Celebration of Women’s Ordination to the Priesthood

All Minnesota Episcopalians are invited to join in a day of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church. Led by a cohort of women clergy from around the diocese, this joyful day will include story-sharing, a screening of The Philadelphia Eleven and panel discussion, dinner on the lawn of St. Mark’s Cathedral (bring a blanket!), and a Eucharist. History displays and videos will be available for viewing during the festivities.

• 3:00pm: Free event – watch the movie The Philadelphia Eleven with others 
• 4:30pm: Panel Discussion with a cohort of women priests
• 5:00pm: Potluck dinner together – bring a dish to share!
• 6:30pm: World premiere of Every Gift an Offering, a new documentary about women’s ordination in Minnesota
• 7:00pm: Women’s Ordination Anniversary Eucharist with Bishop Loya, Presider. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Preacher, and our own Reverend Mary Belfry Hansley as associate.

In 1976, the General Convention was in Minneapolis. Voting that year determined that women could and should be allowed to be ordained in the Episcopal Church of North America. The first woman to be ordained in Minnesota was our own Reverend Mary Belfry (soon to be Hansley) right here at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral!!! BUT, 2 years before, on July 29, 1974 – the Philadelphia Eleven were the FIRST women ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church; two years before General Convention affirmed and explicitly authorized the ordination of women to the priesthood. So, we are going to celebrate!!

About the film

In 1974, in an act of civil disobedience, eleven women are ordained as Episcopal priests. They face backlash and harassment as they build a movement that challenges patriarchy within Christendom. A group of women in the Episcopal Church share their call to become priests. After two legislative votes to make it possible for women to be ordained fail, they organize their own ordination as priests in defiance of church norms. The Church of the Advocate, a Black urban church in North Philadelphia, welcomes them. A huge congregation witnesses the service on July 29, 1974. Changing an institution based on 2,000 years of history is an enormous task. The women priests face threats and harassment. Some lose family and friends, and others are banned from setting foot on church property. Their opponents repeatedly question whether they are “proper matter for ordination.” Their ordination becomes not only a personal struggle, but also a very public battle over whether women are qualified to lead. Despite the backlash, they successfully change the church by asserting their leadership and a vision for “a new way” on their own terms. In a women’s rights story most people have never heard, we meet these trailblazers who challenge the very essence of patriarchy within Christendom, and successfully create a blueprint for lasting institutional change. You can read more about the celebrations for this anniversary across the Episcopal Church here. Questions? Feel free to contact Reverend Siri Hustad Sirih@ourcathedral.org