Okay... the poll was just something i wanted to see of how the moajority feels,... but here is the real topic...
Deaconesses in our church...
1- What is their job?
2- How do they differ from Deacons?
3- What do they wear (anything specific)?
4- How are they ordained?
5- Anything else there is to know?
Thanks and God Bless
;)
Comments
wow really john? we have tasonis as well and they wear a baige galabeya with the head thing with yellow crosses neways here is a article thing bout it
Deaconesses and Serving the Altar
Not only is this concerning priesthood, but also the work of
deacons in serving the altar. When the Apostles consecrated
the seven first deacons, what did they say? They said:
"Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of
good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we
may appoint over this business" (Acts 6: 3). In the history of
the Church, we may find some Deaconesses, not for the service
of the altar, but for social service or educational service or for
discipline or for helping the priest in matters concerning women
in the holy Sacraments, but not for serving the altar, not for the
Holy Eucharist, not to baptise, nothing of the sort.
In the First Epistle to Timothy, chapter 2, verses 11-15, Saint
Paul does not permit women to teach men in the church. In
the Coptic Church we let women teach children or other women
or girls in Sunday School, but they do not teach men.
I am sorry, I do not want women to be displeased, but this is
the Holy Bible. It is not a problem: it is how to give certain
gifts to certain people. It is not being against women, but it
is a matter of classifying the gifts of God.
Now I return to Romans, chapter 12, regarding this matter, to
read and see what the Holy Bible says to us: "For I say,
through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but
to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of
faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the
members do not have the same function, so we, being many,
43
are one body in Christ, and individually members of one
another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace
that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy
in the proportion to our faith; or ministry..." (Rom. 12: 3-6),
and then it goes on to describe every kind of ministry. Of
course women have ministries in the church, not priesthood, but
many other kinds of work and responsibilities.
In the First Epistle to Timothy, the Apostle says: "Let a woman
learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a
woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in
silence" (1Tim 2: 11,12). That means that the work of prayer
in the Liturgy is the work of the priest. She may attend silently
and not teach men or have authority over men.
Women And The Priest’s Work
There are many things in the work of the priest which may
not be suitable for women, for example, baptising men.
How can a woman baptise men? It is not easy. If she is a
bishop and ordains priests, that means that these priests will be
subordinate to her, under her authority, under her hierarchy or
jurisdiction. This is contradictory to the teaching of the
Holy Bible. The Holy Anointment, how can she anoint men?
How about the periods in which a woman cannot enter the
church, or it is not easy for her to work, if she is a priest and
pregnant in the ninth month or eighth month, or when she gives
birth and must stay at home. I do not want to enter into such
detail, but many other points concerning women may not help
her work constantly in the church.44
Church Sacraments Delivered To Men
When our Lord Jesus Christ delivered the Sacraments of the
Church, He did not deliver these Sacraments to women.
For example, when He delivered Priesthood, as is mentioned in
Saint John's Gospel, chapter 20, verses 21 to 23, He gave this
authority to the eleven Apostles: “Then Jesus said to them (to
the eleven Apostles) again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has
sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He
breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you
retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (John 20:21-23) He
gave this to the Apostles, to the Eleven, not to any women.
When He gave them the Sacrament of Baptism, if we read
for example Saint Matthew's Gospel, chapter 28, verse 16:
“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the
mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And when they
saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus
came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matt. 28: 16-
20). He gave the authority of baptising and teaching to the
Eleven. He did not call all the women- although many women
were very holy and were serving Him, as mentioned in Luke
chapter 8, and those who followed Him to the Cross. But He
said this to the Eleven.
45
And also of the Eucharist, Saint Paul said: "For I received
from the Lord that which I also delivered to you" (1Cor. 11:
23). He received this Sacrament from the Lord. This
Sacrament was also given by the Lord to the Eleven after the
departure of Judas. He said to them, “Do this in remembrance
of Me.” He said to them: “... teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you”, meaning what they were
taught by our Lord Jesus Christ, and this also was for the
Eleven. And He appeared to them for forty days and spoke to
them about the mysteries of the kingdom of God, about all
things concerning the kingdom of God, this also was to the
eleven Apostles.
I think it is better for a woman to remain a woman, to work
in services, and handle responsibilities which are more
suitable for a woman. A bird may sing a sweet song on a tree
and a lion may roar in the forest. If the bird tries to be a lion, it
is not suitable. It is more beautiful for the bird, for the sparrow
or the pigeon, to sing a sweet song and than to roar like a lion.
And if the lion tries to sing like the bird it will not be acceptable.
Let women be in the service of women, and man in the
service of man.
Responsibilities of Women
A woman has great responsibilities. Among these
responsibilities, I may mention, is having pastoral care for
children in order to prepare a new generation for the
Church. One of our problems is that women have no time to
care for their children.
46
I can mention a holy woman in history and that is Jochebed the
mother of Moses. Due to the teaching given by this holy
woman to her son Moses -Moses lived in the palace of Pharaoh
when he was three, four or five years old and lived the rest of
the 40 years among many pharaonic worships and many idols-
Moses became not only a man of faith but a hero of faith.
How? Because of the teaching of his holy mother who
instilled faith in him during his childhood.
If women take care of their children they prepare for us the
priests of the Church. The priests of the Church of course
were once children, and if children are well prepared, well
taught and well instructed in religious teachings, by their
mothers, then women will have prepared priests without
being themselves priests.
hope that helped
GB ALL
+FROG+
GOD IS GREAT!!
wel i go 2 frogs church and simply the variation between deaconess and nun is that deaconesses serve the world and nuns live in complete solitude.
Deaconesses in our church...
3- What do they wear (anything specific)?
our deaconess told us that clothing varies on ur rank
for example., when u first are in training u wear normal clothes but with a small head cover; then wen u are ordained u wear a beige galabeya wif head cover and 3 yellow crosses on the head cover then if u reach the highest rank u wear grey.
4- How are they ordained?
by their bishop or taken 2 a nuns place in egypt and do their training there
5- Anything else there is to know?
they are so awsome- we have 2 deconesses and i luv em 2 death
i soooo wana become one but i duno if im up for it
we'll c wat god wills. ;)
like:
deacons are suppose to say the litenys of the oblations, the place and the fathers while going around the alter!!
and you are suppose to sing psalm29 and 92 while wearing the tonia.. stuff like that...
i learned alot from that retreat!!
God bless ya
-sandra A.
sleepy