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Norms for Formation of Permanent Deacons | Diocese of Charlotte
HomePermanent DiaconateNorms for Formation of Permanent Deacons
Norms for Formation of Permanent Deacons	CONGREGATION FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION
BASIC NORMS FOR THE FORMATION
OF PERMANENT DEACONS
VATICAN CITY 1998
The permanent Diaconate, restored by the Second Vatican Council, in complete continuity with ancient Tradition and the specific decision of the Council of Trent, has flourished in these last decades in many parts of the Church — with promising results, especially for the urgent missionary work of new evangelisation. The Holy See and many Episcopates, in promoting this ecclesial experience, have continually afforded norms and guidelines for the life and formation of deacons. The growth of the permanent Diaconate, however, now gives rise to a need for a certain unity of direction and clarification of concepts, as well as for practical encouragement and more clearly defined pastoral objectives. The total reality of the Diaconate — embracing its fundamental doctrinal vision, discernment of vocation, as well as the life, ministry, spirituality and formation of deacons — calls for a review of the journey thus far made, so as to arrive at a global vision of this grade of Sacred Orders corresponding to the desire and intention of the Second Vatican Council.
Following the publication of the Ratio fundamentalis institutionis sacerdotalis on priestly formation and the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy, completing the treatment of what pertains to the Diaconate and the Priesthood, the objects of their competence, now wish to devote particular consideration to the subject of the permanent Diaconate. Both Congregations, having consulted the Episcopate throughout the world and numerous experts, discussed the permanent Diaconate at their Plenary Assemblies in November 1995. The Cardinal Members together with the Archbishop and Bishop Members carefully considered the various consultations and numerous submissions made in the matter. As a result, the final texts of the Ratio fundamentalis institutionis diaconorum permanentium and the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons were drafted by the two Congregations and faithfully reflect points and proposals from every geographical area represented at the Plenary Assemblies. The work of both Plenaries illustrated convergence on many points and agreement concerning the clear need for greater uniformity in training so as to ensure the pastoral effectiveness of the Sacred Ministry in confronting the challenges which face it on the eve of the Third Millenium. Therefore, both Dicasteries were requested to undertake the drafting of these documents which are published simultaneously and prefaced by a single, comprehensive introduction. The Ratio fundamentalis institutionis diaconorum permanentium, prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education, is intended not only as a guideline for the formation of permanent Deacons but also as a directive of which due account is to be taken by the Episcopal Conferences when preparing their respective “Rationes”. As with the Ratio fundamentalis institutionis sacerdotalis, the Congregation offers this aid to the various Episcopates to facilitate them in discharging adequately the prescriptions of canon 236 of the Code of Canon Law and to ensure for the Church, unity, earnestness and completeness in the formation of permanent Deacons.
The Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons, as in the case of the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, has, together with its hortative character, juridically binding force where its norms “recall disciplinary norms of the Code of Canon Law” or “determine with regard to the manner of applying universal laws of the Church, explicitate their doctrinal basis and inculcate or solicit their faithful observance”.(1) In these specific cases, it is to be regarded as a formal, general, executory Decree (cf. canon 32).
While retaining their proper identity and their own specific juridical quality, both of these documents, published with the authority of the respective Dicasteries, mutually reflect and complete each other by virtue of their logical continuity. It is to be hoped that they will be presented, received and applied everywhere in their entirety. The introduction, here conjointly published with these documents, is intended as a reference point and a normative source for both, while remaining an inextricable part of each document.
The introduction restricts itself to the historical and pastoral aspects of the permanent Diaconate, with specific reference to the practical dimension of formation and ministry. The doctrinal reasons for the arguments advanced are drawn from those expressed in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and subsequent Magisterium.
The documents produced here are intended as a response to a widely felt need to clarify and regulate the diversity of approaches adopted in experiments conducted up to now, whether at the level of discernment and training or at that of active ministry and ongoing formation. In this way it will be possible to ensure a certain stability of approach which takes account of legitimate plurality and in turn guarantees that indispensable unity, necessary for the success of the ministry of the permanent Diaconate which has been fruitful and which, at the threshold of the Third Millenium, promises to make an important contribution to New Evangelisation.
The directives contained in the following documents pertain to permanent deacons of the secular clergy, although many, with due adaptation, may also to be applied to permanent deacons who are members of institutes of consecrated life or societies of apostolic life.
I. The Ordained Ministry
1. “In order to shepherd the People of God and to increase its numbers without cease, Christ the Lord set up in the Church a variety of offices which aim at the good of the whole body. The holders of office, who are invested with a sacred power, are, in fact, dedicated to promoting the interests of their brethren, so that all who belong to the People of God, and are consequently endowed with true Christian dignity, may, through their free and well-ordered efforts towards a common goal, attain to salvation”.(3)
The Sacrament of Orders “configures the recipient to Christ by a special grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he may serve as Christ’s instrument for his Church. By ordination he is enabled to act as a representative of Christ, Head of the Church, in his triple office of priest, prophet and king”.(4)
Through the Sacrament of Orders, the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time. It is thus the sacrament of apostolic ministry.(5) The sacramental act of ordination surpasses mere election, designation or delegation by the community, because it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit enabling the exercise of sacred power which can only come from Christ himself through his Church.(6) “The one sent by the Lord does not speak and act of his own authority, but by virtue of Christ’s authority; not as a member of the community but speaking to it in the name of Christ. No one can bestow grace on himself; it must be given and offered. This fact presupposes ministers of grace, authorised and empowered by Christ”.(7)
The sacrament of apostolic ministry comprises three degrees. Indeed “the divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests and deacons”.(8)
Together with priests and deacons as their helpers, the bishops have received pastoral charge of the community, and preside in God’s stead over the flock of which they are shepherds in as much as they are teachers of doctrine, priests of sacred worship and ministers of pastoral government.(9)
The sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is such that it has “intrinsically linked…its character of service. Entirely dependant on Christ who gives mission and authority, ministers are truly “slaves of Christ” (cf. Rom. 1:11), in the image of him who freely took “the form of a slave” for us (cf. Phil. 2:7)”.(10)
The sacred ministry also has a collegial form(11) and a personal character(12) by which “sacramental ministry in the Church…is at once a collegial and a personal service, exercised in the name of Christ”.(13)
II. The Diaconate
2. The service of deacons in the Church is documented from apostolic times. A strong tradition, attested already by St. Ireneus and influencing the liturgy of ordination, sees the origin of the diaconate in the institution of the “seven” mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-6). Thus, at the initial grade of sacred hierarchy are deacons, whose ministry has always been greatly esteemed in the Church.(14) St. Paul refers to them and to the bishops in the exordium of his Epistle to the Philippians (cf. Phil 1:1), while in his first Epistle to Timothy he lists the qualities and virtues which they should possess so as to exercise their ministry worthily (cf. 1 Tim 3:8-13).(15)
From its outset, patristic literature witnesses to this hierarchical and ministerial structure in the Church, which includes the diaconate. St Ignatius of Antioch(16) considers a Church without bishop, priest or deacon, unthinkable. He underlines that the ministry of deacons is nothing other than “the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before time began and who appeared at the end of time”. They are not deacons of food and drink but ministers of the Church of God. The Didascalia Apostolorum,(17) the Fathers of subsequent centuries, the various Councils(18) as well as ecclesiastical praxis(19) all confirm the continuity and development of this revealed datum.
Up to the fifth century the Diaconate flourished in the western Church, but after this period, it experienced, for various reasons, a slow decline which ended in its surviving only as an intermediate stage for candidates preparing for priestly ordination.
The Council of Trent disposed that the permanent Diaconate, as it existed in ancient times, should be restored, in accord with its proper nature, to its original function in the Church.(20) This prescription, however, was not carried into effect.
