It is becoming rather common for the people of the archdiocese and even some members of the media to ask about the Permanent Diaconate.

They want to know how things are progressing and when the candidates for the Permanent Diaconate will be ordained and begin to serve in ministry in the name of the Church.

I shall use my column this week to answer the questions and provide an update on the Permanent Deacon Programme to the archdiocese. 

Historical background

In 1964, the Second Vatican Council requested that the diaconate be restored as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. In 1967, Pope Paul VI implemented the recommendation of Vatican Council II and, over the next few years, issued general norms on the diaconate, which are now contained in the Code of Canon Law.

As a result of the recommendations at the most recent session of the Archdiocesan Synod and the positive responses of the Parish Priests of the Archdiocese, I introduced the Permanent Deacon programme into the Archdiocese of Port of Spain in 2006. 

The Parish Priests nominated 24 candidates for the first class of the Permanent Deacon Programme.

Admissions process

Since candidates for the Diaconate are candidates for the clerical life (the idiom that is frequently heard, “lay deacons” is a contradiction in terms), they have to complete the same admissions process as candidates for the priesthood.

The admissions process requires that each candidate be involved in some form of parish service for a number of years before entering the programme, be nominated by a parish priest, submit letters of recommendation from people who knew them for at least three years, undergo psychological testing at their own expense (the results of which are submitted to the Archbishop’s Office) and be interviewed by the Regional Seminary Admissions Board.

Programme content

The timeline of the initial programme is three years. I use the word “initial” deliberately because ongoing education will be an essential part of the programme for Permanent Deacons.

The three-year programme follows the Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons that were issued by the Vatican, specifically the Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for Catholic Education. 

The programme has four component parts: Personal Formation, Spiritual Formation, Academic Formation and Pastoral Formation. I want to offer a word on each category:

Personal Formation. The Vatican Norms make clear that the goal of Personal Formation is to help the candidate ensure that his personality is “a bridge not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer.” Consequently, the candidates must be formed to develop virtues which will enable the community to trust them and enter dialogue with them.

The candidates are to study carefully the results of their psychological testing and with the help of others e.g. a spiritual director to use the data to learn to maximise their strengths and minimise their weaknesses.

Spiritual Formation. This category is the unit that unifies the entire programme. Each candidate has already had an active spiritual life which motivated him to serve in his parish and to apply for admission to the Permanent Deacon Programme. That spiritual history must be respected.

The spiritual formation of the candidate for the Permanent Diaconate must build on his prior spirituality and concentrate on his sharing in the love of Christ as servant. The candidate is also to develop a sense of zeal for Church and ministry.

The programme contains both spiritual retreats and reflecting on the theological foundation of the call to holiness.

Academic Formation. The candidates follow a two-track system. They are involved in the two-year programme at the Bible Institute which is also used by the pre-seminarians of the archdiocese.

Secondly, they study at the facilities of the Regional Seminary on Saturdays. During the last three semesters they have studied, Spirituality, Church History with special emphasis on the Caribbean, Ecclesiology, Liturgical Theology, the Canon Law on the Sacraments, Christology and Pastoral Counselling.

Each academic track requires research, assigned readings and the submission of papers or projects.

Pastoral Formation. The pastoral component helps the candidates with the varied forms of Church service and pastoral care. In a real sense, pastoral formation is pastoral internship. It involves supervised ministry by the parish priests who nominated them for the programme and theological reflection with seminary faculty.

This component takes place during the last year of the programme. Similar to spiritual formation, pastoral formation helps to integrate all the elements of the programme.

Personal contact

Periodically, I meet with each candidate and, if married, with his wife. In more than a few instances, the wives are participating in all aspects of the programme.

The meetings are beneficial as individual meetings usually are (I also have individual meetings with priests). One issue that I stress during these meetings is that the diaconate is not to interfere with the responsibilities of marriage and family.

The meetings also provide the opportunity to discuss interests and future assignments. 

Concluding observations

1) In June of this year, the class of 24 candidates for the Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain will have completed the first half of the three year programme that must be successfully completed before they will be eligible for ordination to the Permanent Diaconate.

2) At the end of this semester, the candidates will be installed in the Ministry of Reader in the Cathedral. Although canonically distinct from the Diaconate, it will be the first formal liturgical step on the journey to the Diaconate.

3) While the candidates have cooperated with all the aspects of the programme in an exemplary manner, none of them anticipated entering such a “heavy” programme. They are slowly learning about the demands of the clerical life in the Church.