Times are changing and
the Spirit is moving in our church in each of us as the gifts of the Holy
Spirit are being called forth to celebrate the sacraments, the holy moments
where God embraces us with unbounded grace. Catholics are gathering without
priests to celebrate the Eucharist in Ireland and other places where there are
no male priests to celebrate.
Jesus called both men
and women to be his disciples. (Luke 8:1-3) The Risen Christ sent Mary of
Magdala, the apostle to the apostles to proclaim the good news of the
Resurrection. Women in the early church presided at the Eucharistic
celebrations in their homes. (Romans 16)
According to Gary Macy in his scholarly book, The
Hidden History of Women's Ordination, women were ordained for the first
1200 years of the church's history. Even the Vatican's own Pontifical Biblical
Commission in 1976 concluded that there is nothing in the Bible to prohibit
women's ordination.
The Roman Catholic Women
Priests Movement started in 2002 with the ordination of seven women on the Danube.
Our first bishops were ordained by a male bishop with apostolic succession.
Therefore our Orders are valid. We are disobeying an unjust canon law that
discriminates against women. While the Vatican considers our initiative a
revolution, millions of Catholics welcome us grassroots inclusive, partnership
model of ministry as a "holy shakeup" whose time has come! We are
leading, not leaving the church, into its future now in grassroots communities.
In the United States, women priests serve in 29 states. We have grown from 7 to
140 and are in Europe, Canada, Latin America and the U.S.
If you are a woman called or know of any women
who feel called to serve the community in your parish or diocese as priests, please get in
touch with me. For more information, visit our website: www.arcwp.org
+ Bridget Mary
Meehan, arcwp
703-671-6712
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