The second Vatican Council established that “it will be possible for the future to restore the diaconate as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy….(and confer it) even upon married men, provided they be of more mature age, and also on suitable young men for whom, however, the law of celibacy must remain in force”,(21) in accordance with constant tradition. Three reasons lay behind this choice: (i) a desire to enrich the Church with the functions of the diaconate, which otherwise, in many regions, could only be exercised with great difficulty; (ii) the intention of strengthening with the grace of diaconal ordination those who already exercised many of the functions of the Diaconate; (iii) a concern to provide regions, where there was a shortage of clergy, with sacred ministers. Such reasons make clear that the restoration of the permanent Diaconate was in no manner intended to prejudice the meaning, role or flourishing of the ministerial priesthood, which must always be fostered because of its indispensability.
With the Apostolic Letter Sacrum diaconatus ordinem(22) of 18 June 1967, Pope Paul VI implemented the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council by determining general norms governing the restoration of the permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church. The Apostolic Constitution Pontificalis Romani Recognitio(23) of 18 June 1968 approved the new rite of conferring the Sacred Orders of the Episcopate, the Presbyterate and the Diaconate and determined the matter and form of these sacramental ordinations. Finally, the Apostolic Letter Ad pascendum(24) of 15 August 1972 clarified the conditions for the admission and ordination of candidates to the diaconate. The essential elements of these norms subsequently passed into the Code of Canon Lawpromulgated by Pope John Paul II on 25 January 1983.(25)
In the wake of this universal legislation, several Episcopal Conferences, with the prior approbation of the Holy See, have restored the permanent Diaconate in their territories and have drawn up complementary norms for its regulation.
III. The Permanent Diaconate
3. The experience of the Church over several centuries has generated the norm of conferring the priesthood only on those who have already received the Diaconate and exercised it appropriately.(26) The Order of deacons, however, “should not be considered merely a step towards the Priesthood”.(27)
“One of the fruits of the Second Vatican Council was the desire to restore the diaconate as a proper and stable rank of the hierarchy”.(28) On the basis of the “historical circumstances and pastoral purposes noted by the Council Fathers, the Holy Spirit, protagonist of the Church’s life, worked mysteriously to bring about a new and more complete actualization of the hierarchy which traditionally consists of bishops, priests and deacons. In this manner the Christian community was revitalized, configured more closely to that of the Apostles which, under the influence of the Paraclete, flourished as the Acts of the Apostles(29) testifies.
The permanent Diaconate is an important enrichment for the mission of the Church.(30) Since the munera proper to deacons are necessary to the Church’s life,(31) it is both convenient and useful, especially in mission territories,(32) that men who are called to a truly diaconal ministry in the Church, whether liturgical or pastoral, charitable or social, “be strengthened by the imposition of hands, which has come down from the Apostles, and more closely united to the altar so as to exercise their ministry more fruitfully through the sacramental grace of the diaconate”.(33)
Vatican City, 22 February 1998, Feast of the Chair of Peter.
Pio Card. Laghi Prefect
+ José Saraiva Martins Titular Archbishop of Tuburnica
Darío Card. Castrillón Hoyos Prefect
1. The first indications about the formation of permanent deacons were given by the Apostolic Letter Sacrum diaconatus ordinem.(1)
These indications were then taken up and further refined in the Circular Letter of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education of 16 July 1969, Come è a conoscenza, in which were foreseen “different types of formation” according to the “different types of diaconate” (for celibates, married people, “those destined for mission territories or for countries which were still developing”, those called “to carry out their function in countries with a certain level of civilisation and a fairly developed culture”). Regarding doctrinal formation, it was specified that it must be above that required for a simple catechist and, in some way, analogous to that of the priest. The material which had to be taken into consideration when drawing up the programme of studies was then listed.(2)
The subsequent Apostolic Letter Ad pascendum specified that “in regard to the course of theological studies that are to precede the ordination of permanent deacons, the Episcopal Conferences, according to the local situation, are competent to issue the appropriate norms and submit them to the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education for approval”.(3)
3. The effectiveness of the formation of permanent deacons depends to a great extent on the theological understanding of the diaconate that underlies it. In fact it offers the co-ordinates for establishing and guiding the formation process and, at the same time, lays down the end to be attained.
4. First of all we must consider the diaconate, like every other Christian identity, from within the Church which is understood as a mystery of Trinitarian communion in missionary tension. This is a necessary, even if not the first, reference in the definition of the identity of every ordained minister insofar as its full truth consists in being a specific participation in and representation of the ministry of Christ.(4) This is why the deacon receives the laying on of hands and is sustained by a specific sacramental grace which inserts him into the sacrament of Orders.(5)
5. The diaconate is conferred through a special outpouring of the Spirit (ordination), which brings about in the one who receives it a specific conformation to Christ, Lord and servant of all. Quoting a text of the Constitutiones Ecclesiae Aegypticae, Lumen gentium (n. 29) defines the laying on of hands on the deacon as being not “ad sacerdotium sed ad ministerium”,(6) that is, not for the celebration of the eucharist, but for service. This indication, together with the admonition of Saint Polycarp, also taken up again by Lumen gentium, n. 29,(7) outlines the specific theological identity of the deacon: as a participation in the one ecclesiastical ministry, he is a specific sacramental sign, in the Church, of Christ the servant. His role is to “express the needs and desires of the Christian communities” and to be “a driving force for service, or diakonia”,(8) which is an essential part of the mission of the Church.
6. The matter of diaconal ordination is the laying on of the hands of the Bishop; the form is constituted by the words of the prayer of ordination, which is expressed in the three moments of anamnesis, epiclesis and intercession.(9) The anamnesis (which recounts the history of salvation centred in Christ) goes back to the “levites”, recalling worship, and to the “seven” of the Acts of the Apostles, recalling charity. The epiclesis invokes the power of the seven gifts of the Spirit so that the ordinand may imitate Christ as “deacon”. The intercession is an exhortation to a generous and chaste life.
The essential form of the sacrament is the epiclesis, which consists of the words: “Lord, send forth upon them the Holy Spirit, that they may be strengthened by the gift of your sevenfold grace to carry out faithfully the work of the ministry”. The seven gifts originate in a passage of Isaiah 11:2, from the fuller version given by the Septuagint. These are the gifts of the Spirit given to the Messiah, which are granted to the newly ordained.
7. Insofar as it is a grade of holy orders, the diaconate imprints a character and communicates a specific sacramental grace. The diaconal character is the configurative and distinguishing sign indelibly impressed in the soul, which configures the one ordained to Christ, who made himself the deacon or servant of all.(10) It brings with it a specific sacramental grace, which is strength,vigor specialis, a gift for living the new reality wrought by the sacrament. “With regard to deacons, ‘strengthened by sacramental grace they are dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service (diakonia) of the liturgy, of the Gospel and of works of charity’”.(11) Just as in all sacraments which imprint character, grace has a permanent virtuality. It flowers again and again in the same measure in which it is received and accepted again and again in faith.
8. In the exercise of their power, deacons, since they share in a lower grade of ecclesiastical ministry, necessarily depend on the Bishops, who have the fullness of the sacrament of orders. In addition, they are placed in a special relationship with the priests, in communion with whom they are called to serve the People of God.(12)
From the point of view of discipline, with diaconal ordination, the deacon is incardinated into a particular Church or personal prelature to whose service he has been admitted, or else, as a cleric, into a religious institute of consecrated life or a clerical society of apostolic life.(13) Incardination does not represent something which is more or less accidental, but is characteristically a constant bond of service to a concrete portion of the People of God. This entails ecclesial membership at the juridical, affective and spiritual level and the obligation of ministerial service.
In reference to the munus docendi the deacon is called to proclaim the Scriptures and instruct and exhort the people.(14) This finds expression in the presentation of the Book of the Gospels, foreseen in the rite of ordination itself.(15)
The munus sanctificandi of the deacon is expressed in prayer, in the solemn administration of baptism, in the custody and distribution of the Eucharist, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in presiding at the rites of funeral and burial and in the administration of sacramentals.(16) This brings out how the diaconal ministry has its point of departure and arrival in the Eucharist, and cannot be reduced to simple social service.
