The ordination was carried out by Bridget Mary Meehan, who presents herself as a Catholic bishop.

"It's time for a change and we're in the forefront, leading the charge," Abigail Eltzroth, the woman who was ordained, said.

"We expect that eventually everybody is going to follow us."

However, David Hains who is a spokesperson for the Charlotte Diocese, said he hopes "Catholics in the diocese will understand that it would be sinful to receive a fake sacrament from a woman priest and that includes attending a fake Mass."

The 64-year old Eltzroth has completed seminary school and served as a Presbyterian minister for several years.

She converted to Catholicism in her 50's.

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests began in 2002.

Although he has not suggested women could be priests, for the past eight months Pope Francis has had a 12-member commission studying the issue of women deacons. Six members of the still-ongoing commission are women.

Source

• News 13 WLOS
• The Charlotte Observer
• Image: WND.com

Her ordination as a bishop will take place at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on the evening of Friday the 2nd of June.

Sanderson was nominated at a Diocesan electoral college held in Palmerston North's Convention Centre on the 11th of March, and her nomination has since been ratified by the House of Bishops and the members of the General Synod.

She was born and raised in the United Kingdom. her husband, Tim, is Hutt Valley man. They have two sons: Zachary (9) and Joseph (7).

The bishop-elect is at present vicar of St Alban's, Eastbourne. She is also chaplain of Wellesley College in Days Bay, and she is the Diocesan Canon Theologian.

She has a PhD in Geography - which was awarded for her thesis which explores the intersection between community development and Christian spirituality, through case studies of a Melanesian Anglican parish in Fiji, and a Mother's Union group in rural Tanzania.

She also holds a Master's degree in Theology, is a Fellow of Public Theology at Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Research Associate at the School of Religious Studies at Victoria University.

Sanderson was ordained to the priesthood in 2006. She has served in various roles in the Wellington Diocese over sixteen years.

The bishop of Wellington, Justin Duckworth, says her leadership skills and pastoral gifts are to be celebrated.

"We are so thankful to Ellie and her family," he says, "for saying ‘yes' to God's call. We see a strength and depth of leadership in her that we believe will help catalyse a next generation of leaders amongst us."

Bishop-elect Ellie's appointment will allow Bishop Justin to spend more time in the north of the diocese, and he plans to move to Whanganui soon.

Source

• movementonline.org.nz
• Image: movementonline.org.nz

Rev. Joyce Bennett was ordained in the Chinese branch of the Anglican Church in 1971, 23 years before the Church of England ordained its first female clergy.

Before this, the only woman to be ordained in an Anglican diocese had been the Hong Kong-born Rev Florence Li Tim-Oi.

She was also ordained in Hong Kong, in 1944 during the Japanese occupation.

But to avoid controversy, she resigned her licence shortly after the end of the war.

Ordained for work in the Chinese-speaking part of the diocese of Hong Kong and Macao, Rev. Bennett conducted most of her church work in Cantonese.

She once wrote that Chinese church members considered her gender irrelevant.

Continue reading