Religious Leader and Women's Rights Advocate Ann Robb Smith is a resident of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and is married to Kaighn Smith, an obstetrician-gynecologist and former professor at Thomas Jefferson Medical School. They have three children and four grandchildren. Ann was a member of the Women’s ordination planning group prior to the ordination of eleven women deacons to the Episcopal priesthood, known as the Philadelphia 11. At that ordination, she was the lady presenter of Sue Hiatt for ordination. The Philadelphia 11 was ordained at the Church of the Advocate, Philadelphia on July 29, 1974, by Bishops Robert L. DeWitt, former Bishop of Pennsylvania, Daniel Corrigan, former head of the Church’s domestic missions, Edward Welles, retired bishop of West Missouri and Bishop Ramos. The eleven ordinands were: Merril Bittmer Alla Bozarth-Campbell Alison Cheek Emily Hewitt Carter Heyward Suzanne Hiatt Marie Moorefield Jeannette Piccard Betty Schiess Katrina Swanson Nancy Wittig L. Peter Beebe of Oberlin, Ohio was brought to trial in church courts for permitting women ordained in Philadelphia on July 29, 1974, to function as priests. Responses from church and press led to the establishment of the Women’s Ordination Now group to support those women whose ordination at Philadelphia was put under scrutiny and also to support the 3 ordaining bishops and priests who invited the women to celebrate the Eucharist. Ann Robb Smith was a member of the National Advisory Committee of Women’s Ordination Now. She has been ordained to the priesthood and currently serves as the Assistant at the Church of the Advocate.

click here