive.

Only clear information and accurate understanding can allay such

apprehension.

129 It is also necessary to offer developmental programs for the

wives, so that they too might be involved In personal growth

experiences similar to those their husbands are undergoing. Dur-

ing a two-year program, candidates have unusual opportunities

for personal growth. Unless their wives have a similar opportunity,

there can be an imbalance that might affect the marital relation-

ship.

41



130 Another consideration is the family's economic situation.

The gift of diaconal service should not impose unfair burdens

on the deacon or his family. For this reason, minority group pro-

grams may need to be subsidized to a greater degree than other

programs. The plight of the poor ought to be understood when

a deacon is drawn from his own, the poor.

42



Chapter Seven

MINISTRY AND LIFE AFTER
ORDINATION

A. The Deacon's Ordination and Relationship to His Bishop

131 The dignity of a sacrament and the action of Christ Himself

envelop ordination to diaconate as well as to priesthood and

episcopate. Since for the lifetime deacon this is his definitive

apostolic commission rather than a step to other orders, the

ceremony should reflect a great investment of rejoicing and hope

on the part of the deacon, his family, his church and civic com-

munity. As part of the ceremony, the announcing by the candi-

date's wife that she gives consent and approval to the ordination

adds dramatic meaning. Pope Paul himself called for the assur-

ance of such consent when he ordained deacons in Bogota,

Columbia, more than two years ago.

132 Through the imposition of the hands of the bishop, the

deacon comes to share, together with bishop and priests, pub-

licly and officially in the Church's carrying out of Christ's minis-

try of word, sacrament, and service. Since the bishop's pastorate

is diocesan wide, the ordination ceremony can take place ap-

propriately either in the cathedral or in the candidate's parish.

When a man has clearly emerged as a leader in his parish com-

munity—and particularly when a diocese plans to locate the
ministry of deacons at the parish level—ordination in a parish
church allows the people who really know the man to share

this moment. Other reasons, especially a diocesan plan for extra-

parochial ministry for its deacons—or simply too great a number
of deacons for the bishop to ordain in each parish—would incline
towards one, central, cathedral ordination. A third, intermediary

possibility would emphasize ordination in and for a region,

vicariate, or deanery—i.e., some unit consisting of a number of
parishes.

43



The Deacon's Bond With His Diocese

133 This official sharing in Christ's ministry to a specific local

church is the basis of the ordained man's enduring relationship

to his diocese called "incardination." But the fact that the great

majority of deacons will continue secular work and be part of a

very mobile American society must qualify a man's commitment

to his diocese. With the cooperation and dialogue common

among U.S. bishops, a deacon who is transferred into another

diocese by his occupation will ordinarily be welcomed into

ministry by his new bishop. However, the option exercised by a

diocese, i.e., a local church, is a value to be respected; when

a deacon moves into a diocese that has decided not to implement

the permanent diaconate, he will simply not exercise his office.

Title of Ordination

134 The ordination "title" traditional for priests in the United

States, "the service of the Church," is appropriate also for

deacons. In the case of priests, the title has had no connection

with sustenance or "benefice" and is not changed when a man

becomes a pastor. The same will be true of deacons, the vast

majority of whom will continue their previous occupations, sup-

porting themselves Independently of diaconal work. The title,

therefore, will underscore the whole purpose of ordination

—

service.

135 According to present church law, the age minimum for the

ordination of married men (and In the U.S. for single men also) is

thirty-five years. The bishop is empowered to dispense from an

age deficiency of only one year. When younger candidates come

forward who are mature in their faith, personality development,

and marital life, the Bishops' Committee recommends that the

bishop of the diocese seek a dispensation from the Holy See in

order to ordain.

B. The Process of Assignment to Ministry

136 The range of ministries in which a deacon may serve is

within the broad parameters outlined in the Dogmatic Constitu-

tion on the Church and in Pope Paul's letter of 1967 (cf. Chapter

One, par. 18)—ministries of liturgy, word, and charity. Although
ministry of the word runs a gamut from formal preaching to

44



personal dialogue, even more limitless possibilities fall under

ministries of charity. This becomes the most important area

regarding assignment procedures.

