My parish hosted a screening of "The Philadelphia Eleven" last week at our local cinema and I was blown away. While it was mostly about the historical events and activism around women's ordination (with a lot of original footage and audio from the 70s), it featured interviews with many people who were part of the movement. The documentary was so powerful and poignant the whole way through, especially for me personally, as a woman/nonbinary person discerning Holy Orders. It opened my eyes to just how recently it was that women had to fight for equal recognition by our church. The proposal that women could be priests was extremely controversial at the time; some of the things that certain (male) bishops and priests said in response to the movement would be shocking by our standards today. I didn't know much about the movement before, but now I see it for what it is: a groundbreaking and important piece of our history and a turning point for our church. It's incredible how much things have changed in recent years—the first women ordained had to endure so much hatred and bigotry, it is simply amazing that they persevered. And I'm so grateful that they did. And some of them were so young! It was inspirational to see these women bravely pursuing their call despite the heavy opposition and censure by many powerful people in the church, and to see how communities gathered to support them in spite of institutional disapproval. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that one of the first eleven women who became priests in TEC is lesbian!

If we're going to continue to transform TEC to better reflect God's love for all, I think it's crucial to know our history. I really can't recommend this documentary enough; I am definitely going to watch it again when it comes out on streaming.

The filmmaker plans to make this documentary available for personal streaming next summer (2024), but for now, people can host screenings. All the information about the documentary is on their website here, including the trailer and information for screenings: https://www.philadelphiaelevenfilm.com/

Here is the blurb/description:

"In an act of civil disobedience, a group of women and their supporters organize their ordination to become Episcopal priests in 1974. The Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia welcomes them, but change is no small task. The women are harassed, some lose friends, and others are banned from stepping on church property.

In this feature-length documentary film, we meet the women who succeed in building a movement that transforms an age-old institution, and challenges the very essence of patriarchy within Christendom."