DIOCESE OF ORLANDO

PERMANENT DIACONATE PERSONNEL POLICY

APPENDIX F –GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING THE STATEMENT OF MUTUAL EXPECTATIONS (SME)

The purpose of the Annual Statement of Mutual Expectations is to identify and establish accountability for the areas of responsibility assumed by the deacon and serves as a memorandum of understanding between the deacon and Pastor. This document also serves as a reminder of the different types of ministry we are called to be involved in. When completed this agreement is subject to the approval of the Bishop.

This document is the primary source of information regarding the involvement of the permanent deacon in his ministerial assignment and is necessary for a variety of purposes, e.g. recruitment of new candidates, studies of the utilization of deacons, the churches needs for additional ministers, etc. Please be concrete, complete and descriptive. Use additional pages if necessary.

The Bishop will grant faculties and assign a deacon to a parish if the agreement identifies specific ministries for which the deacon will be responsible. In each agreement, the Bishop requires that the deacon have at least one major area of parish work that is specified, in detail. The identified areas of ministry should be assumed as an ongoing service rather than as the result of a call from the rectory or as needed.

Generally, the deacon can bring only part time service to his ministry. His priorities must be according to the order of family, occupation and diaconal ministry. It is not the intent to have the deacon in charge of the various ministries. The deacon is charged with being the witness, guide and teacher as the baptized faithful are called forward to actively participate in parish life. The deacon is called to continue his formation in the various aspects of parish ministry so that he has the ability to guide others, oversee parish ministries and step in to help support where necessary.

Identification of Primary Ministries and Goals:

EACH PARISH AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITY HAS UNIQUE NEEDS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PASTOR AND THEDEACON TO DEVELOP APPROPRIATE MINISTRIES TO MEET THOSE NEEDS.

  1. Ministry of Charity and Justice - Deacon as Witness and Guide - The deacon’s ministry, as Pope John Paul II has said, “is the Church’s service sacramentalized”. At the very heart of the diaconate is the calling to be a servant of the mysteries of Christ, and of our brothers and sisters. The deacon’s service in the Church’s ministry of charity and justice is integral to his service in the Church’s ministry of word and liturgy. The three fold diaconate ministry represents a unity in service: the ministry of the word leads to the ministry of the altar, which in turn prompts the transformation of life by the liturgy, resulting in charity. As a participant in the one ecclesiastical ministry, the deacon is a specific sacramental sign in the Church of Christ the servant. The role of the deacon is to express the needs and desires of the Christian Communities and to be a driving force for service, or diaconia, which is an essential part of the mission of the Church.

The Statement of Mutual Expectation item 1 is shown below followed by some suggestions for its completion. These are examples and are not meant to be all inclusive. The deacon should have one meaningful ministry that reaches out beyond the walls of the Church to the marginalized.

Ministry of Charity and Justice as Witness and Guide *:Hours per Month:______

Homeless / Feed the Hungry / Visitation Assisted Living/Hospital / Prison / Restorative Justice
Peace & Justice Commission / Chaplin – Hospital or First Response / St Vincent de Paul/Knights

*All Deacons must declare a ministry in the community – outside the walls of the parish – please identify and describe your ministry

“The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks deacons ‘with an imprint (character) which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the “deacon” or servant of all.’ For this level of Holy Orders, Christ calls and the Church asks the bishop to ordain deacons to be consecratedwitnesses to service.” (USCCB, National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (NDPD), #28). The following is provided as guidance/examples of the deacon in his role of Charity and Justice:

  • Specify the specific location i.e. Coalition for the Homeless, Christian Service Center, Rescue Mission, Daily Bread, Interdenominational commission on Hunger, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, Good Will, JMJ center, ______Prison ______hospital/clinic, police/sheriff department etc.
  • Idgnity – support for the marginalized in need of identification cards.
  • Ministries of St. Vincent de Paul and the Knight of Columbus which should center on walking with those in need and the outreach for those organizations. The deacon can be the prophet encouraging such organizations to embrace their call to outreach to those who are less fortunate.
  • Develop and coordinate a parish outreach program which will include such activities as ministering to the sick, the needy, the home-bound, the unchurched and lapsed members of our parish family.
  • Sponsor or initiate advocacy and social justice programs such as “Just Faith”
  • Catholic Relief Services Global Fellow or regional/deanery representative
  1. Ministry of the Word - Deacon as Evangelizer and Teacher – The Deacon is the herald of the Word. Ministry of the word includes catechetical instruction, religious formation of candidates and families preparing for the reception of the sacraments; leadership roles in retreats, and counseling and spiritual direction; proclaiming the word and preaching. The deacon also strives to “transmit the word in [his] professional [life] either explicitly or merely by [his] active presence in places where public opinion is formed and ethical norms are applied.”
  2. Because the deacon sacramentalizes service, he should proclaim the word in such a way that he first witnesses its (the Word’s) empowerment in his own life. Then he can effectively challenge others to practice the Church’s ministry of charity and justice in the social environments in which people live their baptismal vocation.
  3. In the many formal and informal ways the deacon leads the community, he calls them to reflect on their communion and mission in Jesus Christ, especially impelling the community of believers to live lives of service.
  4. By his own faithful practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, the deacon “by word and example . . . should work so that all the faithful, in imitation of Christ, may place themselves at the constant service of their brothers and sisters.”

The Statement of Mutual Expectation item 2 is shown below followed by some suggestions for its completion. These are examples and are not meant to be all inclusive. The deacon should be involved in the parish life supporting the catechetical functions of the parish in a variety of ministries.

Ministry of the Word as Evangelizer and Teacher:Hours per Month:______

Homily at the Liturgy of the Mass** / Adult Formation / Workshops / Liturgy Team
Sacramental Preparation / Reader Training / Scripture study/share
Evangelization/Ecumenical Services / Youth and Young Adult Catechesis / Retreats/Days of Reflection

**Deacons in the Diocese of Orlando, by their ordination and IAW Canon 764 have been given the faculty to preach and should be encouraged to preach on an occasional basis. If the deacon is not proficient in preaching a plan for additional formation must be implemented and documented as part of the “Specific Annual Goals”.

Other:

The deacon lives out his diaconal call as an evangelizer and teacher in every aspect of his life. The following are specific examples of parish ministry where the deacon is fulfilling his diaconate call within the parish.

  • Develop and implement a parish Baptism program including family preparation and post-Baptism follow-up visitation.
  • Assist in the marriage preparation program which may include
  • Complete and record the pre-marriage inventory information
  • Administer the FOCCUS inventory
  • Conduct sessions with the couple based upon the result of the FOCCUS inventory
  • Schedule and assign couples to deanery Engaged Couple Conference or Engaged Encounter Weekend
  • Follow through with preparation and planning for the celebration of the marriage
  • Develop, implement and supervise or participate the parish RCIA program.
  • Preach on a monthly basis, at all masses, in rotation with other parish clergy (contingent on receiving faculties)
  • Assume responsibility for the parish evangelization program. He will conduct a census and maintain an updated information system on parish families and needs of the community.
  1. Ministry of Liturgy - Deacon as Sanctifier - The ministry of the deacon is a visible grace-filled sign of the integral connection between sharing of the Lord’s Eucharistic table serving the many hungers felt so keenly by all God’s children. In the deacon’s liturgical ministry, the Church sees a reflection of her own diaconal character and is reminded to serve as Jesus did.
  2. In the deacon’s liturgical ministry, as in a mirror, the Church sees a reflection of her own diaconal character and is reminded of her mission to serve as Jesus did.
  3. Strengthened by sacramental grace, the deacon is dedicated to the people of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in a service of the liturgy of the word and of charity.
  4. During the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy, the deacon participates in specific penitential rites as designated in the Roman Missal. He properly proclaims the Gospel. He may preach the homily in accord with the provisions of Canon Law. He voices the needs of the people in the General Intercessions, needs with which he should have a particular and personal familiarity from the circumstances of his ministry of charity. The deacon assists the presider and other ministers in accepting the offerings of the people—symbolic of his traditional role in receiving and distributing the resources of the community among those in need—and he helps to prepare the gifts for sacrifice. During the celebration he helps the faithful participate more fully, consciously, and actively in the Eucharistic sacrifice, may extend the invitation of peace, and serves as an ordinary minister of Communion. Deacons have a special responsibility for the distribution of the cup. Finally, he dismisses the community at the end of the Eucharistic liturgy.
  5. Other liturgical roles for which the deacon is authorized include those of solemnly baptizing, witnessing marriages, bringing viaticum to the dying, and presiding over funerals and burials. The deacon can preside at the liturgies of the word and communion services in the absence of a priest. He may officiate at celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours and at exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. He can conduct public rites of blessing, offer prayer services for the sick and dying, and administer the Church’s sacramentals, as designated in the Book of Blessings.

