• Letter of Good Standing

  
  A deacon may be invited on occasion to participate in liturgical ministries within another diocese, such as for family baptisms, weddings, and funerals.  Because faculties are granted to the deacon by the ordinary of the diocese where he is incardinated, he must request temporary faculties from the other diocese (“hosting diocese”) in advance of the event.
  
  The hosting diocese will require a Letter of Good Standing or Letter of Suitability to ensure that the deacon has valid faculties and is in good standing in his home diocese. All dioceses in the Boston Province, which includes the Diocese of Worcester, use a secure database from which Letters of Good Standing are issued for clerics incardinated in those dioceses. The deacon may request a Letter of Good Standing by using the online form available at http://www.bostonprovinceministry.org.
  
  Whenever possible, requests should be submitted at least fourteen (14) days in advance of the date when the ministry is being performed.
  
  Ministry in the Boston Province
  If you are in active ministry without any form of restriction, the Letter will be issued by email to the Bishop and the parish where the ministry will be performed.  Additionally, you will receive two emails:  the first acknowledges that the information submitted via the online form has been received, and the second contains the electronic Letter of Good Standing.  Please note that the first email does not indicate an approval to perform ministry.
  
  Ministry outside the Boston Province
  If the ministry is to be performed outside the Boston Province, the Letter will be sent by regular mail to the Bishop and the parish where the ministry will be performed.  Please note that you are required to determine precisely what documentation and details the other diocese requires.