Life of Service
The role of women is clear in the New Testament. Following in the footsteps of the Mother of God, many females responded to the call of service and virginity. For example, St. Phoebe was a deaconess who helped St. Paul (Rom 16:1-2). Mary Magdalene was consecrated as a deaconess by the apostles. She led many women to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Coptic Church commemorates her on the 28th of Epep, which is August 4th. St. Thecla was a deaconess and disciple of St. Paul. He assigned her to serve in her original homeland. She spent all her life in service and faced many tribulations and persecution, but the Lord saved her every time. The Coptic Church commemorates her on the 23rd of Thoout, which is October 3rd or 4th.
The service of consecrated deaconesses in church was abolished in the 13th century. Due to the urgent need for the service of women in church, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III decided to revive this rite on the Feast of Pentecost in 1981, by consecrating a large number of deaconesses to serve in churches in Cairo. Earlier than that, during the time of His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI, His Grace Bishop Athanasius had begun consecrating females as “serving nuns.” Today, there are consecrated sisters serving in many dioceses.
According to God’s calling for her, a Consecrated Sister serves in various ways
- Serving children, girls, and women, and providing spiritual service and guidance
- Serving in church childcare centers and serving orphans
- Serving the elderly and in nursing homes
- Visiting and serving sick women
- Serving handicapped females to help them live a healthy life, both spiritually as well as psychologically
- Supervising women’s activities and administrative departments in churches or bishopric centers
- Supervising youth (female) homes
- Assisting in the baptism of women
- Serving in various church social services
- Counseling services
- Sewing services