Finally, the munus regendi is exercised in dedication to works of charity and assistance (17) and in the direction of communities or sectors of church life, especially as regards charitable activities. This is the ministry most characteristic of the deacon.
The model “par excellence” is Christ the servant, who lived totally at the service of God, for the good of men. He recognised himself as the one announced in the servant of the first song of theBook of Isaiah (cf Lk 4:18-19), he explicitly qualified his action as diakonia (cf Mt 20:28; Lk 22:27; Jn 13:1-17; Phil 2:7-8; 1 Pet 2:21-25) and he entrusted his disciples to do the same (cf Jn 13:34-35; Lk 12:37).
The spirituality of service is a spirituality of the whole Church, insofar as the whole Church, in the same way as Mary, is the “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:28), at the service of the salvation of the world. And so that the whole Church may better live out this sprituality of service, the Lord gives her a living and personal sign of his very being as servant. In a specific way, this is the spirituality of the deacon. In fact, with sacred ordination, he is constituted a living icon of Christ the servant within the Church. The Leitmotiv of his spiritual life will therefore be service; his sanctification will consist in making himself a generous and faithful servant of God and men, especially the poorest and most suffering; his ascetic commitment will be directed towards acquiring those virtues necessary for the exercise of his ministry.
13. “It is the competence of legitimate assemblies of Bishops or Episcopal Conferences to decide, with the consent of the Supreme Pontiff, whether and where the diaconate is to be established as a permanent rank in the hierarchy for the good of souls”.(18)
The Code of Canon Law likewise attributes to the Episcopal Conferences the competence to specify, by means of complementary dispositions, the discipline regarding the recitation of the liturgy of the hours,(19) the required age for admission (20) and the formation given; can. 236 is dedicated to this. The canon lays down that it is the Episcopal Conferences, on the basis of local circumstances, which issue the appropriate norms to ensure that candidates for the permanent diaconate, whether young or of a more mature age, whether single or married are “…formed in the spiritual life and appropriately instructed in the fulfilment of the duties proper to that order…”.
14. To assist the Episcopal Conferences in preparing a formation which, as well as being attentive to diverse particular situations, will still be in harmony with the universal direction of the Church, the Congregation for Catholic Education has prepared the present Ratio fundamentalis institutionis diaconorum permanentium, which is intended as a point of reference for defining the criteria of vocational discernment and the various aspects of formation. This document—by its very nature—establishes only some basic guidelines of a general character, which constitute the norm to which the Episcopal Conferences must make reference for the preparation or eventual perfecting of their respective national rationes. In this way the principles and criteria on the basis of which the formation of permanent deacons can be programmed with surety and in harmony with the other Churches shall be illustrated, without stifling the creativity or originality of the particular Churches.
15. In the same way that the Second Vatican Council established for the rationes institutionis sacerdotalis,(21) with this document, the Episcopal Conferences which have restored the permanent diaconate are requested to submit their respective rationes institutionis diaconorum permanentium for examination and approval by the Holy See. The same will approve them, firstly, ad experimentum, and, then for a specified number of years, so as to guarantee periodic revisions.
If he opts for the restoration of the permanent diaconate, he will take care to promote a suitable catechesis on the subject, both among laity and priests and religious, in such a way that the diaconal ministry may be fully understood. In addition, he will provide for the setting up of the structures necessary for the work of formation and for nominating suitable associates to assist him by being directly responsible for formation, or, according to circumstances, he will commit himself to employing the formation structures of other dioceses, or those of the region or nation.
17. The institution of the permanent diaconate among the members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life is regulated by the norms of the Apostolic Letter Sacrum diaconatus ordinem. It establishes that “Institution of the permanent diaconate among religious is a right reserved to the Holy See, which alone is competent to examine and approve the votes of general chapters in the matter”.(22) The document continues: “Whatever is said…is to be understood as applying to the members of other institutes professing the evangelical counsels”.(23)
Each institute or society which has obtained the right to re-establish the permanent diaconate assumes the responsibility of guaranteeing the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation of its candidates. Such an institute or society must commit itself therefore to preparing its own formation programme which incorporates the specific charism and spirituality of the institute or society and, at the same time, is in harmony with the present Ratio fundamentalis, especially as regards intellectual and pastoral formation.
THOSE INVOLVED IN THE FORMATION
18. The formation of deacons, like that of other ministers and all the baptised, is a duty which involves the whole Church. Hailed by the Apostle Paul as “the heavenly Jerusalem” and like Mary “our mother” (Gal 4:26), “by preaching and baptism she brings forth sons, who are conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God, to a new and immortal life”.(24) And not only this: imitating the motherhood of Mary, she accompanies her children with maternal love and cares for them so that they all may come to the fullness of their vocation.
The Church’s care for her children is expressed in the offering of the Word and sacraments, in love and solidarity, in prayer and in the solicitude of the various ministries. However, in this care, which is, so to speak, visible, the care of the Holy Spirit is made present. In fact “the social structure of the Church serves the Spirit of Christ who vivifies it, in the building up of the body”,(25) both in its universality and in the singularity of its members.
19. In the formation of permanent deacons, the first sign and instrument of the Spirit of Christ is the proper Bishop (or the competent Major Superior).(26) He is the one ultimately responsible for their discernment and formation.(27) While ordinarily exercising this duty through the assistants who have been chosen, nevertheless he will he commit himself, as far as is possible, to knowing personally those who are preparing for diaconate.
21. The director of formation, nominated by the Bishop (or the competent Major Superior) has the task of co-ordinating the different people involved in the formation, of supervising and inspiring the whole work of education in its various dimensions, and of maintaining contacts with the families of married aspirants and candidates and with their communities of origin. In addition, he has the responsibility of presenting to the Bishop (or to the competent Major Superior) the judgement of suitability on aspirants for their admission among the candidates, and on candidates for their promotion to the order of diaconate after having heard the opinion of the other formators,(28) excepting the spiritual director.
He could be a priest or a deacon and, preferably, not be at the same time also responsible for ordained deacons. In fact, it would be better for this responsibility to remain distinct from that of forming aspirants and candidates.
25. The professors contribute in a relevant way to the formation of the future deacons. In fact by teaching the sacrum depositum held by the Church, they nourish the faith of the candidates and qualify them to be teachers of the People of God. For that reason they must occupy themselves not only with acquiring the necessary scientific competence and an adequate pedagogical ability, but also with witnessing with their lives to the Truth which they teach.
For younger aspirants and candidates, the family can be an extraordinary help. It must be invited to “…accompany the formative journey with prayer, respect, the good example of the domestic virtues and spiritual and material help, especially in difficult moments… Even in the case of parents or relatives who are indifferent or opposed to the choice of a vocation, a clear and calm facing of the situation and the encouragement which derives from it can be a great help to the deeper and more determined maturing of a…vocation”.(29) As far as married aspirants and candidates are concerned, their commitment must be such that their married communion might contribute in a real way to inspiring their formation journey towards the goal of the diaconate.
28. Finally, the man preparing for diaconate “…is a necessary and irreplaceable agent in his own formation: all formation…is ultimately a self-formation”.(30)
29. “The history of every priestly vocation, as indeed of every Christian vocation, is the history of an inexpressible dialogue between God and human beings, between the love of God who calls and the freedom of individuals who respond lovingly to him”.(31) However, alongside God’s call and the response of individuals, there is another element constitutive to a vocation, particularly a ministerial vocation: the public call of the Church. “Vocari a Deo dicuntur qui a legitimis Ecclesiae ministris vocantur”.(32) The expression should not be understood in a predominantly juridical sense, as if it were the authority that calls which determines the vocation, but in a sacramental sense, that considers the authority that calls as the sign and instrument for the personal intervention of God, which is realised with the laying on of hands. In this perspective, every proper election expresses an inspiration and represents a choice of God. The Church’s discernment is therefore decisive for the choice of a vocation; how much more so, due to its ecclesial significance, is this true for the choice of a vocation to the ordained ministry.
