Bahrain hosted a ceremony to appoint the Rev. Catherine Dawkins as the first female priest in the Middle East. A vote by members of the Anglican dioceses of Egypt, Jerusalem, North Africa and the Gulf confirmed her appointment.
Dawkins first moved from England to the Anglican Chaplaincy in Aden, Yemen with her husband the Rev. Nigel Dawkins. Upon her arrival in Yemen she was initially not allowed to be ordained. "I'm still reeling in the disbelief that it's happening," Dawkins said, in an interview with Gulf Daily News. "It's an amazing privilege for me."
Dawkins worked several years in Yemen and was ordained on June 5 by the Rev. Michael Lewis, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf in a ceremony held at St. Christopher's Cathedral in Manama, regarded as the official cathedral of the Gulf.
Describing her time in Yemen, Dawkins said, "The bishop there was very supportive of me coming to Aden and very happy to ordain me as a deacon to work in the church, yet at that time he said he was sorry but he was not able to have women priests."
"We are privileged to host this big occasion, not because it is just a Bahraini event but it holds significance for the whole of the region and this diocese, and it is a joy to be involved in this process," the Rev. Chris Butt, dean of St. Christopher's cathedral, said.
The Rev. Butt noted the importance of the evolving role of women in the church. "It is a sign of recognition in the wider church that women have a final role in the ministry of the church and not a secondary. It is also recognition of the gifts and special insights that women bring into the ministry in a powerful way," he said.
Dawkins will be continuing her work in Dubai.
