Mini Series
History of Women's Ordination in the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
EPISODE 1
The Rt. Rev. Robert Moody
Bishop Moody served as the 4th Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma from 1989-2007. He shares his perspective on the gifts women bring to ordained ministry and what the national and local landscape of the church looked like during his episcopate. Bishop Moody also gives his insights on how the Church can stay faithful to tradition while responding to the ever changing needs of a society and community in our modern times.
Beverly Bradley
Beverly Bradley, a former Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Oklahoma, was the first woman Bishop Moody ordained to the priesthood in 1988. She was the second woman in the Diocese of Oklahoma to be ordained to the priesthood and the first woman in the Diocese to serve as Rector of a parish. Beverly shares intimate details of her path to ordination including gaining the graces of the patriarchal authorities in her life and how she managed being a lone ranger female priest in Oklahoma when there wasn’t much support for ordained women at that time.
The Rev. Janie Kirt Morris
The Rev. Janie Kirt Morris was the 6th woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Oklahoma. She recalls her discernment process, the challenges of raising a family as a single mother while in seminary as well as how her various church contexts handled having a female priest. Lastly, Mtr. Janie shares some stories of how she ministered to families who didn’t want a female priest to be their rector and how her faithful witness of love transformed people.
