International Women’s Day

The Rev Kate Bottley celebrates International Women’s Day with stories of inspiring women of faith, past and present.

In St Paul’s Cathedral, Kate meets the Most Rev Dame Sarah Mullally ahead of her installation as the first female archbishop of Canterbury in history. Archbishop Sarah Mullally talks about her journey of faith, what her previous vocation as a nurse brings to her new role and how far the Church of England has come since 1994, when women were first ordained.

In Oxford, Kate discovers the remarkable story of a forgotten pioneer of feminism, Josephine Butler. In New College, Oxford, historian Dr Sarah C Williams tells Kate about Josephine’s extraordinary life and legacy of social reform in the Victorian era. She explains that it was Butler’s Christian faith and prayer life that drove her to fight for women’s rights, influencing laws we still uphold to this day.

Kate also meets Funke Oham – an international speaker and author who seeks to use her own experience of loss to help other women. Funke shares with Kate how she tragically lost two babies and how leaning on her faith helped her to carry on and help others.

With music from across the UK, including hymns penned and performed by inspirational women:

1 To God Be the Glory - Warwick Road United Reformed Church, Coventry
2. I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say - Coventry Cathedral
3. Lament of the Three Marys - The Steeple Church, Dundee
4. Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire - The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
5. Goodness of God - Way Church, Wigan
6. Christ Be Our Light - Leeds Cathedral