New Documentary "The Philadelphia Eleven" Explores Women’s Ordination In The Episcopal Church

In celebration of International Women's Day on March 8, the compelling new documentary The Philadelphia Eleven will have an exclusive virtual premiere via the Kinema streaming platform at 8:00 PM EST. The event will feature a post-screening conversation with film protagonists Rev. Carter Heyward, Rev. Nancy Wiittig, Episcopal clergy the Rt. Rev. Nedi Rivera, Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, and film director Margo Guernsey. The panel will be moderated by Katie Sherrod, director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, North Region.  

Tickets for the event are available for purchase on Kinema.  

Exclusion of women from ordination and other church leadership roles made headlines in 2023 when the Southern Baptist Convention banned women from the most senior leadership roles. Women in many parts of the Christian church continue a struggle for full inclusion in the sacraments and leadership of the church, a struggle that some women started 50 years ago.  

In 1974, there was a dramatic breakthrough of the so-called stained glass ceiling that gave hope to Christian women everywhere. At a church in Philadelphia, a group of eleven women were ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in violation of the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church - which at the time stated that only men were eligible for ordination. This story is told in The Philadelphia Eleven. 

This film tells a story that continues to resonate today as women seeking ordination continue to face resistance, disrespect and exclusion from roles reserved by men for men. The documentary explores the lives of these remarkable women who succeeded in transforming an age-old institution despite the threats to their personal safety and the risk of rejection by the church they loved.  

The Rev. Nancy H. Wittig is one of the Philadelphia Eleven featured in the movie. "It's amazing that women are still fighting for rights in the church, and continuing to feel blowback, similar to what we experienced 49 years ago," she reflected. "We are proud of the changes we have accomplished through our priesthood and the ordinations in Philadelphia." 

The film's director, Margo Guernsey, who is not Episcopalian notes, "This is a story for all of us. It is about how to break down barriers with grace and be true to oneself in the process. This story reveals ways in which voices that are inconvenient, are often buried. It also provides a vision for what a just and inclusive community looks like in practice."  

The March 8 screening event is produced in partnership with the Justice Film Festival, who since 2012 has been dedicated to creating a platform for redemptive stories of marginalized people and ecosystems bravely overcoming challenges and bringing hope, compassion, and light to a world in need of inspiration.

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