5. To provide an impetus and source for creative adaptations of diaconal ministries to the rapidly
changing needs of our society70
On August 30, 1968, Pope Paul agreed to their request. The permanent diaconate would become
part of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The permanent diaconate would come to
the United States to serve a Church in need of a visible ministry in touch with society. The
permanent diaconate in the United States would be emerging in a country experiencing an
explosion of social and economic, and religious upheaval. In the aftermath of the “revolutions”
of the sixties, priestly vocations were declining, and the role of the laity was expanding. What
role would the permanent deacon play? In 1971 the United States bishops would publish,
Permanent Deacons in the United States: Guidelines on Their Formation and Ministry, which
detailed the education, formation and function of the permanent deacon. This document would
undergo revisions in 1974, 1979 and 1985. It became evident that the permanent deacon could
fill a need in the Church of the United States. As the need for outreach grew and the number of
men called to the priesthood declined in the United States, the married permanent deacon began
to take on a greater role. As clerics who live out in the world, (most permanent deacons have
jobs outside the Church to support themselves and their families) deacons have a unique
relationship with the worshipping community. Although there was often confusion about the role
of the deacon, deacons began to take on more and more roles in local churches. Eventually
because of concerns about the responsibilities of deacons the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB), after years of extensive consultation and preparation issued in 2009,
70
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of
Permanent Deacons in the United States. (Washington, DC: USCCB Publishing, 2009).
43