Angela Berners-Wilson
Encyclopedia
Angela Berners-Wilson is considered to be the first woman ordained as a priest
in the Church of England
. She is currently a chaplain
at the University of Bath
.
Her father was the rector of the rural parish of Frant
in East Sussex.
She married solicitor Andrew Sillett on 19 May 1984.
Due to her surname being alphabetically first in the list of the first 32 women ordained as Church of England priests on 12 March 1994, she is considered the first to be ordained. The officiating bishop speculated that it would be 10 years before the first woman bishop was appointed.
Berners-Wilson was appointed University Chaplain to the University of Bath in May 2004.
In February 2009 she was appointed a prebendary
of Wells Cathedral
.
Sponsored by the Diocese of Bath and Wells
, the University of Bath
and the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, she had a month's sabbatical in China in June 2008.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. She is currently a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
.
Her father was the rector of the rural parish of Frant
Frant
-Demography:The population of Frant rose steadily from just under 1,100 in 1801 to a peak in 1891 of around 3,500. The records show a marked drop to 1,692 in 1901, but this is due to the transfer of the Broadwater Down parish to Tunbridge Wells that took place in 1894...
in East Sussex.
She married solicitor Andrew Sillett on 19 May 1984.
Due to her surname being alphabetically first in the list of the first 32 women ordained as Church of England priests on 12 March 1994, she is considered the first to be ordained. The officiating bishop speculated that it would be 10 years before the first woman bishop was appointed.
Berners-Wilson was appointed University Chaplain to the University of Bath in May 2004.
In February 2009 she was appointed a prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
.
Sponsored by the Diocese of Bath and Wells
Diocese of Bath and Wells
The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England.The diocese covers the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in the tiny city of...
, the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
and the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, she had a month's sabbatical in China in June 2008.