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FALL RIVER, MASS.
Diaconate director looks back; tal ks of road ahead By DEACON JAMES N. DUNBAR
FALL RIVER -It was an uncertain road. with brave new concepts, no veterans or experts to call upon and a great deal of experimenting in the planning. 'That was the way it was in the early days of the permanent diaconate," said Msgr. John F. Moore, who, on July I, after 27 years of involvement will be leaving as director of the Permanent Diaconate Office. "It started in 1975, a year before my official appointment to direct the diaconate and before the interviews for the first candidates we conducted in 1977," Msgr. Moore recalled. "Bishop Daniel A. Cronin contacted me at St. William's Parish and asked me to go to Providence, R.I., and meet with people from various dioceses who were appointed permanent diaconate directors. It was my first revelation of what they were trying to do," he said. Vatican Council II in 1964 had restored the permanent diaconate to the ranks of the Church's hierarchy after it had faded in the 4th century and the diaconate itself became a step for men en route to the priesthood. New norms for the diaconate were established in June 1967. "It was so new. All we had were documents per se from the Council and it was really trial and error putting together a program," he said. "We knew the ideals and the goals, but to formulate it into a working program was something else. It truly was evolutionary, and still is evolving ... in a dramatic way right now. 'Thank God for the wonderful support Bishop Cronin gave to the program at its very outset," said Msgr. Moore. There were many hurdles.
"First of all, deacons are married clergy," Msgr. Moore noted. "When they were first ordained, we couldn't get them assignments because many pastors thought they were nothing more than glorified altar boys. Now we have a long list of pastors wanting deacons because of the great work they do." That becomes even more important with the declining number of vocations to the priesthood. "The whole focus in the local Church on the diaconate in the past 25 years has turned around completely," he added. "That's dramatic, a unique phenomena, considering the history of the Church." With 100 deacons in the Fall River diocese, the program is big, Msgr. Moore explained. "For th~ l~t year we have been in a transition discussion with Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., taking a hard look at the program and where it's going. It looks like we need two distinct units - the formation of the deacons up to ordination and another, of continuing education afterwards." Msgr. Moore said it might mean two directors ... or two directors under one leader. "Forni~tionis not the two-year course it was when we began," he said. "This past class of ordained deacons, including the psychological process arid the review process and study took five years. The ability to make the courses relevant and train the deacon to meet the needs of the Church, not necessarily the needs of the deacon, is serious business." He added that as seen in the current crisis. within the Church, "the Church is ever changing." He made it clear that "the work Tum to page 11 - Diaconate
Vacation time is near In keeping with our 49-issue schedule, The Anchor will not publish on July 5 and 12. The business office will be ope..., however, during the break. The Anchor will return to your door on July 19.
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CRAIG MARTIN, who shared his story of being sexually abused as a child by a priest, embraces Bishop John F. Kinney of St. Cloud during the U.S. bishops' meeting in Dallas June 13. Four victims detailed their experiences for the bishops at the meeting. (CNS photo from Reuters)
Bishops set new rules, zero tolerance on priests who abuse By JERRY FILTEAU CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
To give the charter a binding legal character in all dioceses, the bishops then voted 229-5 to adopt a series of implementing norms which, if approved by the Holy See, will have the character of particu- - - - , lar law that must be
DALLAS -At a historic meeting in Dallas June 13-15, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops ordered dramatic changes to protect children throughout the U.S. Catho- ..-lic Church, notably forbidding a second chance in ministry for any priest who has ever sexually abused a minor. After 11 hours of intense debate over two days, the bish-
~t~ar~:rO~~rdth:
Protection of Children and Young People" that all dioceses must implemenlo "For even a single act of sexual abuse of a minor past, present or future - the offending priest or deacon will not remain in ministry and will not receive a future assignment," it said.
B·ISO h P 0'.Ma II ey Ca 1·1 s no.···rms on sex a b use ' a positive"step' .
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By DEACON JAMES N. DUNBAR DALLAS, Texas - Having voted with his fellow bishops to adopt legislation for U.S. dioceses to deal swiftly and firmly with allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., says he walked away "confident that we had done things in a good and positive manner." "I think all of us bishops feel we have common principles, or norms, in place that everyone is aware of and committed to and that they are going to work," Bishop O'Malley told The Anchor in an interview. 11urn to page 11 - B'IShop 1...--'
followed by all U.S. dioceses. They decided that all the nation's bishops will devote August 14-15 to penance ~nd prayer for their past failures to protect children
~~::st~~i~~:~.whO When the 239-13 vote adopting the charter was announced, Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., USCCB president, called their new document "one of the greatest efforts' anywhere in address~ ing sexual abuse of minors." 11urn to page 10 Conference