Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now
The groundbreaking, award winning film by Jules Hart that documents the beginning of our movement as Roman Catholic women priests is now on both
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| Suzanne DeFroy, Deacon in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests/ARCWP |
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/will-there-ever-be-a-female-pope-these-catholics-hope-so/ar-AA1EDCww
Thanks to Jennifer Grasso for this excellent,, thought-provoking article featuring two members of our international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement!
When Windsor, Ont., resident Suzanne De Froy thinks of the future of the Roman Catholic Church, she hopes there's a woman leading the faith.
But she's not banking on that happening any time soon.
"It will not happen in my lifetime," said De Froy, who is an ordained deacon with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP).
And Teresa Hanlon, an ordained priest with the Roman Catholic Women Priests Canada, feels the same.
"My sense is [a] couple hundred years," said Hanlon, who lives in Lethbridge County, Alta.
Both De Froy and Hanlon are just some of the women who are advocating for the Catholic Church to become more inclusive by allowing women to be ordained and take on leadership roles within the church. Despite their organizations stating that women have been and can be ordained, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't recognize women as deacons, priests, bishops or cardinals.
The Women Priests movement began in 2002, when seven women were ordained in the Danube River in Europe.
The goal of the movement is to "achieve full equality for all within the Church," according to the ARCWP's website.
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Canon Law, a set of rules that govern the Catholic Church, states that only baptized males can be ordained. Women who pursue ordination are considered ex-communicated from the church.
"So I am ex-communicated, meaning that the gifts that I have to offer in music, in leadership and scholarship are basically a light that's under a bushel basket in their eyes," said Hanlon, who is expected to become an ordained bishop in a few months.
In 1994, Pope John Paul II reaffirmed that women couldn't be ordained — a stance that has been upheld by subsequent popes.
"The rationale for that argument was that Jesus did not have amongst his disciples women and, as a result, they believe that that extended to the priesthood," said John Cappucci, president of Assumption University in Windsor, Ont.
"Now the other side to that coin was that Jesus did surround himself with many women, many of whom were sponsoring Jesus' mission."
Hanlon, who has a doctorate in religious ministry, says if you look closely throughout history there's examples of women in leadership roles.
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| Teresa Hanlon Priest in Roman Catholic Women Priests-Canada |
She also says that the first person Jesus appeared to after he was resurrected was Mary Magdalene, whom he told to "spread the word" of God.
And in 1976, Hanlon says the Pontifical Biblical Commission had found there was nothing in the New Testament that would prevent women from becoming ordained.
In 2019, Hanlon said she had written a letter to Pope Francis asking why the church won't listen to "this call that is so clear from Christ" that some women are called to be ordained. But, she says, she never got a response.
Not only would Canon Law need to change to allow women to become ordained, but so too would the beliefs and culture within the Catholic Church, both women say.
"It's about control. If you're sharing decision making and listening to other people, then you have to suspend your own agenda and I think that that is problematic," said De Froy.
"I believe that everyone has wisdom and everyone has an inner sacredness that has to be valued."
For Hanlon, she sees the reluctance as a "fear of change."
"I really think it's because they're not ready," she said. "However Christ is on it, is going, is moving."
To have young children see women pray, lead, worship and baptize in the church would be "huge," said Hanlon.
"You need to have representation of all the people: people of colour, LGBTQ, people who are women, people who are [transgender] — all of those people need to be at the table if you're going to make decisions that affect their lives."
While Pope Francis made some movement on including women within the church, there's still a lot more to be done before a woman could even be in the running to become pope.
"We need women. God created man and woman and that's what we teach in Catholicism," Cappucci said. "That's right at the beginning of the Bible and I think that we need to recognize that the church needs women to play a prominent role in our church. So I'm hoping that Pope Leo XIV will continue with Francis' lead.
"The church, without [women], is like a bird with only one wing, we need that other wing to fly and to flourish."
While there's uncertainty around where Pope Leo stands on this topic, De Froy says she's hopeful there's more positive change to come.
