On This Day

American Episcopal Church approves the ordination of women as priests and bishops

The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups.

The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination was traditionally reserved for men. Where laws prohibit sex discrimination in employment, exceptions are often made for clergy (for example in the United States) on grounds of separation of church and state. In some cases, women have been permitted to be ordained, but not to hold higher positions, such as (until October 2025) that of Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England.

Historical Significance

The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups.

Events Before

  1. TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" debuts on NBC

    Wheel of Fortune (often known simply as Wheel) is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show has aired continuously since January 6, 1975.

  2. Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (57) weds toy inventor Jack Ryan (48) (div. 1976)

    Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (57) weds toy inventor Jack Ryan (48) (div. 1976)

  3. Margaret Thatcher defeats Edward Heath for leadership of the British Conservative Party

    Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.

  4. Colour television transmission begins in Australia

    Television broadcasting in Australia began officially on 16 September 1956, with the opening of TCN-9, quickly followed by national and commercial stations in Sydney and Melbourne, all these being in…

  5. "Mirror," a Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and starring Margarita Terekhova and Ignat Daniltsev, is released

    Mirror is a 1975 Soviet avant-garde drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and written by Tarkovsky and Aleksandr Misharin.

Events After

  1. Erroll Garner dies

    Erroll Garner dies

  2. Belgium undergoes a major municipal reorganization and reapportions 2,359 communities into 596

    Belgium undergoes a major municipal reorganization and reapportions 2,359 communities into 596

  3. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs incorporate Apple Computer, Inc.

    Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of…

  4. American film director Martin Scorsese (34) divorces Julia Cameron (28) after 1 year of marriage

    Megalopolis is a 2024 American epic science fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola.

  5. Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC

    Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC

More from the 1970s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 16, 1976?
The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination was traditionally reserved for men. Where laws prohibit sex discrimination in employment, exceptions are often made for clergy (for example in the United States) on grounds of separation of church and state.
Why is American Episcopal Church approves the ordination of women as priests and bis... significant?
The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups.

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