July 29 is the 50th anniversary of ordination of the Philadelphia Eleven — the first women ordained priests in The Episcopal Church at Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate. Photo: Archives of The Episcopal Church
[Episcopal News Service] July 29 will mark 50 years of women’s ordination in The Episcopal Church, and Episcopalians across the church are preparing this month to celebrate those initial 11 trailblazing women, who are remembered fondly today as the Philadelphia Eleven.
The 11 were Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield, Jeanette Piccard, Betty Bone Schiess, Katrina Swanson and Nancy Wittig. They were ordained to the priesthood on July 29, 1974, at Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate, paving the way for the churchwide authorization of women’s ordination two years later.
Several dioceses are promoting screenings of “The Philadelphia Eleven” documentary to coincide with the anniversary, and special worship services are planned.
In the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral has committed to a yearlong celebration of women in the church, starting July 28 with its Holy Eucharist. Heyward, as one of the Philadelphia Eleven, will preach. A screening of the documentary will follow.
In the Diocese of Easton, Episcopalians are invited to view the documentary on July 28, followed by a discussion with the Rev. Marianne Ell, who was the first women ordained in the coastal Maryland diocese. Other screenings and discussions include events planned in the dioceses of Alabama, the Central Gulf Coast, Chicago, Los Angeles, West Texas and Western Oregon.
“Women in many parts of the Christian church have struggled for full inclusion in the sacraments and leadership since the beginning of organized religion. But in 1974 a dramatic breakthrough of the so-called stained-glass ceiling took place that gave hope to Christian women everywhere,” the Diocese of Wisconsin said in promoting its July 28 screening at Saint John’s on the Lake in Milwaukee.
The filmmakers also will make the documentary available for viewing online July 26-29 for $11, with proceeds supporting efforts to expand the film’s distribution.
Other events will highlight contemporary women’s leadership in the church. The Diocese of Arizona is organizing a clergy processional on July 28 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination. All clergy women are invited to vest and process for the afternoon service at Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix.
Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri, has scheduled several hours of commemorative events on July 28, starting with Evensong featuring music by female composers. After a screening of the documentary, a panel discussion will include four women who were ordained priests in the 1980s.
The movie’s premiere was held last September at Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia. Six of the Philadelphia Eleven are still living, and the filmmakers interviewed each of those six for the documentary, as well as Schiess, before she died in 2017, and Cheek, who died in 2019.
This image from the documentary film, “The Philadelphia Eleven,” shows the eleven women who were ordained as priests on July 29th, 1974. Photo credit: Nikki Bramley
In 1974, no canon specifically forbade women from becoming priests in The Episcopal Church, but to that point diocesan standing committees and bishops had almost uniformly rejected women’s requests for ordination to the priesthood. Only one of the Philadelphia Eleven had received the backing of her standing committee, and their bishops refused to ordain them.
Instead, three retired bishops agreed to ordain the 11 women on July 29, 1974, even though doing so without the approval of diocesan leadership could be seen as violating canonical law and church tradition. Church leaders debated the validity of the women’s ordinations for two years until General Convention approved a new section of the church’s ordination canons in September 1976 saying its provisions “shall be equally applicable to men and women.”
An updated interactive timeline on women’s ordination, produced by Episcopal News Service in 2014 for the 40th anniversary, can be found here.
“The journey towards ordination required a brave and visionary group of women and their allies to stand firmly in their beliefs and their faith, following the Holy Spirit where it led them,” Washington National Cathedral said in promoting its celebration of the anniversary. “The challenges did not stop with ordination as women priests faced hurdles and pushback as they strived for equal footing in the church.”
National Cathedral has scheduled a Festival Holy Eucharist at 11:15 a.m. July 28, with a sermon by New York Assistant Bishop Mary Glasspool. The livestreamed service will be followed by an in-person screening of “The Philadelphia Eleven.”
The 81st General Convention, at its meeting last month in Louisville, Kentucky, also passed several resolutions recognizing the Philadelphia Eleven and the 50th anniversary of their ordination. Resolution D055 invites commemorations over the next three years, marking an anniversary triennium.
“General Convention encourages and supports churchwide events and programs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood and the 50th anniversary of the first time a woman priest presided at the Eucharist,” D055 says. “In doing so the church celebrates both the historical and contemporary significance of increased gender diversity in the three ordained orders, more closely reflecting that of the church overall.”
Cheek was the first woman to celebrate Eucharist as an Episcopal priest, on Nov. 10, 1974, at St. Stephen’s and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. That milestone, “launching the public ministry of Episcopal women priests,” is also noted in A188, a courtesy resolution adopted by the House of Deputies.
And General Convention’s passage of Resolution C023 was a first step toward adding a feast commemorating the Philadelphia Eleven to the church’s official calendar. It is expected to be taken up for final adoption in 2027 when the 82nd General Convention convenes in Phoenix.
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.