03/25/2026
This Women's History Month, we're remembering Li Tim-Oi, the first woman ordained as a priest in the Anglican Communion.
Born in 1907 in Hong Kong, Li Tim-Oi was ordained a deacon and served Chinese refugees during World War II in Macau, a region cut off from visiting clergy under Japanese occupation. Her bishop, recognizing that she was already doing the work of a priest, ordained her on January 25, 1944, in Free China after she made a harrowing journey through occupied territory to get there.
"Here was I, a simple girl wishing to devote my life to [God's] service... I was being obedient to God's call."
After the war, Li Tim-Oi endured 21 years of persecution and forced labor, all while continuing her ministry in secret.
Her story reminds us that God's call doesn't wait for institutions to catch up.