In July, 1974, eleven women were ordained as Episcopal priests in Philadelphia, the first women to be ordained priests in our Church (the first female Anglican priest had been ordained 30 years prior in Hong Kong). This past week the trailer for a new documentary about “The Philadelphia Eleven” was shared at a big Episcopal conference in Jacksonville. The movie will tell the story of the women who made history by bending (along with the bishops who ordained them) the rules of the Church in order to follow the clear calling of God. Now, we tend to take women’s ordination for granted. In the 1970’s, it was very much a live issue in our Church.
Technically speaking, when the women were ordained, there was no canon law in the Episcopal Church preventing their ordinations. Four years earlier women had been seated at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, and the church’s canons had been changed to eliminate the distinction between deacons (men) and deaconesses (women). In 1971 the Anglican Consultative Council had suggested women’s ordination should be allowed in certain places under certain conditions. Nonetheless, the 1973 General Convention didn’t pass an explicit endorsement of women’s ordination on a technicality. While there was no tacit endorsement, neither was there a legal prohibition.
With custom and tradition being the only remaining barriers, three retired bishops in good standing with the Church gathered to ordain the Philadelphia Eleven in the summer of 1974. The response was not all joy, but also anger and shock, as some of you will well remember. The House of Bishops met shortly thereafter and was set to declare the ordinations invalid until one of their number stood and reminded the bishops of hundreds of years of precedent for recognizing ordinations as valid. They fell back to simply referring to the women’s ordinations as “irregular,” suggesting that the Church refrain from recognizing their priesthood or ordaining more women until the General Convention met to make it official (which it would indeed do two years later).
But, once someone lets the Holy Spirit out of the bag, it never wants to go back in, does it? Most of the eleven women were given opportunities to live into their priestly identity right away, although several were brought up on charges for “failing to obey” their bishops. More women were ordained, and we haven’t looked back. Women’s ordination was not a new concept in the 1970’s. Women had been ordained in other traditions as early as the first half of the 19th century. In the decades before the Episcopal Church ordained women, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Moravians, and even Southern Baptists had all ordained women, even if the numbers were low. Regardless, to be on the leading edge of any change, particularly a change as significant as ordination within a church like ours takes courage and perseverance.
I look forward to seeing the documentary when it comes out. It’s part of our history that is certainly worth celebrating. God guides and prods us into new ways of seeing and believing, often in “irregular” ways. Maybe that’s because God’s ways are just that different from ours. When the Kingdom of Heaven comes near things often feel out of place at first, and then it turns out to be ok – even better than ok – holy and right. There are moments when we as a Church glimpsed a truth that was not reflected in the tradition and history of the Church. But, through discernment and prayer, and no small amount of bravery and perseverance, we moved into a new era pursuing what is meet and right. It kind of makes me wonder if there are other frontiers the Holy Spirit is charging towards?
My life and ministry has been blessed by many women who God called to serve as priests and bishops. This parish has certainly been blessed by several wonderful priests in this category: The Rev. Nancy Acree, The Rev. Dee Shaffer, The Rev. Leigh Hall, The Rev. Becky Rowell, The Rev. Ashton Williston, and The Rev. Katie Knoll-Lenon. I give thanks for each of them and pray that God will bless and magnify their ministries!
If you missed it above, here’s the link for The Philadelphia Eleven trailer: https://vimeo.com/797111253
Tom+
Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every
good and perfect gift: Send down upon our bishops, and
other clergy, and upon the congregations committed to their
charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace: and, that they may
truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy
blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate
and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Photo Credits: Philadelphia Eleven Ordination, via Philadelphia Inquirer, Fair Use.