More than 90 Women Ordained Priest in 1977
Episcopal News Service. December 21, 1977 [77419]
NEW YORK, N. Y. -- At the close of the first year in which women have been permitted to be ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, more than 90 women have taken that step and about two-thirds of those are in some sort of stipendiary position.
Seventy-three of the 93 domestic dioceses of the Church responded to an informal questionnaire from the Diocesan Press Service. The questionnaire sought information about the number of women and men ordained priest; the number of women in deacon's orders and the number preparing for priest's orders; the number of priests under some form of discipline or restraint growing out of the ordination issue; the number of parishes actively dissenting; and the reasons for dissent or discontent in a diocese.
The actual numbers tabulated indicate that as of mid-November 80 women had been ordained priest in 30 dioceses. In the same period, the 73 dioceses reporting indicated that 96 men had taken priest's orders.
The projection -- of more than 90 women priests -- is based on ordinations known to have taken place after surveys were returned and on the fact that some of the dioceses which did not respond have ordained women to the priesthood. Finally, the midNovember tabulation does not take into account the ordinations that take place around Advent among those who were ordained deacon in the Spring.
In response to the other questions, the survey indicated that 60 of the women hold positions in Church institutions or as ordained ministers in secular institutions such as college, prison or hospital chaplaincies. In addition to working as chaplains, these 60 are working in congregations, teaching in Church schools, colleges or seminaries or serving in a variety of capacities on diocesan staffs.
Twelve women priests have charge of congregations as either interim minister, vicar or rector.
The 20 who are primarily in secular employment are college or school teachers, bankers, graduate students and the like who, as with non-stipendiary priests everywhere, pick up supply work or arrange regular Sunday commitments, when they can.
The survey also showed that in the 73 dioceses, there are 92 women deacons and that 62 women -- including deacons and candidates -- are preparing for priesthood.
The information about the causes and effect of dissention are far more incomplete and certainly not as reliable as the information about ordinations. Since statistics in the Episcopal Church run at least a full year behind, it is difficult to prove figures. Furthermore, many of the questionnaires had been returned in early fall and situations have changed as Church people make decisions.
The survey did indicate that 32 priests or deacons were under some form of inhibition or restraint as a result of the ordination issue. It further recorded that 18 congregations had voted to withhold funds. Ten had declined episcopal visitation and 13 congregations had actually voted to leave the Episcopal Church.
The reasons for dissent or dissatisfaction ranged from the ordination of women through prayer book reform to indictments of "secular humanism" and "communism." Ordination and "secular humanism" and moral issues (the latter two were often lumped together) appeared to dominate.
Totals on people lost to the Episcopal Church over these issues are extremely difficult to arrive at, bat the survey total showed that about 3,400 people -- of an estimated 2.9 million -- had elected to leave in 1977 for one or more of the reasons cited.
Of those dioceses in which women have been ordained to the priesthood, New York has the most of the dioceses reporting with 12. Virginia has ordained eight and California and Washington, D.C., six each.
Those dioceses which did not report include: Atlanta, Bethlehem, Connecticut, Eastern Oregon, Fond du Lac, Idaho, Lexington, Long Island, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Newark, North Carolina, Northern California, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Quincy, San Joaquin and Vermont.
Those dioceses which did not report include: Atlanta, Bethlehem, Connecticut, Eastern Oregon, Fond du Lac, Idaho, Lexington, Long Island, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Newark, North Carolina, Northern California, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Quincy, San Joaquin and Vermont.