Deaconesses in Europe and their Lessons for America

This study surveys the historical development, organization, and practical work of the female diaconate, beginning with early-church evidence and medieval sisterhoods, tracing decline and a nineteenth-century revival centered at Kaiserswerth. It outlines Kaiserswerth’s regulations, training schools, and everyday duties, and compares institutions across Germany, France, England, and Scotland while describing efforts to adapt the system in the United States. Attention is given to practical fields such as hospitals, schools, prisons, and home missions; the volume also addresses common objections, proposes regulations, and offers guidance on training, oversight, and the relation of such orders to parish work.