Talk:Mary Simpson (priest)

Not the first ordained woman, but the first ordained nun
The first woman to be regularly ordained in the American Episcopal church was Jacqueline Means (who also needs an article). She was ordained on January 1, 1977. See and, for example. Mary Simpson and several other women were also ordained in January 1977 shortly after Jacqueline Means, and the irregular ordinations of several women prior to 1977 were also regularized later that month. I've changed the lead accordingly. Note also that NYT obituary does not say that she was the first woman. Nor do the other sources in the article.Voceditenore (talk) 06:37, 30 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Ooops. I must have been looking at an old version of the article. It's already fixed. Anyhow, I'll be away for the next month but am leaving useful links here for anyone who wants to expand the article and/or add some of them to External links. They provide information on her early life and on her life in the Order of Saint Helena. She never stopped being a nun, even though she became a priest as well


 * Writngs by Mary Simpson
 * OSH and Change. The Rev. Canon Mary Michael Simpson, OSH. Paper for the History of Women Religious Conference delivered June 19, 2001 at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 * "Dual Thrust". Mary M. Simpson. Women's Studies Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1/2, Spirituality and Religions (Spring - Summer, 1993), pp. 153-158 (first page readable without a subscription)
 * "Vocational and Pastoral Aspects" Mary Michael Simpson in Yes To Women Priests (Bishop Hugh Montifiore ed.). Mayhew-McCrimmon Ltd., 1978. Republished on womenpriests.org with permissions. Links to the other chapters in the book on the same website are here
 * About Mary Simpson
 * Sr Mary Michael Simpson Celebrates Her Jubilee Anniversary with The Order of St Helena. Interview and photographs. "Sr Mary Michael Simpson: life-professed 50 years in the Order of St Helena, talks about the beginnings of her vocation and her life over the years."
 * Obituary on the Episcopal News Service
 * Bangor Daily News - Jun 7, 1979 via UPI on her being the first woman ever to be nominated for Bishop (she was beaten out by the male candidate).

I also have a subscription-only copy of her entry in Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. If anyone wants me to email them a copy before I leave on Tuesday, drop a note an my talk page and make sure your email is enabled. Voceditenore (talk) 07:50, 30 July 2011 (UTC)