LI TIM-OI FEAST DAY AND
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
Join us for FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS, DINNERS, ART, & WISDOM
The Li Tim Oi Center was established in 2014 to serve the Chinese Ministry of the Episcopal Church. The Center’s namesake, the Rev. Dr. Florence Li Tim-Oi (1907–1992), a native of Hong Kong Island, was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion, on January 25, 1944.
A focal point of the Li Tim-Oi Center is to foster a culturally and linguistically appropriate program to meet the disparate needs of the Chinese ministry within the Episcopal Church. Courses are taught in Chinese, emphasizing local ministry. These courses are available to Chinese congregations in the Diocese of Los Angeles and across the Episcopal Church, with the goal of increasing lay and ordained leaders within the Chinese Christian community.
The Center serves as a model for other ethnic populations seeking to express their faith and serve their communities across local, national and global boundaries. The Center’s church-based program is now at the forefront of providing sacramental and pastoral resources to support the fastest-growing population in the United States. The Li Tim-Oi Center is housed at Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel and works with Bloy House in Glendale and the Episcopal Theological School at Los Angeles.
HE QI ART SHOW, PANEL,
AND DINNER
Featuring the art work of He Qi and the wisdom of the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Come and experience the incredible art work of renowned artist, He Qi. This show will feature works that uplift women in the Bible. Following the art show, the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori and women from across the diocese will share wisdom on women in ministry during a panel discussion. Dinner will follow.
CELEBRATORY EUCHARIST
Festive Service with Lion Dancers honoring Li Tim-Oi and
the Lunar New Year
This festive Holy Eucharist will kick off with a Chinese lion dance followed by a service honoring Li Tim-Oi and the Chinese Lunar New Year. A traditional Chinese feast will follow.
The Rev. Dr. Florence Li Tim-Oi
May 5, 1907 – February 26, 1992
Florence Li Tim-Oi was the very first Anglican woman priest. She was ordained to the priesthood in Hong Kong Cathedral by Bishop Ronald Hall in 1944, as an emergency measure following the Japanese invasion of China. The Bishop wanted to ensure that the Christians of Macau, where Li Tim-Oi was already a deacon, would not be left without a priest during wartime.
Her ordination caused such controversy that in 1946 she resigned her license — although not her priestly orders — and it was not until the first recognized women priests were ordained
in the Anglican Communion that she felt able to resume her priestly duties.
In January 1984, Li Tim-Oi was honored at Westminster Abbey on the 40th anniversary of her ordination. During that visit she was invited to Lambeth Palace to meet Archbishop Robert Runcie, who had remained unconvinced as to whether women should be ordained. After meeting her, he told the Canadian Archbishop Ted Scott, “Who am I to say whom God can or cannot call?” ‘It Takes ONE Woman’ to change the thinking of the Church.”