Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Jose (Agenzia Fides) - Archbishop Hugo Barrantes Ureña of San Jose (Costa Rica) has issued a decree whereby the Permanent Diaconate is reestablished in the Archdiocese of San Jose.
The Archbishop mentions in the decree that “in order to pasture the People of God, Christ the Lord gave His Church various ordained ministers for the good of the entire Body, which is the Church,” and that “among the lowest levels of the hierarchy are the deacons, on whom there is placed an imposition of hands, not in order to the priesthood, but in order to the ministry, and thus, led by divine grace, in communion with the Bishop and the priests they serve the People of God.” Moreover, “the Bishops' Conference in each Nation, which upon the approval of the Roman Pontiff, may reestablish the diaconate as a permanent ministry, according to the tradition of the Latin Rite Church.” The Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy also approved the “Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons” on February 22, 1998, and the Congregation for Catholic Education approved, upon the petition of the Costa Rican Bishops' Conference, “the basic norms for the formation of permanent deacons in Costa Rica,” on April 20, 2004.
Thus, also in consideration of all these facts and after consulting the priests and other groups within the Archdiocese of San Jose, the Archbishop has decided to reestablish it, implementing a formation plan for the permanent deacons of the Archdiocese of San Jose, in conformity with the universal right and the Basic Norms of Formation for permanent deacons in the diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Costa Rica, approved by the highest Church authorities on April 20, 2004. Moreover, there will also be an Archdiocesan Commission for the Formation of Permanent Deacons, which will be in charge of overseeing this task. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 23/3/2009)
