Bermudian Joanna Hollis is to be ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopalian Church today.

Ms Hollis, the daughter of the Ven. Dr. Arnold T. Hollis, Archdeacon Emeritus of Bermuda and Rector of Sandys Parish and Janice Hollis, is to be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jose, California.

Ms Hollis graduated on May 22 with a Master of Divinity Degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley Campus, California.

She has been chosen from her Seminary to be awarded a full period scholarship to St. George's College, Jerusalem, Israel, but her first post will be in a team ministry in San Francisco where she will be engaged in innovative ways of "Doing Theology".

She is due to be ordained to the Priesthood in November or December of this year.

Currently, women cannot be ordained as priests in the Anglican Church in Bermuda, but the question is now being debated in the Diocese. Anglican Bishop Patrick White, with whom the final decision lies, has said he supports the ordination of women.

"We pray that God will bless her and grant her enough of all that she needs for her daily bread," Dr. Hollis and his wife said.

Ms Hollis was Valedictorian of the Class of 1993 of Mt. St. Agnes Academy, Hamilton, received a double BA in Sociology and Japanese from Connecticut College in 1997 and gained an MA in Teaching of a Foreign Language from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2003.