• Florence Li Tim-Oi – Celebrating 70 years since her ordination

  25/01/2014

  I’m just off to celebrate a Eucharist because it is a Feast Day – the Conversion of St Paul. The standard, if rather weak, in-joke is that one is going to pray for the Conversion of St Paul rather than simply remember the Conversion of St Paul – not least because Paul had things to say that have not been terribly helpful to a modern world where women and men are equal.

  As I celebrate the feast today I’m going to be remembering with thanksgiving this woman: The Rev Florence Li Tim-Oi and celebrating 70 years since her ordination.

  

  She was the first woman to be made a priest in the Anglican Communion and today is 70 years since it happened. It happened in wartime when there were no men around and it happened secretly and without the permission of synods and decision-making bodies simply, I suspect because they couldn’t meet at the time.

  The most extraordinary thing about Mother Florence is that once the war was over, she gave up her license to act as a priest (but not her orders) until such time as her church accepted the principle that women and men could equally be regarded as priests. In her part of the world, that meant waiting until 1971.

  I can’t imagine what it was like to wait so many years to be treated as an equal.

  No, wait a minute.

  I can.

  70 years, Florence Li Tim-Oi, Ordination

Previous Posts

• Fauré Requiem

  02/11/2007

  The choir sang the Fauré Requiem at tonight’s service. We have an annual requiem on All Souls’ Day at which it is our custom to remember by name those who have died who are being remembered by the congregation. It is always the most moving occasion. Last night I knew that it was drawing together…

• On visiting Perth

  01/11/2007

  I enjoyed my visit to Perth on Sunday evening. Several things stuck me which are worth comment. People seemed in good heart in the diocese. The mission review that Bishop David has been getting them to do seems to have got people thinking and even got some of them excited. I’ve still not seen it…

• Ordination Sermon – Perth 28 October 2007

  28/10/2007

  Christine. Just over 10 year’s ago, I sat where you are sitting, waiting to make my own response to the same questions which in a few moment’s time will be put to you. As I think back to that time, I remember an incident which happened to me in my training before I was ordained.…

• Don't forget

  27/10/2007

  Don’t forget that British Summer Time ends tonight. Clocks go back 1 hour. We get an extra hour in bed. I’ve a preaching gig in Perth tomorrow evening at St Ninian’s Cathedral. An ordination, the installation of a dean and three people being made canons. We’ll need that extra hour, I should think. If you…