History
Mother and Daughter Acolytes
The mothers and daughters who acolyted at the Diocese of Southwest Florida's celebration of the 30th anniversary of the ordination of women, held at the cathedral in 2009.
The Episcopal Women’s Caucus was formed on October 30, 1971, during a meeting of professional lay women and deacons. Notified that the House of Bishops had created yet another study committee on the ordination of women, without having taken action on its previous studies, the women informed the Presiding Bishop of their refusal to cooperate further and constituted themselves the EWC.

Regional organizing conferences were held in 1972, and EWC chapters were created in many parts of the country. Following the ordinations in Philadelphia and Washington in 1974 and 1975, a special conference was called to develop strategies for the 1976 General Convention. These strategies contributed to the action of the 1976 Convention making the ordination canon equally applicable to women and men.

Marge Christie compiled an expanded history of the EWC in September 1996 for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus. It is taken from back issues of Ruach, the Caucus’ newsletter, dated Spring, 1974, through Winter, 1996.

Read The Story of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus 1971-2003.