List of women priests
Encyclopedia
List of women priests: In many denominations of Christianity
the ordination of women
is a new phenomenon. This is true enough that those so ordained gain some attention. This list deals with that and will include female Bishops as well, but due to historical differences deaconess
es will not be included. In Presbyterianism
, Methodism
, and a few other denominations the ordination of women predates 1900 and is now common enough to be unremarkable. Hence those denominations aren't included.
Lutheranism
made public in 1995 her claim to have been ordained
in 1970 during Communist rule in Czechoslovakia
. The ordination of Javorová although attempted by a bishop in communion with the Pope
was declared to be invalid.
Several Catholic groups not in communion with the Pope allow women to be ordained.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
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...
is a new phenomenon. This is true enough that those so ordained gain some attention. This list deals with that and will include female Bishops as well, but due to historical differences deaconess
Deaconess
Deaconess is a non-clerical order in some Christian denominations which sees to the care of women in the community. That word comes from a Greek word diakonos as well as deacon, which means a servant or helper and occurs frequently in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. Deaconesses trace...
es will not be included. In Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
, Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, and a few other denominations the ordination of women predates 1900 and is now common enough to be unremarkable. Hence those denominations aren't included.
Anglican
- Miriam ByrneMiriam ByrneThe Very Reverend Miriam Byrne is a controversial priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church .A former Roman Catholic nun, she eventually became the Provost of St Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee in the Diocese of Brechin and thus the most senior female cleric in the SEC...
-Provost in the Scottish Episcopal ChurchScottish Episcopal ChurchThe Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland.... - Eleanor Clitheroe-BellEleanor Clitheroe-BellEleanor Ruth Clitheroe, MBA , LL.M , LL.B, M.Div is a Canadian cleric and former businesswoman.Born in Montreal, Clitheroe earned her LL.B from the University of Western Ontario in 1977. In 1978 she earned her LL.M from McGill University, and earned her MBA from UWO in 1980. In 2005, she obtained...
-Priest and former businesswoman. - Barbara Clementine HarrisBarbara Clementine HarrisBarbara Clementine Harris was the first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion.-Education:...
-First female Anglican bishop. - Penny JamiesonPenny JamiesonPenelope Ann Bansall "Penny" Jamieson DCNZM was the seventh Bishop of Dunedin in the Anglican Church of New Zealand from 1989 until her retirement in 2004...
-First woman to head a diocese. - Li Tim-OiLi Tim-OiFlorence 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...
-First woman Anglican priest - Molly McGreeveyMolly McGreeveyMolly McGreevey is an American actress, who played Polly Longworth on the daytime television soap opera Ryan's Hope.- Biography :...
-Former soap opera actress - Katharine Jefferts SchoriKatharine Jefferts SchoriKatharine Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she is the first woman elected as a primate of the Anglican Communion...
-first woman primate of an Anglican church
LutheranismLutheranismLutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
- Elizabeth PlatzElizabeth PlatzThe Rev Elizabeth Alvina Platz is an American Lutheran pastor and was the first woman in North America ordained by a Lutheran church body. She was ordained in November 1970 into the Lutheran Church in America . The ordination of women, approved earlier that year by both the LCA and The American...
-First woman ordained in US American LutheranismLutheranismLutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation... - Margot KäßmannMargot KäßmannMargot Käßmann is a Lutheran theologian and was Landesbischöfin of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover in Germany. On 28 October 2009, she was elected to lead the Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of Protestant church bodies in Germany...
- Female Bishop in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
LutheranismLutheranismLutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation... - Maria JepsenMaria JepsenMaria Jepsen was the bishop of Hamburg in the North Elbian Evangelical Church. She became the first Lutheran female bishop in the Evangelical Church in Germany and worldwide on 4 April 1992, and since then she has been re-elected for a second ten-year period.She resigned on 16 July 2010 due to...
- First Female Lutheran Bishop worldwide GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Bärbel Wartenberg-Potter - Female Bishop in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Susanne Breit-Keßler - Female Bishop in Germany
- Rosemarie KöhnRosemarie KöhnRosemarie Köhn was a bishop in the Diocese of Hamar of the Church of Norway who retired from her post as of November 1, 2006. Bishop Köhn was born to a German father and Norwegian mother and immigrated to Norway in 1946.Köhn graduated from the University of Oslo with a cand.theol. degree...
- Female Bishop in Church of NorwayChurch of NorwayThe Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
(1993–2006) - Lise-Lotte RebelLise-Lotte RebelLise-Lotte Rebel is a master of theology from the University of Copenhagen .She has since 2. April 1995 been bishop of the Diocese of Helsingør in the Danish National Church.- External links :*...
- Female Bishop in Danish National Church (since 1995) - Christina OdenbergChristina OdenbergChristina Odenberg is the retired bishop of the Diocese of Lund in Sweden between 1997 and 2007. Appointed by the Government of Sweden on June 5, 1997, she became the first woman bishop in the history of the Church of Sweden...
- Female Bishop in Church of SwedenChurch of SwedenThe Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
— (since 1996) - Ilse JunkermannIlse JunkermannIlse Junkermann is the current German, bishop of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany, a member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany.- Life :...
- Female Bishop in Evangelical Church in Central GermanyEvangelical Church in Central GermanyThe Evangelical Church in Central Germany is a United church body covering most of the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia and some adjacent areas in Brandenburg and Saxony .- History :...
(since 2009) - Irja AskolaIrja AskolaIrja Kaarina Askola born December 18, 1952 in Lappeenranta is the Bishop of Helsinki in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.The Diocese was established in 1959 by dividing the Diocese of Tampere. It covers only 1% of the country's territory, but contains 10% of the population. The diocese...
- Female Bishop in Evangelical Lutheran Church of FinlandEvangelical Lutheran Church of FinlandThe Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
(since 2010)
Catholic
Ludmila JavorováLudmila Javorová
Ludmila Javorová is a Czech Roman Catholic woman who worked in the underground church during the time of communist rule in Czechoslovakia and served as a vicar general of a clandestine bishop...
made public in 1995 her claim to have been ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
in 1970 during Communist rule in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. The ordination of Javorová although attempted by a bishop in communion with the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
was declared to be invalid.
Several Catholic groups not in communion with the Pope allow women to be ordained.
- Christine Mayr-LumetzbergerChristine Mayr-LumetzbergerChristine Mayr-Lumetzberger is a teacher and former Benedictine nun who was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church when she and six others were allegedly, though not canonically or validly, ordained as priests by an Independent Catholic Bishop in 2002, called herself a Roman Catholic priest...
—Excommunicated for unlawful ordination. - Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
—Excommunicated for ordination by Independent Catholic Michael CoxMichael Cox (clergyman)Michael Patrick O'Connor Cox is a bishop in the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church, an independent Catholic denomination in Ireland...
. - Mary RamermanMary RamermanMary Ramerman is one of the founders of the Spiritus Christi church in Rochester, New York. Ramerman, a convert to Catholicism from Methodism who wished to become a priest, was encouraged by the Reverend James Callan, who was serving as Administrator of Corpus Christi parish in Rochester, to...
— One of the founders of Spiritus Christi.