On 12 March 1994, the first 32 women were ordained as Church of England priests. The service was officiated by Bishop Barry Rogerson at Bristol Cathedral.[1][2][3][4][5]

Rogerson ordained the women in alphabetical order, so Angela Berners-Wilson was the very first woman to be ordained.[6][7][8]

The youngest woman to be ordained was Karen MacKinnon at age 30, with Jean Kings being the second youngest. The oldest was 69.[9]

In 2004 the tenth anniversary of the ordinations was celebrated at Bristol Cathedral and, by then, one of the priests had died and 14 had retired.[10][11]

The 32 women ordained on the day were (list copied from the order of service):

Ordination of women plaque, 2022, Bristol Cathedral
  1. Angela Berners-Wilson, a university chaplain[7]
  2. Waveney Bishop
  3. Christine Clarke[9][12]
  4. Judith Creighton
  5. Faith Cully
  6. Brenda Dowie
  7. Carol Edwards, of St Christopher's, Brislington[13][14]
  8. Margaret Embry
  9. Annis Fessey
  10. Jan Fortune-Wood[7]
  11. Susan Giles[2][10]
  12. Jane Hayward
  13. Jean Kings, part-time parish deacon who was also chaplain at University of the West of England[9]
  14. Karen MacKinnon, full-time parish deacon[9]
  15. Audrey Maddock
  16. Charmion Mann
  17. Helen Marshall
  18. Glenys Mills, Christ's Church, Clifton[13][15][16][17]
  19. Jillianne Norman
  20. Clare Pipe-Wolferstan
  21. June Plummer
  22. Susan Restall, St Mary's, Yate[5][13]
  23. Susan Rose
  24. Susan Shipp[14][18]
  25. Margery Simpson[citation needed]
  26. Sylvia Stevens
  27. Judith Thompson
  28. Anita Thorne[2]
  29. Sheila Tyler[2]
  30. Pauline Wall
  31. Rosemary Dawn Watling, at the time a 61-year-old Anglican nun and deacon in a vicarage in Bristol[2][7]
  32. Valerie Woods, Vicar of Wood End in Coventry[2][10]

In 1994 a plaque was installed in Bristol Cathedral to mark these first 32 women ordained as priests in the Church of England. In 2022 it was replaced with a new plaque that listed the names of the women rather than only the names of the men who carried out the ceremony. Both plaques were carved in Welsh slate. The plaque is located on the north side of the nave where it meets the transept.[19] The women contributed to the cost of the original plaque. The new one, carved by Robyn Golden-Hann, was unveiled by the Bishop of Bristol, Vivienne Faull.[20]

The officiating bishop believed it would take 10 years before the first woman would be ordained as a bishop.[21] In fact, it took 21 years until Libby Lane became the first female bishop in the Church of England as Bishop of Stockport (a suffragan see in the Diocese of Chester) in January 2015 (announced on 17 December 2014). Lane had also been ordained as a priest in 1994.[22] The first woman to be appointed diocesan bishop was the Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, appointed on 26 March 2015.[23] Treweek had been ordained as a priest in 1995.

See also

References

  1. ^ Andrew Brown (13 March 1994). "'Send down your Holy Spirit upon your servant Angela': History is made as the Church of England ordains its first women priests". The Independent. London.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Orizio Riccardo (13 March 1994). "le sacerdotesse di Sua Maesta'". Corriere della Sera. p. 5.
  3. ^ John Darnton (13 March 1994). "After 460 Years, The Anglicans Ordain Women". New York Times.
  4. ^ "A female Archbishop? The contenders". The Guardian. London. 25 July 2002.
  5. ^ a b Walter Schwarz (12 March 1994). "Day of reckoning: First women priests embraced as equals". The Guardian. London.
  6. ^ Meet Sue – the first woman in 400 years of tradition at King's[permanent dead link], Worcester News, 18 September 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d Anne Senior (7 March 1994). "Church of England fulfilling women's rites". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. a.1.
  8. ^ Ian Jones (2004). Women and priesthood in the Church of England: ten years on. Church House Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 0-7151-4035-3.
  9. ^ a b c d Andrew Brown (7 March 1994). "Women take difficult journey into priesthood: Andrew Brown talks to two of the female ministers in the first group to be ordained this week". The Independent. London.
  10. ^ a b c "Our journey isn't over, say women priests". Church Times (7357). 12 March 2004.
  11. ^ Jonathan Petre (13 March 2004). "Women priests still held back after 10 years". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  12. ^ Sue Leeman (8 March 1994). "Church Of England To Ordain Women -- Action Marks End Of Spiritual Struggle". Seattle Times.
  13. ^ a b c Joe Joseph (28 March 1994). "Congregations sing praises of their new women priests". The Times. p. 9.
  14. ^ a b "Church appointments". The Independent. London. 21 May 1994.
  15. ^ "A new priest and her congregation". The Times. 14 March 1994.
  16. ^ Doreen M. Rosman (2003). The evolution of the English churches, 1500-2000. Cambridge University Press. p. 331. ISBN 0-521-64556-5.
  17. ^ Andrew Brown (14 March 1994). "Quiet revolution as women celebrate first communions: Catholics round on Belgian priest who publicly criticised Rome's attitudes at Anglican ordination". The Independent. London.
  18. ^ "Women Lead Anglican Services". New York Times. 14 March 1994.
  19. ^ "A Service of Celebration of Women's Priestly Ministry". Bristol Cathedral. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  20. ^ Matthew Weaver (6 March 2022). "Bristol Cathedral replaces men-only plaque remembering first female priests". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  21. ^ Keith Gilley (25 September 2004). "The ministry of women". The Guardian. London.
  22. ^ "First female bishop named as the Reverend Libby Lane". BBC News. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Dioces of Glocuester: Venerable Rachel Treweek". Prime Minister's Office. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2021.

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