Grace Cathedral

On July 29, 1974, eleven women were ordained at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, PA, slowly unleashing a new and more inclusive era in the ordained leadership of The Episcopal Church. In honor of the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination, Grace Cathedral hosted a weeklong celebration with topical sermons, prayers, and music by women composers. Here are the highlights.

The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean: Why We Need Women Priests

The Rev. Canon Mary Carter Greene, Canon Pastor: It’s too bad women can’t be priests because I would love to be one.

The Rev. Canon Anna E. Rossi, Canon Precentor and Director of Interfaith Engagement: Women’s Ordination at 50: Joy, Perspective and the Onward March

The Rev. Dr. Ruth A. Meyers, Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics, Church Divinity School of the Pacific: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women