D & P Wotton

Lydia Emelie Gruchy was the first woman ordained to ministry in a main-line Christian Church in Canada at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in 1936.

This story, well-researched and coloured by numerous anecdotes and tales from those who knew her, will bring back memories for readers who lived those days, and open the eyes of those who wonder what life was like.  Her story:

• Traces her life journey from Paris, France to London England; immigration to Canada; decades on the Saskatchewan prairie; years in Toronto, and retirement in White Rock, British Columbia.
• Portrays life in Canada through the eras of horse & buggy, Model A Ford, to bright red Corvair.
• Offers glimpses into the prairie life of the One Room Schoolhouse, the Doukhobor community, the spirited bustle of the boom & bust years of small town Saskatchewan, and much more.
• Witnesses to the unsung role of ordinary women who formed the early social safety net in their isolated communities and insisted on the values that would define the Canadian way of life.
• Credits Nellie McClung and a small core of male United Church ministers for their 13 year struggle in the courts of the church, from 1923 to 1936, to achieve ordination for women.
• Explores the role of the Christian vision of the "Promised Land" in shaping this new country.
• Offers thought-provoking reflection and critical insights relevant to church and to society today.