Prayer:
Dear Lord, we ask your blessings for the beloved women in our lives and in our histories.
Blessed are the generations of brave women who dared to hope, For it was women who were the last ones at the cross with Jesus, and it was women who first visited the tomb.
Blessed are the generations of faithful women who dared to resist, For it was in the homes of women that Christianity first spread, back in the days when you still risked your life to follow in the way of Christ.
Blessed are the martyrs, missionaries, and mystics. Blessed are the prophets, poets, and preachers. Blessed are the caregivers and nurturers and protectors.
Blessed are the ancestors who forged a way in the wilderness, so that we wouldn’t have to fight the same battles and clear the same paths they once did. Blessed are the descendants that will come after us, who will carry on the work we have yet to begin. And Blessed are the descendants we may never meet, who will create the worlds we haven’t yet dared to imagine.
Amen.
(Rev. Victoria Wick)
For Women’s History Month, below is a short listing of events, articles and resources for recognizing the incredible gifts of ministry shared by Episcopal Women. May we honor the history of the saints who precede us, and continue to build on their hopes for a more just world on behalf of the saints yet to come.
Events:
- Sunday, March 16 | Choral Evensong for Women’s History Month | Christ Church, Portola Valley & Woodside
- Tuesday, March 18 | Prophets of Hope in a Time of Hopelessness: Women Leaders of Color in the Episcopal Church | Zoom Webinar | 6:30 to 8:00 pm (PT)
- Sunday, March 23 | Hidden in Plain Sight: A musical celebration of Women’s History Month | St. Stephen’s Belvedere
Articles:
- Building the Beloved Community Includes Honoring Women in Our Church, The Ven Miguel Bustos
- Episcopal Church Women, Women’s History Month
- The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde’s 1/21/2025 sermon
Websites:
- Episcopal Women’s History Project: Gathers and share information on the contributions of women in The Episcopal Church. Check Out the Lent 2025 zoom series.
- Episcopal Church Women: ECW Website & ECW Facebook
- Resource list from Building Faith: buildfaith.org/womens-history-month-resources-for-2023/
Ordination of Women:
- Film: Philadelphia Eleven documentary about the eleven priests ordained in Philadelphia, 1974
- The Vote for Ordination: Episcopal Archives & Episcopal Archive Exhibits
- Timeline (From Episcopal News Service)
- Sermons from Grace Cathedral
