About BLESSED IS SHE
You are warmly invited to this exciting new professional development and leadership equipping opportunity for clergywomen. The BLESSED IS SHE (Luke 1.45) conference will offer three days for you to pray, laugh, connect and be renewed in your calling. From Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 August 2026 inclusive, Anglican clergywomen from across Australia will gather in the city of churches, Adelaide, SA.
Come to be encouraged, equipped and sent out with fresh joy for the work God has entrusted to you.
Registration
Please click here to register or click on the flyer below
Places: strictly limited to 80 delegates. First in best dressed registration.Costs: The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide affirms clergy women’s ministry and has covered almost all the costs of the conference. Your small donation will support us support our delegates. If you are low on funds – don’t worry, we’ve got you.
- Employed (full-time or part-time) $100
- Any woman facing financial hardship and ordinands/enquirers $0
FAQ
Who is it for?
We understand that women are equally called by God to Holy Orders. This conference will affirm and support clergywomen in the Anglican Church of Australia and will draw on feminist discourse and approaches. Women in Adelaide and across the nation have been asking for more leadership upskilling and networking opportunities, and we have heard that call.
- Days 1-3 are for ordained Anglican women deacons, priests and bishops.
- Day 3 is open to women ordinands and those discerning a vocation, who will join with the clergy women (20 delegates max).
Do I have to be full-time clergy?
- No—part-time, full-time, chaplains and parish-based folks are all welcome. If you are in active ministry and still have more to learn, then the sessions will be of interest to you.
Highlights will include
- Inspiring keynote sessions designed to equip and inspire women clergy to lead
- Time for friendship, networking and laughter
- Governance for women leaders/ leadership upskilling
- Theology of women’s leadership and the threat of complementarianism
- Our critical shared history
- Liturgical leadership and bible study
- Honest conversations on joy and disappointment in ministry
- Panel of women bishops from various contexts to answer your questions
About the program
We are currently coordinating stellar sessions for our delegates. Here is a taste of the calibre of presenters and contributors that BLESSED IS SHE delegates will benefit from:
Her Excellency, The Honourable Frances Adamson AC– Governor of South Australia.
++Kay Goldsworthy AO– Archbishop of Perth.
Dr Julia Baird — author, journalist and broadcaster.
Ms Rossalyn Cox— Leading consultant, coach and trainer.
Ms Katherine Delitt—Assistant Crown Solicitor.
Reverend Canon Dr. Joan Riley- Principal St Barnabas College.
Reverend Canon Prof Emerita Dorothy Lee AM FAHA—Theologian and distinguished New Testament scholar.
CHAP Sarah Gibson—Chaplain Forces Command (Army) & VP of Spiritual Care Australia
Dr Sarah Black—Archivist, academic, author and historian, Diocese of Adelaide.
+Genieve Blackwell—Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Melbourne.
+Vanessa Bennet—Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
Accommodation
Accommodation nearby varies in price and quality. All these options are within a 10-minute walk of the conference locations, St Peter’s Cathedral, and St Mark’s College, but you will find more online! We do not endorse any more than others.
- Majestic Old Lion Apartments (North Adelaide) Hotel accommodation.
- Majestic M Suites (North Adelaide), modern suites on Tynte Street Nth Adl.
- Adelaide Inn (O’Connell Street, North Adelaide) Hotel accommodation.
- Comfort Inn Regal Park (North Adelaide) Motel‑style accommodation.
- Princes Lodge Motel (North Adelaide) budget‑friendly motel.
- Oval Hotel at Adelaide Oval is an upscale hotel integrated into Adelaide Oval.
- Oaks Adelaide Horizons Suites (North Terrace) Apartment‑style CBD.
- Oaks Adelaide Embassy Suites (North Terrace) apartment hotel, North Tce.