Patricia Brennan
Encyclopedia
Patricia Anne Brennan AM
(15 April 1944 – 6 March 2011) was an Australian medical doctor and a prominent campaigner for the ordination of women
in the Anglican Church of Australia
.
Brennan was born Patricia Wilkinson in Sydney and had a traditional Anglican upbringing. After completing her medical studies at the University of Sydney
, she and her husband, Robert Brennan, travelled to Nigeria
where they worked as missionaries. Upon their return to Australia, she became concerned with the status of women in the Anglican Church and founded the Movement for the Ordination of Women
. The movement had some success, with the first female priests being ordained in Perth in 1992, although Brennan's home diocese of Sydney continues to refuse to ordain women priests. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia
(AM) in 1993, in recognition of service to the community, particularly as founding president of the Movement for the Ordination of Women.
Brennan died in 2011, aged 66, of pancreatic cancer.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(15 April 1944 – 6 March 2011) was an Australian medical doctor and a prominent campaigner for 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...
in the Anglican Church of Australia
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
.
Brennan was born Patricia Wilkinson in Sydney and had a traditional Anglican upbringing. After completing her medical studies at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, she and her husband, Robert Brennan, travelled to Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
where they worked as missionaries. Upon their return to Australia, she became concerned with the status of women in the Anglican Church and founded the Movement for the Ordination of Women
Movement for the Ordination of Women
The Movement for the Ordination of Women was an organisation which campaigned for the ordination of women as deacons and priests in the Church of England. It operated from the late 1970s until women were ordained as priests in the early 1990s...
. The movement had some success, with the first female priests being ordained in Perth in 1992, although Brennan's home diocese of Sydney continues to refuse to ordain women priests. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM) in 1993, in recognition of service to the community, particularly as founding president of the Movement for the Ordination of Women.
Brennan died in 2011, aged 66, of pancreatic cancer.