137 Two central factors affect assignment—the needs of the
diocese and the capacities of the individual deacon. The diaco-

nate relates to the overall apostolate of a diocese—which in-
cludes lay and ordained ministries—and ordinarily will have a
certain thrust and character In response to local needs. The in-

dividual deacon's ministry must be limited by his capacities and

circumstances—his talents, interests, training, and the time he
has available to give. Some deacons, for example, will be charls-

matically inspired to conceive new ministries to groups previously

alienated from the Church and closed to the gospel message.

Formal Agreement on Ministry

138 From the balancing of these two factors, therefore, an

agreement can be developed for the ministry of each deacon,

containing at least the outline of a "job description." Though

very much open to concrete application, development, and

change, the agreement should weigh what is known. Besides

the two matters of diocesan need and personal capacity, other

elements In the agreement process include consent of the deacon

and his family, consultation with the appropriate pastor or agency

head (e.g., a hospital. Catholic Charities, or social action agency),

and with related community structures such as parish councils,

organizational or agency decision-making boards, and diocesan

personnel structures. The agreement should be subject to periodic

review by all of those concerned.

139 Such clear agreements, taking full account of limits, should

help the bishop and the deacon—also the priests and lay people
with whom the deacon will work—to recognize authority as serv-
ice rather than power or domination. Deacons recognize the fact

of decision-making responsibilities in secular life and they expect

It in the ordained ministry. But since they come freely and as

adults, offering their talents and energies in service to the bishop

and the community, they are not likely to tolerate an arbitrary

approach to decision-making. With clear agreements, dialogue,

and mutual respect. Inevitable authority conflicts should be

minimal.

45



140

At least regarding assignment, the liturgical expression of

diaconate is simpler to determine than the service of charity.

With the addition of the deacon's ministry to those of celebrant,

lector, acolyte, commentator, music director, and congregation,

the proper division of roles in the Eucharist is emphasized and the

Church can be better experienced as community. Whether minis-

tering at mass or in the action of other sacraments such as baptism

or matrimony, the deacon should wear appropriate vestments.

The effect of such liturgical attire will be all the more striking

when the deacon's street-dress is non-clerical.

C. The Deacon in Relation to Priests and Lay People

Deacons and Priests

141 Sacramentally sharing as they do in the one priesthood of

Jesus Christ, deacons enter into a profound collaborative bond

with all the priests of a diocese, a bond which looks to the Chris-

tian life of all the people, (cf. Chapter One, Par. 13). Yet in

their respective types of educational background and daily life-

style, including both occupational and marriage/celibacy differ-

ences, deacons and priests will be very different. As a result, what

is changed, broadened, and enriched is our understanding of or-

dained ministry. Primarily, ministry meant and still means a

mission from Christ and the Church. Secondarily, it was the priest

with his life-style; now It includes the deacon with another.

142 Because the ministries from the Lord to people include the

same three elements of liturgy, word, and charity, priests and

deacons must work closely together. If needed harmony is to

be developed, the traditional priestly ministers must welcome and

assist their new collaborators. All indications are that this wel-

come is ready, at least in basic attitude. According to the recent

NORC sociological study of the U.S. priesthood, "introduction

of the married diaconate whenever and however the local church

chooses" received from priests stronger support (86%) than any

other "possible change" listed. Bishops were nearly as favorable,

80%. In the instigation of deacon training programs, priests'

senates and associations have been more prominent than any

other Influence.

46



143 Beyond this general good will, priests need to be kept

informed of the training that deacons are receiving; and priests

need to participate in the planning done for the deacon's ministry.

Conversely, deacons need to know that priests understand their

training and welcome their ministry. There is a communications

challenge here; otherwise information gaps are bound to de-

velop, with the usual suspicion and misunderstanding.

144 It will help the perspective of all the ordained to remember

the words of Vatican M's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church

that deacons "in communion with the bishop and his group of

priests, serve the People of God." Depending on the kind of

ministry that he is called to render to the Christian community

—

and this may well be something the deacon himself has suggested

—the deacon may or may not work directly under a priest pastor.
In any case, authority and communication lines cannot be blue-

printed ahead of time to fit all circumstances. There is better

insurance for a harmonious future in the shared ideal that deacons

serve "in communion with the bishops and his group of priests."

