On July 29, 1974, the Philadelphia Eleven emerged as the pioneering cohort of women within the Episcopal Church of the US to attain ordination into the priesthood. It happened in Philadelphia. As for the General Convention (GC), it was only two years later that it gave its consent to this event and the subsequent ordination of women to this ministry. We shall provide you with further details regarding the historical context of this narrative and its realization. Read more on philadelphianka.
Can a woman be a priest?
The Episcopal Church lacked an ecclesiastical statute explicitly forbidding the consecration of women as deacons, priests, or bishops. That is, in theory, women had the same right to do so as men. Nevertheless, solely men received consecration into the priesthood. There was a rank of deaconess for women. But the attitude towards them was still different than towards men who were deacons.
The women who received this rank wore blue clothes and resembled nuns. They were not ordained to the priesthood according to an unwritten agreement that suited everyone for a while.
Yet, starting in the early twentieth century, women commenced seeking avenues to amplify their presence and sway within ecclesiastical spheres. They assumed roles as ecclesiastical personnel and oversaw institutions dedicated to theological instruction. In 1970, lay women were first granted the right to vote in the GC. This term denotes the two-chambered legislative assembly of the Episcopal Church. After that, they began to speak openly about the restrictions on women’s rights and call for their expansion.
In the same year, church authorities equalized the rank of deacon for men and women. This somewhat eased the tension. At the same time, the question of further ordination of women as priests and bishops was raised. It was a logical continuation of a religious career, and women also claimed to be ordained. They drafted a resolution to that effect during the next convention.
Further events developed as follows:
- The first resolution was supported, but did not receive the required number of votes for approval.
- In 1971, the Anglican Consultative Council considered this issue and concluded that women could be ordained under special conditions.
- The women did not give up and formed their own national coalition to defend their aspirations.
- In 1973, the GC again rejected this proposal.
However, there were bishops who supported women. In that same year, they granted them permission to participate in the solemn rite of consecration to the priestly office. The deaconesses thought that they would not only participate but also receive the desired rank. But the Bishop of New York, Paul Moore Jr. refused at the last minute to lay his hands on their heads. The women immediately left the service, as did most of the congregation.
Eleven pioneering women priests
In the summer of 1974, three bishops, who were by then no longer serving in official capacities, nonetheless consented to confer ordination upon a cohort of women. They were D. Corrigan of Colorado, R. L. DeWitt of Pennsylvania and E. R. Wells II of West Missouri.
They selected 11 deaconesses who were ready for ordination and held a service on July 29, 1974, at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia. One of the women, Susan Hyatt, served there as a deacon. The service began at 11 a.m. and lasted three hours. The event gathered more than 2,000 witnesses. Most of them were supporters of the ordination of women, but there were also protesters.
For example, when the time was customarily given at the service to speak out about any obstacles or crimes that could hinder the ordination, the male priests present read out protest statements. However, the bishops replied that they were acting in accordance with the commandments of God and could only rely on them. They then continued the ceremony.
Photos from the service were published in The Philadelphia Inquirer the day after the event and went viral. It was powerful news for all women.
Further developments
Despite the fact that the ordination took place in accordance with all the rules and traditions, there were many men who did not agree with this turn of events. Fourteen days thereafter, the esteemed Bishop John Allin convened an urgent assembly of the House of Bishops, which pronounced the ordination invalid and without effect.
Bishop A. A. Vogel of West Missouri appealed the decision. The House examined his testimony and revised its stance, proclaiming the ordination unlawful. They found a reason for this, namely, the lack of approval from local committees. It was a small detail, but necessary. The women were educated, passed exams, had testimonies from clergy and laity but did not fulfill all the requirements of the church bureaucracy. The House of Bishops appealed for a deferment in the formal recognition of their standing until the forthcoming convention.
Over the next two years, heated discussions on this issue continued. In September 1976, the GC ultimately ratified the resolution, granting formal sanction for the ordination of women. It was a long and difficult struggle, but in the end it brought the desired results and opportunities for women in the church hierarchy.
Meanwhile, the women who had been ordained in Philadelphia two years earlier continued their work in the religious field. One of them, Barbara C. Harris, became the first woman to be ordained a bishop in 1989.