Change can be premediated, but often it arises out of necessity. In 1944, with the world at war, Bishop Ronald Hall of Hong Kong desperately needed Church of England sacraments to be administered in Macau. He ordained Florence Li Tim-Oi, then a deaconess, as the first woman priest in the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church in the United States is the branch of the Anglican Communion.
Church of Our Saviour will mark the 80th anniversary of that historic ordination with a two-day event. On day one, we will host a panel discussion on women’s ordination on Saturday, Feb. 10, along with an exhibit of art in Grace Chapel at 3:30 pm depicting women in the Bible by He Qi, renowned artist and member of our parish. The panel discussion, starting at 4:30 in our historic sanctuary, will highlight several women's voices from across the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. The keynote speaker will be the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to lead a branch of the Anglican Communion.
The next day, Feb. 11, Church of Our Saviour will host our annual diocesan Lunar New Year Celebration with a 4 pm service of Holy Communion, celebrating the Rev. Dr. Li Tim-Oi. Jefferts Schori will preach, and we will be joined by representatives from both our English- and Mandarin-speaking communities. There will only be one regular worship service that morning, a Rite Two Holy Eucharist in our historic sanctuary at 9:00 am.
These events are being sponsored by the Li Tim Oi Center, which was established in 2014 at Church of Our Saviour to foster a culturally and linguistically appropriate program to meet the disparate needs of Chinese ministry within the Episcopal Church. 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.
Although it’s taken far too long to celebrate their contributions, February marks 80 years of remarkable women sharing their unique spiritual gifts as priests in the Anglican Communion. We invite all to join us at these two events at Church of Saviour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE EVENTS, VISIT: