The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-04-11
PROTESTANT. NUNS.
The Religious Sisterhoods Of Many Different
Faiths.

Faiths.
A Protestant sisterhood is nine
teenth century development such as
the reformers of three centuries ago
could never have thought possible.
Even a century ago no such idea
would have been tolerated. But to-
day there are in the ranks of Protest
antism over II, 900 black stoled, con-
secrated nuns. The average Amer
lean has become familiarized with
the Episcopalian Sisterhoods, and
generally regards them as the logical
outcome of High Church Anglican
ISM He is, however, somewhat sur
prised to learn that the first Protest.
ant nuns were German, not English,
and instead Of being reared in an at
mosphere of Anglicanism were the
Credal descendants of Luther and
Zwingle, who looked upon a nuns
garb as the livery of the devil. 1t is
equally surprising to learn that the
movement has spread beyond the
liturgical Episcopalians and Luther
ans, and that now the disciples of
Calvin and Wesley are bent upon es-
tablishing similar orders.
In 1883 young German pastor,
Theodore Fliedner, undertook the
work of reviving the medieval Or
der of Deaconesses, of which Phebe
of Cenchrea was the prototype, and
induced a young German girl, Ger
trude Reichard, to become the first
modern deaconess. A large house
was opened at Kaiserworth as the
mother house of the order, and, in
spite of opposition from Romanist
and Protestant alike, the movement
expanded until soon there were dea-
coness houses in Strasburg, Dresden
Breslau, Stettin and many another
European city. Beyroot, Smyrna,
Jerusalem and Constantinople were
provided with German deaconesses,
and a little colony of seven was
planted in Pittsburg. All this was
due to the Jealous labor of Pastor
Fliedner. At the time of his death,
in 1864, there were over 1000 dea-
conesses engaged in more than 400
different fields Of labor. The past
thirty-fve years has beheld a still
greater increase, and now 1900
Lutheran deaconesses are at work in
1900 different localities.
There are about forty German
deaconesses prosecuting their labor
of love in this country, nearly all of
whom are in Philadelphia at the
Mary J. Drexel Home. A home is
to be opened in Omaha, Neb., and
several probationers are now under
going a course Of instruction here
preparatory to conducting that work.
The term of probation varies from
two to FIVE years, and at the end of
that time the novice dons the uni
form of the order and is consecrated
as deaconess.
The Episcopal sisterhood~ which
we're started in England about 184S,
were direct limitations of the Luth-
eran orders, yet differ from them in
several important particulars. The
Anglican who enters upon relig-
lous life must take it up for all time.
Her farewell to the world is irrevoca-
BILE, and she may never marry. A
Lutheran deaconess, on the other
hand, may leave the home whenever
she deems best. A number of the
German sisters have given up their
life of ministration for manageable
causes, but rarely for any other rea-
son.
Another distinction is the fact
that the Lutheran Sisters are all
members of one order, while there
are sixteen orders of Episcopal nuns
in this country, and many others in
England that have no branch here.
The Sisterhood of St. Mary and All
Saints at Baltimore is composed en-
tirely of colored women, and the or
der of St. Monica, at Fond du Lac,
Wis, is religious ssterhood of Wild
ows. The sisters of the Episcopal
church are never known as deacon
esses, and their work is largely of
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