It has not been that long since women were first allowed to take
part in many ministries in the church and to, in fact, be ordained (in the
Episcopal church at least). The journey for women to be accepted in ministry,
especially into ordination (in the Episcopal Church) was a long journey
detailed in this article and highlighted below.*
Why does that history matter to the ordinary, everyday woman who wants to serve
God, but doesn’t want to be ordained as a priest?
On the retreat last weekend, we came to understand that the
5 women we studied were, in fact, ordinary women, going about their daily lives
when God stepped in. Then they acted with
courage to be God-bearers to the world. That is what the Philadelphia
Eleven and the other women (and men) who worked for generations to make all
ministry open to women were doing.
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A resolution passed at General Convention in 1976 (the same Convention
that opened the door to women’s ordination) stated that no one could be barred from participating in the life and governance (italics mine) of the
church…because of their gender. Prior to this few, if any, women were
allowed on governing bodies (vestries) of local parishes.
By opening more avenues of ministry, the ordinary women in
church found ways to use their God-given gifts and talents more broadly than on
the altar guild and in sewing circles. Now, in most parishes, you will find
women serving in all sorts of ways. Women are even acknowledged as leaders in
historically male roles such as president of Standing Committee or other
diocesan boards.
As ‘ordinary’ women, we are following in the footsteps of the
ordinary women of the past who acted for and with God lead on and show us the
way.
·
Ruth, the foreigner whose dedication to her
mother-in-law gave her stature as the great-grandmother of King David.
·
Esther, an unlikely queen who saved her people
by risking her life and being a whistle-blower.
·
Judith whose bold action of cutting off General
Holofernes head routed the Persian army.
·
Mary (Mother of Jesus) who said ‘yes’ to God’s
request to bear a child out of wedlock.
·
Mary Magdelene, remaining constant to the end
was graced with bearing news of the Resurrection to the male disciples.
·
Lydia, Prisca, Chloe and the other New Testament
female leaders who opened their homes and taught their neighbors.
·
Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen and other
mystics across the ages, who stood up to popes and kings while speaking for
God’s way.
·
Frances Perkins, Clara Barton, Florence
Nightingale and others who went where ‘women weren’t supposed to go’ and did
what others wouldn’t so that the ill and downtrodden had a voice.
·
The Philadelphia Eleven and those who followed
who bravely stood for their rights before God.
·
Female priests and bishops in the church now who
prove that there is no ‘male’ or ‘female’ in the call to ministry.
We are the heirs of
those women and many others. Our faith fore-mothers give us the courage to
say ‘yes’ to God ourselves. There is still ground to be plowed. Women may be
active in multiple roles, but they are not necessarily accorded the same
respect as a man. Women typically work harder to be seen as equal in talent. A
lot may have changed over the past decades and centuries, in how women in
ministry are perceived, and there is a lot still to do.
“Our daughters’ daughters will adore us and they’ll sing in
grateful chorus ‘well done, sister suffragette’,” sings Winifred Banks in the
Disney movie Mary Poppins. We can
look back at our faithful fore-mothers and applaud ‘well done, sister in
Christ’. And we can lay the ground work for our own grand-daughters.
Over the next few weeks, we'll look at some 'ordinary' women, whose lives were anything but ordinary.
This week, I would encourage you to think about how your life and ministry are affected by the steps taken by women in the past.
*Briefly, in 1855 the Bishop of Maryland ‘set apart’ two
deaconesses. Not quite an ordination, but a first tiny step. Eighty years later, the Church of
England found no reason for or against ordination of women; but stated they
would continue to be excluded ‘for the church today’. Another 35 years passed
before the lay deputies at the General Convention of the Episcopal church
passed a resolution affirming female ordination, but it was defeated by the
clergy.
Only 4 years later, on July 29, 1974, the “PhiladelphiaEleven” were ordained by three bishops (two retired and one who had resigned). These
were eleven female deacons who had requested ordination. The action by the 3
bishops caused “great consternation among the church hierarchy” and the
ordinations were declared invalid. This didn’t stop the women from serving in a
few parishes, although priests who allowed this were charged with ‘violating
the canons’.
At the 1976 General Convention, in Philadelphia, a
resolution passed stating “no one shall
be denied access” to ordination. To say that not every person or diocese
supported this move is an understatement. Some bishops side-stepped the issue
by referring women seeking ordination to other dioceses. Some parishioners left
their churches. Even today, some people will change sides at the communion rail
if a woman is doing the bread or wine. I remember feeling confused about the
issue myself as someone who had just recently returned to the church.
Ten years later, a huge shift happened when the Rev. Barbara
Harris was elected Suffragan Bishop of Massachusetts on September 24, 1988. Then
in 2006, in an even bigger step, the Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori,
Bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, was elected the 26th Presiding Bishop of the
Episcopal Church, USA. She served for 9 years, the maximum a Presiding Bishop can serve.
