Would you be so kind as to ping our Orthodox Brethren. I am confused about the Diaconettes comment regarding the Greek Orthodox Church and would like some insight from those more knowledgeable than I.
Within the Orthodox Church women were (are) ordained as deaconess for one reason: they are nuns in a monastery and serve at the altar due to the fact that the only male allowed to enter the monastery is the priest. At one time it was more common to have deaconess, not at the altar, but to teach other women (and children) about the Church. And that was due to society thinking that males and females shouldn’t be alone together. Even today in many parishes males are on the right side and the females on the left in church.