Elizabeth Lorna Hood, (born 21 April 1953) is a minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

. From 1979 to 2016, she was the Minister of North Parish Church, Renfrew. From 2013 to 2014, she also served as Moderator of its General Assembly.

Early life and education

Hood was born in Irvine, Ayrshire on 21 April 1953. She was educated at

Kilmarnock Academy Kilmarnock Academy (Scottish Gaelic: ''Acadamaidh Chille Mheàrnaig''), formerly Kilmarnock Burgh School, is a state-funded secondary school in Kilmarnock, Scotland, currently located on Sutherland Drive in the New Farm Loch area of the town. The ...

. She studied at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, graduating with an

undergraduate Master of Arts The degree of Master of Arts (MA; , ) in Scotland is an undergraduate degree. The degree can be either a three-year general or four-year ''Honours degree'' in humanities or social sciences, awarded by one of several institutions. Chiefly, the ...

(MA (Hons)) degree in 1974 and a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree in 1977.

Ordained ministry

She was ordained by the Church of Scotland's

Presbytery of Edinburgh The Presbytery of Edinburgh was one of the presbyteries of the Church of Scotland, being the local presbytery for Edinburgh.Church of Scotland Yearbook, 2010-2011 edition, Its boundary was almost identical to that of the City of Edinburgh Counci ...

in 1978 whilst serving as Assistant Minister at St Ninian's Church in

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. She was inducted to her charge of the North Parish Church in Renfrew in June 1979. In 2008 she was appointed to be one of ten Chaplains to The Queen in Scotland. Hood retired from full-time ministry in October 2016. Having led Renfrew North Parish Church for 37 years, she holds the record as the "longest-serving woman parish minister".

Moderator

On 30 October 2012, Hood was nominated to be

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

for 2013/2014; she was duly formally elected as Moderator on 18 May 2013 – the first day of the General Assembly's week-long annual session. Hood was to have been succeeded as Moderator by Angus Morrison. On 18 March 2014 the Church of Scotland announced that Morrison had withdrawn his nomination on grounds of ill health. On 2 April it was announced that she was to be succeeded by John Chalmers, the Principal Clerk to the General Assembly.

Personal life

In 1979, the then Lorna Mitchell married Peter Hood.'HOOD, Very Rev. (Elizabeth) Lorna', ''

Who's Who 2017 ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 201
accessed 9 Aug 2017
/ref> They have two grown up children.

Honours

In February 2013 she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

. In 2013 Lorna Hood accepted Honorary Membership of the

Irvine Burns Club The Irvine Burns Club, based at the Wellwood Burns Centre & Museum, was founded on 2 June 1826 and is one of the world's longest continuously active Burns Clubs. At least five personal friends of Robert Burns were among the group of local gentl ...

offered in recognition of her achievements, links with Ayrshire and her interest in the life and legacy of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

. In December 2014 she was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Glasgow. In the 2017 Birthday Honours, Hood was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to the Church of Scotland and charity".

Styles

* 1978–2013: ''

The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

'' Lorna Hood * 2013–2014: ''

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that '' The ...

'' Lorna Hood * 2014–present: ''

The Very Reverend The Very Reverend is a Style (manner of address), style given to members of the clergy. The definite article "The" should always precede "Reverend" as "Reverend" is a style or fashion and not a title. Catholic In the Catholic Church, the style i ...

Dr'' Lorna Hood

References

External links

BBC News, 30 October 2012STV News, 30 October 2012News report in ''The Herald'' (Glasgow), 31 October 2012News report in the Paisley Daily Express, 7 November 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hood, Lorna Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Living people 1953 births Alumni of the University of Glasgow People educated at Kilmarnock Academy Officers of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Chaplains to the Queen 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland