Eastern Orthodox Church ordains Zimbabwean woman as its first deaconess
Parishioners of St. Nektarios Mission Parish near Harare, Zimbabwe, congratulate Angelic Molen, center right, following her ordination as a deaconess on May 2. (Photo courtesy of St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess/Annie Frost)
On May 2, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa ordained in Zimbabwe the first deaconess of any patriarchate in the global Eastern Orthodox Church, marking the culmination of years of efforts to revive the female diaconate.
The Archbishop of Zimbabwe, Metropolitan Serafim, ordained Angelic Molen at the St. Nektarios Mission Parish near Harare, the capital of the southern African country. The ceremony took place on Holy Thursday, a few days before the start of Orthodox Easter. The service’s liturgy focused on the meaning of the eucharist, which the new deaconess will distribute to the faithful as part of her new role, explained Serafim.
“At first, I was nervous about going into the altar, but when Metropolitan Serafim blessed me to enter the altar as part of my preparation this week, those feelings went away, and I felt comfortable. I am ready,” said Molen about her ordination.
