Following the pastoral moto proprio "Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem," June 18, 1967, Pope Paul VI implemented paragraph twenty-nine of the "Constitution on the Church" ("Lumen Gentium") to restore the permanent diaconate and to allow married men over the age of thirty-five to become permanent deacons for service to the church. Since that time, numerous documents for the implementation of the permanent diaconate have provided substantial methods of theological and pastoral formation for these candidates for ministry. Throughout the development of these documents, the approval of the wives of the deacon candidates was an important factor for their participation in the formation program. The wives themselves, however, did not receive specific formation for their new role as the wife of a permanent deacon. The goal of this project is to provide a curriculum of formation for the wives of the permanent deacons based on the field research conducted within the Diocese of Tucson. The responses to the inquiry indicated a desire for more information about the changes the wives would experience in their marriage and family life. The author of this project was also interested in the ministry involvement of the wives of the deacon. Response to this inquiry was threefold. Some wives were already involved in ministry; others discovered new ways they could minister with their deacon husbands or on their own and some saw this as the time to support their husband in his ministry. The concluding curriculum will provide a theological and pastoral overview of marriage and ministry for these women as they continue their mission as companions in marriage and coworkers in ministry with their deacon husbands. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]