Roman Catholic Womenpriests will ordain 4 women in Chicago

MEDIA RELEASE
Release date: October 30, 2008

Contact: Laura Singer, 773-550-0847 (cell) or (773) 736-2562, LTS72@aol.com, www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org and www.womensordination.org

Chicago Chaplain to be ordained a Roman Catholic Womanpriest

Chicago, IL. On November 1, 2008, a Chicago woman will be ordained a Roman Catholic priest and three women will be ordained as Roman Catholic deacons in preparation for the priesthood at 1:00 p.m. at St. Pauls United Church of Christ, 2335 N. Orchard (Fullerton and Orchard). In the first Roman Catholic Womanpriest (RCWP) ordination in Chicago, Barbara Zeman (Chicago) will be ordained a priest, and Alta Jacko (Chicago), Linda Wilcox (Afton, MN), and Mary Styne (Milwaukee, WI) will be ordained deacons by Bishop Dana Reynolds of California.

"My ordination is a conscious response to and an affirmation of a call from God that has been present in me for many years,” stated Zeman. “I am not doing this for myself, but for previous generations of women who have served the church tirelessly, without recognition; for current generations who seek a more inclusive church where the dignity of each individual is realized; and, for future generations so that they do not have to suffer the inequities that others have." As a working priest in Chicago, Zeman will integrate her professional and spiritual life in hospital chaplaincy. She has already begun to build a faith community in her neighborhood and will continue to work with ministers in other faith traditions to keep alive Cardinal Bernardin’s vision of Common Ground – to create a climate in which people get along with each other and where the dignity of each human being is respected.

The ordinations will be conducted by RCWP, a movement which is building a reclaimed model of priesthood for a renewed Roman Catholic Church. Its goal is to achieve full equality of women and men in the Roman Catholic Church, and to live with inclusiveness, respect and justice for all in a community of open and affirming equals.

“I want to be ordained to help make a path for the other women who have the gifts and this same desire to serve in the Church,” said Wilcox. “I’m following my conscience, which I have learned in my Catholic teaching, is my obligation to do, even if it means going against authority. My ordination presents a public challenge to the Catholic Church’s ban on women priests and deacons that cannot be ignored.”

In 2008, RCWP are celebrating ordinations in eight locations in the United States and Canada. As of November 1, 2008 in the U.S., there will be 35 priests, 8 deacons, 16 candidates, 1 bishop and many applicants.

“These ordinations bring to light the service and commitment of Catholic women doing the work of priests,” said Laura Singer, Chicago area Catholic and Board President of the Women’s Ordination Conference. “These women are following the example of Jesus and challenging the unjust and sexist practices of the Catholic Church through direct action.” Many advocates of women’s ordination support these ordinations as one way to move toward full equality for women in the Catholic Church.

Media are welcome to cover the ordination ceremony. Media must register with contact person prior to the event for guidelines. Doors open at 12:15 p.m. Please be respectful; this is a sacred event. Ordination candidates and other RCWP and WOC representatives will be available for interviews after the ceremony, but not before. ###
Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) is an international initiative within the Roman Catholic Church that advocates for a new model of priestly ministry united with the people with whom they serve. The movement is an initiative within the Church that began with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River in 2002. Women bishops ordained in full apostolic succession continue to carry on the work of ordaining others in the Roman Catholic Church.

Founded in 1975 and based in Washington, D.C., the Women's Ordination Conference is the oldest and largest national organization working solely for the ordination of women as priests, deacons, and bishops into an inclusive Catholic Church. WOC also promotes new perspectives on ordination that call for more accountability and less separation between the clergy and laity.