Presiding Bishop Michael Curry honored the memory of Deaconess Anna Alexander (1865-1947) during the Diocese of Georgia’s Fearless Faith, Boundless Love revival. She was born to recently emancipated slaves on Butler Plantation in McIntosh County, Georgia, and was the first African-American set aside as a deaconess in the Episcopal Church in 1907.
In July, the 79th General Convention will consider a request from the diocese to add Alexander to the church’s calendar.
Two recent videos tell more of her story.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
