The Ordination Rite for a Deaconess is celebrated within the context
of the Divine Liturgy in place of the Profession of Faith.
The candidate for ordination shall be vested in a plain white
alb. A diaconal stole and veil shall be
made ready for the new deaconess. If
she has already made a religious profession, she shall wear her veil throughout
the Liturgy.
A deaconess shall present the candidate. If a deaconess is not available, a senior representative of the
congregation shall present the candidate.
S Bishop _____, I present to you _____ _____ _____ to
be ordained as a deaconess in Christ’s Church. I certify to you and to this congregation that she displays an
understanding of the teaching of the Scriptures, endeavors to live a godly
life, and eagerly desires to serve God and his people as a deaconess of the Church.
B My Christian brothers and sisters: If any of you know any impediment or notable
cause that should prevent _____ from being ordained as a deaconess, I require
you to disclose it now.
If a sufficient cause is presented, the bishop shall order an investigation
of the matter, and the ordination shall be delayed until the accused is
cleared. When no objection is offered,
the Bishop shall continue the Rite of Ordination by asking the candidate the
following questions.
B _____, in your
instruction you have learned that it is the duty of a deaconess, first and
foremost, to seek out the poor and hopeless, both of means and spirit, that
their needs might be met and their lives filled with a compassionate witness of
God’s love. As my co-worker, you are called
to ensure that faithful committed to your charge, especially women and the
youth, are properly instructed in our Christian faith and morals. In the absence of another minister of the
Church you may publicly administer the Mystery of Baptism, and you are also
called at all times to be assiduous in prayer for the sick, laying hands upon
them and interceding for them at the mercy-seat of God. Finally, you are entrusted with the regular
distribution of Holy Communion both within the Church and to the homebound, and
to officiate at the Liturgy of the Hours and the Liturgy of the
Presanctified. I now ask you, _____,
will you do these things gladly and willingly?
R I will do so,
with God’s help.
B Do you trust that you are truly called by the Holy
Spirit to serve in the office and ministry of a deaconess?
R I do.
B Do you believe that the canonical Scriptures of the
Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God?
R I do.
B Do you accept the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene
Creed, The Dictum, the Vincentian Canon, The Definition of the Union of the
Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Christ and the Articles of Religion
as received by this Synod as true witnesses of our Common Faith?
R I do.
B _____, you have professed your acceptance of the
faith. Lead us now in the confession of
our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.
The congregation and clergy shall stand.
R I believe in one God,
C the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things, visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all things,
God of God, Light of Light, true God of true
God;
begotten, not made;
being of one substance with the Father.
By him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came
down from heaven.
He was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the
Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again, in fulfillment
of the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He shall come again with glory to judge the
living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped
and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission
of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The congregation and clergy shall be seated.
B Will you promise to conform your life, ministry,
and teaching to the standards of godliness contained within the Scriptures?
R I will.
B Will you willingly and joyfully place your
God-given gifts to use in our local Church, uniting them with my leadership and
the leadership of my successors in the pastoral office of this local Church?
R I will do so,
with God’s help.
B May our almighty God, who has begun this good work
in you, bring it to fulfillment in the day of Christ Jesus.
C Amen.
The Bishop shall stand.
B Let us pray.
The candidate bows. After a
pause for silent prayer, the bishop extends his hands and continues:
B Almighty and everlasting God, we offer you our
thanks and praise, because in your goodness you have sent forth laborers into
the harvest, and you have called your servant _____ to the office and ministry
of a Deaconess in your Church. Fill
her, we pray, with the Holy Spirit, that enabled by the sevenfold gift of his
grace, _____ may be faithful to her promises, modest, humble, and constant in
her ministry. Grant to her the gift of
spiritual discipline, that, having the testimony of a good conscience, she may
continue faithful and strong in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and
reigns with you and the Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
C Amen.
After a pause for silent prayer, the bishop lays his hands upon the
candidate and continues:
B _____, receive the Holy Spirit for the office and
work of a deaconess in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of our
Lord Jesus Christ, now committed to you through the imposition of our hands.
The bishop delivers a copy of the Holy Scriptures to the newly
ordained deaconess, saying:
B May the Word of God be always to you both food for
prayer and the foundation of your ministry in the name of our risen Lord.
The bishop places a stole on the newly ordained deaconess.
B Receive this
stole as a symbol of your diaconal ministry.
When the newly ordained deaconess has not previously taken religious
vows, she is invested with a veil, the bishop saying:
B Receive this veil as a symbol of your willing
submission to Christ and your joyful living of his precepts.
The new deaconess stands, and the Liturgy continues. The Deaconess may administer the cup during
the Liturgy.