Mary Irene Levison was the first person to petition the Church of Scotland for the ordination of women to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1963.
13 Facts About Mary Levison
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Mary Levison's 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.
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Mary Levison attended the Oxford High School for Girls for her early education.
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Mary Levison returned to her home town of Oxford for university, studying at undergraduate level at Lady Margaret Hall from 1941.
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Mary Levison was awarded a Distinction in Systematic Theology and the Aitken Fellowship which enabled her to spend a semester in Heidelberg and a semester in Basel.
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Mary Levison was appointed as Deaconess in St Michael's Church in Inveresk, Musselburgh near Edinburgh in 1954 where she served for 4 years.
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On Saturday 26 May 1963 Mary Levison Lusk stood at the Bar of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to test her call to ministry.
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Mary Levison was given 15 minutes to present her petition to the General Assembly.
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Mary Levison's petition was for her Ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament.
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Mary Levison's petition was received by the Assembly which instructed the Panel on Doctrine to consider its response and report to the following General Assembly.
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Mary Levison was appointed a Chaplain to Her Majesty in Scotland in 1991, and was the first female minister in this role.
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Mary Levison was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Edinburgh in 1994.
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Mary Levison died in Edinburgh on 12 September 2011 and is buried with her parents and other family members in Grange Cemetery.