On this date 47 years ago Pope Paul VI restored the Permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church. He did so by a motu proprio entitled Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem.
At that time there were no Permanent Deacons serving anywhere in the world and today the number is somewhere around 40,000 worldwide; approximately 17,000 in the USA. Here in my Archdiocese of New Orleans we have about 230 Permanent Deacons, 170 of which are currently active in ministry, both at the parish level and in various diocesan ministries where we bring Christ to the underserved and under loved!
The official document that began it all again in 1967 can be accessed here: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19670618_sacrum-diaconatus_en.html
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