Women in the church

Sir, – Last week, my husband and I attended the ordination of his niece as a deacon into the Church of England.

What an uplifting and wonderful ceremony it was.

She was one of nine ordinands on the day, six women and three men. Held in the Cathedral of St Thomas in Portsmouth, it was attended by hundreds of family members and friends of the ordinands. The ceremony was very spiritual and moving, with wonderful music and readings, and the key moment for me was when the bishop, the Right Rev Christopher Foster, went down on his knees and washed and dried the feet of each of the nine in turn, humbly thanking them as he did so.

One could see the joy of the ordinands and feel the happiness they radiated.

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The ceremony and the language was very inclusive of gender, of age and of status.

As we left the cathedral grounds, two young women priests walked by and I commented to them how lovely it was to see women priests, indicating that we were from Ireland. They grinned in response and said “So are we!”, and one said “And I used to be a Catholic!”

The Anglican Church has, in my opinion, been strengthened not weakened, by the admission of women to the priesthood.

Women have brought their life experiences to share and give back to their parishioners and their people.

Perhaps there is a message here for those struggling in the Catholic Church over the role of women in the church? – Yours, etc,

CLARA CLARK,

Blackrock,

Co Dublin.