When the Church Pension Fund was established by the General Convention in 1913, no provision was made to include deaconesses. To rectify this, deaconesses formed their own not-for-profit corporation and began to raise funds.
On September 30, 1927, the Retiring Fund for Deaconesses (RFD) of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America was formally incorporated to provide financial assistance to retired and disabled deaconesses who were unable to provide for themselves.
Forty-five years later, on September 27, 1972, the RFD voted to change its name to The Retiring Fund for Women in the Diaconate in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America to reflect the ordination of women to the diaconate after the General Convention of 1970. It began operating under this name in 1973.
The RFD has since changed names twice more, both times to acknowledge an expanded membership. In 1998 it changed its name to The Fund for the Diaconate of The Episcopal Church in the United States of America, following a 1990 vote to admit male deacons. In 2018 it changed its name to The Fund for the Diaconate of the Episcopal Church, emphasizing its availability to all deacons of The Episcopal Church and continues to operate under that name.
Published
The records of the Retiring Fund for Deaconesses (RFD) comprise correspondence, minutes, printed material, financial documents, and reports that originated primarily in the files of Margaret Jackson, who served as the Secretary (1967-1982) and as a member of the Board of Directors (1982-1984). The correspondence reflects the devotion of women nurturing a community of former colleagues, a considerable portion of which documents the deaconesses’ position on the ordination of women as deacons and priests.
Corporate Minutes, RFD Board of Directors, 1966-1985
Administrative Correspondence, 1934-1985
Financial Records, 1927-1984
Topical Files, 1940-1977
Records of the National Center for the Diaconate
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