“Our diocese in Alaska has over 38 ‘bush parishes’ where many people have not had Eucharist in over six months or a year. There is no one to lead a communion service, preach, witness a wedding or preside at a burial. We could ordain women as deacons from each village and/or send women from Fairbanks until local women could be trained. The Catechism says that men and women were created by God in perfect equality as human persons. When we deny women a voice in our church, we deny this teaching.”

Gloria J. Slagle is a retired pastoral administrator in Two Rivers, Alaska.