Mary Levison

Mary Irene Levison (8 January 1923 – 12 September 2011) was the first person to petition the Church of Scotland for the ordination of women to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1963.

Her father was ordained in the United Free Church and at the time of her birth was the Chaplain to the Presbyterian members of the University of Oxford.

[2] She returned to her home town of Oxford for university, studying at undergraduate level at Lady Margaret Hall from 1941.

[1] In 1958 she returned to St Colm's College taking up the post of tutor teaching Christian Doctrine, New Testament Studies and the practical training of the deaconess students.

[2] On Saturday 26 May 1963 Mary Lusk stood at the Bar of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to test her call to ministry.

The six were Lusk, Elizabeth G. K. Hewat, Margaret Forrester, Claude Barbour, Mary Weir and Sheila Spense (then named White).

[3] The six found that they were not allowed to lobby the men who were making the decision - so they decided to hold a press conference.