The first TST-wide celebration of women in theology on March 8, 2016, was more than a chapel service, two panels, and a banquet.  It was the crystallization of a whole history of women at the Toronto School of Theology and beyond, a convergence point for diverse elements and forces.  From women born between the 1930s and the 2000s we heard reflections, exhortations, and music.  We connected with their stories of yearnings and encounters, uncertainties and achievements, puzzlements and discoveries, journeys begun, interrupted, and resumed.  And we celebrated.

Well within my own lifetime, there was a time when the gifts of women for theology weren’t at all widely recognized, and the ministries of women weren’t commonly affirmed.  Actually, that time isn’t entirely past.  Part of the reason for celebrating women in theology is precisely that they are here, despite some adverse odds.  “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

What do I remember from this very rich day?  The quiet time of worship with song, scripture, and candles.  The testimonies of women who took heart and inspiration from the examples of their forbears, saints like the visionary martyr Perpetua, the early Methodist preacher Elizabeth Dart, and my former TST colleague Mary Malone.  A panel of women calling us to join them in the fight for social justice.  Marion Taylor’s exuberant stories of rescuing generations of woman theologians, Bible interpreters, preachers, and writers from the River Lethe.  The tributes to Margaret O’Gara, one of the most influential and inspiring Canadian theologians of the past generation.  Appreciations for the extraordinary career of Lois Wilson, who doesn’t need any Very Reverends or The Honourables to dazzle us. The young pianist and the even younger photographers.  The spirit.  The blessing.

All this was put together by a creative, versatile, and committed group of women who shared in the planning and development of it.  Two members of our TST staff, Eve Leyerle and Diane Henson, were glad to give many hours towards logistical support.  But without a doubt the lion’s share of credit for this extraordinarily successful day belongs to the amazing Claudia Miatello, who has the very rare gift of bringing together breadth of vision and attention to detail, along with contagious enthusiasm, and an unconquerably positive spirit.

The first time an International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8 was in Saint Petersburg in 1917, and it triggered the Russian Revolution.  Our event in Hart House in 2016 was a lot less dramatic than that, but may God use it, too, as a transformative moment.

Dr. Alan Hayes – Director, Toronto School of Theology