What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Deaconings and Priestings

    I’m sadly unable to be in St Mary’s this weekend for one of the most significant moments in the year – five people are being ordained at a special service on Saturday afternoon.

    These are moments that people remember for the whole of their lives.

    My exuberant good wishes to all those being ordained. Some I don’t know terribly well and some I have known at key points on their journey. For all, pray.

    For those being made deacon – may you be blessed in God’s service and you serve others.

    For those being made priests – remember you were made a deacon first. It remains your foundational ministry. To it, are these blessings added – to bring God to people and people to God in ways sacramental and mysterious.

    Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire
    And lighten with celestial fire
    All those being ordained today
    In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
    Amen

    ,

10 responses to “It was 30 years ago today…”

  1. Meg Rosenfeld Avatar
    Meg Rosenfeld

    Alas, I can’t remember exactly when it became possible for women to be come priests in the
    Episcopal Church of the United States of America, but I remember very well the first ones in our parish church in Los Gatos, California and, later, in Santa Rosa. It was a very triumphant time!

    Reply
    1. Sr Alison Joy Whybrow Avatar
      Sr Alison Joy Whybrow

      The Canon in the American Episcopal Church passed in 1976 and went into effect on January 1st 1977.
      Sr Alison Joy OSB

      Reply
      1. Mg Rosenfeld Avatar
        Mg Rosenfeld

        Thanks! I hope to remember those dates now.

        Reply
    2. Tim Chesterton Avatar
      Tim Chesterton

      In Canada women began to be ordained as deacons in 1969 and as priests in 1976.

      Reply
  2. Peggy Brewer Avatar
    Peggy Brewer

    Heartfelt testament concerning the importance/necessity of inclusion as our Lord Jesus Christ commanded!

    Reply
  3. Bob King Avatar
    Bob King

    I remember the day so
    well !
    I was at Salisbury and Wells Theological College, preparing to leave to be Ordained in Hereford Cathedral, preparing for the closure of the College and praying with passion and fear that the vote in Synod would be YES 🙏🙏
    All three things happened as we know, joy and sadness mingled down.

    Reply
  4. Helen King Avatar
    Helen King

    Yes, all of this, especially “There were cruelties along the way. There was a great deal of abuse along the way”

    Reply
    1. Anne Avatar
      Anne

      And, sadly, there still is.

      Reply
  5. John N Wall Avatar
    John N Wall

    The first women ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church were the “Philadelphia Eleven,” ordained on July 29, 1974, by three bishops who claimed that “obedience to the Spirit” justified their action. After a second ordination of women, all their ordinations were deemed by the national church to be “irregular but valid.” As a previous correspondent noted, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church officially authorized the ordination of women to the priesthood, a decision that went into effect on the first of January in 1977.

    Back to Glossary

    Reply
  6. Keith Battarbee Avatar
    Keith Battarbee

    On the opposite side to the still continuing antipathies in some (diminishing) quarters to women priests : my wife, who is a priest, was driving today when we got stuck waiting our turn to join the main flow of cars. A driver in the main queue – eastern European, almost certainly – spotted my wife’s collar, crossed himself; and when we didn’t get the message, grinned broadly, crossed himself again, and waved us energetically into the traffic flow in front of him.

    Reply

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