Last week, we reported on a Harvard Business Review study which found that a sole woman on a panel of finalists for a job was statistically not going to get it.
The glass ceiling was, in fact, reinforced by the clear difference between the woman and the other candidates, who as a majority became the “norm.”
In the Diocese of Central New York, the pattern in the stained glass ceiling is being redesigned by the presence of three women on the four-person nominating slate for a new bishop.
The Very Reverend Dr DeDe Duncan-Probe, the Reverend Canon Debra Jean Kissinger, and the Reverend Nora Smith are joined by the Reverend Noah H. Evans as candidates to succeed the Right Reverend Gladstone “Skip” Adams, who is retiring.
The slate was announced yesterday, and is followed by a Petition Process to add nominations to the slate, a process which replaces the tradition of “nominations from the floor.” The Petition Process closes Monday.
More information about all of the candidates and the search for the eleventh Bishop of Central New York can be found here.
From left to right: The Revd Dr DeDe Duncan-Probe, the Revd Noah H. Evans, the Revd Canon Debra Jean Kissinger, the Revd Nora Smith
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And if you’re gay, even if properly married, the right seminary may be the only thing that gets you a step up on the ladder of ecclesiastical preference.
As someone presently living in CNY and a seminarian, I’m thrilled to see a slate of young, energetic nominees. As someone in their thirties, the consistent advice I have been given is to get ordained and get out of the diocese ASAP – it’s dying and a place where priests go to retire.
That said, I’m still worried about the continuation of the old boy’s network/club.
We continually see candidates put forth from General, Yale, and a barely smaller batch from Suwanee and Virginia. Yet, the majority of priests being ordained over the last decade are not coming from these four seminaries. Several bishops remarked at General Convention last year that if you do not come from one of these four schools, your career is as good as dead within TEC. There is no upward mobility to a bishop’s staff, national church, or a coveted parish.
“coveted parish.” “upward mobility,” “good as dead if you don’t come from these four schools.”
Is that our goal as clergy?
When you’re ordained to the clergy at a terribly young age, then yes – we seek our parish appointments to grow with our character development.
Hang out at the orientation for div. students at Yale, Sewanee, General, and VTS and listen to the 20-40 year olds: they’re all gunning for bishop. Increasingly the nominees being put forth for bishop are in their 40-50s and have been a priest for less than ten years.
It’s a more polite way of saying what our bishop has openly stated, “If you graduate from a conservative seminary, you will not have a job in this diocese.” Even if the conservative one is the closest to work and family and the one you can afford. Fr. Jake, liberal as he is, couldn’t get a job here; he went to the wrong school. So yes, it makes a difference even if being a bishop isn’t your life’s goal. On the other hand, the last Lutheran pastor my parent’s church had admitted that all the articles,speeches, etc. about not having enough women in high position in the church made her feel bad if she didn’t strive to move up the ladder. Lack of ambition being just as bad as being overly ambitious.
In 2007 El Camino Real nominated three women and one man. A diocesan priest was added. The Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves is the excellent bishop of ECR.
Thanks for posting.