Deacons and Lay People

145 Perhaps the prime value that deacons will bring into the

ordained ministry is an experiential understanding of the lay

person's point of view in living the Christian life. Even to speak

of "deacons and lay people," as though they were somehow

different, must seem strange to both groups. In the everyday,

non-canonical frame of reference of Catholics, permanent dea-

cons are lay people and will continue to be; indeed they are

called popularly "lay deacons." Against this background, one

can see why Pope Paul listed among the functions of deacons:

"to promote and sustain the apostolic activities of laymen"; and

we can appreciate why the theologians said in the CTSA report:

"Far from rivaling or inhibiting the ministry of laymen, the ministry

of deacons, when it is judiciously exercised, will powerfully pro-

mote that ministry so vital in the contemporary world." (Par. 23)

146 Although deacons share with priests and the bishop

"sacred" functions in liturgy, their special service of charity car-

ries them, in solidarity with lay men and women, into work of

social action and human development. Since many candidates

will have emerged as leaders In their communities, leadership in

47



many of these social areas can be characteristic of them as dea-

cons.

147 But the majority of lay leaders will not seek ordination to

the diaconate, nor should they. Deacons can very appropriately

contribute their ministry in teams that are under the leadership of

lay people. Serving does not have to mean leading. By personal

witness to the Risen Lord even In the humblest service, deacons

will be strengthening the faith and enthusiasm of a church made

up predominently of lay people. Thus deacons enhance the lay

apostolate both by participating in It and by intensifying the

faith of all members of the Church.

148 In this context of identification with lay people, questions

of a deacon's ordinary attire and his title of address have arisen.

The Catholic Theological Society's report suggested that deacons

"resemble in dress and manner the laymen from whose ranks

he is chosen but never separated." (Par. 23) This same emphasis

against external signs of a new and somewhat segregated class

In the Church (such as Roman collars, black suits and ties, the

title "Reverend") has been powerful both from lay people and

priests. The Bishops' Committee endorses the hope that deacons

will resemble lay people in these matters of life-style. However,

a fundamental trust on the part of priests and lay people must

rest in the judgment and sensitivity of deacons themselves.

The Deacon as Bridge

149 In the United States we have taken satisfaction in the close

bonds between lay people and those whose lives have been

given to a religious vocation—priests, sisters, brothers. Still, there
is a difference between the person professionally trained in re-

ligion, living as a celibate, working for the institutional church,

and the lay Christian working in the world, raising a family, not

externally different from people of other religions or none. From

the point of view of sacred orders, the difference Is between

bishops and priests on the one hand and lay people—including
religious—on the other. However wide or narrow the gap, the
lay people who are ordained into the hierarchical ministry as

deacons can constitute a bridge, reminding both clergy and

laity that our common identity as Christians is more important

than our particular roles.

48



D. Consideration for the Deacon's Wife and Family

150 The sacrifice of time during the candidate's formation will

have prepared his wife and children for the new dimension and

quality that diaconal ministry will bring into their family. It is

because of such inevitable changes for the family that the wife

must formally consent to her husband's ordination.

151 During the formation period there was need for the can-

didate's wife to be fully informed and to experience growth pos-

sibilities similar to her husband's; a parallel need exists after

ordination. The deacon's new ministry should be a source of

enriched union with his wife. As a member of the Church with

apostolic responsibilities herself, the deacon's wife shares her

husband's religious concerns and is free to contribute to his

new ministry. In many cases the two will already have functioned

as an apostolic team in Cana work, the Christian Family Move-

ment, and the like. Even though some of her husband's family

time will be sacrificed to the wider community, through ministry

he may so develop and grow as a person that his family relation-

ships become more profound.

152 On the other hand, there can be a danger of implicit de-

mands and expectations that the church community has no right

to make of a deacon's wife. She is not to be an unsalaried, unor-

dained, and unrecognized auxiliary in ministry. Already, deacon

candidates and their wives have recognized this danger of ex-

ploitation, which echoes the experience of ministers' wives in

other churches. While her help is valued. It must be given in

complete freedom; the wife is personally independent of her

husband's vocation. For a variety of good reasons, such as her

own career or profession or particular needs of her children,

the wife may choose not to share at all in the active ministry of

her husband.

