The permanent diaconate was re-established in the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1967, allowing males (who may be married or unmarried) to be ordained deacons.
A permanent deacon is one who has received the Sacrament of Holy Orders "not to the priesthood but to service" (Vatican II: Lumen Gentium 29).
Through ordination, a person is marked as an official public minister of the Church and a participant in its ordained leadership and is authorised to exercise certain ministries such as preaching and officiating at baptisms, marriages and funerals.
In the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, there is a number of Permanent Deacons working in different ministries throughout the diocese.
