The first English woman priest and the legacy she left behind
The first English woman priest ordained in the Anglican Church, Joyce Bennett, has passed into eternity at the age of 92. Joyce Bennett was born in 1923, and on December 3, 1971, the Bishop of Hong Kong, Gilbert Baker, ordained her as an Anglican priest. Before Joyce Bennett, the only ordained woman was Florence Li Tim-Oi, of Chinese origin (ordained in Hong Kong in 1944 during the Japanese occupation).
In 1949 Bennett arrived in Hong Kong as a missionary. In 1962 she was ordained as a deacon, and from 1968 until 1983 she worked as the headmistress of St. Catherine’s School for Girls in Hong Kong. Afterward she served in the Chinese community of St. Martin’s. In 1978 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for distinguished service. She preached in both English and Chinese.
In Chapter 8[2] of the book “Women Priests? Yes – Now!” [1] Pastor Bennett wrote about her experience as a priest and about what her status might be after returning back to England. According to her, her ordination was supported by an “overwhelming majority” of the faithful of the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao. “Our Chinese friends smile indulgently, looking at the breathless joy and delight of our overseas visitors, finding themselves by chance at a service and receiving communion from the hands of a woman priest who has just consecrated these elements…”
On the question of women’s ordination, Bennett continues – “The Church’s unwillingness to treat woman and man as equals sends a sad testimony to the non-Christian society of the twentieth century, whether it be the communist society in China or the secular society in the West”.
Hilary Cotton, the leader of the movement “WATCH” (“Women and the Church”[3]), speaks of Joyce Bennett’s influence: “With her whole being, Joyce proved that women, English women, can be priests. So many women in the Anglican Church noticed her generous and humble example of service, while waiting for the Church to recognize their service in the office of priest. They [these women who are now ordained] stand on her [Joyce’s] shoulders.”
Translated from English by Aļesja Lavrinoviča
Proofreader Milda Klampe
Source: Madeleine Davies, “First English woman priest dies” – Church Times – the world’s leading Anglican newspaper (11 Jul, 2015).[4]
Photo: St. Catherine’s School. Joyce Bennett – center. 1965.
[1] Joyce M. Bennett, “Impressions of a Woman Priest” in Women Priests? Yes – Now! Edited by Canon Harold Wilson. Denham House Press, 1975.
[2] The whole book can be read here – http://www.womenpriests.org/classic/wil_cont.asp
[3] https://womenandthechurch.org/
[4] http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2015/10-july/news/uk/first-english-woman-priest-dies