From The Pillar:
The bishops of the Philippines will discuss this weekend guidelines for the formation of permanent deacons tailored to local needs of the Filipino Church.
Details of the guidelines, known as the Ratio formationis, remain confidential pending approval by the conference and Vatican, but will be presented to the 126-member bishops’ conference at a Jan. 25-27 plenary assembly, a source close to the process told The Pillar.
It is only a matter of time, the source said, before the document is made public.
Pope Francis approved the permanent diaconate’s establishment in the Philippines in August 2023. The decision is likely to mark a significant step in the permanent diaconate’s development since its restoration in the Latin Church in 1967, as the Philippines has the world’s third-largest Catholic population after Brazil and Mexico.
Following the Vatican’s ratification of the Ratio formationis, each diocesan bishop in the Philippines will be responsible for approving and ordaining candidates within his own territory, consistent with the apostolic letter Sacrum diaconatus ordinem, the general norms for the restoration of the permanent diaconate established by Pope Paul VI in 1967…
…Up to now, the Philippines has ordained only deacons preparing to be ordained to the priesthood.
Philippine laity usually see transitional deacons in the months before their priestly ordination during parish Masses, where deacons can they preach, invite Massgoers to exchange the sign of peace, and dismiss them after the final blessing. The deacons also impart benediction after leading Eucharistic holy hours.
In the Philippines, 10,365 priests serve an estimated 85 million Catholics, the equivalent of around 8,000 people for every priest. Priests preside over liturgical celebrations and evangelize with the help of thousands of lay men, women, and children, who serve as teachers, acolytes, lectors, cantors, catechists, and extraordinary ministers of the Holy Eucharist.