153 Such a clear understanding of the position of a deacon's

wife will also be of great benefit in the event that church law

changes and women can be ordained deacons. In such cases

the woman deacon would take on all the responsibilities of minis-

try, without any confusing comparison with the deacon's wife,

who is unequivocally lay.

49



E. Protecting the Deacon's Human Dignity, Rights, and Security.

154 In addition to clear assignment procedures that take

account of the deacon's preferences and also to the limitations

on service that can be expected from his wife, a fundamental

consideration for a man with family responsibilities Is that of

financial security. As the diaconate is developing in the United

States, this matter is not connected with diaconal vocation for

the majority of deacon candidates, who will continue to be self-

supporting after ordination. However, several different situations

of the deacon must be considered.

The Part-Time Ministry

155 Of the first 430 deacon candidates, more than ninety-five

per cent intend part-time ministry in the sense that they will

continue their secular occupation, gaining their sustenance from

it. Relative to his diocese and church community, the deacon

freely gives his apostolic services, just as do his lay confreres,

who are equally members of the Church and whose contribution

of service is no less valuable because they receive no money.

The difference between these groups is that the services of one

are at the level of the sacrament of orders.

156 Since, however, such a deacon candidate expects no money

in return after ordination, the diocese or parish should carry

the cost of his preparation and training. Donation of services

is one thing, while sustaining of personal financial loss is another.

Assignment agreements should make provision for expenses In-

curred In diaconal ministry. Regarding deacons from poor com-

munities who would have to forego a necessary second job in

order to serve in the diaconate, some just compensatory arrange-

ment should be made. Even for deacons in part-time ministry,

some dioceses may prefer to articulate financial arrangements

in the form of a contract.

The Full-Time Ministry

157 There will be some deacons whose complete work is given

to some form of church service. Many of these persons will seek

ordination because their church work is already diaconal in char-

acter, e.g., social workers, religious education coordinators, ad-

50



ministrators of various apostolates. They will continue to be

salaried for their task, independently of whether they be lay

persons or deacons. In this sense, their financial arrangements are

similar to those of the other deacons.

158 Guidelines such as these cannot anticipate every arrange-

ment, nor should they. For example, one diocese might want a

deacon to give half of his working hours to diaconal church

work; the other half would be spent in secular work. Clearly,

just compensation and security arrangements would be manda-

tory In such a case. Further variations might Involve retired men

who are allowed to earn a certain amount beyond pension and

social security.

159 Still other dioceses may want a deacon to devote all of his

time to various aspects of diaconal ministry. In this case, the

man would be compensated precisely as a deacon and should

be paid an appropriate living wage, with customary fringe benefits

and security arrangements.

F. The Deacon's Continuing Education and Growth in Christ

160 Since the first deacons from the pioneer training programs

are being ordained during 1971, experience In continuing educa-

tion for deacons is just beginning and guidelines must be ap-

propriately tentative.

161 The first year of a deacon's ministry has been gauged as so

important that many training programs are announced as being

three years In duration—the third year coming after ordination.
Study, dialogue, and reflection can then be related to actual

ministry; and planning can be charted for study and growth that

has no termination. As indicated In Chapter Four concerning

doctrinal formation—worship, study weeks, and the like may
be the most effective tools for such continuing education. In any

event, scriptural, theological, and social sciences are so alive

today that continuing education is a necessity.

162 just as the deacon candidate's spiritual formation program

recognized an already existing spiritual life related to his occupa-

tion and to his vocation as husband and father, so it continues

after ordination with the help of a spiritual advisor and with

the additional dimension of his diaconal ministry. Through

51



person-to-person and group contacts with people as he com-

municates the good news, and with the service to the com-

munity that is connected with discipleship, the deacon finds

new occasions for his own growth. The very drama of ongoing

redemption will stimulate him to personal prayer; and he will

seek, through the medium of personal prayer, a sensitized aware-

ness of that same drama.

163 Another source and motive for the deacon's prayer is his

life with his wife and family, where his capacity to love is

developed on the most intimate level. In addition to his private

prayer, the deacon can very appropriately pray the liturgical hours

of Lauds and Vespers as expressing the praise of God from the

entire church community.

