Barbara C. Harris, the first woman to be ordained a bishop in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion, died Friday in Massachusetts. She was 89.
She was elected as a suffragan, or assistant, bishop in September 1988. On Feb. 11, 1989, Harris was consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
Her rise to bishop broke centuries of precedent for tens of millions of Christians in the Anglican Communion, which has members in more than 165 countries.
Standing at only about 5 feet, she was "a giant in a tiny package," said Gene Robinson, a friend and colleague. "She did more to convince girls and women that they could do anything they set their mind to, she affected the lives of so many people she never met."