A permanent deacon is a man of faith and love. As an ordained minister of the Catholic Church, he strives to extend that faith and love by serving the sick, the lonely, the troubled and the poor by proclaiming the Word of God, and by administering His Sacraments. As the Greek word diakonos suggests, a deacon is a servant, assisting in the work of bringing God to His people and of reconciling His people to God through the proclamation of the Word, celebration of the Sacraments, and service to others. Often his most effective ministry on behalf of the Church is in the surroundings of his worldly environment.
While proclaiming by his public activity his concern for the re-ordering of human institutions, his ordained service reaffirms his commitment to the Church as the instrument of God's salvation. The deacon serves as a bond between the Church and the world, between clergy and laity, and is a concrete manifestation of the love of the Father and of Jesus for the Church and the world.