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

NATIONAL DIRECTORY FOR THE FORMATION, MINISTRY, AND LIFE OF PERMANENT DEACONS IN THE UNITED STATES. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005. Pp. 240. The long-awaited National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (hereafter Directory) is a must read for anyone serious about the vibrancy and future growth of diaconal ministry in the United States. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the Directory in June 2003, after many years of collaborative effort. The document received the recognitio of the Holy See on October 30, 2004 and, shortly thereafter, was decreed to be implemented throughout the United States by August 10, 2005. The Directory presents a doctrinal understanding of the diaconate that reflects the three-fold ministry of the deacon as minister of the Word (evangelizer and teacher), liturgy (sanctifier), and charity and justice (witness and guide). It also provides the theological and ecclesiastical context for how the diaconal vocation might be discerned and the formation of deacons into “servant leaders,” ministering to the local church in collaboration with their bishop and his presbyters. The Directory and its eighty-one norms are prescribed for use by diocesan bishops and those entrusted with the tasks of forming deacons and administering diaconate programs. The Directory also prescribes eighteen particular laws dealing with topics ranging from the age for diaconal ordination (minimum of thirty-five years for all candidates, married or celibate), the form of address, withdrawal of diaconal faculties, and the loss of the diaconal state by dismissal or dispensation. The Directory is normative throughout the United States with the goal of harmonizing formation programs that at times have varied greatly. In addition to the Directory text, the volume also contains two other useful documents. The first, Basic Standards for Readiness, provides directors of diaconate programs with benchmarks to use in assessing aspirants and candidates for ordination to the permanent diaconate and offers standards for the deacon’s post-ordination path. The second, Visit of Consultation Teams to Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Programs , is a useful tool for self-evaluation or in preparation for a visit and evaluation by the Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate. book reviews 313 314 the jurist The preface to the Directory states its usefulness, “. . . an important point of reference for those churches in which the permanent diaconate is a living and active reality; [while] for the others, it will be an effective invitation to appreciate the value of that precious gift of the Spirit which is diaconal service.” (n. 17). William J. Donovan Diocese of Arlington Arlington, Virginia ...