Listing of CCLV Documents
The Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations assists bishops in promoting, supporting, and educating about the Church’s pastoral needs and concerns for the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life within culturally diverse communities of the United States; and in addressing issues concerning the life and ministry of bishops.
Program of Priestly Formation, 6th edition (PPF), was developed by the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. It was promulgated on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 24, 2022. It is particular law in the Church in the United States and serves as a guide for seminaries and priestly vocation programs that form men for the ministerial priesthood. This document was released in accordance with the Holy See's 2016 document, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutiones Sacerdotalis.
The PPF sets forth the nature and mission of the ministerial priesthood, norms for the admission and formation of candidates, and norms for the governance and administration of seminaries.
While not included in this current edition, the was published in response to a special mandate from the Holy See in 1996. These Norms are meant to assist bishops, as well as those charged with the care of seminaries and houses of formation in reviewing an application for priestly formation by one previously enrolled in a formation program or who has belonged to an institute of consecrated life or apostolic life.
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Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests was developed by the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. It was approved by the full body of bishops at the June 2023 Plenary Assembly. It is a pastoral document intended to “help each priest to take stock of his life and ministry and to discern and formulate an individualized plan of formation”, since "the priest himself is principally and primarily responsible for his own ongoing formation. The Guide sets forth principles for the life and ministry of priests, a description of a holy, healthy priesthood, and the means of formation available to priests.
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Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in Seminary Admissions was developed and approved by the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, under the leadership of Chairman Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. It was authorized for publication by the Administrative Committee in March 2015.
This document aims to support the implementation of the directives contained in the Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in the Admission and Formation of Candidates for the Priesthood, issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education in June 2008, and the pertinent sections of the Program of Priestly Formation, 5th edition. These guidelines are intended to assist bishops, major superiors, and seminary rectors when developing policies on the use of psychological evaluations for seminary admissions.
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The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States of America, 2nd edition is an essential document for dioceses to grow and sustain their permanent diaconate programs. Reflecting on fifty years’ experience since the establishment of the permanent diaconate in the United States, this National Directory, second edition, harmonizes diaconal formation and ministry practices. The second edition focuses on the identity of the deacon as “a living icon of Christ the Servant within the Church” (Basic Norms) and emphasizes the deacon as a minister of Word, Liturgy, and Charity in the Christian community. The norms in this second edition are required for use and go into effect on June 9, 2022.
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Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the United States, 3rd edition is designed for key personnel in dioceses, eparchies and religious communities who are responsible for drafting and implementing policies regarding international pastoral ministers. Workshop videos are also available for reference.