Inspiration Moves Deaconess Beyond Definition

Today’s word-of-the-day selection is deaconess – (noun): (In certain Protestant churches) 1. a woman belonging to an order or sisterhood dedicated to the sick or poor or who is engaging in other social service duties as teaching or missionary work. 2 a woman elected by a church to assist the clergy. Nuns or sisters fill this role in the Catholic church. While many use the terms interchangeably, there are differences. First, nuns typically stay in cloistered environs while sisters can live in the community they serve. Next, nuns dress in habits, but sisters dress as widows do in the area they serve. Finally, nuns work for the betterment of the world within their convent and sisters work throughout a diocese in such roles as teachers or social activists.

Protestant deaconesses resonate more with Catholic sisters. The Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of Mercy ran the schools that my daughters attended. As a writer and former poet laureate, I met and performed a reading with Sr. Joan Chittister. Many of the Benedictine Sisters, including Sister Joan, are authors and artists.  To learn more about the prolific work of Sister Joan, look here: http://www.joanchittister.org/

The Message Deaconess Holds for All

The message from deaconess is one of care: Encourage everyone – especially women – to find and use her authentic voice. In writing and speaking alike. In doing so, you become a light bearer allowing others to find their way. Dressing people with encouragement is one of the holiest things a person can do. Think of the women who have  moved you from a place of resistance to a place of flow? Maybe she was a teacher, a workshop leader, or a mentor. Maybe she was an author you never knew, but whose work inspired you to write more and deeper. Many women come to mind who bear the qualities of a deaconess, including:

• Anne Frank
• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Mary Cassatt
• Marie Curie
• Dian Fossey
• Mother Teresa
• Diana, Princess of Wales
• Oprah Winfrey
• and countless others

My gifted friend, Suzi Banks Baum, is an artist, writer, social advocate, and educator who embodies the connotation of deaconess. She creates engaging workshops to move women along their own paths to wholeness through art, poetry, and bookmaking. I’ve taken many of her workshops, including The Map to Motherhood, which nurtured my creativity and helped it bloom. Currently, she is offering a Black Advent course through the year-end season. Want to learn more? See http://www.suzibanksbaum.com/offerings/

Your Turn

On this Giving Tuesday 2018, there are many wonderful ways to give to organizations that support women writers. One close to my heart is the International Women’s Writing Guild. If you are so inclined you can become a member and/or gift another woman with membership. See more here: https://www.iwwg.org/join/

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa