Daughters of the King (DOK)

Blessings for our community

Mother Robin blessed the blankets and gift bags Sunday that the Daughters of the King have prepared for our parishioners and our broader community. The Daughers steer one of the myriad of outreach efforts of St. Paul's.

Jeff Nowlin is preparing our newest effort beginning on the First Sunday of Advent with the distribution of "Reverse Advent Calendars." Parishioners will be filling the Advent bags with one item each day, and the collection will be passed onto the YWCA.

Daughters of the King (D.O.K.)

The Order of the Daughters of the King
Who Are We?

The Order of the Daughters of the King is a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to a life of Prayer, Service and Evangelism. We have made a commitment to Jesus as our Savior and we follow Him as Lord of our lives.

We are an Order, not an organization, of women who are communicants of the Episcopal Church, churches in communion with it, or churches in the Historic Episcopate. This includes women in the Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches.

We are under a religious rule requiring members to take lifelong solemn vows to follow the Rule of Prayer and Rule of Service.
Women wishing to become members undertake a period of study overseen by a mentor. When completed, they are inducted into our Chapter. This ceremony will take place on Christ the King Day where we welcome new members into our Chapter.

Why St. Elizabeth Chapter:
Our Chapter is the Saint Elizabeth Chapter. Elizabeth of Hungary was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly venerated Catholic saint. She was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. After her husband’s death, she regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she served the sick.

She is probably best known for her miracle of the roses. While she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she was met by her husband and his hunting party. In order to quell the suspicions of the gentry that Elizabeth was stealing treasure from the castle, he asked her what was beneath her cloak. When she opened her cloak, a vision of red and white roses could be seen, which proved to her husband that God’s protecting hand was at work.

Hers is the first of many miracles associated with Christian saints with roses. Therefore, the St. Elizabeth Chapter uses the crown, bread and rose as symbols related to St. Elizabeth. Our Chapter was formed under the direction and leadership of Nancy Evans. The blue glass cross hanging on the window at the entrance of the Church is dedicated to her memory.

What is the meaning of the Cross?
The emblem of our Order is a silver Greek cross that you have seen us wear around our necks or pinned close to our hearts. The Latin words inscribed on the cross broadly translate to “with heart, mind and spirit uphold the Cross”. The initials, FHS, at the base of the cross remind us that our prayer, service and evangelism are done “For His Sake."

What is the Rule of Life?
The Rule of Life incorporates three rules: Rule of Prayer, Rule of Service and Evangelism.

As part of the Rule of Prayer, a Daughter prays daily for the spread of Christ’s Kingdom, especially among girls and women. They pray for God’s blessings on the members of their order and for the spiritual growth of their parish.

Through the Rule of Service we regularly participate in worship, study and the work of the Church assisting clergy wherever there is need. Daughters undertake a personal program of evangelism by bringing others to Christ.

Evangelism means communicating Christ’s message. As a Daughter, we make a conscientious and constant effort to bring others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through His Church. We accomplish this in manty quiet ways.

Our motto is For His Sake:
            I am but one: but I am one.
            I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
            What I can do, I ought to do.
            What I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.
            Lord, what will you have me do?

Through our relationship with Christ, we strive to reach out to others by lovingly and joyously proclaiming our faith.

In prayer, in service, in evangelism, we are the Order of the Daughters of the King.

A new way to serve

The Daughters of the King are sponsoring a collection of men’s underwear to benefit Refuge of Hope.
There is a need for briefs and T-shirts of various sizes to give to their clients after showering.
The DOK will provide a collection box in the narthex from July 7th to July 28th. Thank you for your participation in meeting the needs of the Refuge of Hope.
Serena Thurin, Chapter President

To our dedicated daughter, Judy
On Daughters of the King Sunday, St. Paul’s and St. Elizabeth Chapter of the Daughters of the King dedicated a special garden bench in memory of Judy Arrington, a force behind so many of St. Paul’s ministries who had the gifts of faith and humor, courage and grace.

Almighty God, we thank you that you have put it into the hearts of your people to make offerings for your service and have been pleased to accept their gifts. Be with us now and bless us as we set apart this bench, to your praise and glory and in loving memory of Judy Arrington, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Also on that Sunday, Nov. 20, the St. Elizabeth chapter welcomed new member Valerie Frear and members renewed their vows. Fr. Phil also blessed infant blankets the daughters knitted.

Here’s more about the organization from Carol Sutek (thanks in part to “Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints”):

The DOK is an order of women of the Episcopal, Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches who serve God with service and prayer. We welcome any woman who feels called to join. The St. Elizabeth Chapter is active here at St Paul’s. We currently have a membership of 13 women who remain dedicated to prayer and service at whatever level is achievable and comfortable for each one of us.

We visit the sick and shut-ins, taking meals and blankets when appropriate. We prepare and/or serve bereavement meals at funerals.

Our chapter patron saint is Elizabeth of Hungary. She was born in 1207, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and was married in 1221 to Louis the IV, with whom she bore three children.

At an early age she showed concern of the poor and sick and was attracted to the Franciscan Order from whom she received spiritual direction. Her husband was sympathetic to her almsgiving and allowed her to use her dowry for that purpose. During a famine and epidemic in 1226 when her husband was in Italy, she sold her jewels to open a hospital where she cared for the sick. To supply their needs she opened the royal granaries.

After her husband’s untimely death in 1227 the opposition in the court against her “extravagances” compelled her to leave Wartburg with her children. For some time she lived in great distress and eventually took the habit of the Franciscans. Finally, arrangements with her family gave her a subsistence, and she spent the rest of her life in self-denial serving and taking care of the sick and needy.

She died from exhaustion on November 26, 1231 and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX four years later. Many hospitals are named in her honor.*

The legend of her miracle tells us that in the early years of her marriage she was taking bread to the poor that she had taken from the royal kitchen. As she walked across a field, she came upon a hunting party which included her husband. She was instructed to show what she had under her cape. When she opened it the loaves of bread had turned into red roses. This miracle showed her husband that she was indeed blessed and he supported her after that event.

Unfortunately after his early death the rest of the story did not bode well for her.