Mary Schleicher (1855-1949) was the first deaconess in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, appointed in 1886 to Newtown parish.
Mary Schleicher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1855 Mill Park, Victoria |
| Died | July 1, 1949 (age 94) Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | First Deaconess in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney |
Early life
editMary Augusta Sophia Schleicher was born in 1855 at Mill Park, Victoria. Her father John Theophilus Schleicher (d 1892) was an Anglican priest and CMS missionary. Her mother Caroline Schultze (d 1897) had trained at the deaconess institute at Kaiserswerth in Germany. The family arrived in Victoria, Australia in 1855 and Mary was born soon afterwards.[1]
Ministry
editMary was set apart as a deaconess on 25 July 1886 at St Stephen's Newtown by Bishop Barry, during a ceremony in which a male evangelist was also commissioned.[2] Her admission as a deaconess followed a debate at the Sydney Anglican Synod in 1885 concerning creation of a deaconess institute, a proposal which sought to organise women's religious ministry in a way that avoided sectarian concerns about religious orders.[3] Bishop Barry saw the role of deaconess in terms of lay ministry, rather than a form of ordination for women.[4]
Mary's role as deaconess was to serve in the parish of Newtown under the direction of the rector, Robert Taylor, her duties including visiting homes of the poor.[5] In 1889 Mary's sister Selma Schleicher became Sydney's second Anglican deaconess when she was commissioned for ministry, having already been ordained in Germany.[6] Finally in 1891 Mary's brother was appointed Principal of Sydney's Moore Theological College. The Schleicher family were consequently instrumental in the establishment in 1891 of Deaconess House in Sydney as a training institution for Anglican deaconesses, known as "Bethany", and the forerunner of Mary Andrews College.[7][8]
Later life and death
editMary married Canon Robert Taylor, the newly widowed rector of her parish of Newtown, on 28 December 1898 at Gladesville, New South Wales.[9][10] In accordance with local custom at the time she ceased to be considered a deaconess upon marriage. She died 1 July 1949 at Marrickville, New South Wales, aged 93.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Schultz Family". Westgarthtown & World War I. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Evangelists and Deaconesses". Daily Telegraph. Sydney NSW. 26 July 1886. p. 6. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Proposed Establishment of Protestant Deaconesses and Sisterhoods". Freeman's Journal. 1 August 1885. p. 16. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Barry, Bishop (28 July 1886). "Diocesan Synod". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 3. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Church News: Welcome Meeting to the Rev Canon and Mrs Taylor". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 January 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Judd, Stephen (1987). Sydney Anglicans : a history of the Diocese. Kenneth J. Cable. Sydney, NSW: Anglican Information Office. p. 153. ISBN 0-949108-33-2. OCLC 19827827.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Bethany A Church of England Deaconess' Institution". Protestant Standard. 10 June 1893. p. 9. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Tress, Nora (1993). Caught for life : a story of the Anglican deaconess order in Australia. Araluen, N.S.W.: N. Tress. ISBN 0-646-12805-1. OCLC 38324312.
- ^ "Family Notices". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 January 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Cable, K.J. (1976). "Taylor, Robert (1834-1907)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Family Notices". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 July 1949. p. 30. Retrieved 26 March 2021.