"I believe there's going to be a seismic shift with his leadership," said De Froy.
"Pope Francis planted the seeds and I think that this pope, Pope Leo XIV, is going to open the doors wide open."
Richard Rohr, thank you for these wise words on the need for feminine images of God in Christianity. Until we integrate the feminine divine in our world, the wound of male domination and oppression will remain. This is the reason I wrote Exploring the Feminine Face of God, Delighting in the Feminine Divine and Heart Talks with Mother God. Blessings to you, my wise brother in Christ,
Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP
Father Richard Rohr speaks of the significance of our first images of God:
Most people first experience unconditional love not through the image of a man, but through the image of a woman—in most cases, their mother. It seems that for much of the human race, the mother is the one who first parts the veil and allows us to glimpse what love is, through experiences of grounding, intimacy, tenderness, and safety—things that most of us associate with God at God’s best. One of the disappointing things I have witnessed as a priest and spiritual director is how many people operate from the opposite of that—from a toxic and negative image of God. Nothing wonderful and nothing transformative is ever going to happen as long as that’s the case.
One of the reasons I started to do men’s work was because I realized that an awful lot of people didn’t experience, expect, or trust that beloved relationship through the masculine. The more cultures I traveled to around the globe, the more convinced I became of the universal nature of what I call the father-wound. It seems to be a wound that many people cannot break through; they don’t expect love to come from that place.
Author Shannon K. Evans considers the importance of allowing both masculine and feminine qualities in our experience of God:
The feminine elements in God are an important balance to the masculine ones. If all we have known of the divine is God the Father, we are walking with a spiritual limp, yes, even those of us who were lucky enough to be raised to see “him” as loving and tender rather than aloof or stern….
The masculinity of God is not the culprit here. Imaging God as male is valuable and good for our spiritual selves…. But left unbalanced, a belief in a God who is exclusively male can lead us down a road of legalism, perfectionism, fear, self-criticism, and a plaguing sense of unworthiness. Sadly, many of our religious experiences have been marked by such things.
On the other hand, when we integrate the divine feminine into our understanding of God, we find we have an easier time internalizing compassion, inclusivity, radical acceptance, justice for the outcast, and unconditional love. In my own life the divine feminine has offered me a maternal invitation to rest and be present. After a lifetime of assuming that striving and sacrifice would always be required for my spiritual growth, this was good news indeed. [1]
Richard concludes:
Whoever God is, God is somehow profoundly revealed in what it means to be feminine and masculine—both! But in our time, we have to find a way to recognize, to fall in love with, and to trust the feminine face of God. Most of us were not given that face in our churches, although we Catholics resolved it in an ingenious way through Mary. She, for many people, has become the accessible, trustworthy, and safe face of God.
On Saturday, May 3, Spirit of Grace witnessed a long-awaited and deeply sacred moment: the ordination of Rev. Vinci Halbrook-Paterson to the Catholic priesthood. The sanctuary overflowed with love and anticipation—filled with family, friends, Catholic priests, Lutheran and Protestant clergy, and two bishops. Bishop Suzanne Avison Thiel of the Western Region of Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA was the presiding bishop, with ELCA-Oregon Synod Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar also present. All gathered to affirm what had been true for years: Rev. Vinci was already a priest in spirit, ready to be fully recognized and ordained through the sacrament of holy orders.
Pastor Robyn Hartwig and Bishop Suzanne Avison Thiel introducing Reverend Vinci Halbrook-Paterson
Photo by Blaine Covert
Rev. Vinci brings more than 36 years of faithful ministry, theological depth, and Franciscan compassion to her role. After earning her B.A. in theology at the University of Portland and an M.Div. from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, she spent decades teaching, leading, and forming others for ministry—including young men who would go on to become her supervisors. Her call has long been evident. Now it is official.
Bishop Suzanne blessing Reverend Vinci
Photo by Blaine Covert
Pastor Robyn Hartwig, who has shared pastoral leadership with Rev. Vinci since both were called to Spirit of Grace four years ago, spoke at the ordination with deep joy and conviction:
“She has served the church with deep faith, quiet courage, and true to her Franciscan tradition, a profoundly compassionate heart. She has taught the gospel, nurtured faith, equipped leaders… and I testify that she has been found worthy. And I must add, she has been worthy of this call for a very long time.”