30. The first diaconal profile was outlined in the First Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy: “Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain; they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons…Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Jesus Christ” (1 Tim 3:8-10.12-13).
The qualities listed by Paul are prevalently human, almost as if to say that deacons could carry out their ministry only if they were acceptable models of humanity. We find echoes of Paul’s exhortation in texts of the Apostolic Fathers, especially in the Didachè and Saint Polycarp. The Didachè urges: “Elect for yourselves therefore bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, meek men, not lovers of money, honest and proven”,(33) and Saint Polycarp counsels: “In like manner should the deacons be blameless before the face of his righteousness, as being the servants of God and Christ, and not of men. They must not be slanderers, double-tongued, or lovers of money, but temperate in all things, compassionate, industrious, walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant of all”.(34)
31. The Church’s tradition subsequently finalised and refined the requirements which support the authenticity of a call to the diaconate. These are firstly those which are valid for orders in general: “Only those are to be promoted to orders who…have sound faith, are motivated by the right intention, are endowed with the requisite knowledge, enjoy a good reputation, and have moral probity, proven virtue and the other physical and psychological qualities appropriate to the order to be received”.(35)
35. Regarding the minimum age, the Code of Canon Law prescribes that: “the candidate for the permanent diaconate who is not married may be admitted to the diaconate only when he has completed at least his twenty-fifth year; if he is married, not until he has completed at least his thirty-fifth year”.(38)
36. “On the basis of Church law, confirmed by the same Ecumenical Council, young men called to the diaconate are obliged to observe the law of celibacy”.(40) This is a particularly appropriate law for the sacred ministry, to which those who have received the charism freely submit.
37. “In the case of married men, care should be taken that only those are promoted to the diaconate who have lived as married men for a number of years and have shown themselves to be capable of running their own homes, and whose wives and children lead a truly Christian life and have good reputations”.(41)
Moreover. In addition to stability of family life, married candidates cannot be admitted unless “their wives not only consent, but also have the Christian moral character and attributes which will neither hinder their husbands’ ministry nor be out of keeping with it”.(42)
38. “Those who have received the order of deacon, even those who are older, may not, in accordance with traditional Church discipline, enter into marriage”.(43) The same principle applies to deacons who have been widowed.(44) They are called to give proof of human and spiritual soundness in their state of life.
39. Permanent deacons belonging to institutes of consecrated life or to societies of apostolic life (45) are called to enrich their ministry with the particular charism which they have received. In fact, their pastoral activity, while being under the jurisdiction of the local Ordinary,(46) is nevertheless characterised by particular traits of their religious or consecrated state of life. They will therefore commit themselves to integrating their religious or consecrated vocation with the ministerial vocation and to offering their special contribution to the mission of the Church.
THE PATH OF FORMATION
TOWARDS THE PERMANENT DIACONATE
40. The decision to undertake the path of diaconal formation can come about either upon the initiative of the aspirant himself or by means of an explicit proposal of the community to which the aspirant belongs. In each case, the decision must be accepted and shared by the community.
43. The programme of the propaedeutic period, usually, should not provide school lessons, but rather meetings for prayer, instructions, moments of reflection and comparison directed towards ensuring the objective nature of the vocational discernment, according to a well structured plan.
44. The aspirants are invited to carry out a free and self conscious discernment, basing it on the requirements necessary for the diaconal ministry, without allowing themselves to be conditioned by personal interests or external pressures of any sort.(47)
45. Admission to candidacy for ordination as deacon comes about by means of a special liturgical rite, “by which one who aspires to the diaconate or priesthood publicly manifests his will to offer himself to God and the Church, so that he may exercise sacred orders. The Church, accepting this offering, chooses and calls him to prepare himself to receive a sacred order, and in this way he is rightly numbered among candidates for the diaconate”.(48)
46. The competent superior for this acceptance is the Bishop himself or, for members of a clerical religious institute of pontifical rite or of a clerical society of apostolic life of pontifical right, the Major Superior.(49)
48. The liturgical rite of admission must be preceded by a request for enrolment among the candidates, which must be prepared and personally signed by the aspirant himself and accepted in writing by the proper Bishop or Major Superior to whom it is addressed.(50)
49. The formation programme must last at least three years, in addition to the propaedeutic period, for all candidates.(51)
50. The Code of Canon Law prescribes that young candidates receive their formation residing “for at least three years in a special house, unless the diocesan Bishop for grave reasons decides otherwise”.(52) “The Bishops of a region—or, where it would be useful, those of several regions in the same country—should join in establishing a college of this kind, depending on local circumstances. They should choose particularly well-fitted men to be in charge of it and should make clear rules regarding discipline and studies”.(53) Care should be taken that these candidates have good relationships with the deacons of the diocese to which they belong.
51. For those more mature candidates, whether single or married, the Code of Canon Law prescribes that they “prepare for three years in a manner determined by the Episcopal Conference”.(54) Where circumstances permit, this preparation must be undertaken in the context of a full participation in the community of candidates, which will have its own calendar of meetings for prayer and formation and will also foresee meetings in common with the community of aspirants.
53. In the cases in which the above-mentioned ways of formation might not be set up or be impracticable, “then the candidate should be entrusted to some priest of outstanding judgement who will take a special interest in him and teach him, and who will be able to testify to his maturity and prudence. Great care must always be taken that only those who have enough learning and are suitable are enrolled in the sacred order”.(55)
57. “Before anyone may be promoted to the diaconate, whether permanent or transitory, he must have received the ministries of lector and acolyte, and have exercised them for an appropriate time”,(56) so that he may “be better disposed for the future service of the word and the altar”.(57) In fact the Church “considers it to be very opportune that both by study and by gradual exercise of the ministry of the word and of the altar, candidates for sacred orders should through intimate contact understand and reflect upon the double aspect of the priestly office. Thus it comes about that the authenticity of the ministry shines out with the greatest effectiveness. In this way the candidates come to sacred orders fully aware of their vocation, ‘fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, constant in prayer and aware of the needs of the faithful’ (Rm 12:11-13)”.(58)
58. Aspirants to lectorate and acolytate, on the invitation of the director of formation, will make a request for admission, which has been compiled and signed freely, and present it to the Ordinary (the Bishop or Major Superior) who has the authority to accept it.(59) Having accepted the request, the Bishop or Major Superior will proceed to the conferral of the ministries, according to the rite of the Roman Pontifical.(60)
59. It is appropriate that a certain period of time elapse between the conferring of lectorate and acolytate in such a way that the candidate may exercise the ministry he has received.(61) “Between the conferring of the ministry of acolyte and the diaconate there is to be an interval of at least six months”.(62)
60. At the conclusion of the formation journey, the candidate who, in agreement with the director of formation, considers himself to have the necessary pre-requisites for ordination, may address to the proper Bishop or competent Major Superior “a declaration written in his own hand and signed by him, in which he attests that he is about to receive the sacred order freely and of his own accord and will devote himself permanently to the ecclesiastical ministry, asking at the same time that he be admitted to receive the order”.(63)
61. With this request the candidate must enclose the certificate of baptism, of confirmation and of the ministries mentioned in can. 1035, and the certificate of studies duly completed in accordance with can. 1032.(64) If the ordinand to be promoted is married, he must present his marriage certificate and the written consent of his wife.(65)
62. Having received the request of the ordinand, the Bishop (or competent Major Superior) will evaluate his suitability by means of a diligent scrutiny. First of all he will examine the certificate which the director of formation is obliged to present to him “concerning the qualities required in the candidate for the reception of the order, namely sound doctrine, genuine piety, good moral behaviour, fitness for the exercise of the ministry; likewise, after proper investigation, a certificate of the candidate’s state of physical and psychological health”.(66) “The diocesan Bishop or Major Superior may, in order properly to complete the investigation, use other means which, taking into account the circumstances of time and place, may seem useful, such as testimonial letters, public notices or other sources of information”.(67)
After having verified the suitability of a candidate and having been assured that he is aware of the new obligations which he is assuming,(68) the Bishop or competent Major Superior will promote him to the order of the diaconate.
