About the Documentary

Exclusion of women from ordination and other church leadership roles made headlines earlier this summer 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 a compelling new documentary The Philadelphia Eleven.
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​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. These women became and remain an inspiration for generations of women in the ministry, and a clarion call for the entire Christian Church.
 
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, and then went on to comment, “we are proud of the changes we have accomplished through our priesthood and the ordinations in Philadelphia.”
 
The film’s director, Margo Guernsey, is not Episcopalian. She reminds others, “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 Screening at St. Andrew's

DATE AND LOCATION:
The feature documentary film will be screened at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 17 Church Street, Hanover, MA on Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 7 p.m. in the parish hall with an open discussion of the movie and the place of women in the church today to follow.
 
TICKET INFORMATION:
Attendance is free and open to the public.  A free-will donation will be accepted at the doors. Space is limited. We ask that you reserve a seat by (1) putting your name on the reservation sheet at St. Andrew’s before/after Sunday 9:30 a.m. services; (2) calling the office at 781-826-2062; or (3) using the reservation form at this LINK.

​INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOST:
As a joyful and loving community “Centered in God, Focused on Others”, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, founded in 1725, is proud to present this documentary.  It is particularly appropriate for our parish to bring this story to the community this year.  The Rev. Patricia Handloss (“Pattie”), our current interim rector, recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of her ordination as an Episcopal priest.  Considering the profound impact of that event 50 years ago, Pattie shared her memories: “Starting in 1970, I worked for the ordination of women with the Rev. Carter Haywood and the late Rev. Susan Hiatt as well most of the Philadelphia 11. We traveled across the county advocating for the ordination of women called by God to be priests. Those women, my sisters, walked with me on my journey to ordination.  Attending their ordination was one of the joys of my life.  I was filled with deep gratitude for their bravery and vision.”