The Association for Episcopal Deacons (formerly the North American Association for the Diaconate, National Center for the Diaconate) serves to support the needs – including providing guidelines for training, life and work – for the nearly 3,000 deacons in the Episcopal Church. The origins of AED lie in the historical development of the Episcopal diaconal order, the establishment of the Central House of Deaconesses in 1953, and the establishment of the National Center of the Diaconate in 1974. The AED archive includes collected biographical materials from as early as 1890, membership records, meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters and printed materials.
