The Origins of Water Communion: Our Feminist Herstory

By Rev. Carol Bodeau

Dear Friends,

It was lovely to see so many of you, and hear your stories, at our recent Water Communion. This UU tradition, celebrated as the 'ingathering' at the beginning of the congregational year (September for most churches), dates back to important events in our denominational history, particularly events related to gender equity and anti-sexism.

In the 1970s, a number of women leaders in our denomination began to call for the elimination of sexist language and practices in our tradition. Our Bylaws, Principles and Purposes used explicitly masculine language to describe our membership and our work; our hymnals used traditional masculine language to describe both humanity and divinity; and our ways of doing things were decidedly patriarchal. This was true in the 20th century despite much earlier feminist tendencies in our traditions, both Unitarian and Universalist. Both of those denominations had been the first to ordain (often co-ordain) women clergy in the 1860s and 1870s.

One 20th century woman, Lucille Schuck Longview, was particularly important in urging the denomination on matters of gender-justice, and worked steadfastly for decades to make changes in our operations and communications. She was instrumental in the creation and adoption of a number of resolutions by our general assembly, including the 1977 "'Women and Religion" resolution, a resolution on "Battered 'Women" (1979) and another on "Patriarchy" (1980). She was also an initiator of the original statement that we "covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part."

In 1980, as part of this long and challenging work, the denomination held a Women and Religion Continental Convocation in East Lansing, Michigan. For that meeting, which was a powerful moment of women in the denomination coming together to work towards change, Lucille Schuck Longview and another important woman in our history, Carolyn McDade, created a ritual using water. They invited 8 women from far different geographical locations to symbolically pour water into a common container, representing the ways we come together from vastly different locations to create change together.

Here's what these leaders later said about that moment:

The water ceremony became the central part of a religious service that broke with tradition in significant ways. It was created by lay women, women who had long been silent in the pews. The ritual space was also made sacred by the women themselves. We gathered to worship in a way authentic and liberating to us, not as in a church but in a semicircle around a large common earthen bowl. It was a ritual of women's being connected by a universal symbol, water, a ritual of women being connected to the totality of life. (1)

When we engage in this ritual, and all the rituals of our tradition, it is good for us to remember that, while we adapt them to current needs, we have a deep and rich his/herstory. Those who went before us worked hard, and faced considerable obstacles, to create the things we may now take for granted. We can be inspired by, and grateful for, all their contributions.

I encourage you to learn more about those who went before in our tradition by checking out Harvard Square Library, a digital repository of UU his/herstory. It was founded by Rev. Dr. Herbert F. Vetter in 2000 and is now directed by Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie.

Check it out at harvardsquarelibrary.org. Harvard Square Library | a digital library of

Unitarian Universalism and religious liberalismHarvard Square Library

Enjoy!

Rev. Carol

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(1) Longview, Lucille Schuck and McDade, Carolyn. Quoted in Ritchie, Rev. Dr. Susan, Water Rituals and Ingatherings Revitalized, in The Digital library of Unitarian Universalist biographies, history, books, and media, Harvard Square Library, Water Rituals and Ingatherings, Revitalized | Harvard Square LibraryHarvard Square Library. Accessed 9/3/25 at 10:30am.