First Women Pastors Ordained in Augsburg Conf., Poland

On May 7, the first women pastors were ordained in the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland. The ceremony, which took place in Warsaw at Holy Trinity Church, marked the conclusion of a discussion about women’s ordination that has been ongoing for decades. Several ELCA representatives were able to attend and celebrate this joyous milestone with our partner church in Poland.

The nine women who took their vows were already serving the church as deacons. Rev. Karina Chwastek-Kamieniorz, who works in the largest country parish of Goleszów in southern Poland, noted that from a practical perspective, she will continue doing the same pastoral work she has done for many years. But she said she hoped the decision to ordain women would bring equality of salaries and an end to discrimination against women in the church.

One of the newly ordained pastors, Rev. Halina Radacz, gave the sermon during the service. “We want to speak about love and bear witness to it,” she said. “We want to speak about equality for all and show that it is possible; we want to teach mutual respect and show how to do it.”

This story was adapted from the Lutheran World Federation. Read the full article here.