The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Established in Sydney by Reverend Mervyn Archdale and his wife Martha (who was familiar with the Kaiserwerth deaconess movement in Germany), the Church of England Deaconess Institution began training women ‘towards evangelization and furtherance of women’s work in the church’ in 1891.

Now called the Anglican Deaconess Institution Sydney Limited, the vision of the institution remains much as it was at the time of its first intake, that is: ‘Under the leadership of Jesus Christ, to be the nation’s most effective Christian organisation for equipping women to spread the gospel and for reaching out to those in need.’