Foreword: Message by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

The articles gathered here draw on multiple disciplines to argue for restoration of this venerable order . . . As we face the challenges of a rapidly changing world, may the ministry of deacons both male and female flourish once again!-  John H. Erickson, Professor Emeritus, St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary

This book is a remarkable achievement: scrupulously attentive to both history and theology; inclusive of Orthodox traditions and experience of the broadest purview; concrete, practical, and informative; inspiring in presentation, and visionary in scope.-  Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Professor of History and Religion, Brown University