Hyacinth Boothe to receive Stella Gregory award

The Reverend Dr Hyacinth Boothe has been selected as this year's recipient of the Stella Gregory Award from Soroptimist International of Jamaica (Kingston).

Boothe will receive the award during the club's 48th anniversary charter luncheon, next Saturday, at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel.

The Stella Gregory Award, named for the club's late founder, is presented annually to a woman who has excelled in her profession. The professional category in which the award is being made in 2010 is religion.

Boothe began her vocation as a deaconess in the Methodist Church in 1956, having received training at the United Theological Seminary. After nine years as a deaconess, she returned to studies in theology in Canada, and received a Bachelor of Divinity from Emanuel College in Toronto and the Bachelor of Arts with first class honours from the University of Toronto. She earned her doctor of philosophy degree in 1988 for her thesis Gospel and Culture; Accommodation or Tension - An Enquiry into Priorities of the Gospel in the Light of Jamaica's Historic-cultural Experience vis-a-vis Western 'Christian' Civilisation.

More than 50 years of ministry

Boothe was ordained a Methodist minister in 1975 and has the distinction of being the first woman to be ordained in the Methodist Conference of the Caribbean and the Americas. In her more than 50 years of ministry, Boothe has been working with women and young people, preaching the gospel, teaching, lecturing, and undertaking telephone and radio broadcasts. Earlier this year, her dedication to service through Christian ministry was recognised nationally when she was conferred with the honour of the Order of Distinction Commander Class.

The Soroptimist International Club (Kingston) is a volunteer service organisation for women in business, management and the professions. It is one of five clubs in Jamaica affiliated with Soroptimist International, which comprises four federations and service clubs in 120 countries worldwide. Over the years, the club has significantly influenced national policy, leading to advancement in the status of women and children.