I female diaconate will look like in other parts of the world.of the parts other in look like will diaconate female will follow in Alexandria’s footsteps, and to find out what thepriest. We are also waiting to see if another Orthodox churchconducting services in mission parishes that have no regular work, such missionary as catechism and baptism, as as well assist that with womenthese suggested will has informally it but duties, their of description official an published yet not has Alexandria of Synod The Africa. in new deaconesses the of ministry the about more learn to waiting are Church Orthodox the in we commission, Francis’s Pope day. next the a deaconess decide to the female revive diaconate tomorrow and ordain are self-governing, which means that any one of them could the autocephalous Orthodox churches throughout the world to even communicate hierarchs, onewith another. Second, international mechanisms for theologians and historians, or established have yet not do we fragmented: is church our First, realities. Orthodox two of evidence is Africa in ate does anything happen this fast in the Orthodox world. Orthodox the in fast this happen anything does ation by church. Rarely the African diaconate even was under consider did not the female know issue—we in the United States working on this of us those surprised ofAlexandria February. These moves by the Synod womenfive as deaconesses this past to proceeded and consecrate Africa ed to the female diaconate revive in Orthodox world, decid Alexandria, the of churches self-governing the of one when astonished was I year last Later Church. Orthodox the church— my own in of deaconesses supporter of the renewal of the order a I am development because to this diaconate. Iattentive was especially female the study to commission a that zealously that values precedent.zealously From on, the century third Orthodox Church—a fact of great importance in a tradition W As As my Catholic sisters and brothers await the report from That we were unaware of support for the female diacon good good on his promise to convene made Francis Pope when 2016 watched with interest in August diaconate through the twelfth century in the the in century twelfth the through diaconate female a of evidence ample is There novelty. a not it be e atwill know least onealready: thing - - Publia (Poplia) the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch (Menologion of Basil II) of Basil (Menologion of Antioch Deaconess and Confessor the (Poplia) Publia - you called to workwere said the of Deaconesses you ministry.” called just as you gave the grace ofdiaconate yourthe of diaconategrace the to with her Phoebe whom fill and you to herself Holy Spirit uponalso whoyour this servant desires to offer of your grace the “Bestow rite is broad: ordination century eighth- conesses are ofless clear. The a language surviving and Thessalonica. and esses in many Constantinople, places, Jerusalem, including the height of the Byzantine Empire, one could find deaconIrene of Chrysovalantou, an abbess of the ninth century. At Nonna, the mother of Saint Gregory the Theologian; Saint Saint Chrysostom; John ofSaint confidant and friend the Olympias, Saint women: of records some of these detailed have Westill censor.) diaconal a holding her shows often as a deaconess in its prayers, hymns, and iconography, which ambiguous, the Orthodox Church has long presented (ThoughPhoebe the term Saint Paul uses to describe hercentury. benefactor Phoebe in ofSaint the middle the first is somewhat esteemed Paul’s with starting East, Christian the in esses over their necks, and bishopthat over their necks, their onhands laid them. an had and orders ordained other the with the received they that Liturgy, Divine the during altar the at ordained were deaconesses that know we texts, Fromthese deaconesses. for rites tion there are several extant texts that include or mention ordina Theprecise historical roles and responsibilities of dea There are also ample records of women who were orarion (deacon’s ) placed (deacon’splaced stole) SHORT TAKE - - - -

9 Commonweal . June 2, 2017 10 Commonweal . June 2, 2017 so did the job descriptions of , priests, and . according to time and place, adapting to new needs.the homebound.But then, The job description of deaconesses changed toof the and the widows, ministry toEucharist ill, bearing as catechetical instruction, spiritual advising, charitable care to women, other such ministries many and liturgy; during management of processing and church properties; chanting assisting with female baptism; administrative work, such as apostolorum dascalia asnoted inthe third-century Christian treatise, the bishopsfor their toby “many available being things,” serve published byDoirPress. and haswritten ten poetry volumes of Jersey. Shelives Francisco, inSan California, in St. Louis, Missouri, andMontclair, New up in1948andgrew wasborn Ellen Cooney again never after forever but forme thetime Idoitall says