63. Before ordination, unmarried candidates must assume publicly, in the prescribed rite, the obligation of celibacy; (69) candidates belonging to an institute of consecrated life or a society of apostolic life who have taken perpetual vows or other form of definitive commitment in the institute or society are also obliged to this.(70) All candidates are bound personally, before ordination, to make a profession of faith and an oath of fidelity, according to the formulae approved by the Apostolic See, in the presence of the Ordinary of the place or his delegate.(71)
64. “Each candidate is to be ordained…to the diaconate by his proper Bishop, or with lawful dimissorial letters granted by that Bishop”.(72) If the candidate belongs to a clerical religious institute of pontifical right or to a clerical society of apostolic life of pontifical right it belongs to the Major Superior to grant him dimissorial letters.(73)
65. The ordination, carried out according to the rite of the Roman Pontifical,(74) is to be celebrated during solemn Mass, preferably on a Sunday or holyday of obligation, and generally in the Cathedral Church.(75) The ordinands prepare themselves for it by making “a retreat for at least five days, in a place and in the manner prescribed by the Ordinary”.(76) During the rite special attention should be given to the participation of the wives and children of the married ordinands.
THE DIMENSIONS OF THE FORMATION
66. The scope of human formation is that of moulding the personality of the sacred ministers in such a way that they become “a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man”.(77) Accordingly they must be educated to acquire and perfect a series of human qualities which will permit them to enjoy the trust of the community, to commit themselves with serenity to the pastoral ministry, to facilitate encounter and dialogue.
Similar to the indications of Pastores dabo vobis for the formation of priests, candidates for the diaconate, too, must be educated “to love the truth, to be loyal, to respect every person, to have a sense of justice, to be true to their word, to be genuinely compassionate, to be men of integrity and, especially, to be balanced in judgement and behaviour”.(78)
67. Of particular importance for deacons, called to be men of communion and service, is the capacity to relate to others. This requires that they be affable, hospitable, sincere in their words and heart, prudent and discreet, generous and ready to serve, capable of opening themselves to clear and brotherly relationships, and quick to understand, forgive and console.(79) A candidate who was excessively closed in on himself, cantankerous and incapable of establishing meaningful and serene relationships with others must undergo a profound conversion before setting off with conviction on the path of ministerial service.
68. At the root of the capacity to relate to others is affective maturity, which must be attained with a wide margin of certainty in both celibate and married candidates. Such a maturity presupposes in both types of candidate the discovery of the centrality of love in their own lives and the victorious struggle against their own selfishness. In reality, as Pope John Paul II wrote in the EncyclicalRedemptor hominis, “man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it”.(80) As the Pope explains in Pastores dabo vobis, this is a love which involves all the aspects of the person, physical, psychological and spiritual and which therefore demands full dominion over his sexuality, which must become truly and fully personal.(81)
For celibate candidates, to live love means offering the totality of one’s being, of one’s energies and readiness, to Christ and the Church. It is a demanding vocation, which must take into account the inclinations of affectivity and the pressures of instinct and which therefore requires renunciation, vigilance, prayer and fidelity to a precise rule of life. A decisive assistance can come from the presence of true friends, who represent a precious help and a providential support in living out one’s own vocation.(82)
For married candidates, to live love means offering themselves to their spouses in a reciprocal belonging, in a total, faithful and indissoluble union, in the likeness of Christ’s love for his Church; at the same time it means welcoming children, loving them, educating them and showing forth to the whole Church and society the communion of the family. Today, this vocation is being hard tested by the worrying degradation of certain fundamental values and the exaltation of hedonism and a false conception of liberty. To be lived out in all its fullness, the vocation to family must be nourished by prayer, the liturgy and a daily offering of self.(83)
69. A pre-condition for an authentic human maturity is training in freedom, which is expressed in obedience to the truth of one’s own being. “Thus understood, freedom requires the person to be truly master of himself, determined to fight and overcome the different forms of selfishness and individualism which threaten the life of each one, ready to open out to others, generous in dedication and service to one’s neighbour”.(84) Training in freedom also includes the education of the moral conscience, which prepares one to listen to the voice of God in the depths of one’s heart and to adhere closely to it.
70. These many aspects of human maturity—human qualities, ability to relate, affective maturity, training in freedom and education of the moral conscience—must be considered, taking into account the age and previous formation of the candidates, when planning programmes tailored to the individual. The director of formation and the tutor will contribute in the area of their competence; the spiritual director will take these aspects into consideration and check them during spiritual direction. Encounters and conferences which encourage development and give some incentive to maturity are also of use. Community life—in the various forms in which it can be programmed—will constitute a privileged forum for fraternal checks and correction. In those cases where it may be necessary, in the judgement of the formators, and with the consent of the individual concerned, recourse may be made to a psychological consultation.
71. Human formation leads to and finds its completion in spiritual formation, which constitutes the heart and unifying centre of every Christian formation. Its aim is to tend to the development of the new life received in Baptism.
72. The element which most characterises diaconal spirituality is the discovery of and sharing in the love of Christ the servant, who came not to be served but to serve. The candidate must therefore be helped progressively to acquire those attitudes which are specifically diaconal, though not exclusively so, such as simplicity of heart, total giving of self and disinterest for self, humble and helpful love for the brothers and sisters, especially the poorest, the suffering and the most needy, the choice of a life-style of sharing and poverty. Let Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, be present on this journey and be invoked as mother and auxiliatrix in the daily recitation of the Rosary.
74. Another characteristic element of diaconal spirituality is the Word of God, of which the deacon is called to be an authoritative preacher, believing what he proclaims, teaching what he believes, living what he teaches.(85) The candidate must therefore learn to know the Word of God ever more deeply and to seek in it constant nourishment for his spiritual life by means of its loving and thorough study and the daily exercise of lectio divina.
78. Moreover, provision should be made that wives of married candidates may grow in awareness of their husbands’ vocation and their own mission at his side. They are to be invited, therefore, to participate regularly in the spiritual formation meetings.
In the Circular Letter of 1969, Come è a conoscenza, the Congregation for Catholic Education invited Episcopal Conferences to prepare a doctrinal formation for candidates to the diaconate which would take account of the different situations, personal and ecclesial, yet at the same time would absolutely exclude “a hurried or superficial preparation, because the duties of the Deacon, as laid down in the Constitution Lumen gentium (n. 29) and in the Motu Proprio (n. 22),(86) are of such importance as to demand a formation which is solid and effective”.
81. Taking account of these criteria, the following contents must be taken into consideration: (87)
According to particular situations and needs, the programme of studies will be integrated with other disciplines such as the study of other religions, philosophical questions, a deepening of certain economic and political problems.(88)
86. This theological discipline is called pastoral theology. It is “a scientific reflection on the Church as she is built up daily, by the power of the Spirit, in history; on the Church as the ‘universal sacrament of salvation’, as a living sign and instrument of the salvation wrought by Christ through the word, the sacraments and the service of charity”.(89) The scope of this discipline, therefore, is the presentation of the principles, the criteria and the methods which guide the apostolic-missionary work of the Church in history.
Certain technical subjects, which prepare the candidates for specific ministerial activities, can also be useful, such as psychology, catechetical pedagogy, homiletics, sacred music, ecclesiastical administration, information technology, etc.(90)
88. In addition, care should be taken that the future deacons develop a strong missionary sensitivity. In fact, they too, in an analogous way to priests, receive with sacred ordination a spiritual gift which prepares them for a universal mission, to the ends of the earth (cf Acts 1:8).(91) They are to be helped, therefore, to be strongly aware of their missionary identity and prepared to undertake the proclamation of the truth also to non-Christians, particularly those belonging to their own people. However, neither should the prospect of the mission ad gentes be lacking, wherever circumstances require and permit it.
