(To print the "Deacon Manual" please click here.)
 
 

Interim Guidelines - September 1, 1999
Table of Contents                                                        
Letter of Promulgation
 Preface
  1. History and Role of the Deacon
    1. History
    2. The Role of the Deacon Today:  A ministry of service.
      1. The Ministry of Mercy and Justice
      2. The Ministry of the Word
      3. The Ministry of the Sacraments
  2. The Community of Deacons and the Diaconal Council
    1. The Deacon Director
    2. The Diaconal Council
    3. The Deacon Formation Council
  3. Pastoral and Professional Relationships
    1. The Bishop
    2. The Presbyterate
    3. The Laity
    4. Brother Deacons
    5. Family
    6. Conflict Resolution
  4. Recruitment and Formation
    1. Timeline for the Recruitment Process
      1. Admission Requirements
      2. Application Process
    2. Formation for the Diaconate
      1. Place of Formation
      2. General Remarks about Diaconate Formation
      3. Pastoral Formation
      4. Theological Formation
      5. Spiritual Formation
      6. Evaluations
      7. Ministries and Candidacy
      8. Ordination
  5. Assignments and Faculties
    1. General Remarks
    2. Assignments
    3. Agreements
    4. Faculties
      1. In General
      2. Marriage
      3. Liturgy
      4. Sacraments
      5. Dispensations
    5. Faculties for Nonincardinated Resident Deacons
  6. The Deacon and Liturgy
    1. General Remarks
    2. Ministry of the Deacon at Liturgy
    3. Introductory Rites
    4. Liturgy of the Word
    5. Liturgy of the Eucharist
    6. Concluding Rite
    7. When Deacons Participate as an Order at Mass
    8. When the Deacon Presides at a Sunday Celebration in Absence of a Priest OR at a Communion Service.
    9. Liturgy of the Hours
    10. Baptism
    11. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction
    12. Marriage
    13. Christian burial
    14. Blessings
    15. Clerical Attire
    16. Titles
  7. Incardination and Excardination
    1. General Remarks
    2. Protocols for Incardination
  8. Finances
    1. Formation
    2. Compensation for Permanent Deacons
  9. Marital Problems
    1. Separate while the bond endures
    2. Civil Divorce
  10. Leaves of Absence and Retirement
    1. Leaves of Absence
    2. Retirement
  11. The Death and Funerals of Deacons
    1. Death of a Deacon
    2. Funerals of Deacons
Appendix I.  Job Description of the Deacon Director
Appendix II.  Sample Ministry Agreement for Deacons
 
September 1, 1999

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

With this letter, I promulgate The Deacon Manual as a set of interim guidelines for the life and ministry of permanent deacons who are ministering in the Diocese of Pueblo.

Over the past few years, we have been blessed with an increasing number of permanent deacons moving into our diocese.  Coming from all over the country, they have brought with them a wealth of ministerial skills and experience.  It is clear that the life and ministry of the deacons is different in many ways than the ministry of priests or ministry of ecclesial lay ministers.  Furthermore, we are seeing our own deacon candidates approaching ordination, and look forward to their ministry of service in the Diocese of Pueblo.

With this in mind, I asked the Deacon Formation Council to draw up a set of guidelines for the life and ministry of permanent deacons ministering in the Diocese of Pueblo.

In February of 1998, the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy published two related documents:  Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and Directory for the Ministry and Life of  Permanent Deacons.  These two documents must be adapted to the guidelines of the bishops of the United States.  Once this is done, our own Deacon Manual can be adapted as a definitive set of guidelines.

May we all come to appreciate our baptismal call to service in the Kingdom of God.

Sincerely yours Christ,


Bishop of Pueblo
 
 
 

Preface
The primary goal of this handbook is to assist each deacon in providing the best possible ministry to the People of God in the Diocese of Pueblo.  If this goal is to be achieved, the deacon must be well informed and adequately trained, both spirituality and academically.  Each deacon should also be able to expect and receive support, encouragement, and challenges from his bishop, as well as from his brother deacons and priests, as he performs the ministerial duties for which he was ordained.

In the years ahead, the role of the deacon in the Diocese of Pueblo is expected to change dramatically, and each deacon must be willing, within his own limitations, to meet new challenges as they arise.  The guidelines in the handbook have been formulated with the need for future development in mind.

In order to make the best possible use of the gifts and talents of the deacons ministering in the Diocese of Pueblo, the handbook is also intended to assist our Bishop, his Vicars, Pastors, Parish Directors, and all the Directors and personnel of the catholic Pastoral Center.
 
Abbreviations
CIC Code of Canon Law, 1983
GIRM General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 1985 edition
PDUS Permanent Deacons in the United States:  Guidelines on Their Formation and Ministry, Bishops' Committee on the Permanent Diaconate, 1984 Revision (Washington D.C.:  National Council of Catholic Bishops, 1985)