Philly 11

50th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood in the Episcopal Church 1974-2024

 10:00 a.m.

Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral

Join us on Sunday, July 28th as we celebrate women in the Church - capturing the voices of those who were inspired and changed by the ordination of women into The Episcopal Church.

Churches from across the Diocese are asked to have their Sunday service at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral for the 10:00 a.m. service of Holy Eucharist where one of The Philadelphia 11 - the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward - will preach and women from across the Diocese will be represented.   For churches in need of transportation to the Cathedral, please contact jenbtucker@diopa.org.

Lunch will be served after the Eucharist. A screening of the documentary film The Philadelphia Eleven will take place at 1:00 p.m. followed by a panel discussion.

Anyone who is interested in singing in the combined choir for this special service, please contact Dr. Thomas Lloyd, Canon for Music and the Arts at the Cathedral, for further details. Email:  tlloyd@philadelphiacathedral.org  

The Diocese is also partnering with Story Corps to capture voices of female priests impacted and inspired by this momentous event in the Church. 

Background
The Philadelphia 11 were ordained at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, two years before General Convention authorized the ordination of women. The women ordained were Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield, Jeanette Piccard, Betty Schiess, Katrina Swanson, and Nancy Wittig.