Ellen Barrett
Encyclopedia
Ellen Marie Barrett was the first openly lesbian priest to be properly ordained by the Episcopal Church, shortly after the General Convention approved the ordination of women
in 1977. Barrett's candor about her homosexuality
caused great controversy within the church. Even prior to her entry into the priesthood, she was a prominent spokesperson for the rights of gays and lesbians in the church, especially in regards to ordination.
, Barrett served as a deacon
in the New York diocese. She was a founding member and the first co-president of Integrity
, a group formed to advocate for the full participation of lesbians, gays and bisexuals
in the church. Her record at the General Theological Seminary
was considered exemplary, and she was well regarded academically, professionally and spiritually by the faculty.
Barrett was ordained in 1977 by Bishop Paul Moore
at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
. Bishop Moore was aware of her sexual orientation
and did not feel it should prohibit her from entering the ministry. He was strongly convinced that her commitment to a vocation far outweighed her commitment to the "gay movement".
, finding it as apt for feminism as for civil rights, stating: "I remember Mrs. Rosa Parks' answer about why she sat down that day on that bus: 'I don't know, just tired I guess.' Yes, tired.... Tired of being second-class, good girl, virgin-whore, defective by nature. Tired of being told that the omnipotent God can't call me to the priesthood."
s, ten were supportive and thirty-two were critical. Bishop William Frey of Colorado stated that there were better ways to minister to homosexuals than to "bless that which God offers to redeem". Moore related his belief that it was not so much Barrett's sexual orientation that his fellow bishops found disturbing, but rather her candor as a lesbian.
The ordination of Ellen Barrett brought the ordination of homosexuals into the public eye, along with the ordination of women. Many homosexuals in the church have followed her example, abandoning the practice of having a "closeted
" private life that contradicts one's public actions and statements.
In the months following her ordination, Episcopal magazines and newspapers wrote about the matter, often condemning it. The House of Bishops
met in Port St. Lucie nine months later, passing a resolution condemning homosexuality as unbiblical and reasserting the heterosexual confines of marriage. However, they failed to pass a measure censuring Bishop Moore for ordaining Barrett. This was in large part defeated by some of Moore and Barrett's strongest detractors, who wished to retain a right
of dissent
. This led to the passage of a "conscience clause", permitting bishops the right to decline to anoint women into the priesthood. This same principle of conscience led a growing number of bishops to ordain "out
" homosexuals throughout the 1980s
.
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
in 1977. Barrett's candor about her homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
caused great controversy within the church. Even prior to her entry into the priesthood, she was a prominent spokesperson for the rights of gays and lesbians in the church, especially in regards to ordination.
Education and ordination
Prior to her ordinationOrdination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
, Barrett served as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in the New York diocese. She was a founding member and the first co-president of Integrity
IntegrityUSA
IntegrityUSA is a U.S. not-for-profit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and straight friends. Integrity was founded by Dr...
, a group formed to advocate for the full participation of lesbians, gays and bisexuals
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
in the church. Her record at the General Theological Seminary
General Theological Seminary
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is a seminary of the Episcopal Church in the United States and is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York....
was considered exemplary, and she was well regarded academically, professionally and spiritually by the faculty.
Barrett was ordained in 1977 by Bishop Paul Moore
Bishop Paul Moore
The Right Reverend Paul Moore, Jr. was a bishop of the Episcopal Church and served as the 13th Bishop of New York. During his lifetime, he was perhaps the best known Episcopal clergyman in the United States, and among the best known Christian clergy in any denomination.-Career:Paul Moore was a...
at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
. Bishop Moore was aware of her sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and did not feel it should prohibit her from entering the ministry. He was strongly convinced that her commitment to a vocation far outweighed her commitment to the "gay movement".
Personal views
Barrett drew upon the example of Rosa ParksRosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
, finding it as apt for feminism as for civil rights, stating: "I remember Mrs. Rosa Parks' answer about why she sat down that day on that bus: 'I don't know, just tired I guess.' Yes, tired.... Tired of being second-class, good girl, virgin-whore, defective by nature. Tired of being told that the omnipotent God can't call me to the priesthood."
Impact and reaction
Barrett's ordination was met with widespread criticism and protest within the Episcopal Church. Bishop Moore stated that of 42 letters he received from other bishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s, ten were supportive and thirty-two were critical. Bishop William Frey of Colorado stated that there were better ways to minister to homosexuals than to "bless that which God offers to redeem". Moore related his belief that it was not so much Barrett's sexual orientation that his fellow bishops found disturbing, but rather her candor as a lesbian.
The ordination of Ellen Barrett brought the ordination of homosexuals into the public eye, along with the ordination of women. Many homosexuals in the church have followed her example, abandoning the practice of having a "closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
" private life that contradicts one's public actions and statements.
In the months following her ordination, Episcopal magazines and newspapers wrote about the matter, often condemning it. The House of Bishops
House of Bishops
The House of Bishops is the third House in a General Synod of some Anglican churches and the second house in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.-Composition of Houses of Bishops:...
met in Port St. Lucie nine months later, passing a resolution condemning homosexuality as unbiblical and reasserting the heterosexual confines of marriage. However, they failed to pass a measure censuring Bishop Moore for ordaining Barrett. This was in large part defeated by some of Moore and Barrett's strongest detractors, who wished to retain a right
Right
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
of dissent
Dissent
Dissent is a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or an entity...
. This led to the passage of a "conscience clause", permitting bishops the right to decline to anoint women into the priesthood. This same principle of conscience led a growing number of bishops to ordain "out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
" homosexuals throughout the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
.
Further reading
- Moore, Paul. Take a Bishop like me. Harper and Row (1979). ISBN 0060130180.