TheDiocese of Bristol were the first diocese to ordain women as priests in March1994 with Worcesters ordination service taking place on 7 May. TheRevd Marj Stanton-Hyde was one of the first women ordained on that day andshared some of her memories and reflections on womens ministry with us.
Marjhad been deaconed seven years prior to the first ordination of women priests in1994. Ministering at Hartlebury, their incumbent moved on three years afterMarj was deaconed, leaving her to support the church at Hartlebury and twodaughter churches. At the time, this presented a problem with communion. Duringthe vacancy, as Deacon-in-Charge, Marj was required to visit Hartlebury Castleevery Sunday morning to pick up communion components consecrated at the earlymorning service by the Bishop, who resided at the Castle at the time. She thenhad to make her way back to Hartlebury Church for the 10.30am service, ready toadminister the extended communion. Although this was very good training,Marjs ordination to the priesthood made a significant difference to communionservices, where she could easily bless and consecrate the components herself. Marjwas very well trained by her incumbent, who gave her many varied opportunitiesto build her experience of parish ministry, preparing her well for the comingyears of vacancy.
Reflectingon the day of her ordination, Marj noted how candidates spent the daytime onretreat at Hartlebury Castle, before their ordination on the Saturday eveningat which the then Dean of Worcester, Robert Jeffery, preached. Marj remembers internationalvisitors attending and celebrating with the newly licensed clergy, including womenin ministry from our partner diocese in Magdeburg, Germany, as well as anAmerican Bishop.
Marjwas licensed as a stipendiary (paid) priest to Hartlebury Church on her ordination,eventually becoming Rector, before retiring. Marj recalled that at the time,women priests did not often move on due to the stigma attached to womensministry. Commenting on the way womens ministry has changed over the years,Marj said: Today, women experience much more freedom and can apply toselection and posts with a much higher degree of confidence; they are acceptedand people tend to forget that there was ever a time before womens ministry.
Immediatelyafter her retirement, Marj became a non-stipendiary minister (NSM) at MalvernPriory for four years. Following this, she moved to Canterbury where she was asa warden and chaplain to some alms houses and a chaplain to the Kings School,in addition to taking services in the Cathedral (even preaching from thepulpit)! Returning to Malvern, she was chaplain at the hospital for a further sevenyears before retiring completely.
Marjprovided advice for women who are new to, or thinking about ministry. She said:You need to be sure of your calling, that it is from God and not justsomething that you would like to do. Especially if you are a woman on your ownand not with a team, or a partner. You need to find some real support insomeone who can also challenge you and keep your vision clear. Be really openabout how things are with them; and most importantly, be your own person.
We are so pleased about the progress made withwomens ministry and the opportunities women now have. However, we do not wantpeople today to forget about the history of womens ministry, because some ofus had to work really hard for women ministers today to enjoy their presentfreedom.
