Orthodox Churches

Historic and Contemporary Roles of Women in the Church

Historically, the ministry of women in the Orthodox Church has included a wide variety of vocations and roles, ranging from philanthropic work and social outreach to religious education and liturgical functions. Women serve on the parish boards and take an active part in diocesan, national, and international charity programs. They are involved in missionary and outreach activities, including such inter-Orthodox projects as the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, the Orthodox Peace Fellowship, and Orthodox Women in the Healing Professions. The position of the priest's [Page 1054]wife (Presbytera; Matushka), with its combination of social and spiritual obligations, is regarded as an important ministry in the Orthodox Church; traditional female responsibilities such as care of home and family and organization of household devotional life are likewise seen as crucial areas of religious service. In some Orthodox churches nowadays women also take active part in public ritual practices, as choir directors, scriptural readers, and acolytes.

Religious education involves women on multiple levels and in a variety of roles: women direct educational programs in the parishes, participate in conferences and workshops, and engage in producing academic and communal journals that inform their readers about the Orthodox tradition and provide a forum for the exploration of women's issues and roles (e.g., St. Nina Quarterly; MaryMartha; The Handmaiden). The number of female students enrolled at Orthodox seminaries has been steadily increasing in the past three decades; women scholars and theologians such as Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Verna Harrison, Kyriaki FitzGerald, and the late Elisabeth Behr-Sigel have pursued successful writing and teaching careers, both at Orthodox seminaries and colleges and other educational institutions.

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