In a historic ceremony on May 2, 2024, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa named Angelic Molen as the first deaconess in the global Eastern Orthodox Church.

The event, held at St. Nektarios Mission Parish near Harare, Zimbabwe, marked the culmination of efforts to revive the female diaconate within the Church.

Metropolitan Serafim, the Archbishop of Zimbabwe, conducted the ordination ceremony on Holy Thursday, just before Orthodox Easter. Molen expressed her initial nervousness about entering the altar but felt comforted and ready after receiving blessings from Metropolitan 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,” Molen told Religion News about her ordination.

The revival of the female diaconate has been a contentious issue among Orthodox Christians. While some view it as a return to an ancient tradition, others see it as a departure from Orthodox hierarchy. The Patriarchate’s decision to ordain Molen is seen as a bold step that could set a precedent for other branches of the Orthodox Church.

Molen’s ordination is part of the Patriarchate’s broader efforts to address the growing need for priests and deacons in African parishes.

A deaconess is not a priest/priestess. Her responsibilities will include assisting priests in liturgical duties and addressing specific parish needs in Zimbabwe.

The St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess, an advocacy group for the revival of the female diaconate, hailed Molen’s ordination as a significant moment for the Church.

They said that restoring the female diaconate could help address the needs of women in congregations and provide much-needed support to overworked priests.

“Being the first to do anything is always a challenge, but the Patriarchate of Alexandria has courageously chosen to lead the way with Metropolitan Serafim laying his hands on Deaconess Angelic,” wrote Dr. Carrie Frost, the chair of St. Phoebe’s board, in the press release.

“The Alexandrian Patriarchate in Africa felt the need to revive this order to serve the daily pastoral needs of Orthodox Christians in Africa.”

However, not everyone within the Orthodox Church sees Molen’s ordination as a positive development.

Dr. Jeanne Constantinou, a retired professor of Biblical studies, believes that changes in the Orthodox Church happen slowly and are unlikely to result in widespread acceptance of the female diaconate.

“What makes an Orthodox Christian Orthodox is that they follow tradition and they don’t change it … We don’t accept innovations in the Church, and so that’s why even though this happened, you cannot expect to see any kind of a ripple effect in the rest of the Orthodox world,” she said.

“In other words, it should not be interpreted as a statement that now the door is open for women everywhere. Are they supposed to be deacons or to be priests?” she said.

The Patriarchate’s decision could also have broader implications for the Church’s unity. Since the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions within the Orthodox world have been high, and Molen’s ordination could deepen these fault lines, potentially leading to further divisions within the Church.