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The Philadelphia Eleven

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer
Published March 7, 2025 at 10:20 AM PST
Individual photos of the group of Episcopal priests known as “the Philadelphia Eleven”. Pictured from left to right top row: The Rev. Nancy Wittig, The Rev. Alla Renée Bozarth, The Rev. Suzanne Hiatt, The Rev. Marie Moorefield Fleischer, The Rev. Jeannette Piccard. Bottom row: The Rev. Katrina Swanson, The Rev. Betty Bone Schiess, The Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, The Rev. Merrill Bittner, The Rev. Emily Hewitt, The Rev. Alison Cheek.
Nikki Bramley, courtesy of Time Travel Productions
/
APT
Individual photos of the group of Episcopal priests known as “the Philadelphia Eleven”. Pictured from left to right top row: The Rev. Nancy Wittig, The Rev. Alla Renée Bozarth, The Rev. Suzanne Hiatt, The Rev. Marie Moorefield Fleischer, The Rev. Jeannette Piccard. Bottom row: The Rev. Katrina Swanson, The Rev. Betty Bone Schiess, The Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, The Rev. Merrill Bittner, The Rev. Emily Hewitt, The Rev. Alison Cheek.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with the PBS app

"The Philadelphia Eleven," a largely unknown women's rights story, introduces viewers to the trailblazers who challenged the very essence of patriarchy within Christendom and successfully created a blueprint for lasting institutional change.

A group of the priests known as “the Philadelphia Eleven” gather for a procession to honor the late Rev. Alison Cheek who passed away in 2019. Pictured from left to right: The Rev. Emily Hewitt, The Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, The Rev. Marie Moorefield Fleischer, The Rev. Thomas Murphy, The Rev. Merrill Bittner.
Nikki Bramley, courtesy of Time Travel Productions
/
APT
A group of the priests known as “the Philadelphia Eleven” gather for a procession to honor the late Rev. Alison Cheek who passed away in 2019. Pictured from left to right: The Rev. Emily Hewitt, The Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, The Rev. Marie Moorefield Fleischer, The Rev. Thomas Murphy, The Rev. Merrill Bittner.

The film chronicles how a group of women in the Episcopal Church shared a call to become priests. After two legislative votes to make it possible for women to be ordained failed, they organized their own ordination as priests in defiance of church norms.

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Some of the women priests known as “the Philadelphia Eleven” gather for a short prayer with friends and family before a meal. Photo taken in 2019. Pictured from left to right: The Rev. Emily Hewitt, Sue Sasser, Darlene O’Dell, The Rev. Nancy Wittig.
Nikki Bramley, courtesy of Time Travel Productions
/
APT
Some of the women priests known as “the Philadelphia Eleven” gather for a short prayer with friends and family before a meal. Photo taken in 2019. Pictured from left to right: The Rev. Emily Hewitt, Sue Sasser, Darlene O’Dell, The Rev. Nancy Wittig.

Their ordination became not only a personal struggle but also a very public battle over whether women were qualified to lead. Despite the backlash, they successfully changed the church by asserting their leadership and a vision for a new way – on their own terms.

Hate mail received by the women ordained as Episcopal priests in 1974 in the months that followed the service. 
Nikki Bramley, courtesy of Time Travel Productions
/
APT
Hate mail received by the women ordained as Episcopal priests in 1974 in the months that followed the service. 

Philadelphia Eleven Doc on Instagram

Credits: Distributed by American Public Television

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Jennifer Robinson
Jen is a web producer at KPBS, responsible for program promotion, online membership-related activities, and is the editor of the KPBS community calendar. Jen has worked at KPBS since 2000. She is originally from Las Vegas and attended UNLV.
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