Vatcher answers call from God
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Feb 16/01) - An admittedly emotional week for Reverend Carol Vatcher culminated on Sunday when Bishop Christopher Williams turned to the congregation at St. David's church and announced:
"And now it is my pleasure to present to you Carol, ordained priest in the church of the Lord."
To the sound of great applause, she was quickly joined by her daughter, Polly, and grand-daughter, Sierra, in a joyful, tearful embrace.
Vatcher is now the first woman to be ordained in the "new" NWT, following the 1999 territorial division.
She arrived in Fort Simpson in September, from her home-town of Mutton Bay, Que. While growing up, she recalls hearing her grandfather predict that the next boy born in the Vatcher family would be ordained into the ministry.
"I remember thinking, 'What about me?' But at that time women weren't (ordained)," she said.
In 1991, she was licensed a lay reader in the parish of St. Clements. One night after reading from Philippians chapter 4, verses 4-9, which refers to rejoicing in the Lord, Vatcher had an epiphany.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and God was saying, 'Come to me and pray,'" she recalled.
It took her four years to stop trying to understand the reasons why, and simply put her faith in the Lord.
"His peace just filled me with a quiet inner strength," she said.
She was ordained a deacon in 1998. As such, she assisted the priest, held services in his absence, led prayer groups and Bible studies and visited the sick.
Now as a priest, Vatcher has been endowed to bless the bread and wine and to absolve sins in God's name.
Having lived in Cambridge Bay and Pangnirtung in the 1960s, she had always wanted to return to the North, she noted.
Bishop Williams said he's certain that Vatcher is the right person for this post.
"I believe that she was called by God to come and work in the North," he said. "This whole weekend has just reinforced that for me. She has touched the hearts of the people of Fort Simpson in a very remarkable way."
Vatcher said residents have gone to extraordinary lengths to make her feel at home. It was members of her congregation who arranged to have her daughter and grand-daughter come from Montreal to witness the special occasion this past weekend.
"This was a wonderful gift," she said. "The kindness, generosity, hospitality and the welcome I've received here have been overwhelming, and I say that in all sincerity."
