Nan Peete facts for kids

Nan Arrington Peete, born in 1938, is an American Episcopal priest. An Episcopal priest is a leader in the Episcopal Church, similar to a pastor or minister. She became a priest in 1984.

She worked at All Saints' Church in Indianapolis. She also served at Trinity Church in New York City. In 1988, a special leader called the Archbishop of Canterbury invited her to speak. This was at the Lambeth Conference, a big meeting for Anglican bishops.

Nan Peete was the first woman priest to ever speak at this conference. Many believe her speech helped more people support women becoming priests.

Early Life and Education

Nan Arrington was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1938. Her father, Maurice Arrington, was a civil engineer. He worked in Michigan and traveled to Chicago on weekends. Her mother, Phoebe Clanton Arrington, was a teacher.

Both of her parents were Episcopalians. Nan grew up attending the church. She went to the University of Chicago Laboratory School. She graduated from high school in 1955.

Family and College Years

In 1960, she married Robert Peete. They had two children, Richard and Valerie. The family moved to the Los Angeles area in 1970.

Nan Peete then attended Occidental College. She earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1975. Later, in 1978, she completed a master's degree. This degree was in human resource management from the University of Redlands. Before becoming a priest, she worked as a management consultant.

Her Journey in Ministry

Nan Peete decided to become a Christian minister. In 1984, she earned her master's degree in divinity. This was from the General Theological Seminary in New York City. She became a priest in the Episcopal Church that same year.

She first served at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Upland, California. After one year, she became the rector of All Saints' Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1985. A rector is the main priest in charge of a church.

Helping the Community

Besides her church duties, she helped people experiencing homelessness. She helped start the Dayspring Center Emergency Shelter. In 1985, Peete also attended a conference in Barbados. This meeting was about Afro-Anglicanism, which focuses on Black people in the Anglican Church.

In 1989, Peete moved to the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. She worked there as the canon to the ordinary until 1994. In this role, she helped train new clergy. She also helped priests find church assignments. She guided people through the process of becoming ordained.

Work in New York and Ohio

In 1994, Peete joined the staff of Trinity Church. This is a very old Episcopal church in New York City. She worked there for five years. She focused on helping people and reaching out to the community.

In 1995, she was a main speaker at another Afro-Anglican conference. This one was held in Cape Town, South Africa.

From 1999 to 2003, Peete worked in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. She was the canon for ministry there. In 2003, she moved to the Diocese of Washington. She became the canon for deployment and ordination.

She preached at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in 2004. She also served on important committees. These included groups for national ministries and for fairness and justice. Nan Peete retired from her work in 2005.

Speaking at the Lambeth Conference

In 1988, Nan Peete was invited to speak at the Lambeth Conference. This invitation came from Robert Runcie, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Lambeth Conference is a big meeting for bishops from the Anglican Communion. It usually happens every 10 years.

A Big Discussion

At the 1988 conference, a major topic was the role of women in the Anglican Church. Specifically, whether women should be allowed to become priests was a very debated issue. Some bishops strongly disagreed, while others strongly supported it.

The Episcopal Church in the United States had already started ordaining women as priests in the 1970s. Other Anglican churches in Canada and New Zealand also allowed women priests. However, in the Church of England and some other places, women's ordination was not yet approved.

Nan Peete's Historic Speech

Nan Peete was the first woman Anglican priest to ever speak at the Lambeth Conference. She gave her speech on July 22. She was the last of four speakers discussing women's ordination.

Three bishops spoke before her. One bishop talked about his church's experience with women priests. Another bishop, who was against women's ordination, shared his views. A third bishop urged kindness and careful thought on the matter.

When it was her turn, Nan Peete shared her own story. She spoke about growing up as a young Black girl in the United States. She talked about facing exclusion because of her race and gender. She said the church's teachings about equality had always supported her.

She believed that women priests helped show this message of equality. She felt that allowing women to be ordained would make the church stronger. After her speech, she received a standing ovation. Her speech is remembered as a powerful moment. Many believe it helped more bishops decide to support women becoming priests.