JUBILEEOF DEACONSTO BE WITNESSES OF HOPE
On the occasion of the Jubilee of Deacons, (21-23 February 202), the Dicastery for the Clergy announces an International Meeting entitled ‘Deacons in a Synodal and Missionary Church: to be Witnesses of Hope’, through which to offer a space for reflection and sharing for Bishops, Delegates and Referents of Episcopal Conferences and Dioceses, as well as for Deacons and their Spouses, in order to deepen the role and mission of the permanent diaconate in today’s Church.
The meeting will take place on the morning of Saturday 22 February, at the Auditorium Conciliazione, and will be an opportunity to listen to each other on the ministry of the diaconate in the horizon of synodality and missionary spirit. Participation will be free of charge, with compulsory registration through the official website of the Dicastery for the Clergy (clerus.va), until the available capacity is reached.
The event will be opened with a prayer and institutional greeting by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung Sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, and Monsignor Andrès Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, Secretary of the Dicastery. Following this, a series of testimonies from different parts of the world will offer a snapshot of the reality of the diaconate in the various ecclesial contexts, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that this ministry encounters today.
After a short break, Prof. Serena Noceti will lead a theological reflection on the diaconate in a synodal and missionary Church, helping participants to reflect on how the diaconal service can increasingly be a sign of hope for the people of God. Afterwards, Rev. Prof. Dario Vitali will suggest a track for the updating of the Ratio Formationis and the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons (dating back to 1998), offering perspectives for the future of the vocation to the diaconate.
The concluding moment will be marked by the intervention of the Superiors of the Dicastery, who will present the launch of a global online consultation on the ministry of the diaconate, inviting participants to contribute to the Church’s reflection on this particular call.
The pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, led by the Dicastery for the Clergy, will be the culmination of the meeting, a spiritual moment of great value that will unite all participants in prayer.
For more information and to register free of charge, please visit the official website of the Dicastery for the Clergy.