The Ordination Rite for Women Deacons in the West

1. The Apostles laid hands on the first seven deacons (Acts 6,1-7). Then they ordained deacons in many early communities, amond them women deacons (Romans 16,1).

From existing sources we can infer the form of the oldest ordination prayer – a pattern, a model, a framework – that was substantially identical for men and women deacons.

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2. From evidence in Italy, North Africa, Germany, Britain and Gaul [= France], we know that the ordination of women deacons existed at this time in spite of traditional Roman opposition to women's leadership.

From later sources we can deduce the main components of the ordination rite for women deacons that now developed.

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3. Pope Gregory I (590-604), also known as Gregory the Great, is credited with having assembled a first semi-official sacramentary which included ordination prayers for bishops, priests and deacons.

There is evidence to show that it contained a shortened version of prayers for women's ordination that were contained in it.

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4. We know from later German Pontificals (see Mainz below) that a sacramentary existed in German lands that contained the full prayers for the diaconate for women deacons.

This is the text persons like St Boniface, archbishop of Mainz, must have used. Click here!

5. The liturgical situation in Gaul (present-day France) was confused. So, in 786 AD, Pope Adrian I sent to Charlemagne, at his request, a model sacramentary which bishops should follow. Adrian claimed it derived its ultimate authority from Pope Gregory the Great.

From five manuscripts copied from this 'Hadrianum' we know quite well what prayer it contained concerning the ordination of women deacons.

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6. Meanwhile, in Germany, a pontifical was produced based on the Roman/German sacramentary. It must have contained both the basic ordination prayer (as in the Hadrianum) and the Mass to Consecrate a Woman Deacon that included – more or less – the traditional elements of a real ordination, even though its main focus was now on the deaconess vowing sexual abstinence.

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7. Five existing manuscripts which we know follow the 'Mainz Original' sacramentary almost to the letter.

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8. Other manuscripts show that the Mass for ordaining women deacons was considerably modified in some places.

Almost all elements of true 'ordination' have now been removed from the Mass. But the traditional introductory rubric and ordination prayer were retained.

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