The Philadelphia Eleven
Margo Guernsey
In an act of civil disobedience, women who are called to be Episcopal priests organize their own ordination in defiance of church rules in 1974. Changing an institution based on 2,000 years of history is no small task. The women priests face death threats and harassment. Some lose friends, and others are banned from setting foot on church property. Their call becomes a public battle over who speaks the word of God, and a very personal journey. Despite the backlash, they successfully change the church by asserting their leadership and a vision for “a new way” on their own terms. In a civil rights story most people have never heard, we meet these trailblazers who succeed in creating a blueprint for lasting institutional change, and challenge the very essence of patriarchy within Christendom.