164 More and more the Christian who is a deacon should find

his center of meaning and value in the Eucharistic sacrifice. This

is his supreme prayer. Here he is in contact with the ultimate

in service as well as in love—the Christ laying down his life
for others, the prelude to resurrection.

52



Epilogue

NEW DIRECTIONS

A. Current Suggestions for Change in Church Discipline Regard-

ing Diaconate

Age—Celibacy—Ordination of Women

165 Three critical questions very much under discussion in many

parts of the country were intentionally omitted from considera-

tion in the previous chapters—the matters of age, celibacy, and
women in the diaconate. The reason for this omission is that

training programs on which these guidelines are based have

followed existing church discipline.

166 The widespread interest and response generated by the

diaconate among mature and deeply concerned men in their

late twenties have convinced many bishops, priests, and lay peo-

ple of the urgent need to modify the present age requirement.

Unless married men under thirty-five years old become eligible

for the diaconate, the apostolate will suffer the loss of many

highly qualified and committed people, at their peak in energy

and dedication, when they are perhaps best able to communicate

with the young, and at a point in their lives when they are

most capable of seriously considering a lifetime commitment.

167 Regarding celibacy, the traditional prohibition of marriage

after sacred orders has been opposed widely, not only for a

deacon who might become a widower but for any unmarried

man who would be ordained a deacon. Single men who are

attracted to diaconal service hold back when celibacy is asked

of them in order to accept a sacred order in which most men

are married. Moreover, married men with younger children, even

when their wives are healthy, are reluctant to hazard anything

that might affect the security of those children. And diaconal

program directors question their ability to train married men

for a possible future charism of celibacy.

53



168 The third critical question concerns the ordination of

women as deacons. Many women, lay and religious, have offered

to serve in the ordained ministry and question the justice of

being excluded. Among deacon candidates themselves and lead-

ers of training programs, there is growing conviction that women

would strengthen the diaconal ministry immeasurably.

169 The Bishops' Committee has spent many hours of discus-

sion on all three of these questions, listening to people who

sincerely seek a change in church law in order that the gospel

message and the charity of Christ might be communicated more

effectively. After the widely circulated February, 1971 report of

the Catholic Theological Society of America had offered strong

arguments In favor of the ordination of women, the Bishops'

Committee discussed the question with individuals and groups

who expressed reactions for or against. The committee of bishops

has continued to pursue all three questions by listening to what

people In the apostolate are saying and by carrying that message

to churches in other countries and to the Holy See.

B. Some Further Questions

Religious

170 The 1967 Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI, Sacrum Diaco-

natus Ordinem, devotes four paragraphs (n. 32-n.36) to the ques-

tion of the permanent diaconate among religious. The institution

of the diaconate among religious is reserved to the Holy See,

although it would be exercised under the authority of the local

bishop as well as of the religious superior. The episcopal confer-

ence of bishops is not directly involved.

171 Some religious communities are Investigating the possibility

of having some of their members serve as deacons. Individually,

a small number of religious brothers have begun to prepare

for ordination as deacons. The great majority either have not

considered the question or have apparently judged that such

ordination would not be appropriate in the apostolate they are

already exercising as professed religious whose vows have been

publicly received by the Church.

54



Laicized Priests, Seminary Deacons, and the

Question of Permanence

172 Other suggestions have been made periodically that would

call for a change In church discipline. One is that the way be

opened for laicized priests to be restored to active ministry

as deacons. However, the Bishops' Committee and its secretariat

know of only a few cases in which laicized priests themselves

have made such a request for diaconate.

173 In a number of instances known to the committee, seminary

candidates for the priesthood have decided, during their period

of pastoral preparation as deacons, not to go on to the priesthood

but to remain as deacons with the hope that they might be free

to marry. Present church law does not allow for such an arrange-

ment; but if celibacy obligations were removed from the diaco-

nate, It would become possible. In the meantime, the following

clear advantage has stemmed from the absence of laicized priests

and seminary deacons among the ranks of permanent deacons:

the attitudes and experiences shaping the character of the new

diaconate have been lay rather than clerical.

