Evening star., 1922-09-02
MARRIED WOMEN
AS DEACONESSES
Episcopal Church Makes New
Ruling in Plan for Fe-
male Diaconate.

Married women will be made eligi-
BILE as deaconesses and will have
place in the permanent diaconate or
the Episcopal Church. with a special
ordination service, If a proposed new
canon is adopted by the Episcopal
general convention at Portland, Ore,
next Wednesday. The canon is recon-
mended in a report to the convention
of the joint commission on deacon
esses. of which, Rt. Rev. Philip M.
Rhinelander, Bishop of Pennsylvania,
is chairman. 1t marks a departure
from established custom in the Epis-
copal Church, about which there is a
wide divergence of view among both
clergy and laity.
Other changes planned to elevate
the office OF deaconess and give 1t per-
manence, provide for n special course
of training for candidates in Scrip
ture, church history, doctrine and min
istration, with an examination before
q board of examiners which Is Gre
ated and the approval of the appli-
cant by the standing committee of the
diocese before her appointment and
ordination, Under the present canon
selection of deaconesses rests in the
hands of bishops alone.
A Female DiacOnnte.
In providing such elaboration of the
Office of deaconesS the report specifi-
Cally notes that there is no purpose to
suggest the elevation of deaconesses
to the priesthood of the church. 1t
says:
develop a female diaconate along
primitive lines, not to exercise the
same ministry as men, not to be
stepping stone to the priesthood or
episcopate, but carefully regulated so
as to utilize the spiritual power, the
sympathy. the intuitive wisdom of
women for the extension Of the king
dom of God
The Importance of the ministry of
women at this present juncture in the
church's history" is ascribed by the
commission as a potent reason for
giving women a distinct and perma-
nent rank in the church. While there
is no provision for pensioning women
under the church pension fund, the
report announces that deaconesses
will be permitted to share the advan-
tages of the new plan of the fund for
insurance at cost.
Section l of present Canon %. re-
lating to the office of deaconess pro-
vides that "a woman of devout char
acter and proved fitness, unmarried
or widowed. may be appointed dea-
coness by any bishop of this church:
Such appointment shall be vacated
by marriage"
In the proposed new canon all ref
ernce to the marriage state is striken
out, and section l reads: "A woman
of devout character and proved MT
ness may be ordained deaconess oy
any bishop having jurisdiction in this
- church Deaconesses who have re-
ceived such ordination are recognized
by this church as belonging to the
permanent diaconate in accordance
with primitive usage and precedent: !:
this being for women the one and
only order of ministry having the
stamp of Apostolic approval
No Vow Of Celibacy.
Tie report makes no comment on
the innovation: but. notes the fact
that the commission adopts as it's first
principle the declaration of the Lam
beth conference on deaconesses,
which Is appended to the report, and
in which the following occurs: ut
should be understood that the deacon
ess dedicates herself to lifelong
service, but that no vow or implied
promise of celibacy should be re-
quired as necessary for admission 10
the order. Nevertheless, deacones sses
who desire to do SO may legitimately
pledge themselves either as members
of a community, or as lndlVlduals' TO
a celibate life.
-
deaconesses is provided in the report,
which reviews the history of the ONCE
of deaconess pointing out Incidental
ly, the vast majority of our church
people and very large number OF
the clergy. do not know what
deaconess is. Many who know there
is such an order think of, deaconesses
merely as parish visitors In speclai
garb" The fact is noted that there
are 179 deaconesses in the service OF
tn a
the great cities. in the mission field,
and in various other lines of educa-
tional, social service and religious
work.
at is imperative" says the report.
"that in the most effective way, ana
with the least delay we should re-
call to the work of the church for
the sake of humanity and for the
uses of the kingdom. the special and
unique gift of consecrated women.
The deaconess, whose ministry IN tne
early church supplemented that OF
the deason, was first allowed to sink
into the position Of minor order.
and then, for a long space, was lost
TO the church altogether The ef-
fort to revive this primitive order
both in England and America has
been half-hearted and vaguely de-
fined. Our deaconesses have been
tolerated rather than authorised by
the church. Neither they, nor the
people generally, bCSH
sure what they were or what they
were commissioned to do"
Commission Personnel
The personnel of the commission
includes the following: Rt. Rev.
James Darlington, Bishop Of Harris
burg: Rt. Rev. Reginald Heber Vel
Ter, Bishop of Fond du Lac: Rt. Rev.
Beverly cambridge Tucker, Bishop of
Southern Virginia; Rt. Rev. William
Andrew Leonard, Bishop of Ohio;
Rt Rev. Robert Carter Jett. Bishop
of Southwestern Virginia; Rev. Dr.
Talbot Rogers, Sunbury, Pa: Rev
Dr. Thomas ]. Lacey. Brooklyn. N.
Y; Rev. DR.. William Fl. Van Allen,
Boston. Mass; Rev. William Emhardt.
New York city; Rev. H. v. B. Oar
lington, New York city; Rev. Dr.
Francis J. Hall, New York city: Rev.
Herbert ]. Glover, Brooklyn. N. Y;
Rev Richard d. Hatch, Southport,
Conn: Rev. DIR. l.. M. Robinson.
Philadelphia, Pa; Very Rev. Howard
c. Robbins, New York city; Rev. DR..
Carroll NJ. Davis. New York city;
Mcneil Sayre, New York city; Deacon
ess Edith c. Smith, G. F. S., Newark;
Deaconess Helen NJ. Fuller. Chicago:
Deaconess Romola Dahlgren, New
York city; Deaconess Jane B. Gill
lespy, New York city; A. Du Pont
~ Tnr~sN III L. "