doesn’t smile shrugs my teacher of thebullseye inthecenter right it splitsthefirst again but whenItry on thewetgrass and againitfalls with thesecond and Ifumbleagain on tothebullseye and shootithitsstraight but whenIreset it and drop it I fumblewiththearrow watches as myteacher no one shootingbutme and thehay bales has soakedthegrass rain a February FIRST ARCHERY LESSON . Surviving lists of their duties include: include: duties of their lists . Surviving —Ellen Cooney Di - law ever prohibited ever it.law the reasons forof the the decline order, no or decree canon impurity for the timefirst in the Christian East. Whatever this During era menstruation and werechildbirth linked to concern with Mosaic law—but only as it applied to women? Christian of revival a Wasit diaconate. female the mined thisdestabilized the church, perhaps in ways that under and Turks, Ottoman the and Crusades the from pressure enormous was There forces? geopolitical it Was rubrics. replaced rites with from monasteries such male that lacked were deaconesses for rubrics included that rites liturgical period, this During era. Wasantine it monastic influence? tianEast is why it diminished so rapidly in the late Byz the female diaconate on the eve of the Bolshevik revolution. Orthodox history. The Russian Church was poised to renew recognize recognize and make use of women’s Today,gifts. Orthodox order of deaconesses would also help the Orthodox Church riage, infertility, sexual and domestic abuse, for example. An conesses could tominister other women in ofcases miscar men either are not as welcome or not Dea as comfortable. twenty-first-century America, a woman can often go where programs. training diaconal established have seminaries priesthood. This is why North several American Orthodox unto itself, rather than just a procedural stage on the path ministry to a and life parish to boon a as remembered being again is diaconate male Now, do.the tohowever, less had had its own non-ecclesial administrators, deacons suddenly deacons often worked as administrators. As soon as the state of the Orthodox world. When church and state overlapped, parts many in state and church of disentanglement the of result the been may have decline This assistants. liturgical morethan deaconslittle were till time overwithered had ries of decline. In the East, Christian the role of the deacon centu follows This diaconate. of use the to make more ways discovered has Church Orthodox the as deacons, male of Ware. Metropolitan Kallistos theologian, Orthodox living influential most the perhaps diaconate—including female to urge the Church Orthodox to considerof the the revival continue theologians and historians Prominent member). board a am I which (of Deaconess the for Center Phoebe Saint and Deacons, Orthodox Vision, Catherine’s Saint up: sprung have deaconesses for advocating organizations Orthodox several two, or decade past the In nuns. few a “bless” (rather than ordain) deaconesses, and has since Constantinople. the Church In blessed2004, of Greece decided to of Patriarch in 1988 convened was that by Ecumenical the the female diaconate to be revived, including one in RhodesMultiple pan-Orthodox consultations have formally called for J The big question about the female diaconate in the Chris Deaconesses would Deaconesses be also a boon to Evenlife. parish in in ordinations At has been there an upsurge the time, same calls for the renewal of the female diaconate in recent recent in diaconate female the of renewal the for calls authoritative and plentiful also are there so diaconate, female the of evidence historical ample is there as ust ------the Orthodox Church’s theology, homiletics, iconography,Church’s theology, the homiletics, Orthodox which in ways many the Given different. meaningfully as of men Church’s and understanding women the Orthodox erode history—would its acknowledging even conate—or she could do just that. that. do just she could that so altar the at ordained her seeing of inspiration the Imagine inmates. Orthodox to Communion bring to able woman who works as a chaplain at my local jail ought to be Orthodox The church. the in not but world the in use to put and embraced gifts their see to discouraging is It on. so and scientists, educators, historians, agents, real-estate women theologians, artists, are chaplains, doctors,lawyers, diaconate on its own merits without confusing the issue. the confusing without merits on itsdiaconate own clergy. This means we ought to be able to discussthere anythe supportfemale for a female priesthood from the faithful or for a female diaconate, none for a female priesthood. Nor is done. There is plenty of precedent in the Orthodox Church simplynotspadework has been theological the matter; the ofexploration a sustained like nor has there been anything womentoChurch ordain to priesthood, the Orthodox the internalized this rich legacy. In fact, there is no movement in their lives in hymns already surround the whofaithful, have