89. The Didascalia Apostolorum recommends to the deacons of the first century: “As our Saviour and Master said in the Gospel: let he who wishes to be great among you, make himself your servant, in the same way as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many, you deacons must do the same, even if that means giving your life for your brothers and sisters, because of the service which you are bound to fulfil”.(92) This invitation is most appropriate also for those who are called today to the diaconate, and urges them to prepare themselves with great dedication for their future ministry.
The Supreme Pontiff John Paul II has approved this “Ratio fundamentalis institutionis diaconorum permanentium”, and ordered it to be published.
(1) Cf. Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, Chiarimenti circa il valore vincolante dell’art. 66 del Direttorio per il Ministero e la Vita dei Presbiteri (22 October 1994), in “Sacrum Ministerium” 2 (1995), p. 263.
(2) This introduction is common both to the “Ratio” and to the “Directory”. It should always be included in both documents in the event of their being printed separately. (3) Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, 18.
(4) Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1581.
(5) Cf. ibidem, n. 1536.
(6) Cf. ibidem, n. 1538.
(7) Ibidem, n. 875.
(8) Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, 28.
(9) Cf. ibidem, n. 20; CIC, canon 375, § 1.
(10) Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 876.
(11) Cf. ibidem, n. 877.
(12) Cf. ibidem, n. 878.
(13) Ibidem, n. 879.
(14) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, 29; Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Ad pascendum (15 August 1972), AAS 64 (1972), p. 534.
(15) Moreover, he also describes several of the sixty who collaborated with him as deacons: Timothy (1 Thes 3:2), Epophros (Col 1:7), Tychicus (Col 3:7; Eph 6:2).
(16) Cf. Epistula ad Philadelphenses, 4; Epistula ad Smyrnaeos, 12, 2: Epistula ad Magnesios, 6, 1; F. X. Funk (ed.) Patres Apostolici, Tubingae 1901; pp. 266-267; 286-287; 234-235; 244-245.
(17) Cf. Didascalia Apostolorum (Syriac), capp. III, XI: A. Vööbus (ed.) The Didascalia Apostolorum (Syriac with English translation), CSCO, vol. I, n. 402 (t. 176), pp. 29-30; vol. II, n. 408 (t. 180), pp. 120-129; Didascalia Apostolorum, III, 13 (19), 1-7: F. X. Funk (ed.), Didascalia et Constitutiones Apostolorum, Paderborn 1906, I, pp. 212-216.
(18) Cf. canons 32 and 33 of the Council of Elvira (300303): PL 84, 305; canons 16 (15), 18, 21 of the first Council of Arles. CCL, 148, pp. 12-13; canons 15, 16, and 18 of the Council of Nicea:Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Decreta, bilingual edition of G. Alberigo, G.L. Dossetti, Cl. Leonardi, P. Prodi, cons. of H. Jedin, ed. Dehoniane, Bologna 1991, pp. 13-15.
(19) In the first period of Christianity, every local Church needed a number of deacons proportionate to her numbers so that they might be known and helped (cf. Didascalia Apostolorum, III, 12 (16): F. X. Funk, ed. cit., I, p. 208). In Rome Pope St Fabian (236-250) divided the City into seven zones (or “regiones”, later called “diaconiae”) in charge of each of which was placed a deacon (“regionarius”) for the promotion of charity and assistance to the poor. Analogous diaconal structures were to be found in many cities of the east and west during the third and fourth centuries.
(20) Cf. Council of Trent, Session XXIII, Decreta de Reformatione, canon 17: Conciliorum Oecumenicorum Decreta, ed. cit., p. 750.
(21) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution, Lumen gentium, 29.
(22) AAS 59 (1967), pp. 697-704.
(23) AAS 60 (1968), pp. 369-373.
(24) AAS 64 (1972), pp. 534-540.
(25) Ten canons speak explicitly of permanent deacons: 236; 276, § 2, 3o; 288; 1031, §§ 2-3; 1032, § 3; 1035, § 1; 1037; 1042, 1o; 1050, 3o.
(26) Cf. CIC, canon 1031, § 1.
(27) Paul VI, Apostolic Letter, Sacrum diaconatus ordinem (18 June 1968): AAS 59 (1967), p. 698.
(28) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 29; Decree Ad gentes, 16; Decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 17; Allocution of John Paul II of 16 March 1985, n. 1:Insegnamenti, VIII, 2 (1985), p. 648.
(29) Catechesis of John Paul II at the General Audience of 6 October 1993, n. 5, Insegnamenti, XVI, 2 (1993), p. 954.
(30) “A particularly felt need behind the decision to restore the permanent diaconate was that of a greater and more direct presence of sacred ministers in areas such as the family, work, schools etc. as well as in the various ecclesial structures”. Catechesis of John Paul II at the General Audience of 6 October 1993 n. 6, Insegnamenti, XVI, 2 (1993), p. 954.
(31) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 29b.
(32) Cf. ibidem, Decree Ad gentes, 16.
(33) Ibidem, Decree Ad gentes, 16. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1571.
(1) Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem (18 June 1967): AAS 59 (1967), pp. 697-704. The Apostolic Letter, at Ch. II, which is dedicated to younger candidates, prescribes: “6. Young men who are to be trained for the office of deacon should go to a special institution where they can be tested, trained to live a truly evangelical life, and instructed on how to perform usefully the duties of their future state. 9. The period of preparation for the diaconate as such should run for a period of at least three years. The course of studies should be arranged in such a way that the candidates make orderly and gradual progress toward gaining an understanding of the various duties of the diaconate and toward being able to carry them out effectively. The whole course of studies might well be so planned that in the last year special training will be given in the principal functions to be carried out by the deacon. 10. In addition, there should be practice in teaching the fundamentals of the Christian religion to children and others of the faithful, in teaching people to sing sacred music and lead them in it, in reading the books of Scripture at gatherings of the faithful, in giving talks to the people, in administering those sacraments which deacons may administer, in visiting the sick and, in general, in carrying out the ministries which may be required of them”. The same Apostolic Letter, at Chapter III, which is dedicated to older candidates, prescribes: “14. It is desirable for these deacons, too, to acquire a good deal of doctrine, as was said in nos. 8, 9 and 10 above, or at least for them to have the knowledge which the episcopal conference may judge they will need to fulfil their functions properly. They should therefore be admitted to a special institution for a certain length of time in order to learn all they will have to know to carry out worthily the office of deacon. 15. But if for some reason this cannot be done, then the candidate should be entrusted to some priest of outstanding virtue who will take a special interest in him and teach him, and who will be able to testify to his maturity and prudence”.
(2) The Circular Letter of the Congregation indicated that courses must take into consideration the study of sacred scripture, dogma, moral, canon law, liturgy, “technical training, in order to prepare the candidates for certain activities of the ministry, such as psychology, catechetical pedagogy, public speaking, sacred song, organisation of Catholic groups, ecclesiastical administration, keeping up to date the registers of baptism, confirmation, marriage, deaths, etc.”.
(3) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum (15 August 1972), VII b): AAS 64 (1972), p. 540.
(4) Cf John Paul II, Post-synodal Ap. Exhort. Pastores dabo vobis (25 March 1992), 12: AAS 84 (1992), pp. 675-676.
(5) Cf Ecum. Council Vat. II, Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 28; 29.
(6) The Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, Editio typica altera, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis 1990, p. 101, cites at n. 179 of the “Praenotanda”, relative to the ordination of deacons, the expression “in ministerio Episcopi ordinantur” taken from the Traditio apostolica, 8 (SCh, 11bis, pp. 58-59), as taken from the Constitutiones Ecclesiae Aegypticae III, 2: F. X. Funk (ed.), Didascalia et Constitutiones Apostolorum, II, Paderbornae 1905, p. 103.
