Date: September 8, 2015
From:
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) See: www.arcwp.org
Catholics Call
for a Church 4 All Includes Women Priests: During Pope Francis’ Visit, ARCWP
will ordain 3 women bishops
Contact:
Janice Sevre-Duszynska, (D.Min.) Media, 859-684-4247 rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com
Bishop
Bridget Mary Meehan, 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com See: bridgetmarys.blogspot.com
As
Pope Francis arrives in the United States, members of the Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests will be near Philadelphia. On Sept.
24th
at 2 PM at Pendle Hill, PA we will ordain 3 new women bishops from Latin
America, Canada and the United States in order to meet our growing needs of
women called to priesthood.
We
serve inclusive Catholic communities where all are welcome to receive sacraments
including gays, lesbians, and transgender as well as divorced and remarried
Catholics.
One-third
of all adults who were raised Catholics have left the church. One of the main
reasons is disillusionment with the church on the treatment of
women.
According
to one survey, 70% of U.S. Catholics support women priests.
“The
good news is that the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests is forming a
new community of equal partnership with the people of God.” Bishop Bridget Mary
Meehan said. “We would love to meet Pope Francis and share our hopes and dreams
for gender equality in a discipleship of equals, not a new hierarchy. Our ordinations are valid because an anonymous male bishop with apostolic
succession ordained our first women bishops. We are disobeying an unjust law in order
to bring equality to the Catholic Church. "
The
bishops-elect are:
Olga Lucia
Alvarez of Medellin, Colombia was educated by the Dominican Sisters of the
Presentation. She did USEMI Missionary work with indigenous and Afro communities
and was secretary of CELAM Medellin 1968. Formation included religious studies,
pastoral ministry, catechesis Superior, liberation theology and an emphasis on
popular reading of the Bible. Olga was ordained a priest in Sarasota, FL on
December 11, 2010. She accompanies several communities and strengthens the
ecumenical base primarily of the itinerant. She works with women convicts and ASFADES (Association of Families of the Disappeared), is author of several
books and articles in biblical-theological reflection and is a Collective Member
of the Ecumenical Bible Scholars.
Michele
Birch Conery of Windsor, ONT Canada celebrated her 10th anniversary
as Canada’s first woman priest on July 25th. Michele was ordained a
deacon in Passau, Germany in 2004 and a priest in 2005 on the St. Lawrence
Seaway. A retired professor of English Literature and Women’s Studies with a
focus on Women and Religion, she lived and ministered on Vancouver Island with
outreach to the LGBTQ Dignity Vancouver community. In 2013, she moved to Windsor
where she collaborates with priest Barbara Billey and Deacon Jeni Marcus of
Detroit in their Heart of Compassion Faith Communities in Ontario and
Michigan.
Mary E.
Collingwood of Hudson, OH has served for over 40 years in church ministry. With
an MA in Theology from St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in
Wickliffe, OH, she served as Director of Religious Education, Coordinator for
Marriage Preparation, Pastoral Associate, Director of the Diocesan Pro-Life
Office and on various boards and councils. Mary and her husband, Rich, continue
to be blessed with seven children and are grandparents. Weekly celebration of
Eucharist, administering the sacraments, pastoral counseling, and supporting
women in ordained ministry is her calling and passion. Mary was ordained a
priest in Brecksville, OH on May 24, 2014.
The ordaining bishops are Bridget
Mary Meehan, ARCWP, author of 20 books, including Living Gospel Equality
Now. She serves as a pastoral member
of Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, FL sofiabmm@aol.com.
Bishop Sibyl Dana Reynolds, RCWP, is author of Ink and
Honey, a historic and spiritual novel and founder of the Sisters of Belle
Coeur, a contemporary, contemplative spiritual community. dana@sacredlifelarts.com.
A third bishop will also be present. The Federation of
Christian Ministries (FCM) will be represented by its president, Thomas Cusak.
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