January 23, 1982

1982, January 23. Acting Vassar Chaplain Sandra Wilson ’75 was ordained as an Episcopal priest, the first African-American female Episcopal priest in the Diocese of New York and the fourth in the United States.

Acting Vassar Chaplain Sandra Wilson ’75 was ordained as an Episcopal priest, the first African-American female Episcopal priest in the Diocese of New York and the fourth in the United States.

On January 24, Wilson led her first mass as a priest in the Chapel. Madeleine L’Engle, author of the science fantasy novel, A Wrinkle in Time (1962), gave the sermon, focusing on the concept of time. During her address, L’Engle also spoke of Wilson’s ordination, saying “Sandye is called to be a ‘midwife’ to the rest of us. So are the male preachers.” The Miscellany News