Philadelphia Eleven Service

Sunday, 28 July 2024 I was invited to serve on the altar at the National Cathedral for the Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women as priests in the Episcopal Church. Following the service, I was fortunate enough to be able to view the documentary on the Philadelphia Eleven.
The documentary was about the Eleven women that were ordained in Philadelphia in 1974, two years before the General Convention authorized the ordination of women. Their ordination was considered to be irregular, and they were forbidden to celebrate the Eucharist (communion). In 1975, they were joined by four more women who were ordained in Washington, DC. Both the 1970 and 1973 General Conventions rejected the resolution to ordain women but at the General Convention in 1976 it was finally approved.

Since that time, there have been over 6000 women ordained priests. This doesn’t include deacons, who have a separate history in the Episcopal Church.  In 1970 when women were admitted as deputies at the General Convention is when the Deaconess Canon (church law) was abolished, and all existing ‘deaconesses’ were automatically made full deacons of the church. Since that time both men and women have been ordained as deacons, either as a transitional step before priestly ministry, or in order to serve as deacons.

Interesting to note is that our diocese, EDOW, was at the forefront of ordaining women to be priests. In November 1974, the Rev. Alison Clark celebrated the Eucharist at St. Stephen and the Incarnation in DC. In January 1975 the EDOW Standing Committee voted in support of the ordination of two women candidates. In April 1975 the EDOW Bishop halted all ordinations “until qualified women can be ordained with men.” In September 1975 EDOW hosted a second set of irregular ordinations at St. Stephen and the Incarnation of four women. Finally, on Sept 15, 1976 the Episcopal church votes YES to women priests with the caveat that ordinations could begin on January 1, 1977.
There is a lot more I could tell you but if you read this far you are good.
Suffice it to say I was honored and humbled to represent the deacons at the table and to serve with the women from the diocese. If you saw any of the service, you would’ve seen that the entire altar party was women.
As someone who has been one of those glass ceiling breakers it is an honor and privilege to be amongst those of us who are still making inroads into the man’s world.