Source: Orthodox Studies Institute Originally published March 2024 by Dr. Mary Ford in collaboration with Dr. David C. Ford “While we recognize that some Orthodox Christians believe that a female diaconate with a liturgical role similar to a male deacon’s is needed in our Church today, we strongly disagree that there is such a need, or that it would be advisable, for the reasons outlined below. There are already a multitude of opportunities for lay ministry, and sometimes Orthodox laity, both women and men, need to hear the message: ‘You don’t need to be ordained to serve Christ and His…
Browsing: diaconate
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Originally published in OCL’s “THE FORUM,” Summer-Autumn 1993. WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE CHURCH – THE RESTORATION OF THE DIACONATE Women in the church is not one issue but is a topic comprised of many facets. Let us begin with women in the New Testament and Early Church and proceed to their role as saints and their service in the women’s diaconate. Women were the first to hear of Christ’s Resurrection, and these women disciples were told to “go and proclaim” the Resurrection. Christ first identified Himself to the Woman of Samaria. She is known as Photine, the…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Milan Damljanovic, former coordinator of Cleveland area Orthodox Christian Fellowships (OCF) and Choir Director of Serbian and Antiochian Churches, was recently ordained to the Holy Diaconate. The beginning of the year 2020 has brought exciting Inter-Orthodox Christian events to the city of Cleveland, Ohio. As previously reported, the city has its first Orthodox Bishop, His Grace Bishop Andrei of the OCA and the Romanian Episcopate. Earlier in the year, on January 27, His Grace Bishop Irinej of the Eastern American Diocese of Serbian Orthodox Church ordained Milan Damljanovic to the Holy Diaconate at Saint Sava Serbian…
Source: Christian Today Ruth Gledhill CHRISTIAN TODAY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR The Roman Catholic Church took the first tentative steps towards women’s ordination today when Pope Francis announced a new commission to look at the possibility of women deacons. However, there are concerns among campaigners for women priests in the Catholic Church that women deacons will be ordained in an attempt to fob them off from expecting any further moves towards equality. In an indication that the Pope is serious about moving forward on this issue, half of the commission’s members are themselves women, all highly regarded as intellectuals and academics from…
Source: Orthodox Church in America DETROIT, MI [OCA] – Saint Andrew’s House, Detroit, MI, was the site of the first annual Catechist and Diaconal Vocations Conference of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the Midwest August 8-9, 2014.The conference attracted 43 students and faculty, including His Grace, Bishop Alexander and Priest Elijah Mueller, Diocesan Vocations Director, who facilitated the program. Also participating was Archpriest Paul Gassios, Diocesan Administrator. The program was especially designed for those who had completed theLate/Diaconal Vocations course before the present program was initiated needing to move forward with petitioning for ordination, those interested in beginning the program…