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New Zealand Consecrates First Women to Serve as Diocesan Bishop

Episcopal News Service. July 10, 1990 [90170]

David Best, Communications Officer for the Diocese of Dunedin

Describing herself "not as a pioneer, but someone who believes in God's present moment," the Rev. Penelope Jamieson was consecrated the first woman diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion in a colorful and spirited service held on June 29 in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Archbishop of New Zealand Brian Davis and a dozen other bishops -- including Bishop Barbara Harris of Massachusetts, the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion -- laid hands on Jamieson to consecrate her as the seventh bishop of Dunedin, the sprawling southern-most diocese in the South Island of New Zealand.

The following day the new bishop was enthroned in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Dunedin. When she gifts symbolic of service and priesthood, she was addressed as "Penny, Mother in God." After the service she solemnly blessed the city from the steps of the cathedral. Then, surrounded by her clergy and other bishops, she waved and shouted, "Hi, Dunedin."

"May God give me the burning desire to devote myself to you, my dear brothers and sisters in the ministry, so that I may be of some use to you in carrying out the work of God," Bishop Jamieson told her flock. She reminded them that the church of today must be shepherd, priest, and servant to the whole world so that "it can fulfill its role."

"The point of having the visible leadership of the church made up of shepherds, priests, and servants is quite simply to enable the whole church to be Christlike," Jamieson said.

Jamieson's nomination and election was something of a surprise -- not so much in the diocese, which quickly got used to the idea, but for the rest of the church, both in New Zealand and the worldwide Anglican Communion. When her name was mentioned during the diocesan electoral synod last November, Jamieson allowed the nomination, not because she expected to be elected, but because she was convinced women should be considered.

"I didn't believe it possible for a woman to be elected bishop, but I believed it right that the church should begin to realize that one day it would happen," Jamieson said. "I honestly hadn't anticipated that it would happen so soon -- or that it would happen to me."

Synod members who elected Jamieson a bishop insist she was chosen because she was the right person for the job, not simply because she was a woman. They were looking for a people-person, a pastor, a strong leader who is open to the real challenges of their diocese -- a dwindling population, unemployment, and a decline in the quality of rural life. The synod, in fact, spent the whole of its first session considering such matters before it moved to nominations. One synod member, near the end of the voting, supposedly said he had read all the background papers thoroughly, and listened to the debate most carefully, and if Jamieson had been a man the election could have been over some time ago.

The Diocese of Dunedin, created in 1869, covers 30,000 square miles and has 43,000 Anglicans in a population of almost 300,000. It is generally regarded as a conservative area, originally a Presbyterian Church settlement that still delights in its Scottish heritage now mixed with native Maori culture. Yet a certain amount of innovation is in its pioneer blood. Dunedin, for example, provided New Zealand with its first woman doctor and its first woman lawyer -- and has now given the Anglican world its first woman to lead a diocese.

Despite the obvious excitement surrounding the consecration, two bishops boycotted the service as a reminder that the controversy over the role of women in the church continues. Roman Catholic Bishop Leonard Boyle changed his mind and, at the last minute, declined the invitation to the consecration. Roman Catholic lay people, on the other hand, demonstrated on the steps of the Anglican cathedral, shouting their congratulations on the historic occasion.

The other bishop who refused to attend was a member of the Anglican family, Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe, responsible for pastoral oversight of New Zealand's indigenous Maori people. He said his people needed "time and space" so that they could "reflect and define our position throughout the whole of the Pihopatanga [Maori Church] and Maoridom concerning the role of a woman bishop within the structure of the province, especially her future relationship with the work of the church amongst Maori people." He said the Maori Church must address the position of women in Maori society "before we can include the position of Pakeha [European] women." Jamieson expressed her sadness that Vercoe could not be present but also expressed optimism that the issue would be worked out "to the benefit of the whole church."

The absence of the two bishops underscored the continuing delicacy of Anglican-Roman Catholic relations in New Zealand and the debate over MaoriEuropean relationships, intensified as the nation observes the 150th anniversary of European colonization.

Roman Catholic and Maori women have publicly objected to the stance of the two bishops, making it clear they disagreed with the official position and declaring their support for the consecration of Jamieson.

In an interview, Jamieson said she did not understand the heart and mind of God about her nomination and election but was learning to trust God more, "like a disciple walking on water." She acknowledged that she was part of a changing order and that, much to our surprise, those changes often came in zigs and zags.

The Rev. Pat Muxlow, guest preacher at the consecration, warned Jamieson that, while leadership provided direction, it didn't always mean walking ahead. "Sometimes, as a true member of your diocesan family, you will need to walk alongside, and even occasionally walk behind your people," she said. "As the spiritual leader of this diocese, you must achieve a balance between your responsibility to discernment and vision -- a vision that will enable people to develop their full potential and rightfully exercise their ministries in the mission of the church.