Laura C. Fraser, 70; Pioneering Woman Episcopal Priest
- Share via
Laura Cameron Fraser, 70, the first woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest in the Pacific Northwest, died March 2 of a stroke at her home in East Wenatchee, Wash.
She was ordained Feb. 3, 1977, before a capacity crowd at Epiphany Parish in Olympia. Her elevation to the priesthood was controversial, provoking 26 of Washington’s Episcopal clergy and laypeople who opposed the ordination of women to hold an opposition prayer service.
After spending several years as rector of a church in Issaquah, Wash., she was engulfed by controversy again when she publicly acknowledged her belief in channeling, a process thought by some to bring the living into contact with spirits.
The local bishop ordered her to repudiate her belief in channeling. Fraser refused and left the church.
In 1986, she helped establish the Foundation for Inner Enlightenment and Spiritual Freedom, which provided counseling, spiritual development classes and experimental worship services.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
