Florence Li Tim-Oi was the first woman to . . .

24Jan
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
- Psalm 116:16,17

Florence Li Tim-Oi was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion on 25 January 1944. Li’s ordination was conducted by the Bishop of Hong Kong, Ronald Hall, as an emergency measure during the Second World War, while China was under Japanese occupation. The Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, William Temple, shared with others his conflicting views but he still felt compelled to take a public stand against Li’s ordination. After the war, protests against Li’s ordination occurred, and to avoid further controversy Li resigned her license, though not her priest's orders. It was to be another 30 years before any other Anglican church authorized the ordination of women.

So much has happened in the 80 years since Li’s ordination. By many measures the world is vastly different, so it seems remarkable to remember that the first man walked on the moon in 1969, but it was not until 1974 that the next Episcopalian women walked on the altar as priests. Today ordained women serve throughout the Episcopal Church, as deacons, as rectors, as bishops like our own Bishop Shannon Duckworth, and in 2006 Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected Presiding Bishop! 

Change can be sudden and cataclysmic, or slow and barely perceptible. It can evoke deep emotions including fear and resentment and anger or it can be a period of great hope. But change is inevitable, and how we handle change is up to us.

Lord, Give me the courage to view the future with hope and expectancy and, most of all, with faith. In the face of change, help me set aside my fears, and urge me to seek and see your hand at work, while opening my heart to recognize that change brings new life. Amen.
PsalmsWomen
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