Lady Father The Reluctant Pioneer

By Susan Bowman

The Reluctant Pioneer

The issue of the ordination of women was a huge issue for many denominations, including the Episcopal Church. In 1980, there were still a number of Dioceses across the country whose Bishops would not ordain women. The Diocese of Southern Virginia was one of them and it was with fear and trembling that I approached our Bishop about attending seminary. The resulting journey took me from the shores of the James River in southeastern Virginia to the Cumberland Plateau of southeastern Tennessee. Returning home to Southern Virginia,I was the first woman admitted to the ordination process, the first woman to be ordained a Deacon by our Bishop, and the first woman to celebrate the Eucharist in many churches across the Diocese. I was a pioneer, but a reluctant one as many people around the Diocese were less than welcoming and some were outspoken and blatant about withdrawing their support for their churches.

Our Bishop was also a pioneer as he opened the doors to the ordination process to me and then became my biggest support as a priest. His struggle was a spiritual and emotional one and, by the time he retired he worked closely with the women clergy in the Diocese. I left the Diocese in 1991 and continued my pioneer status in a new Diocese and a new church. The next 20 years were filled with more firsts, including being the first woman to celebrate the Eucharist in All Saints’ Cathedral in Albany, NY, with another reluctant Bishop serving me at the Altar.

The Sweetest Church

This is Jermain United Methodist Church in White Creek, NY and is, for me, the culmination of many years of both joy and pain as I have journeyed through my ordained ministry. After being just about ready to chuck the whole church thing for good, it is a gift from heaven to be able to look at this place with peace in my heart from knowing that this is where God has brought me and that all the past was not in vain.

I believe that we are who we are because of the things we experience, not in spite of them, so I know that I am a strong person, an effective pastor, and a good Christian because I was able to survive through the experiences, good and bad, of the last 20+ years.

This keeps me going and hopefully will continue to color my Book with gentleness and compassion. This is a synopsis of this new Memoir.

Lady Father is a narrative account of my journey through the ordination process in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia of the 1980s and the subsequent years of ordained ministry. As the first female admitted to the ordination process by the Rt. Rev. C. Charles Vach, 7th Bishop of Southern Virginia, who was then a strong and vocal opponent of the ordination of women, I was a reluctant pioneer. Dubbed the Lady Father, I have served the church for 25 years and I am now offering my experiences and the insights I learned from them to others who feel a similar call and who may find themselves a similar journey against the flow.

Lady Father is filled with anecdotes that will ring true with many clergy, bring hope to those aspiring to ordination, and shed light on the continuing debate in the Church over who should be ordained. The Process described in the book is a journey most clergy have traveled, but my story is a unique blend of the obstacles, denials, and rejections I faced and overcame, along with the uplifting moments and spiritual growth that came out of the struggle. It is truthful and so, at times, it is painful; it is often light-hearted, even humorous; it is moving as it deals with real people, real events, and real emotions; and, most of all, it is mine my story, my journey, my life.

About the Author: Susan Bowman answered a call to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church in 1980 & received an MDiv from Sewanee (School of Theology) in 1984. She is retired and is now a Freelance Writer. Her memoir, Lady Father will be released in April. Find her at

ladyfather.com

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Source:

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