It's wonderful that we deacons can now honour the first black American deaconess saint, Anna Alexander. Her parents were recently-emancipated slaves, and everything was against her. Despite it all, she developed a ministry of great fruitfulness. What an inspiration! General Convention has added Deaconess Anna Alexander, who began her ministry at Good Shepherd in Pennick, … Continue reading A NEW AFRICAN-AMERICAN DEACONESS SAINT
Category: Blog
On this diaconal site, for once, St Macrina will precede her influential brother! Gregory wrote a memoir of his sister's life: http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/gregory_macrina_1_life.htm Here's a taster, which may appeal to big sisters everywhere: Macrina's brother, the great Basil, returned after his long period of [966C] education, already a practised rhetorician. He was puffed up beyond measure … Continue reading FEAST OF ST MACRINA, DEACONESS, AND ST GREGORY OF NYSSA
Many deacons are helped and inspired by the brilliant Canon Rosalind Brown's book 'Being a Deacon Today'. She is one of our leading theologians on the diaconate, and also attended the international conference on the diaconate in Canada this May, where she presented two papers. I'm delighted to have her permission to publish them here. … Continue reading ROSALIND BROWN: Theological Underpinnings of the Diaconate
In May this year there was a major international conference on the diaconate in Canada. Rev Frances Wilson, Bishop's Director of Ordinands for the Diocese of Lichfield, attended and has kindly shared with us her reflections. They make fascinating reading and provide much food for thought especially as we consider our national conference this October. … Continue reading REFLECTIONS: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIACONATE
Because our autumn conference, Deacons on the Move, has been so over-subscribed we've spent the week moving venues to Queens Foundation college, about 10 minutes down the road from Woodbrooke: http://www.queens.ac.uk/ The conference will take place in the Frances Young centre. I'm delighted to say that the move has made lots more tickets available, so … Continue reading STOP PRESS** CHANGE OF VENUE** MORE TICKETS AVAILABLE!
Loadsa new deacons this year, coming up to ordination this weekend! Praise God and pray for them. Abi is second from left with her little daughter Lily Abi Davison is being ordained as a distinctive deacon this Sunday in York Minster. Here's a snippet of her story: Abigail Davison will continue to work as a … Continue reading NEW DISTINCTIVE DEACONS EN ROUTE
Deacon Gill Newman (London): Today I had the privilege of deaconing at the priesting of my fellow ordinands. A year ago we were all ordained as deacons. Today I fulfilled my calling as a deacon for them as they fulfilled their calling as priests. It felt very moving. I had wondered if I might feel … Continue reading DEACONS’ JOY
St John the Baptist is patron saint of interior change, of conversion. His message can be summed up in his own statement, "I must decrease, but he (Christ) must increase." This is the shortest, the clearest, the best summary of the Christian life in the New Testament. It is what monastic life … Continue reading BIRTH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST: 24 June
Although this was written in 1968 and is of its time, much of what it says seems remarkably prescient. Some of the points made by Roberts Ehrgott of the Episcopal Church in America still hold true for the diaconate today. The emphases in bold type are mine. This column by the Rev. Roberts E. Ehrgott … Continue reading DIACONATE: FLEXIBLE, MOBILE, ADJUSTABLE
From early 2017 to mid 2018, the diaconate steering group for Deacon Jessica Foster (comprising Paula Gooder [chair]; Martin Stephenson; Richard Sudworth and Jessica Foster*] met together to reflect on Jessica’s vocation as a deacon. Inevitably the group wanted to do this particular reflection in the light and context of a wider reflection on the … Continue reading LOOKING FORWARD TO A THRIVING DIACONATE
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 