On
September 29, 1964, the Second Vatican Council approved the restoration
of the Permanent Diaconate. The U.S. bishops pointed to two reasons in
asking the Pope to authorize this restoration here - "to complete the hierarchy
of sacred orders and to enrich and strengthen the various deaconal ministries
at work in the United States with the sacramental grace of the diaconate."
Pope Paul VI gave specific directives for implementing the restoration
of the diaconate in an apostolic letter published in 1967 and followed
this up with further "norms" in 1972.
Vatican Documents on the Permanent Diaconate
