Episcopal Deaconesses
History, photos and stories of these unsung heroes of the Church
In the Episcopal Church, Deaconesses were faith-filled women who were the early pioneers of servant ministry. Being "set apart" as a deaconess was one of the few ways women could serve the Church in the years before the ordination of women. It's been recorded that four deaconesses were ordained by Bp. William Whittingham of Maryland in September, 1857. At the time, women in the USA were not ordained as deacons. In 1970, the last of some 500 deaconesses were ordained. That same year, when General Convention voted to allow women to be ordained as deacons, the deaconesses were automatically included in this group.
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Resources
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Presentations
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HistoryUnlocking the History of the Deaconesses, story by The Living Church, Feb. 2022
A 100-year-old gold-embossed book,The Memorial Book of the Retirement Fund for Deaconesses, offers details to the early days of the Order of Deaconesses. |
Know of a deaconess we've missed? Please contact Deacon Anne, webmaster.