174 It has been suggested by some minority groups that, while

some of their own might be willing to give of themselves as

ordained deacons, they are not ready to do so permanently.

Experience has Indicated that the same question exists among

others outside minority groups. It is a question that is current and

deserves attention.

C. Influences on the Growth of the Diaconate

175 The direction and speed of growth of the permanent diaco-

nate may very well depend on three other Influences: first, the

cooperation that priests and permanent deacons are able to

build up among themselves; secondly, the growth of team

pastoral ministries that Include priests, sisters, and lay people;

and thirdly, the success of and reception given to the extraor-

dinary ministers of Holy Communion.

176 The first influence on the development of the diaconate,

the teamwork evidenced by deacons and priests, has already

been referred to in Chapter Seven. As indicated there, the cur-

55



rent attitude of priests towards their new partners in ministry

is very encouraging; however, the rivalry between deacons and

priests in earlier centuries is a caution that success must be

achieved, not just presumed.

177 Newly developing "'team ministries" can mean several

priests acting as a team rather than all but one being assistants

subject to a pastor; or it can mean priests, sisters, and full-time

lay professionals working as a ministerial team. The latter kind

of team is more likely to Influence the diaconate, and this In

two ways: again, the concept of ministry will be broadened; and

permanent deacons, even though most of them be part-time

ministers, will become part of the team.

178 Presently, many parishes in the United States are witnessing

—some for the first time—the functioning of extraordinary minis-
ters of Holy Communion. Together with lectors and commenta-

tors, this new role may help more people realize that some

church ministry is asked of everyone, though it may not be the

ordained ministry of sacramental orders. Yet this very sensitivity

to a broader concept of ministry is likely to inspire more candi-

dates to the diaconate.

179 The emergence both of extraordinary ministers and of

pastoral teams will particularly affect people's attitudes towards

women in pastoral ministry and even towards the ordination of

women. Already people are beginning to see women distributing

Holy Communion and exercising ministries of community lead-

ership and personal counselling, in addition to the more tradi-

tional roles of teaching and visiting the sick. Aside from theo-

logical considerations regarding the ordination of women and

from the evident need of apostolic workers, there Is the vast

pastoral dimension that considers people's attitudes, habits, and

readiness to accept change.

D. Lessons of Other Countries.

180 In his book Ministry of Service, the Englishman Robert

Nowell stresses the idea of ordaining people who are already

doing diaconal work; and he finds such people particularly in

the organized structures of charitable service. The same linking

of diaconate with "Caritas" structures has characterized the Ger-

56



man approach of Karl Rahner and been influential in the move-

ment that affected the Second Vatican Council's discussion on

diaconate.

181 A quite different approach has been taken in Brazil, Chile,

Panama, and other countries in Latin America. Instead there

has been a concentrated effort to build up small Christian commu-

nities and to make these communities the basic units of Christian

life and renewal. These units are much smaller than ordinary

parishes and small enough for the members to know and interact

with one another. In these situations the deacon's function is that

of leadership in the small community.

182 The Bishops' Committee offers these examples from other

countries as hints of what may come from the creative energy

supplied by men of faith who are receptive to the Holy Spirit.

As the eleven members of the Catholic Theological Society of

America put it in February, "We are not asked to control the

future but only to be open to it and to the Holy Spirit as he

leads us to It."

BISHOPS' COMMITTEE ON THE PERMANENT DIACONATE

August 5, 1971

57



Appendix

The Permanent Diaconate in Relation to Catholic Charities

(Statement of the National Director)

The restoration of the permanent diaconate has been de-

scribed as one of the "'most significant structural innovations

instituted by the Council in regard to church office." From its

viewpoint, Catholic Charities in the United States would subscribe

to this analysis, and in all probability the Caritas organizations

in other countries of the world would echo this opinion.

The Second Vatican Council points out that deacons are

ordained "unto a ministry of service" and that "they serve the

People of God in the ministry of the liturgy, of the word, and

of charity." This brings to the fore, and establishes in a dis-

tinctive mode, a ministry of service that has always existed, but

that has not been given its proper place in the mission and activi-

ties of the People of God. It has always been part of the calling,

responsibility, and work of the followers of Jesus, but for many

centuries has not been clearly established In the same manner as

the sacramental ministry or the ministry of the word. With

the restoration of the permanent diaconate, the ministry of service

is more clearly identified in hierarchical orders, confirmed by or-

dination, and distinctively manifested through the functions to be

performed.

