Susan Bowman

Lady Father - The Reluctant Pioneer



Posted: Saturday, February 19, 2011

by Susan Bowman
SB Unlimited

The issue of the ordination of women was a huge issue for many denominations, including the Episcopal Church. In 1980, there were still a number of Dioceses across the country whose Bishops would not ordain women. The Diocese of Southern Virginia was one of them and it was with fear and trembling that I approached our Bishop about attending seminary. The resulting journey took me from the shores of the James River in southeastern Virginia to the Cumberland Plateau of southeastern Tennessee. Returning home to Southern Virginia,I was the first woman admitted to the ordination process, the first woman to be ordained a Deacon by our Bishop, and the first woman to celebrate the Eucharist in many churches across the Diocese. I was a pioneer, but a reluctant one as many people around the Diocese were less than welcoming and some were outspoken and blatant about withdrawing their support for their churches.

Our Bishop was also a pioneer as he opened the doors to the ordination process to me and then became my biggest support as a priest. His struggle was a spiritual and emotional one and, by the time he retired he worked closely with the women clergy in the Diocese. I left the Diocese in 1991 and continued my pioneer status in a new Diocese and a new church. The next 20 years were filled with more firsts, including being the first woman to celebrate the Eucharist in All Saints' Cathedral in Albany, NY, with another reluctant Bishop serving me at the Altar.

The Sweetest Church

This is Jermain United Methodist Church in White Creek, NY and is, for me, the culmination of many years of both joy and pain as I have journeyed through my ordained ministry. After being just about ready to chuck the whole church thing for good, it is a gift from heaven to be able to look at this place with peace in my heart from knowing that this is where God has brought me and that all the past was not in vain.

I believe that we are who we are because of the things we experience, not in spite of them, so I know that I am a strong person, an effective pastor, and a good Christian because I was able to survive through the experiences, good and bad, of the last 20+ years.

This keeps me going and hopefully will continue to color my Book with gentleness and compassion.
Susan Bowman was born and raised in Petersburg, Virginia. In 1969 she received a BA in Philosophy from the College of William Mary. She broke into the word processing field with IBM’s Magnetic Tape Selectric Typewriters, laying the foundation for her computer expertise.

Susan worked for the City of Petersburg for almost eight years before answering a call to ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. She attended seminary at the University of the South’s School of Theology and graduated with a Masters of Divinity Degree in 1984. After 25 years in ministry, Susan retired and is now a Professional Freelance Writer and has four retail websites.

Her memoir, “Lady Father," will be released in April and a 2nd book, “Mindset 4 Success," is slated for publication later this year. You can find her on her blog – http://ladyfather.com.

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