On Saturday January 7th 2017 the Church in Wales celebrated twenty years of women’s ministry as priests at simultaneous services in every cathedral in Wales. Services were held in Llandaff (preacher: Canon Jenny Wigley); Bangor (preacher, Enid Morgan); Newport (Bishop Dominic Walker); St Asaph (the Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek);  Brecon (preacher, Canon Carol Wardman); St Davids (Canon Joanna Penberthy).  The services at all six of Wales’ cathedrals took place at 11am, marking 20 years since the ordination of Wales’ first women priests. This anniversary comes just weeks ahead of another milestone in women’s ministry in Wales – the consecration of the first woman bishop, Canon Joanna Penberthy, as Bishop of St Davids Diocese, on January 21.

History was made on January 11, 1997, when every cathedral in Wales held their first ordination service for women priests. Sixty-one women were ordained on that day and their names have been featured in a logo designed for the anniversary. Many of them took part in the services on January 7.

A number of press articles reported on the celebrations, listed below:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/wales-six-cathedrals-mark-20-12378631

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38530906

http://swanseaandbrecon.churchinwales.org.uk/news/2017/01/there-is-more-to-the-ordination-of-women-priests-than-simple-justice/