The Permanent Diaconate was reinstated by the Second Vatican Council, not just as a response to a reduced number of priests, but also in order to emphasize that the Permanent Deacon living in the world and serving in the Church forms a permanent bridge between the lay vocation and the vocation of one who is blessed with Holy Orders.
![Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio](https://thetablet.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Bishop_New-140x176.jpg)