Celebrating 2023 Women's History Month: Remembering the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island's First Women Clergy

A newspaper trimming which reads "Women Priests on LI"
Posted by Teddy Byrne
Topics: Archives

On November 12th, 1988, Bishop Witcher gave his address to the Diocesan Convention where he stated that it is the “inevitable” that women be ordained into priesthood and that despite his own beliefs he states that “we simply have to get on with it”. Despite his discouraging tone, this marked a monumental moment for women’s rights here on Long Island. Luckily, it wasn’t long after this announcement that the Rt. Rev. Orris G. Walker Jr., who at the time was Bishop Coadjutor for EDLI, and who has always long supported ordaining women, announced that in the year of 1989 three women were to be ordained into the priesthood through our Diocese. Attached is a press release from our archives detailing this moment.