Deaconesses in the Orthodox Churches

(List in progress…)

Why Revive Women Diaconate?

The diaconate is one of the higher orders of ordained ministry in the Orthodox Church. Unlike the episcopacy or presbyterate, it is not a sacerdotal ministry, but one focused primarily on service. It seeks to meet the faithful where they are in this world and draw them into the Body of Christ more fully. In short, it connects the liturgy of our lives to the liturgy of the Church. The diaconate has always been part of the life of the Church and, in the Orthodox tradition, both men and women have been ordained to this ministry to serve the pastoral needs of the faithful and our mission to the world. Over time, however, the order de-evolved and, for women, it fell into disuse. For over one hundred years in the modern era, hierarchs, theologians, and conferences of clergy and laity have urged the Church to revive this ministry for both women and men. The Patriarchate of Alexandria is now moving to bring the diaconate for women particularly to fruition and renew it for today. We realize that any movement in this direction will be met by resistance (especially from those outside of Africa), but we think that it is the best path to meet the ministerial needs of the Church in Africa. We applaud your courage and hope that this movement continues.

Quoted from Public Orthodoxy, May 16, 2025.

Talk of the restoration of the order of female deacons has been with us for several decades. In fact, one of the conclusions (VIII) of the Inter-Orthodox Symposium, “The Place of the Women in the Orthodox Church,” which was held on the Island of Rhodes in 1988, addressed this very issue. It bears repeating parts of the conclusion:

The apostolic order of deaconesses should be revived… The revival of this ancient order should be envisaged on the basis of the ancient prototypes testified in many sources… Such a revival would represent a positive response to many of the needs and demands of the contemporary world inn many spheres… and in response to the increasing specific needs of our time… The revival of women deacons in the Orthodox Church would emphasize in a special way the dignity of woman and give recognition to her contribution to the work of the Church as a whole.

Quoted from “Documentation: Orthodox Liturgists Support Ordination of Women Deacons, October 25, 2017.

Deaconess St Mariamne

February 17 is the feast of St. Mariamne, the sister of the Apostle Philip, called Equal to the Apostles. I only learned about this saint when I looked up the saint of the day two years ago, and printed her icon to put on my desk during my preliminary exam. She is a beautiful example of women ministering in the apostolic period. She travelled with her brother and the Apostle Bartholomew, assisting them in their ministry, suffering alongside them as well.

Philip, Bartholomew, and Mariamne were all sentenced to crucifixion for preaching the faith in Hieropolis. Some synaxaria say that only Bartholomew was crucified with Philip (see the Prologue of Ohrid on November 14), but the Menologion of Basil II (10th-11th c) says "Saint Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne, who were themselves being crucified" (τὸν ἅγιον Βαρθολομαῖον, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν Μαριάμνην, κρεμαμένους αὑτοὺς ὄντας). However, upon Philip's death, an earthquake struck and swallowed up the proconsul who had arrested him. Everyone else was preserved from the earthquake and Bartholomew and Mariamne were released.

Clement of Alexandria (2nd-3rd c) described the wives of the Apostles who travelled with them "that they might be their fellow-ministers (συνδιακόνους) in dealing with housewives. It was through them that the Lord's teaching penetrated also the women's quarters without any scandal being aroused." He went on to relate these women to the "women deacons (διακόνων γυναικῶν) which are given by the noble Paul in his second letter to Timothy." (Stromata, Book 3, 6.53) I have not seen Mariamne called a deaconess in any of the synaxaria, but she is clearly among the women who co-ministered with the Apostles, and who Clement considered deacons.

However, her ministry was not limited to assisting her brother. After Philip's death, Bartholomew traveled to India to spread the gospel. Mariamne went separately to Lycaonia, "preaching Christ" (κηρύττουσα Χριστὸν), until she died in peace.

St. Mariamne, pray to God for us!

- by and courtesy of Laura Wilson, 2025.

Deaconesses Angelic-Phoebe Molen

The Archbishop of Zimbabwe, Metropolitan Serafim, left, ordained Angelic Molen at the St. Nektarios Mission Parish near Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Photo: St. Phoebe Center Facebook/Annie Frost.

On Holy Thursday, May 2, 2024, Angelic Molen was ordained to the diaconate in Harare, Zimbabwe. The Orthodox Church in Zimbabwe is part of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa (the Orthodox Church in the continent of Africa). Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis of Zimbabwe laid hands on Deaconess Angelic in St. Nektarios Mission Parish at Waterfall. A few days later, Metropolitan Serafim elevated her to the status of Archdeaconess and she took the additional name of “Phoebe” in honor of the Church’s first deaconess saint.

Quoted from “The One-Year Anniversary of the Ordination of Deaconess Angelic” by Dr Carrie Frederick Frost, posted on Public Orthodoxy