Who Are the Daughters of the King?

The Order of the Daughters of the King® (DOK) 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. More importantly, not just another organization to join, we are a Holy Order with lifetime vows for prayer, evangelism and service.  The Order is for all women who are communicants of the Episcopal Church, churches in communion with it, or churches in the Historic Episcopate. Today our membership includes women in the Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran (ELCA), Moravian, and Roman Catholic churches around the world.

History

The Order of the Daughters of the King® was founded in 1885 by Margaret J. Franklin at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in New York City with the women in her Bible Study Class.  Margaret saw the desire of the women to grow spiritually and she had a vision of how an Order could support many women to do that and win the support of the Church.  

The first chapter was named the Alpha Chapter.  Today, 132 years later, there are 25,000 members, including Junior Daughters up to age 21.  Over 3,000 Daughters can be found outside of the U.S., in Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Israel, Kenya, Malawi, Panama, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda and the Virgin Islands.

We are a group of Christian women striving to fulfill the promises of our Baptismal Covenant:

To continue in the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.
To persevere in resisting evil, and when we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.
To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.
To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.
To strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Through membership in our Order women are:              

Strengthened through prayer Helped to grow spiritually through study
Bonded by common goals and values, especially the love of Christ.

We are a community of support for one another and all Daughters worldwide.
The Order of the Daughters of the King® is meant to be a safe place in a busy world where we can gather together and support each other in Godt’s love and grace.

Duties and Responsibilities of Members

Daughters make a commitment to Prayer, Service, and Evangelism through the adoption of a Rule of Life. The Rule of Life includes a Rule of Prayer and a Rule of Service.  A “rule” helps us to live out our lives with intention, to stay true to our commitments.  It is a standard we desire and strive to fulfill in community.

A Daughter is a woman of prayer. We can never forget that prayer is the foundation from which our service grows. “Prayer without work is empty words, service without prayer is labor lost.” A Daughter prays regularly, in love and faith, knowing that prayer is an act of love for herself and others, and faith in a loving, incarnate God.
A Daughter seeks a lifetime of service to others to represent Christ to those around her,
A Daughter shares the Good News of God’s love by praying, serving, setting an example, and sharing her own faith journey.  This is how she helps to spread the Kingdom of God.

The Emblem of the Order

The emblem of the Order is a modified Greek Fleury cross (as pictured in the logo) inscribed in Latin, “Magnanimiter Crucem Sustine,” the watchwords of the Order, meaning “With heart, mind and spirit uphold and bear the cross.”   At the base of the cross are the letters “FHS”, initials that stand for the Motto of the Order: “For His Sake”.  Daughters wear a silver cross pin or necklace that is recognizable by other Daughters, everywhere they go. The cross is so lovely that many others comment on it, which gives Daughters an opening to share the Gospel.  She might say, “I belong to a sisterhood of women who support each other to pray, serve, and share the Good News of God’s love.  Do you share those goals, too?”

The Motto of the Order Vision Statement

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?

Vision Statement

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, our vision as Daughters of the King is to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known to others.  

Organization: Area Provinces, Local Diocesan Assemblies and Parish Chapters 

Each parish with an active Daughters group forms a Chapter of the National Order. The National Order meets once every 3 years and is called Triennial.  The next one is in 2021 in Austin, Texas.  Daughters are informed via The Royal Cross newsletter from the National office.

The National Order is divided into Provinces that co-inside with national church province boundaries. We are in Province 3.  Provincial Assemblies take place once per year and include all the Assemblies for that area.  The Assemblies co-inside with diocesan boundaries and meet for Meetings, Retreats, and Special Events.  Assemblies are made up of all the local Chapters.  Here is the organization:
Liturgical Churches Around the World
Liturgical Churches Nationwide (from 5 Denominations)
Provinces  (May include several Denominations)
Assemblies (May include more than one Diocese or Denomination)
Chapters and Daughters at Large (includes those who have no parish-based Chapter)

The Daughters of the King at Emmanuel – A New/Old Chapter! 

Emmanuel formed a new Chapter called The Verna Dozier Chapter, named after Verna Dozier, an inspiring educator, author, theologian and speaker who is known for promoting the authority of the laity, “reclaiming scripture study and religious vocation for all the baptized,” and equality of all people — the very goals we aspire to as committed and passionate laywomen.

Original Members in 2013 forming the Chapter – again!

Our Chapter was installed on November 24th, 2013, with several daughters from the board of the Pittsburgh Assembly in attendance.  In preparation for becoming a recognized Chapter, we discovered that a Daughters’ Chapter had been established at Emmanuel many years ago.  Although the date and name of the original Chapter was not available, we were able to keep our original Chapter number, #200, which harkens back to our roots and grounds us in the history of the parish.

New Members

The Daughters Chapter at Emmanuel is always open to new members and any women visiting a meeting.  Our Chapter now includes women from 3 other parishes where no Chapter currently exists.  Women seeking to become part of any Chapter as new Daughters will take part in a study of the Order and basic Christianity. The study consists of 12 lessons and is considered a time of discernment to listen for a call to join the Order.

New Daughters Installed on September 23, 2019, with Father Don
†

The Vows as Lifestyle

Because Daughters is a Holy Order, this means it is not just another club or meeting; it is a lifetime commitment to a life of prayer, service, and evangelism.  Most women who are interested in becoming a Daughter are actually already doing this already but they may be lacking the support that Daughters offers.  Becoming a Daughter of the King, then, is a natural extension of their Christian life and a conscious, outward commitment to Christ, the Order, and to this group of women dedicated to spiritual growth.

The Daughters at Emmanuel meet once a month for Prayer, Study, Fellowship, Service and Support.  Our current membership includes:

Carol Veal, Emmanuel, Northside, President
Jessie Hipolit, Emmanuel Episcopal, Northside
Nan Neureither, Calvary Episcopal, Shadyside
Liz Delgado, Incarnation Fellowship – Anglican, Strip District, now deceased †
Jan Murtha, Church of the Nativity, Crafton
Ann Wilder, Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill

Verna Dozier Chapter, 9.22.2019