This is the origin story of “Episcopal Priest Barbie,” as told by The Rev. Canon Dr. Dena Cleaver-Bartholomew, Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.
The concept, sacristy, accessories, and clothing for this “High Church Edition” doll were created by The Rev. Julie Blake Fisher, who currently serves as the rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Oxford, Ohio. While most of her accessories are not featured in this video, Rev. Barbie comes complete with a little black bag, inspired by one that Canon Dena used to carry, which holds an actual Bible (formerly at the end of a keychain) and a plastic laptop with a sermon-in-progress on its screen. She has a thurible made from a tea-strainer and a 15th century icon of the Holy Trinity, which matches the one Canon Dena still has on her desk in Providence.
Rev. Barbie first became an internet sensation in 2010, with a rush of publications and a Facebook page that grew to nearly 3,000 fans in its first week.
