Trailblazing Episcopal priest passes

INDIANAPOLIS — The first woman to ever serve as an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, in Indianapolis or anywhere, has died.

The Reverend Jacqueline Means was 87.

Jackie, as she was known to her friends, was “Hell of wheels,” according to family members, consistently fighting for the underdog and ministering in prisons.

Rev. Means served as Rector of St. Mark’s Church in Plainfield and was a founder of Craine House, serving women recently released from incarceration.

In 1993, she served on the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department Merit Board.

Following terrorist attacks on 9/11, Rev. Means was soon on the ground in New York City, ministering to first responders, victims and neighbors, a role she also fulfilled in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, in announcing Jackie’s death, called the groundbreaking clergywoman “a beacon of hope, conviction and love.”

Funeral Services will be held at All Saints Church, where Rev. Means was ordained, on June 21.

To read Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows’ statement about Rev. Mearsn’ passing, click here.