Margit Rigmor Sahlin (1914–2003) was a pioneering Swedish Lutheran priest. On Palm Sunday, 10 April 1960, she became one of the first three female priests in Sweden when she was ordained by Archbishop

Gunnar Hultgren Gunnar Axel Engelbrekt Hultgren (19 February 1902 - 13 February 1991) was a Swedish bishop within the Church of Sweden. He was the Archbishop of Uppsala between 1958 and 1967. Biography Hultgren was enrolled at Uppsala University where he became ...

in the Saint Catherine Foundation chapel at

Österskär Österskär is eastern part of Åkersberga, Österåker Municipality in Sweden. It hosts the terminal station of the Stockholm suburban railway Roslagsbanan. The area is located in a hilly peninsula between Tunaviken and Sätterfjärden northwe ...

near

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. The same day

Ingrid Persson Ingrid Hanna Margareta Persson (1912–2000) was a Swedish priest. On Palm Sunday, 10 April 1960, she became one of the first three female priests in Sweden when she was ordained by Bishop Ruben Josefson in Härnösand Cathedral. The same day Mar ...

was ordained in

Härnösand Cathedral Härnösand Cathedral ( sv, Härnösands domkyrka) serves the Diocese of Härnösand of the Church of Sweden. It is located in Härnösand in Västernorrland County, Sweden. From atop the 46 metres tall tower, the entire town of Härnösand can be ...

and

Elisabeth Djurle Elisabeth Marianne Djurle Olander (10 October 1930 – 11 February 2014) was a Swedish Lutheran priest, later a dean. On Palm Sunday, 10 April 1960, she became one of the first three female priests in Sweden when she was ordained by Bishop Helg ...

Biography

Born on 6 May 1914 in Stockholm, Margit Rigmor Sahlin was the 12th and youngest child of the schoolteacher Enar Sahlin and Ragnhild Nettelbladet. She was the granddaughter of Carl Yngve Sahlin who was the rector of Uppsala University from 1876 to 1889. After matriculating from the

Wallinska skolan Wallinska skolan (Wallin School) or Wallinska flickskolan (Wallin Girls' School), was a girls' school in Stockholm, Sweden. Active from 1831 to 1939, it was one of the first five schools in Sweden to offer serious academic education and seconda ...

in Stockholm when only 17, she studied at Uppsala University where she graduated in romance languages, earning a doctorate in 1940. Thereafter she read theology, graduating in 1943. While still at university, she attracted considerable attention when she published an article in the Christian journal ''Vår Lösen'' calling for the ordination of women. When the Second World War ended in 1945, Sahlin travelled widely in Europe. She was inspired by the religious communities she visited in Taize, France,

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

, Scotland, and

Assisi Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born aroun ...

in Italy. She hoped to join the church but at the time women were not admitted as priests in Sweden. In 1948, she became active in the Women's Church Council which led to the founding of Saint Catherine's Foundation (''S:ta Katharinastiftelsen''). She was the principal contributor to the foundation which began her life's work. Despite strong opposition, in 1958 the Church of Sweden resolved to permit women to be ordained as priests. Sahlin became one of the three women to request ordination. On Easter Sunday in 1960, she was ordained in the Saint Catherine Chapel by Archbishop Hultgren. In 1970, she became the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Engelbrekts församling in the diocese of Stockholm, so becoming Sweden's first female rector. Margit Sahlin retired in 1979 but remained active in the Saint Catherine Foundation until her death in Stockholm on 1 March 2003. She is buried in Uppsala Old Cemetery.

Selected publications

In addition to contributing to journals, Sahlin wrote several books, including: *1950: Sahlin, Margit, ''Man och kvinna i Kristi kyrka'', Diakonistyrelses Bokförlag *1959: Sahlin, Margit, ''Ordets tjänst i en förändrad värld'', Svenska Kyrkans Diakonistyrelses Bokförlag *1980: Sahlin, Margit, ''Dags för omprövning'', Proprius *2000: Sahlin, Margit; Åhlstedt, Madeleine, ''S:ta Katharinastiftelsen ett 50 årigt trosäventyr'', Stockholm

Biography

Selected publications

References

Further reading