Lay Sisterhood

The Lay Sisterhood of St. Elizabeth

The Lay Sisterhood of St. Elizabeth is a community of laywomen dedicated to a life of prayer and repentance. Following the example of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr — who sacrificed her wealth and status as royalty to serve the suffering and become who Christ intended her to be — the lay sisters are repenting of the American values of individualism and self-actualization by learning to selflessly serve the St. Mary of Egypt parish and surrounding neighborhood, and to love all people with Christ-like love.

The rule of life for lay sisters includes: keeping the Church fasts, daily morning and evening prayers from an Orthodox prayer book, daily reading of the Scriptures and lives of the saints, 5 prostrations and 100 Jesus prayers per day, and praying the Akathist to St. Elizabeth at least once per week. Lay sisters are encouraged to attend as many church services as possible and continually immerse themselves in spiritual reading.

Activities of the sisterhood include:

• Baking prosphora and Litia bread
• Visiting members of the parish who may be sick or in need to provide meals, fellowship, transportation, and other acts of service
• Volunteering in parish school and parish ministries

Our strength will not grow weak, nor our hands lax, if we immerse ourselves in Christian hope and consolation, serving mercifully with Christ and for Christ. We should not count how many souls we have saved or how many people we have helped. We must rise above this suffering world to heaven and rejoice with the angels over one soul that is saved, over one cup of cold water given in the name of Christ. Everything must be done prayerfully for God, and not for the glory of men.

St. Elizabeth the New Martyr