Monday, November 16, 2009

First woman is ordained as priest in Fort Worth Episcopal Diocese


FORT WORTH — Kneeling during an ancient laying-on-of-hands ritual, the Rev. Susan Slaughter on Sunday became the first woman ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
Among a sea of friends, relatives and colleagues gathered at St. Luke’s in the Meadow Episcopal Church, Slaughter was ordained by the Right Rev. Edwin F. "Ted" Gulick Jr., bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky, who has also been serving as provisional bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese.
A letter of congratulations from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori read by Gulick said: "I give thanks to God for this sign of the resurrection of the Diocese of Fort Worth. Susan, may his light shine through you. May the widow’s gifts spread throughout your diocese."
Slaughter, 67, is a widow; her husband, Jerry, died two years ago. She had pursued her dream of becoming a priest since the 1980s but faced many obstacles because bishops of the Fort Worth Diocese opposed the ordination of women on theological grounds.

Read the rest of the article here.

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