 |
| Luz Galilea prostrates during Ordination Rite |
 |
 |
| Theresa Rodriguez. Linda Lee Miska and Jack Duffy sing Litany of the Saints |
 |
| Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP lays hands on Luz Galilea during priestly ordination |
Luz Galilea is 50
years old, married with one daughter.
 |
| ARCWP candle given as gift by Rosemarie Smead ARCWP |
 |
| Bridget Mary anoints Luz' hands for priestly ministry |
Her personal
commitments are with Partenia, diocese
without borders (see http://www.partenia.org/ and with ATD Cuarto Mundo (see http://www.atd-quartmonde.org) a human rights organization which is an
NGO, working with UNICEF and the European Council.
 |
| Pat MacMillian read the first Reading from Isaia, Dotty Shugrue,ARCWP seated, was MC |
Luz has also spent
years working with marginalized people of the First World, doing pastoral
work in poor neighborhoods with children and women (catechism training and
accompaniment. She is a translator by
profession.
(This beautiful bird moved from Window to Window as if trying to get the best view and was not perturbed by photographers! He/She was a blessed and welcome visitor reminding us of our oneness with all in the community of creation!)
 |
| Sand Hill Crane came and stayed outside for much of the ordination! |
In the first reading,
Isaiah the prophet proclaims God’s vision for us as the kindom of God.
According to scripture scholars the word “kindom” is best translated as a “companionship
of empowerment.”(Diarmuid O’Murchu) As companions on the journey all of us are
called to be prophets: “Work for justice! For my liberation is about
to come, and my justice is about to come.”
 |
| Luz Galilea, newly ordained priest holds consecrated bread and wine at Communion Rite at Ordination Liturgy |
My sisters and brothers, today,
we are living our prophetic call as we ordain Luz to serve God’s people
so that Gospel equality and a church of inclusion may grow.
In the Gospel, a pregnant Mary, who has fled her home, greets her cousin
Elizabeth who is also pregnant. Both women are midwives of grace who create a sacred space for
each other.
 |
| Mary and Elizabeth from stained glass window in Ireland |
In
the Sanctuary of Women, Jan Richardson depicts the scene: “According to a medieval French
prayerbook, two women meet on a road. Elizabeth,
having hurried from her house, leans toward her cousin Mary, one hand on her
shoulder, the other on her pregnant belly in an ancient gesture of blessing…. As
they lean into one another, these two women make a sanctuary. With the arc of
their bodies, with the aches of their longing for someone who understands, with
the power of a blessing given and received, Mary and Elizabeth created a space
of refuge of welcome and safety.” (Jan Richardson, In the Sanctuary of Women,
Upper Room Books, 2010)
Today,
Mary and Elizabeth remind us that we are called to create a sanctuary, a safe
place for people on the margins who seek a spiritual home where all are
welcome. We are renewing the church’s theology of
sacraments as grace-filled celebrations of the whole community, the Body of
Christ, All of us are midwives of grace. As Susan Ross writes:“the sacraments are gifts of God’s extravagant affection,”
that “provide opportunities for
Christian women and men to express, play, celebrate, and live out the “riotous
plenty that is God” (Ross, Extravagant Affections, 1998, p. 13).
In
the Magnificat, Mary prays passionately for the marginalized, the excluded, and
the oppressed. She proclaims that justice, liberation, and new life is rising
up for God’s hurting, excluded people. May we, like Mary, live the Magnificat, by welcoming all to the
table of God’s Boundless love.
Women and their dependent
children make up two-thirds of the world’s poor. The World Health Organization
has also said that every day, 800 women die from preventable causes related to
pregnancy and childbirth, and that 99% of all maternal deaths occur in
developing countries. In order to transform
this appalling situation, we need women as leaders and decision-makers in every
aspect of life including at the altar in the church.
As
an international movement, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, our
vision is justice for all, justice for the poor, justice for women, and justice
for women in the church including ordination. We speak out for women’s rights
and for non-violence.
We stand in solidarity with the least and
the lowest, and
challenge unjust structures that continue to oppress people in our world.
As a priest, Luz Galilea, will
work for justice and equality for the people in Colombia, Spain and France. May
you, like Mary Mother of Jesus, radiate the Christ Presence as you live a
renewed, vibrant priestly ministry in a community of equals.
Damos gracias y alabanzas para este día, mi hermana.
(We give thanks and praise for this day, my Sister!)
(We give thanks and praise for this day, my Sister!)
Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister
for Christian Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania on July 31, 2006. She was ordained a bishop on April 19,
2009. Dr. Meehan is currently Dean of
the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University, and is the
author of 20 books, including Living
Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God, The Healing Power of Prayer
and Praying with Women of the Bible. She presides at liturgies in Mary,
Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Meehan
can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org
No comments:
Post a Comment