On the Feast of Sts. Mary and Martha, July 29, 1974, the first 11 female priests in the Episcopal Church called "The Philadelphia 11" were ordained. Even before that, St. Stephen's was a pioneer in women's ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota, being the first parish in the Diocese to have a female acolyte, a female Lay Reader, a female Senior Warden and, in 1985, a female Rector. We are so grateful for the brave women who fought hard to heed God's calling in their lives and the life of the Church. We are truly a richer Church as a result. Our Sts. Mary and Martha window commemorates those women.
