Celebrating 150 years of local ministry
Anglican Deaconess Ministries partnered with St Stephen’s Newtown on April 8 to celebrate 150 years of the church’s ministry of serving Jesus in the local community and the role of Anglican deaconesses in the life of Christ’s church, both in Sydney and further afield. Those who attended the night included members of St Stephens, staff of ADM, Greenhouse members, the Archdeacon of Women, Kara Hartley, Vice-Principal of Moore Theological College, Rev. Dr Simon Gillham, Moore’s archivist Erin Mollenhauer, as well as a number of Moore students serving on mission at the church.
Selma (left) and Mary Schleicher (right), as children. Both women became Deaconesses in the Sydney Diocese
The evening particularly focussed on Mary Schleicher, a former member of St Stephens Newtown, and the first Anglican deaconess in the Sydney Diocese, set apart on 25 July 1886.
Dr Laurel Moffatt, Principal of Mary Andrews College, and Dr Katrina Clifford, Director of The Greenhouse, shared about the first Anglican deaconess in Sydney, Mary Schleicher, and her long life of obedience to Jesus, and about the deaconesses who followed her including Mary Andrews, former Head Deaconess of the Sydney Diocese and a principal of Deaconess House, now named in her honour as Mary Andrews College.
At Deaconess House, women were trained up theologically and in practical care such as nursing skills and went out in works of service and teaching for the Lord. Laurel and Katrina shared what they had found from their archival research, including in the Moore Theological College archives, on the life and impact of Mary Schleicher reflecting on how much of what we are able to know about her life comes from the legacy she left on the church and in the world.
Rachel Ciano, Dean of Academic Development at Mary Andrew’s College, historian, lecturer, and author provided the keynote address of the evening. Rachel spoke about the contribution of women to the church and the world across two thousand years. She told the stories of three women from her recent book, 10 Dead Gals You Should Know: Leaving an Enduring Legacy, reflecting on the the deep faith of three women in church history: Mary, the mother of Jesus, Lady Jane Grey, and Catherine Booth. In celebrating these women and remembering their service for the Lord, the significant contribution and legacy of women as co-labourers in church and the world were highlighted.
Rachel Ciano, Dean of Academic Development at Mary Andrews College, speaking at The Greenhouse event at St Stephen’s, Newtown.
As Rachel reminded us:
“We celebrate women, not as an act to balance the scales of history, but because we believe women matter, because women matter to God.
God not only creates, but also saves both men and women. And God gives his Spirit in equal measure to both men and women. And so, women are integral, invaluable, essential co-contributors and fellow workers in God’s world.”
ADM’s CEO, Mary Un, who attends St Stephen’s Newtown, joined ADM’s chaplain Jan Donohoo, Laurel Moffatt and Katrina Clifford in prayers of thanksgiving and dedication for the women who work and are being trained up in the Diocese for various ministries. Several prayers were chosen from an early devotional book of the Anglican deaconesses, printed in 1918 in Newtown, with two extant copies available, including one in the Moore Theological College archives.
The event formed part of The Greenhouse program at ADM, which aims to provide a place for Christian women to connect and support one another as they serve the Lord. The Greenhouse provides guilds tailored to both professional work and personal interest, such as clinical psychologists, birth workers, women in business, creatives, and readers. They also host special events once a month in person and online such as this one, on topics including self-care, emotional maturity, publishing, and podcasting.
Following in the footsteps of these early deaconesses, Mary Andrews College remains committed to educating women theologically, pastorally and practically, in order that they may continue to serve in local communities and churches, bringing the love of Jesus to a hurting world.
If you or a woman you know are interested in exploring pathways of study at Mary Andrews, be it a subject or a whole course, please book a call with our Dean of Students, Kate Snell to explore study opportunities at the College.
Laurel Moffatt, Rachel Ciano, Katrina Clifford and Mary Un, at The Greenhouse Gathering hosted by St Stephen’s, Newtown