In her Hackney parish or as chaplain to the Queen and to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rose Hudson-Wilkin has for 40 years been right at the heart of a changing nation.
On 23 April 1994, approximately a month after it became possible for women to do so, I was ordained as a priest in Lichfield Cathedral. I remember it clearly. It was a bittersweet day. We left the ceremony through the great west doors, and I can still see the image of the other women in attendance, those who had given a lifetime of ministry, but, because of their age, had now missed their own opportunity to join the priesthood.
Even after I entered the priesthood there were – and still are – those who believe a woman should not have authority over a man. The first church that I went to was from that tradition. They struggled with my arrival, and a number of people resigned from the committee. I went there knowing how they felt, but never once engaged them in conversation about the rightness of women to be ordained, because I didn’t need to prove myself to anyone.
We have laws in this country that would make you think there ought not be any racism or sexism, but the reality of human nature is what it is. You have to decide for yourself how you are going to respond, and respond in a way that is not detrimental to your wellbeing.
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