Celebration of 50th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women

In honour of 50 years of women in ordained ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada, Dean Alex Meek hosted a gathering at All Saints’ Cathedral on June 13.

The diocesan ACW supported the event. After lunch, the Rev. Julianne Gilchrist, a Presbyterian minister and local spiritual director, led a conversation on vocation through the lens of Jesus' call to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16).

Clergy had the opportunity to reflect on the gifts and challenges of their experience as women in ordained ministry: from the struggles and opposition women faced in the early days, to more subtle inequalities that persist, to the holy moments that speak to God's faithfulness. Almost everyone could name a woman in leadership who had mentored and encouraged her, and -- as Rev. Gilchrist pointed out -- all now ministered in congregations where girls will never have to wonder whether it would be possible to be faithful to God's call to them.

Quoting Eugene Peterson's translation of Matthew 5:13-16, she continued: 

Maybe the work of ministry is essential, too. What a privilege. What sacred Holy Ground we get to tread when someone tastes the God-flavours in their life and sees the God-colours showing up in dark places. ... We are image-bearers loved by God, and they are too. We are salt and light just by having that identity: image-bearers loved by God. In ministry, we get to help others recognize that identity in themselves. ... God wants to be with us just because God loves us. So the first call, before the call to ministry, before the call to ordination, is today: this day, this moment, to let God love you just as you are. Salt and light and everything else flow from that.