The Statement of Mutual Expectation item 3 is shown below followed by some suggestions for its completion. These are examples and are not meant to be all inclusive. The deacon is called to lead a holy and spirit filled life which is reflected in all aspects of their ministry.

Liturgical Ministry as Sanctifier:Hours per Month:______

Rite of Baptism / Eucharistic Services/Prayer Services / Funeral/Wake Service
Rite of Marriage / Deacon at the Mass / Exposition / Benediction

*The deacon should be included in a schedule for baptisms performed outside of the Liturgy of the Mass

Describe/Other:

The ministry of the deacon is a visible, grace-gilled sign of the integral connection between sharing at the Lord’s Eucharistic table and serving the many hungers felt so keenly by all God’s children. In the Deacon’s liturgical ministry, as in a mirror, the Church sees a reflection of her own diaconal character and is reminded of her mission to serve as Jesus did. (USCCB, National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (NDPD), #33). The deacon should be proficient in all aspects of his liturgical ministry.

  1. Diaconate Dimension – Although the deacon’s primary ministry is lived out in primarly serves serves in Neither a Lay Person Nor a Priest – But Cleric
  2. Common understanding of the Deacon as Cleric – The Deacon is configured to Christ’s consecration and mission – “a sacred minister and a member of the hierarchy”. The Deacon is called to distinct identity and integrity in the Church - a cleric who is ordained to diakonia, namely, a service to God’s People in communion with the bishop and his body of priests.
  3. Unity With the Bishop and His Priests – The Principal function of the deacon is to collaborate with the bishop and the priests in the exercise of a ministry which is not of their own wisdom but of the Word of God, calling all to conversion and holiness.
  4. Agent of the Church - Deacon’s ministry is defined as a “service to the bishop.” The principal function of the deacon, therefore, is to collaborate with the bishop and the priests in the exercise of a ministry which is not of their own wisdom but of the Word of God, calling all to conversion and holiness in communion with the Bishop and his priest.
  5. Promoting and Sustaining the Apostolic Activities of the Laity. To the extent he is more present and more involved than the priest in secular environments and structures, he should feel encouraged to foster closeness between the ordained ministry and lay activities, in common service to the kingdom of God.

The Statement of Mutual Expectation item 4 is shown below. The deacon’s ministry goes beyond his presence in the local parish. Each deacon should be involved in some aspect of ministerial support to the diocese.

Diocesan / Diaconal Ministry:Hours per Month:______

Tribunal - / Deanery/Regional Support / Communications
Diocese Diaconate Committee Formation, Admin, Council / Facilitator/Catechist – Liturgy, Family Life, Pastoral Care, Other______/ Spiritual Dev Team
  1. Specific Annual Goals – Formation is a life-long process and we recognize that there are specific areas of our life and ministry where we need to dedicate additional time. Each year the deacon should be reflecting and striving to grow in certain areas of his life. Please indicate each year your specific goals for that year.

Specific Annual Goals for growth:

Annual Assessment

Prayerfully reflecting on the ministry of the Deacon in word, liturgy and service you are asked to discuss the deacon’s ministry in relation to the Statement of Mutual Expectations completed at the beginning of the year and document your discussions on this assessment form. The assessment is intended to be a means of communication and coordination to enhance the quality of diaconal ministry to the Church. It is recommended that this form be completed following a dialogue between the pastor and the deacon and reflect a spirit of brotherhood and respect between clergy.

This document should not be used as a means of documenting problems or as a method of disciplinary action.

The sections of the assessment correspond to the sections founded in the Statement of Mutual Expectations.