the celebration of and feast the days, their remembrance of saints, deaconess of that forget They faithful. the of be powerful, but the critics underestimate the sophistication indeed would serve women seeing of effect the that doubt no is There priests. female for support thoughtless to ing altar would have an unconscious effect on the faithful, lead theirs. and tradition our between differences but churches, we must into take account the many relevant should Orthodox Christians ignore the ofexperience other tributed to the ordination of women. That doesn’t be at all mean can that difficulties Nor Anglicans’ the that is it clear ate as something more than a way station to the priesthood. disregards Orthodoxy’s robust understanding of the diacon and those of Church. the MoreAnglican itfundamentally, between the andculture theology of the Orthodox Church Church. This claim overlooks too many important ordination ofdifferences women has led to the ofdecline the Anglican view, the this in as, decline—just tolead a massive turn in to the ordination of women to the priesthood, which would lead inevitably would this diaconate, womenthe to ordain diaconate. of duties the other many the overlooks simply objection This Church. Orthodox the enter adults converts, but today this function is all but obsolete sincefemale few unclothed baptized and anointed deaconesses say, opponents these church, early the In diaconate. female a W Finally, some critics worry that reviving the female dia female the reviving that worry some critics Finally, the at deaconesses seeing that assert critics same The The second claim is that, if the Orthodox Church were to for need any longer no is there that claim some First, why would anyone oppose it? it? anyone oppose why would meet, be could that needs many so conateand dia female the of renewal for calls many so ith - - - - - formal ordination, and commitment to commitment and ordination, formal , a to allegiance involve would place and time own our in diaconate female the of vision ideal My Africa. in church’s current needs, as is happening at this very moment demonstrate confidence, not capitulation. not capitulation. confidence, demonstrate would it short, In trends. secular to resistance up keeping more concerned with fidelity to its own traditions than with as importantly, it would show that the Orthodox Church is Just theory. in as well as men’s, as practice in important as their work would demonstrate that women’s are really gifts for recompensed be and preach, altar, the at serve church, the to gifts their offer deaconesses Seeing leadership. of roles in for womenChurch to serve Orthodox the in place not. if celibate and married, already if married remain they that deacons: for as esses sense towould make adopt for the same discipline deacon Today monks. bishopsor it became husbands their when diaconate the to ordained were who deaconesses, married and for marital status, there is historical evidence of As both celibatetwenty-five. deacons: for that as same the deaconesses for age minimum the make to sense Todaymake would it place. and time to particular largely is Orthodoxy in law age to forty. that on These canons are the still books, but lowered canon century fifth the from canons sixty; least at or Earlyunmarried? canons stated married, that adeaconess be to must be need they Do be? to need deaconesses her bishop. by trained and educated, vetted, be to ought deaconess A onstrate workthat their is and tovalued prevent overwork. to both to would be the church, paid for dem services their deaconesses Ideally, women. to pastor or advisor, spiritual administrator, parish chaplain, a as service, ministerial of than faithfulness. than rather fear of message a message, wrong the sends trends, them, lest this be misunderstood as a capitulation to secular ordain to Refusing church. whole the benefit to charisms female distinctive the allow would deaconesses Ordaining charisms. masculine the toward church entire the skews orders holy to men only ordaining while claim this make Forto charisms. distinctive have each women and men that deaconesses may claim the even Orthodox undermine ordaining Not vision. this compromise to unlikely deaconesses seems of ordination the equivalent, not but equal as woman and man of vision a support hymnography and member of Saint Phoebe Center for the Deaconess. the for Deaconess. Saint Center of Phoebe member board a and five, of mother a Seminary, Orthodox Ukrainian Frederick Carrie Frost W A women’s diaconate would demonstrate that there is a is there that demonstrate would women’s A diaconate do old How eligibility: of questions the are there Then married deaconesses. There deaconesses. were ofeven cases celibate that are relevantstill while also adapting to the would revive the historical roles of deaconesses hat would a female diaconate look like today? It is a professor of theology at Saint Sophia diakonia ■ —some type - - 11 Commonweal . June 2, 2017