Carrie Frederick Frost: “Women Willing to Offer Themselves”: The Historic Consecration of Deaconesses in Africa
by Carrie Frederick Frost, PhD
3 thoughts on “Carrie Frederick Frost: “Women Willing to Offer Themselves”: The Historic Consecration of Deaconesses in Africa”
Thank you for this beautiful article. It is such a great moment that the women have been consecrated, and that women in general have been shown this respect and value.
I love this article and echo your prayer. Based on your article, two of the women were not nuns. Was it also a requirement for deaconesses to be monastic, or was it simply that most were monastic?
From the author of the article: "Thank you for your comment, Sheryl. Historically there was no requirement that a deaconess be a monastic, and there are plenty of examples of non-monastic deaconesses, including married deaconesses. However, as the female diaconate began to fade in the late Byzantine era, it seems the women being consecrated deaconesses then strongly skewed monastic. "
Thank you for this beautiful article. It is such a great moment that the women have been consecrated, and that women in general have been shown this respect and value.
I love this article and echo your prayer. Based on your article, two of the women were not nuns. Was it also a requirement for deaconesses to be monastic, or was it simply that most were monastic?
From the author of the article:
"Thank you for your comment, Sheryl. Historically there was no requirement that a deaconess be a monastic, and there are plenty of examples of non-monastic deaconesses, including married deaconesses. However, as the female diaconate began to fade in the late Byzantine era, it seems the women being consecrated deaconesses then strongly skewed monastic. "