It is well to recognize that the ministry of service has always

been carried on as part of the life and activities of the Church.

Much of this as officially established has been delegated to Catho-

lic Charities (or Caritas in other countries) and its allied organiza-

tions, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society. These agencies and

organizations have enjoyed an official capacity and can be seen

as an official ministry, inasmuch as they have been overtly con-

stituted as part of the ecclesiastical structure. The distinctiveness

of ordination has not been given them, however, except in terms

of having priests put in charge. The actual personal service has

been carried on largely by laymen and laywomen.

The ministry of service assigned to the deacon is also de-

scribed as a "ministry ... of charity." This verbal resemblance

to the programs of Catholic Charities finds reflection in the work

58



to be done by the deacon. At least some of this work will certainly

be in the field of social service, community service, social action,

personalized help to individuals, and many other types of as-

sistance to people in need. The programs stimulated by or con-

ducted by Catholic Charities cover the total range of these

fields of activity. They are as broad or broader than what is

generally considered as the field of social welfare. It seems that

this broad scope also beckons to the emerging deacon.

The restoration of the permanent diaconate is a most wel-

come development. This immediately establishes the ministry

of service in its rightful place as a legitimate and necessary min-

istry in the Church. This no doubt will lead to a deeper under-

standing of its meaning and its function. Including a fuller theo-

logical exposition of Its total dimensions. It should broaden the

vision of all the People of God in respect to this ministry and

their involvement in It, resulting in a fuller commitment to serv-

ice. Thus the total Christian witness will be enhanced. Above

all, it will place in sharper focus the fact that we are followers of

the Christ who came "not to be served but to serve."

These have been the thoughts and works of Catholic Chari-

ties for many years. In the course of these years, a rich body of

experience has also been accumulated. Catholic Charities, in

welcoming the restoration of the permanent diaconate, also ex-

presses Its desire and willingness to cooperate in this new devel-

opment in the Church. It stands ready to serve the Church na-

tionally as the directions of the permanent diaconate are clarified,

and to provide help to any of the programs that are established

locally in each diocese.

As a beginning, we will study and make suggestions on this

document, PERMANENT DEACONS IN THE UNITED STATES—

Guidelines on Their Eormation and Ministry. Other types of co-

operation will be developed in discussion with those responsible

for diaconate programs. We look forward to outlining what the
experience of Catholic Charities suggests for these programs.

July 9, 1971

Rev. Msgr. Lawrence J. Corcoran

National Conference of

Catholic Charities

59



Note of Thanks

The work of many people is represented in the preceding

guidelines. In addition to the present members of the Committee

on the Permanent Diaconate, I would like to thank Bishop

Harold Perry, member during 1968-69, and Bishop James A.

Hickey who during that same year attended our meetings as

liaison with the Committee on Priestly Formation, of which he

was then chairman.

I am particularly grateful to the Committee's consultants and

advisors, who participated in the meetings and helped us in all

of our work. They include Sister Jane Edward Schutz, O.P., Mon-

signor Aloysius Welsh, Fathers Edward Baldwin, Albert Benavides,

Charles Burns, S.V.D., Leo Croghan, Paul Downey, S.S.J., An-

thony Kosnik, James La Chapelle, S.V.D., James A. Laubacher,

S.S., Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J., Edwin B. Neill, Kieran Nolan, O.S.B.,

Alfred Prado, O.M.I., and Frank Ruff. Sister Anne E. Patrick,

S.N.J.M., Monsignor Ernest Fiedler, and Fathers Thomas Allen,

Reynaldo Flores, O.F.M., John Ring, and Duane Weiland added

their help with the drafting of these guidelines.

Other bishops, priests, sisters, laywomen, and laymen

—

including deacon candidates—have spoken with the Committee
during its nearly three years of existence. They have communi-

cated plans for ministry developed all across the country; they

have convinced us that the experience represented in these

guidelines is only a beginning of something that is the work

of the Spirit.

Ernest L. Unterkoefler

Chairman

60





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