“I am absolutely happy with my life,” says Audrey Taylor Gonzalez. And to say Audrey has lived her life to the fullest is a grave understatement. A writer, priest, volunteer, theater sponsor and art collector, Audrey has taken her many talents to every corner of the globe, filling many different roles and fulfilling the needs of others. In addition to her time in Memphis, she has lived in Tanzania, Wyoming, California, Uruguay and England, where she studied seminary. Her love of travel and learning go hand in glove with her adventurous and open-minded approach to life.
Raised on a horse farm in Germantown, Audrey began her writing career at Hollins College (now Hollins University) in Virginia. In addition to founding a magazine at Hollins, she wrote for The Commercial Appeal during the summers and full-time after college. During her time at the newspaper, she traveled throughout Africa while on assignment, settling in Tanzania (Tanganyika, at the time) for two years.
In 1976, wanting to write an article about local barbecue joints, Audrey, visited and rated 60 barbecue pits. This resulting article, published in Memphis Magazine, inspired the first Memphis in May International Barbecue Cooking Contest in 1978. She was asked to judge that inaugural contest and continued to judge for several more years.
In 1986, Audrey moved to Montevideo, Uruguay from California. During that time, she fell in love with the area and became involved with the Anglican church. After some locals vandalized the cathedral, she became inspired to volunteer there. Audrey initiated and operated a soup kitchen out of the basement at Holy Trinity to support the under-resourced community of Montevideo. With encouragement from the head priest, Audrey felt called to explore the prospect of ordained ministry. In 1995, after earning a certificate in theology from St. John’s College in Nottingham, England, Audrey became the first female Anglican priest in South America.
After returning to Holy Trinity as an ordained priest, she began volunteering in the Uruguayan prisons. This was when the real passion of her life began to take root. Audrey served as chaplain to the prisoners there. “I needed them to know what it is like to be treated like human beings and children of God,” she explains. She donated children’s toys and candy to the prisoners during the holidays so that they would have gifts to give their children. For many of these prisoners, it was the first time they had ever been able to give their children presents. Audrey also founded a theater troupe at the prison in Montevideo to perform a play written by a Uruguayan author. She convinced authorities to allow these prisoners, some convicted of violent crimes, to leave the premises to perform in a public theater. Many local dignitaries attended the performance, and all considered it a huge success. This rewarding program took hold at other prisons throughout the area. When asked about this groundbreaking volunteer work, Audrey humbly stated, “I wanted to introduce the prisoners to options that would help them lead meaningful and productive lives upon release.”
In 2004, Audrey moved back to Memphis and continued her ministry here. She joined the staff at Calvary Episcopal Church, a downtown church known for its outreach to the underserved downtown community. She served as chaplain for the Juvenile Court. Because of her work there, Audrey was recently featured in the Tony Allen: The Grindfather | Memphis Grizzlies Documentary where she brought Tony in as a motivational speaker for incarcerated youth. Audrey describes her work in the Memphis prison system by saying, “My true love is the Memphis Police Department – always has been!”
Throughout all the chapters in Audrey’s life, she has nurtured a love of art. She covered the Arts for The Commercial Appeal and The Memphis Press Scimitar. She opened an art gallery for a couple of years, although she admits it wasn’t very successful. She counts many well-known local artists as dear friends, including Mary Sims, Jack Robinson and Terry Twyman. In her early works, Mary Sims was known for her portraits, which were comprised of flat forms using bold colors. Standing before her own portrait, Audrey giggles, “Because we were friends, I modeled all the time for Mary when she painted these portraits. She used my face over and over. I can’t imagine how many homes my portrait hangs in now!”
Audrey’s home is brimming with a lifetime collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs, including a photo of her audience with Pope Francis. Most paintings reflect her priesthood and her family, whom she dearly loves. It’s unmistakable that Audrey is happy with her life!