D055 50th Anniversary Triennium of the Ordination of Women

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church affirms Resolution 1976-B005 that amended Canon III.9.1 (now Canon III.1.3) to apply provisions regarding the three ordained Orders equally to men and women, and Resolution 1976-B300 that regularized the ordinations of those women ordained to the priesthood prior to this action; and be it further

Resolved, That the 50th anniversaries of women ordained to the priesthood in 1974 and 1975, and women ordained in early 1977 following the actions of the 1976 General Convention occurred within a three-year span that roughly parallels the span of the 2024 to 2027 triennium; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention encourages and supports churchwide events and programs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood. In doing so the Church celebrates both the historical and contemporary significance of increased gender diversity in the three ordained Orders, more closely reflecting that of the church overall; and be it further

Resolved, That commemorations occur across the 2024-2027 triennium utilizing liturgy, formation, reconciliation, and theological education, as we continue to transform unjust structures in the church and society; and be it further

Resolved, , That $18,000 be made available for support programs, events, and materials and implementation of diocesan and churchwide commemorative efforts, to be administered by the Director of LGBTQI and Women’s Ministries in consultation with an advisory group appointed by the Presiding Officers, consisting of five members who represent diverse constituencies of the Church.

Explanation

  1. The wartime ordination of Rev. Florence Li Tim-Oi to the priesthood in 1944 as the first female priest in Anglicanism and her post-World War II speaking engagements in New York and the San Francisco area awakened some Episcopal women to the possibility of ordination to the priesthood.
  1. Following the 1966 House of Bishops report supporting the ordination of women, the 10th Lambeth Conference’s (1968) Resolutions 34-38 collectively titled “The Ministry—Ordination of Women to the Priesthood” requested that provinces carefully study the question of the ordination of women and report their findings to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) and to consult with the ACC prior to ordaining women to the priesthood.
  1. In 1970, the 63rd General Convention (1970) approved women’s ordination to the diaconate in both Houses but fell short of the required majority in the House of Deputies clergy vote to open all ordained orders to women.
  1. Following the 1971 Anglican Consultative Council’s statement that provinces allowing the ordination of women to the priesthood would be acceptable (ACC-1 Resolution 28b), two women were ordained in the jurisdiction of Hong Kong and Macao, adding further momentum for the ordination of women to the priesthood to be voted upon at the 64th General Convention (1973).
  1. Resolution 1973-D008 at the 64th General Convention in Louisville KY was defeated, precipitating the irregular ordinations of eleven female deacons to the priesthood at Philadelphia’s Church of the Advocate on July 29, 1974, and four female deacons to the priesthood at Washington D.C.’s St. Stephen and the Incarnation parish on September 7, 1975.
  1. The 65th General Convention in Minneapolis MN amended Canon Title III.9.1 to open the ordination of women to all orders (1976-B300) and adopted the House of Bishops resolution (1976-B300) to regularize women irregularly ordained to the priesthood; further ordinations of women to the priesthood began in January, 1977.
  1. With the January 8, 1977, ordination to the priesthood of the Rev. Pauli Murray as the first African American female priest, women’s ordination initiated a demographic diversity yet further within the priesthood. (Murray also had been part of the six-member Joint Commission on Ordained and Licensed Ministries that put forth the 63rd General Convention’s (1970) resolution on the ordination of women.)
  1. The opening of the priesthood to women made possible the ordination of the Rt. Rev. Barbara Clementine Harris as bishop suffragan in the Diocese of Massachusetts and the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion on February 11, 1989, the 35th anniversary of which was commemorated in 2024.
  1. The opening of ordination to the priesthood and episcopate to women made possible the election of the first female Presiding Bishop in the Episcopal Church and the first female Primate in the Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, in 2006, the 20th anniversary of which is to be commemorated in the upcoming triennium.
  1. The 75th General Convention in Columbus OH passed Resolution 2006-A139 Celebrate Women in Ministry, expressing thanksgiving for all women in lay and ordained ministry and encouraging dioceses to celebrate women’s ministries according to local context, including the recognition of pioneers in the ordination of women, their witness, and courage, creates a precedent for the 50th anniversary triennium.
  1. A commemorative triennium of the ordination of women to the priesthood provides a means to communicate and celebrate these significant events as well as to acknowledge the history of mutually supportive efforts by both women and men, ordained and lay, to create a more just and demographically representative structure of ministry in the church; taken together it seeks to inspire new generations to continue efforts toward ministerial formation that more closely responds to the demographic diversity of the Episcopal Church.
  1. A commemorative triennium of the ordination of women to the priesthood offers ample opportunity for the planning and development of liturgy and worship, various events, programs, and materials involving discernment, formation, and education. It also offers opportunities to celebrate ways that women from diverse social locations have sought to transform unjust or inequitable structures in the church and society, both in varying diocesan contexts and churchwide.
  1. Just as the ordination of women has involved collaboration, commemorative efforts should value and reflect principles and practices of mutuality and inclusivity in mission, ministries, and outreach; local and diocesan collaboration is especially encouraged where feasible; funding can help support such efforts where assistance is most needed.