Honoring the Philadelphia Eleven
By: The Rev. Brenda J. Sol
In 1974, I was in the sixth grade and, though I was growing-up in a rural, Montana farming community, bound by distinct gender roles, Miss Brooks engaged us in some heated discussions. We girls liked the idea of being feminists, and argued for shared parenting, cooking and cleaning roles (it hadn’t yet occurred to us that we might have a career outside the home!). The boys argued they’d be busy tending livestock and maintaining crops; they didn’t have time to change diapers! Little did I know that, on the other side of the country, 11 women were becoming Episcopal priests, and that their courage—along with the support of the three bishops willing to break the rules to ordain them—was paving the way for women around the world.
Even in the late 70’s, as women were ordained across many denominations, I still didn’t know that a vocation in ministry was open to me, which is odd, because I was very involved in our local Lutheran church. Looking back, it’s clear God was calling me into ministry and I was answering in the ways I knew how. For instance, every summer, I helped teach Vacation Bible School; I had my own first grade Sunday School classroom, when I was a senior in High School; I was one of the leaders of our Youth Group; and, I always accepted the intern pastor’s invitation to deliver the children's sermon during Sunday Worship. Our very conservative lead pastor, however, preached about how women should provide their husbands with lots of babies. And, when I begrudgingly disclosed that I had been accepted into the architectural school at University of Oregon, he dismissed my dreams. Scoffing, he said, “My son couldn’t make it as an architect. You surely won’t!”
It took me a couple of more decades to finally answer the call to ministry I had long been denying, and I’m so grateful to the friends and mentors who encouraged me along the way. But, I’m even more appreciative of those who were willing to challenge the system. The Episcopal Church hasn’t always been on the just side of history, but as an organization, it continues to right itself, seeking justice and dignity for all. I’m glad that, through my leadership as an Episcopal priest, the children in our pews are learning they, too, can be all that God is calling them to be.
