User:Vassyana/Ellen Barrett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ellen Barrett was one of the first women to be properly ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church, soon after the General Convention approved the ordination of women. Her ordination in 1977 caused great controversy with the church, due to her candor about her homosexuality. She was also a prominent spokesperson for the rights of gays and lesbians in the church, especially in regards to ordination.

Contents

[edit] Ordination

Ellen Barrett was ordained in 1977 by Bishop Paul Moore. Previous to her ordination, she served as a deacon in the New York diocese. Bishop Moore was aware of her sexual orientation and did not feel it was sufficient to prohibit her from the ministry. She was the first co-president of Integrity, a group formed to advocate for the full participation of lesbians, gays and bisexuals in the church. It was widely known throughout the church that she was a lesbian.[1]

Barrett's ordainment took place at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in January 2007. Her record at the General Theological Seminary was considered exemplary, and she was extremely well-regarded academically, professionally and spiritually by the faculty of the seminary. Bishop Moore was additionally strongly convinced her commitment to a vocation far outweighed any commitment to the "gay movement".[2]

[edit] Impact and reaction

Barrett's ordination was met with widespread criticism and protest. Bishop Moore stated that of 42 letters he received from other bishops, ten were supportive and thirty-two were critical. As an example of the criticism, Bishop William Frey of Colorado stated that there were better ways to minister to homosexuals than to "bless that which God offers to redeem". Moore related his belief that it was not so much Barrett's sexual orientation that his fellow bishops found disturbing, but rather her candor as a lesbian.[1]

The ordination of Ellen Barrett brought the ordination of homosexuals into the public eye, along with the ordination of women. Many homosexuals in the church have followed her example, abandoning the practice of having a private life that contradicts public actions and statements.[2]

[edit] Views

Barrett drew upon the example of Rosa Parks, finding it as apt for feminism as for civil rights, stating: "I remember Mrs. Rosa Parks' answer about why she sat down that day on that bus: 'I don't know, just tired I guess.' Yes, tired.... Tired of being second-class, good girl, virgin-whore, defective by nature. Tired of being told that the omnipotent God can't call me to the priesthood."[3]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Shattuck, Shattuck & Hein (2003). Pg 143.
  2. ^ a b Prelinger (1992). Pg 296.
  3. ^ Oppenheimer (2003). Pg 159.

[edit] References

  • Oppenheimer, Mark. Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture. Yale University Press (2003). ISBN 0300100248.
  • Prelinger, Catherine M. Episcopal Women: Gender, Spirituality, and Commitment in an American. Oxford University Press (1992). ISBN 019510465X.
  • Shattuck, Gardiner Jr, Shattuck, Gardiner & Hein, David. The Episcopalians. Greenwood Publishing Group (2003). ISBN 0313229589.