Ruth Patterson
{{Short description|Cleric in Northern Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{For|the politician|Ruth Patterson (politician)}}
Ruth Patterson, {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 1944) is a Presbyterian ministry from Northern Ireland. She was the first woman to be ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and is a director of the charity Restoration Ministries.{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/people/alumnus/ruth-patterson|title=Alumnus of the Year|work=University of Edinburgh website|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309210145/http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/people/alumnus/ruth-patterson|archivedate=9 March 2012|url-status=dead|accessdate=17 January 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/alf-mccreary-in-conversation-with-ruth-patterson-first-woman-ordained-in-ireland-37893725.html |title=Alf McCreary in conversation with Ruth Patterson - first woman ordained in Ireland|publisher=Belfast Telegraph|first1=Alf|last1=McCreary|date=9 March 2019}}
Biography
Patterson was born in 1944. Her father, the Very Rev Dr Tom Patterson, was moderator of the Presbyterian Church (1977 to 1978), and her mother was a physician.
Patterson undertook a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in social studies at Queen's University, Belfast, graduating in 1966. This was followed by a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in 1968 from the University of Toronto, specialising in community development. From 1971 to 1974, she trained for ordination at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree.
Before attending theological college in Edinburgh, Patterson had worked on the chaplaincy team at Queen's University, Belfast alongside Ray Davey. She was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in 1976. This made her the first woman in any denomination to be ordained in Ireland. She then served as a minister at Kilmakee Presbyterian Church in Dunmurry, Belfast. She stood twice to be moderator, but was not elected. She has been director of Restoration Ministries since 1991.
Honours
- 2000 University of Edinburgh/Royal Bank of Scotland Alumnus of the Year
- 2001 Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Presbyterian Theological Faculty, Ireland{{cite web|title=Presbyterians prepare to vote for new Moderator|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2010/01/presbyterians_prepare_to_vote.html|work=BBC News website|accessdate=17 January 2011}}
- 2003 OBE for public service{{cite news|title=Former Civil Service head is Knighted|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2615719.stm|work=BBC News Website|accessdate=17 January 2011|date=31 December 2002}}
- 2024 Member of the Royal Irish Academy{{Cite web |last=Power |first=Karen |date=2024-05-24 |title=Admittance Day 2024 |url=https://www.ria.ie/2024/05/24/admittance-day-2024/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Royal Irish Academy |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Ruth}}
Category:20th-century Presbyterian ministers from Northern Ireland
Category:21st-century Presbyterian ministers from Northern Ireland
Category:Christian clergy from Belfast
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
Category:University of Toronto alumni