(7) “(They should be) compassionate, industrious, walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant of all” (St Polycarp, Epist. ad Philippenses, 5, 2: F. X. Funk [ed.], Patres Apostolici, I, Tubingae 1901, pp. 300-302).
(8) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, Introduction: l.c., pp. 534-538.
(9) Cf Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, n. 207: ed. cit., pp. 115-122.
(10) Cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1570.
(11) Ibidem, n. 1588.
(12) Cf Ecum. Council Vat. II, Decr. Christus Dominus, 15.
(13) Cf C.I.C., can. 266.
(14) Cf Ecum. Council Vat. II, Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 29.
(15) Cf Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, n. 210: ed. cit., p. 125.
(16) Cf Ecum. Council Vat. II, Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 29.
(17) Cf ibidem.
(18) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, I, 1: l.c., p. 699.
(19) Cf C.I.C., can. 276, § 2, 3o.
(20) Cf ibidem, can. 1031, § 3.
(21) Ecum. Council Vat. II, Decr. Optatam totius, 1.
(22) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, VII, 32: l.c., p. 703.
(23) Ibidem, VII, 35: l.c., p. 704.
(24) Ecum. Council Vat. II, Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 64.
(25) Ibidem, 8.
(26) Equivalent to the Diocesan Bishop in this regard are those to whom the following have been entrusted: territorial prelature, territorial abbey, apostolic vicariate, apostolic prefecture and a stably erected apostolic administration (cf C.I.C., cans. 368; 381, § 2) as well as the personal prelature (cf C.I.C., cans. 266, § 1; 295) and the military ordinariate (cf John Paul II, Apost. Const.Spirituali militum curae [21 April 1986], art. I, § 1; art. II, § 1: AAS 78 [1986], pp. 482; 483).
(27) Cf C.I.C., cans. 1025; 1029.
(28) This also includes the director of the specific house of formation, wherever it exists (cf C.I.C., can. 236, 1o).
(29) John Paul II, Post-synodal Ap. Exhort. Pastores dabo vobis, 68: l.c., pp. 775-776.
(30) Ibidem, 69: l.c., p. 778.
(31) Ibidem, 36: l.c., pp. 715-716.
(32) Catechismus ex decreto Concilii Tridentini ad Parochos, pars II, c. 7, n. 3, Turin 1914, p. 288.
(33) Didachè, 15, 1: F. X. Funk (ed.), Patres Apostolici, I, o.c., pp. 32-35.
(34) St Polycarp, Epist. ad Philippenses, 5, 1-2: F. X. Funk (ed.), Patres Apostolici, I, o.c., pp. 300-302.
(35) C.I.C., can. 1029. Cf can. 1051, 1o.
(36) Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, II, 8: l.c., p. 700.
(37) Cf C.I.C., cans. 285, §§ 1-2; 289; Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, III, 17: l.c., p. 701.
(38) C.I.C., can. 1031, § 2. Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, II, 5; III, 12: l.c., pp. 699; 700. Can. 1031, § 3 prescribes that “Bishops’ Conferences may issue a regulation which requires a later age”.
(39) Cf C.I.C., cans. 1040-1042. The irregularities (perpetual impediments) listed by can. 1041 are: 1) any form of insanity or other psychological infirmity, because of which he is, after experts have been consulted, judged incapable of properly fulfilling the ministry; 2) the offences of apostasy, heresy or schism; 3) attempted marriage, even a civil marriage; 4) wilful homicide or actuallyprocured abortion; 5) grave mutilation of self or others, and attempted suicide; 6) illicit completion of acts of order. The simple impediments, listed by can. 1042, are: 1) the exercise of an office or administration forbidden to, or inappropriate to, the clerical state; 2) the state of being a neophyte (except when the Ordinary decides otherwise).
(40) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, II, 4: l.c., p. 699. Cf Ecum. Council Vat. II, Dogm. Const. Lumen gentium, 29.
(41) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, III, 13: l.c., p. 700.
(42) Ibidem, III, 11: l.c., p. 700. Cf C.I.C., cans. 1031, § 2; 1050, 3o.
(43) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, III, 16: l.c., p. 701; Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, VI: l.c., p. 539; C.I.C., can. 1087.
(44) The Circular Letter, Prot. n. 26397 of 6 June 1997, of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments envisages that one only of the following conditions be sufficient for obtaining dispensation from the impediment found in can. 1087: the great and proven usefulness of the ministry of the deacon to the diocese to which he belongs; that he has children of such a tender age as to be in need of motherly care; that he has parents or parents in law who are elderly and in need of care.
(45) Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, VII, 32-35: l.c., pp. 703-704.
(46) Cf Idem, Ap. Lett. Ecclesiae sanctae (6 August 1966), I, 25, § 1: AAS 58 (1966), p. 770.
(47) Cf C.I.C., can. 1026.
(48) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, Introduction; cf I a): l.c., pp. 537-538. Cf C.I.C., can. 1034, § 1. The rite for admission among the candidates for Holy Order is found in the Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, Appendix, II: ed. cit., pp. 232ff.
(49) Cf C.I.C., cans. 1016; 1019.
(50) Cf ibidem, can. 1034, § 1; Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, I a): l.c., p. 538.
(51) Cf C.I.C., can. 236 and numbers 41-44 of the present Ratio.
(52) C.I.C., can. 236, 1o. Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, II, 6: l.c., p. 699.
(53) Ibidem, II, 7: l.c., p. 699.
(54) C.I.C., can. 236, 2o.
(55) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, III, 15: l.c., p. 701.
(56) C.I.C., can. 1035, § 1.
(57) Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, II: l.c., p. 539; Ap. Lett. Ministeria quaedam (15 August 1972), XI: AAS 64 (1972), p. 533.
(58) Idem, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, Introduction: l.c., p. 538.
(59) Cf Idem, Ap. Lett. Ministeria quaedam, VIII a): l.c., p. 533.
(60) Cf Pontificale Romanum – De Institutione Lectorum et Acolythorum, Editio typica, Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis 1972.
(61) Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ministeria quaedam, X: l.c., p. 533; Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, IV: l.c., p. 539.
(62) C.I.C., can. 1035, § 2.
(63) Ibidem, can. 1036. Cf Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, V: l.c., p. 539.
(64) Cf C.I.C., can. 1050.
(65) Cf ibidem, cans. 1050, 3o; 1031, § 2.
(66) Ibidem, can. 1051, 1o.
(67) Ibidem, can. 1051, 2o.
(68) Cf ibidem, can. 1028. For the obligations which ordinands assume with the diaconate, see canons 273-289. In addition, for married deacons, there is the impediment to contracting new marriages (cf can. 1087).
(69) Cf ibidem, can. 1037; Paul VI, Ap. Lett. Ad pascendum, VI: l.c., p. 539.
(70) Cf Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, n. 177: ed. cit., p. 101.
(71) Cf C.I.C., can. 833, 6o; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Professio fidei et Iusiurandum fidelitatis in suscipiendo officio nomine Ecclesiae exercendo: AAS 81 (1989), pp. 104-106; 1169.
(72) C.I.C., can. 1015, § 1.
(73) Cf ibidem, can. 1019.
(74) Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, cap. III, De Ordinatione diaconorum: ed. cit., pp. 100-142.
(75) Cf C.I.C., cans. 1010-1011.
(76) Ibidem, can. 1039.
(77) John Paul II, Post-synodal Ap. Exhort. Pastores dabo vobis, 43: l.c., p. 732.
(78) Ibidem: l.c., pp. 732-733.
(79) Cf ibidem: l.c., p. 733.
(80) Idem, Encycl. Lett. Redemptor hominis (4 March 1979), 10: AAS 71 (1979), p. 274.
(81) Cf Idem, Post-synodal Ap. Exhort. Pastores dabo vobis, 44: l.c., p. 734.
(82) Cf ibidem: l.c., pp. 734-735.
(83) Cf Idem, Ap. Exhort. Familiaris consortio (22 November 1981): AAS 74 (1982), pp. 81-191.
