Li Tim-Oi
Encyclopedia
Florence Li Tim-Oi was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion
. Already appointed as a deacon
to serve in the colony of Macau
at the Macau Protestant Chapel
, she was ordained priest
on 25 January 1944, by Ronald Hall, Bishop of Victoria, in response to the crisis among Anglican Christians in China caused by the Japanese invasion. Since it was to be thirty years before any Anglican church regularised the ordination of women
, her ordination was controversial and she resigned her licence (though not her priestly orders) after the end of the war. When Hong Kong ordained two further women priests in 1971, she was officially recognised as a priest in the diocese. She was appointed an honorary (nonstipendiary) assistant priest in Toronto in 1983, where she spent the remainder of her life
In 2003, the Episcopal Church USA fixed January 24 as her feast day in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, based on the eve of the anniversary of her ordination. In 2007, the Anglican Communion celebrated the Centennial of her birth.
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
. Already appointed as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
to serve in the colony of Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
at the Macau Protestant Chapel
Macau Protestant Chapel
Macau Protestant Chapel, commonly known as Morrison Chapel is a small Anglican chapel situated off Camões Square, near Camões Park, in the Chinese Special Administrative Region of Macau...
, she was ordained priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
on 25 January 1944, by Ronald Hall, Bishop of Victoria, in response to the crisis among Anglican Christians in China caused by the Japanese invasion. Since it was to be thirty years before any Anglican church regularised the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
, her ordination was controversial and she resigned her licence (though not her priestly orders) after the end of the war. When Hong Kong ordained two further women priests in 1971, she was officially recognised as a priest in the diocese. She was appointed an honorary (nonstipendiary) assistant priest in Toronto in 1983, where she spent the remainder of her life
In 2003, the Episcopal Church USA fixed January 24 as her feast day in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, based on the eve of the anniversary of her ordination. In 2007, the Anglican Communion celebrated the Centennial of her birth.
External links
- The Li Tim-Oi Foundation
- It Takes One Woman
- Mary Frances Schjonberg, "Toward Columbus: Women's ordination marks 30-year milestone: Debate changed face of church," found at Episcopal Church official website