The Anglican Church will ordain its first female Aboriginal priest at a service in Brisbane on Saturday.
Reverend Alex Gater has studied theology for eight years and became a deacon in 1997.
The 59-year-old has been an outspoken member of the church and once threatened to quit after a row with Dr Peter Hollingworth when he was Brisbane Archbishop.
Friend and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner (ATSIC) Robbie Williams says it will help the church break down barriers and recognises her years of service.
"She has done much, much work not only in the community but in the prisons and everything like that, with the men and the women," he said.
"It will be great to see Alex acknowledged and the hard work and I'm sure other people will follow in her tracks too."
The ordination has been hailed by Indigenous groups as a great step forward.
Mr Williams says it will help the Anglican church reengage the community and heal old wounds.
"Through the mission days as well as the foster parents and all that kind of stuff, the Anglican Church are actually making a good step in the right direction by what they've done with this," he said.
"In many of our ethnic communities, as well as our Indigenous communities, our women are the backbone of our community.
"The actual Church is actually starting to recognise this too, so maybe it's a modern-day turnaround."