(84) Idem, Post-synodal Ap. Exhort. Pastores dabo vobis, 44: l.c., p. 735.
(85) Cf the presentation of the Book of the Gospels, in Pontificale Romanum – De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, n. 210: ed. cit., p. 125.
(86) This refers to the Apostolic Letter of Paul VI, Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, n. 22: l.c., pp. 701-702.
(87) Cf Congregation for Catholic Education, Circ. Lett. Come è a conoscenza (16 July 1969), p. 2.
(88) Cf ibidem, p. 3.
(89) John Paul II, Post-synodal Ap. Exhort. Pastores dabo vobis, 57: l.c., p. 758.
(90) Cf Congregation for Catholic Education, Circ. Lett. Come è a conoscenza, p. 3.
(91) Cf Ecum. Council Vat. II, Decr. Presbyterorum ordinis, 10; Decr. Ad gentes, 20.
(92) Didascalia Apostolorum, III, 13 (19), 3: F. X. Funk (ed.), Didascalia et Constitutiones Apostolorum, I, o.c., pp. 214-215.
(34) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 28a.
(35) Cf. CIC, canon 1034, § 1; Paul VI, Ad Pascendum, I, a: l.c., 538.
(36) Cf. CIC, canons 265-266.
(37) Cf. CIC, canons 1034, § 1, 1016, 1019; Apostolic Constitution Spirituali Militum Curae, VI, §§ 3-4; CIC, canon 295, § 1.
(38) Cf. CIC, canons 267-268c § 1.
(39) Cf. CIC, canon 271.
(40) Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, VI, 30: l.c., 703.
(41) Cf. CIC, canon 678, §§ 1-3; 715; 738; cf. also Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, VII, 33-35: l.c., 704.
(42) Letter of the Secretariat of State to the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Prot. N. 122.735, of 3 January 1984.
(43) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Christus Dominus, n. 15; Paul VI Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, 23; l.c., 702.
(44) Pontificale Romanum, De Ordinatione Episcopi, Presbyterorum et Diaconorum, n. 201, (editio typica altera), Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1990, p. 110; cf. CIC, canon 273.
(45) “Those dominated by an outlook of contestation or of opposition to authority cannot adequately fulfil the functions of the diaconate. The diaconate can only be conferred on those who believe in the value of the pastoral mission of bishops and priests and in the assistance of the Holy Spirit who helps them in their activities and in the decisions they take. It should be recalled that the deacon must ?profess respect and obedience to the bishop’. The service of the deacon is directed to a particular Christian community for which he should develop a profound attachment both to its mission and divine institution” (Catechesis of John Paul II at the General Audience of 20 October 1993, n. 2, Insegnamenti, XVI, 2, [1993], p. 1055).
(46) CIC, canon 274, § 2.
(47) “Among the duties of the deacon there is that of ?promoting and sustaining the apostolic activities of the laity’. Being more present and active in the secular world than priests, deacons should strive to promote greater closeness between ordained ministers and activities of the laity for the common service of the Kingdom of God” (Catechesis of John Paul II at the General Audience of 13 October 1993, n. 5, Insegnamenti, XVI, 2 [1993], pp. 1002-1003); cf. CIC, canon 275.
(48) Cf. CIC, canon 282.
(49) Cf. CIC, canon 288 referring to canon 284.
(50) Cf. CIC, canon 284; Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests of the Congregation for the Clergy (31 January 1994), pp. 66-67. Clarification of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts on the binding character of article 66 (22 October 1994) in Sacrum Ministerium, 2 (1995), p. 263.
(51) Cf CIC, canon 669.
(52) Cf. CIC, canon 278, §§ 1-2, explicating canon 215.
(53) Cf. CIC, canon 278, § 3 and canon 1374; also the declaration of the German Bishops’ Conference “The Church and Freemasonry” (28 February 1980).
(54) Congregation for the Clergy, Quidam Episcopi (8 March 1982), IV: AAS 74 (1982), pp. 642-645.
(55) Cf. CIC, canon 299, § 3, and canon 304.
(56) Cf CIC, canon 305.
(57) Cf. Allocution of John Paul II to the Bishops of Zaïre on “Ad Limina” visit, 30 April 1983, Insegnamenti, VI, 1 (1983), pp. 112-113. Allocution to Permanent Deacons (16 March 1985),Insegnamenti, VIII, 1 (1985), pp. 648-650. Cf. also idem. Allocution at the ordination of eight new Bishops in Kinshasa (4 May 1980), 3-5 Insegnamenti, 1 (1980), pp. 1111-1114; Catechesis at the General Audience of 6 October 1983 Insegnamenti, XVI, 2 (1983), pp. 951-955.
(58) Lumen Gentium, 33; cf. CIC, canon 225.
(59) Cf. CIC, canon 288, referring to canon 285, §§ 3-4.
(60) Cf. CIC, canon 288 referring to canon 286.
(61) Cf. CIC, canon 222, § 2, and also canon 225, § 2.
(62) Cf. CIC, canon 672.
(63) Cf. CIC, canon 287, § 1.
(64) Cf. CIC, canon 288.
(65) Cf. CIC, canon 287, § 2.
(66) Cf. CIC, canon 283.
(67) Cf. Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, 21: l.c., 701.
(68) Cf. CIC, canon 281.
(69) “Since clerics dedicate themselves to the ecclesiastical ministry, they deserve the remuneration that befits their condition, taking into account the nature of their office and the conditions of time and place. It is to be such that it provides for the necessities of their life and for the just remuneration of those whose services they need” (CIC, canon 281, § 1).
(70) “Suitable provision is likewise to be made for such social welfare as they may need in infirmity, sickness or old age” (CIC, canon 281, § 2).
(71) CIC, canon 281, § 3. The canonical term “remuneration” as distinct from civil law usage, denotes more than a stipend in the technical sense of this term. It connotes that income, due in justice, which permits a decent upkeep, congruent with the ministry.
(72) Ibid., canon 1274, § 1.
(73) Ibid., canon 1274, § 2.
(74) Ibid., canon 281, § 1.
(75) Cf. ibidem, canon 281, § 3.
(76) Cf. ibid., canon 281, § 3.
(77) Cf. ibid., canons 290-293.
(78) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 29.
(79) John Paul II, Allocution to permanent deacons (16 March 1985), n. 2: Insegnamenti, VIII, 1 (1985), p. 649; cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution. Lumen Gentium, 29; CIC, canon 1008.
(80) Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity Directory on the applications of the principles and norms on ecumenism, (25 March 1993), 71: AAS 85 (1993), p. 1069; cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Communionis notio (28 May 1992), AAS 85 [1993], pp. 838f.
(81) Ibid., 70: l.c., p. 1068.
(82) Pontificale Romanum, n. 210: ed. cit., p. 125: “Accipe Evangelium Christi, cuius praeco effectus es; et vide, ut quod legeris credas, quod credideris doceas, quod docueris imiteris”.
(83) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 29. “Deacons are also to serve the People of God in the ministry of the word, in union with the bishop and hispresbyterium” (CIC, canon 757); “By their preaching, deacons participate in the priestly ministry” (John Paul II, Allocution to Priests, Deacons, Religious and Seminarians in the Basilica of the Oratory of St. Joseph, Montreal, Canada (11 September 1984), n. 9: Insegnamenti, VII, 2 (1984), p. 436.
(84) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, 4.
(85) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 25; Congregation for Catholic Education, circular letter Come è a conoscenza; CIC, canon 760.
(86) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 25a; Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 10a.
(87) Cf. CIC, canon 753.
(88) Cf. ibid., canon 760.
(89) Cf. ibid., canon 769.
(90) Cf Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, n. 61: Missale Romanum, Ordo lectionis Missae, Praenotanda, n. 8, 24 and 50: ed. typica altera, 1981.
(91) Cf. CIC, canon 764.
(92) Congregation for the Clergy, Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia (31 January 1994), nn. 45-47: l.c., 43-48.
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