LEWISTON – The Rev. Chilton Knudsen, Episcopal bishop of Maine, will speak at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at 161 Wood St., as part of “Spiritual Sojourners,” a series sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain at Bates College. The public is invited to attend free of charge. For more information, call the chaplain’s office at 207-786-8272.

Knudsen was the oldest child of a Navy family that lived in several parts of the world while she was growing up. Military life taught her to subordinate the interests of self to the mission at hand and to adopt an inner stance of respect toward all people.

The day after the historic vote that opened the priesthood to women, Knudsen announced her call to the ministry. She entered the ordination process in the Diocese of Chicago, which was deeply divided about the ministry of women. The years of study and the politically charged ordination process taught her to be persistent.

After ordination, Knudsen served St. Benedict’s parish in the Diocese of Chicago. Later she was named canon to the ordinary for pastoral care in that diocese. She was elected bishop of Maine in November 1997 and was consecrated at the Cathedral of St. Luke, Portland, on March 28, 1998.

Knudsen’s talk, the third in the series, will be followed by five additional 90-minute presentations throughout the balance of the academic year.