50th Anniversary of Women's Ordination
A celebration
Friday, April 26-Sunday, April 28, 2024
This weekend-long celebration has concluded, but we are maintaining this page as a resource, providing the background as well as videos of some of the weekend's events.
On July 29, 1974, eleven women previously ordained as Episcopal deacons became the first women to be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church. The service, which took place at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, was the culmination of a prolonged effort to break the “stained-glass ceiling” that prevented women from serving at the altar.
The 1974 ordinations were considered “irregular” since the General Convention of the Episcopal Church had not yet opened the priesthood to women. Three retired bishops presided over the liturgy to force the issue. The women, who came to be known as the Philadelphia Eleven, paved the way for the subsequent approval of the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate at the General Convention held in Minneapolis in 1976. This summer marks the 50th anniversary of that groundbreaking moment, and at St. Stephen’s Church we commemorated the milestone with programs and special guests over the weekend of April 26-28. The events were designed to help us reflect on this history and on the experience of women in other careers and life circumstances, and also to welcome back several women who have served at St. Stephen’s in the past.
Videos from the weekend are linked below.
Panel discussion following the documentary film "The Philadelphia Eleven" with the Rev. Claudia Merritt, the Rev. Cate Anthony, and the Rev. Whitney Edwards, with moderator the Rev. Will Stanley, April 26
Sermon by the Rev. Weezie Blanchard at the morning services on April 28
Sunday Forum with the Rev. Margaret Austin, the Rev. Weezie Blanchard, and the Rev. Cate Anthony, moderated by our rector, the Rev. John Rohrs, on April 28
Reflection by the Rev. Penny Nash at the Celtic service, April 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Special music: Watch recordings of the services held on April 28 to hear music selected especially for this commemoration. A description of these pieces is available here (PDF download).
Morning service | Evening service | Compline
Schedule of events
Friday, April 26, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall
A screening of “The Philadelphia Eleven” and panel discussion
The evening included a screening of a documentary film telling the story of this historic event. A 45-minute panel conversation followed, reflecting on the history and experience of women’s ordination in the Episcopal Church. The panel featured the Rev. Whitney Edwards, vicar of Varina Episcopal Church; the Rev. Claudia Merritt, one of the first women ordained after the General Convention opened all orders of ministry to women, and a former member of St. Stephen’s clergy staff; and the Rev. Cate Anthony, associate rector at St. Stephen’s.
Below, L to R: Edwards, Merritt
Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the fellowship hall
Faithful Women, Sacred Lives: Women’s retreat followed by luncheon
The Rev. Cate Anthony and the Women of St. Stephen’s hosted a women’s retreat celebrating the faith and ministries of the women of our community. Using the wisdom of Verna Dozier, a formidable Episcopal laywoman and theologian, participants will consider their personal vocations in the church and in their daily lives. The morning included time for reflection, conversation, and prayer. Following the women’s retreat, the Women of St. Stephen’s hosted a celebratory luncheon for the women of our community.
Sunday, April 28, 9 & 11:15 a.m. services, 10:10 Forum, and 5:30 p.m. service
The Rev. Weezie Blanchard preached at our morning services (9 and 11:15 a.m.), and the Rev. Penny Nash was the reflector at the Celtic service (5:30 p.m.).
At 10:10 a.m., during the Sunday Forum, the Rev. John Rohrs moderated a discussion featuring the Rev. Cate Anthony, and two clergy who have served at St. Stephen's Church in the past, the Rev. Weezie Blanchard and the Rev. Margaret Austin. Cate, Weezie, and Margaret discussed the contemporary experience of women clergy while also imagining the future of women’s ministry in the church.
The Rev. Weezie Blanchard served as vicar of St. Stephen’s from 2012 to 2014, after beginning as an associate rector here from 2007 to 2012. Before pursuing ordination, she had been our director of children’s ministry. Weezie recently retired as the rector of Church of the Ascension in Denver.
The Rev. Margaret Austin was associate rector at St. Stephen’s from 1997 to 2003, leading our first Disciples of Christ in Community (DOCC) groups and the Palmer Hall family service. She served as rector of parishes in Texas, Colorado, and Louisiana before retiring in Richmond.
The Rev. Penny Nash is the interim rector at St. James’s Church in Richmond and served as associate rector at St. Stephen’s from 2014 to 2020, when she shepherded our evening community, including the Celtic service, the Sunday Community Supper, and Compline.
Below, L to R: Blanchard, Austin, Nash