But the story of Vinci’s ordination is inseparable from our community’s own path. In her sermon the next day, Pastor Robyn reflected on how we navigated an unexpected rupture in December 2023, when Archbishop Sample forbade our Roman Catholic priests from celebrating mass. It was, as Pastor Robyn described, a moment of seeming hopelessness—yet the Spirit was already at work.
“Miraculously, the meal did not end when Jesus was put to death,” she said. “And the meal did not end when our Roman Catholic priests were taken from us. Love has continued to come to us week by week.”
As the community prayed and discerned their next steps, voices emerged—retired priests, former Catholics, fellow pastors—all encouraging the church to listen deeply, one day at a time. Among those voices was Rev. Vinci’s own. Three weeks before the archbishop’s letter arrived, she experienced what she described as a “blessed epiphany.” Asked by parishioner Annette Stixrud to anoint her dying husband Neal, Rev. Vinci did not hesitate. Though the sacrament of anointing the sick is reserved for Roman Catholic priests, she felt no fear—only faith and clarity.
Rev. Vinci reflected at the time, “I firmly believe Catholics should not be deprived of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, just because our practices and values expand beyond the traditional interpretation of Catholicism.”
RCWP Bishop Suzanne Avison Thiel leads the congregation in blessing Rev. Vinci (Photo by Blaine Calvert)
Through prayer and listening, her call became unmistakable—both from within and echoing in the voices of our community. In the year after the archbishop’s letter, Spirit of Grace entered into an intentional, prayerful discernment to determine our future relationship with the Catholic church. We wanted to be open to any independent Catholic tradition, especially those that ordain and embrace women and LBGTQIA+ people. A December 2024 survey on Catholic identity revealed our overwhelming support for embracing inclusive leadership and women’s ordination, but members preferred having a relationship with our clergy over choosing a particular tradition.
“These past four years I have been building a relationship with you,” Rev. Vinci wrote. “And now I feel a strong call to serve here as your priest.”
Reverend Vinci Halbrook-Paterson, fully ordained!
Photo by Blaine Covert
Saturday’s ordination was not only the affirmation of her personal call—it was also the healing of a community’s broken Eucharistic rhythm. With sacred silence, hands were laid. With sacred joy, she was anointed and vested. And with sacred truth, we finally heard the words: “I now present to you Reverend Vinci.”
“This is not in defiance of Catholic faith,” Pastor Robyn preached. “This is an embodiment of Catholic Christian faith as graceful resistance… Jesus, God’s love with skin on, meets us through this woman—with skin on—offering us bread, wine, love, forgiveness, and grace.”
Rev. Vinci Halbrook-Paterson’s ordination is more than one woman’s milestone. It is a sign—a reminder that love rises, the Spirit still calls, and sometimes, healing comes when we are open to all possibilities.
“Not only is another world possible,” Pastor Robyn concluded, quoting author and activist Arundhati Roy: “she is on her way. On a quiet day, we can hear her breathing.”
ELCA Oregon Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar, former Spirit of Grace pastor, blesses Rev. Vinci
Photo by Blaine Covert
Many of the priests, pastors, and leaders celebrating Reverend Vinci’s ordination
I am not a fan of some of the government’s renaming of things these days, such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and eliminating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in favor of only Columbus Day. However, I would be in favor of renaming Mother’s Day Mothering Day.
I say this because, whether we have physically given birth to babies or not, we all have a responsibility to mother. I am using this word as a verb. It is a holy activity that we can all be engaged in. Mothering is part of our calling as followers of Christ.
As a verb, the word “mother” means “giving birth to and/or nurturing something.” All of us have the ability to give birth to and nurture things that make this world more peaceful, loving, and just. For example, we can give birth to and nurture movements for social justice, new ideas, creative projects, as well as take care of the people and pets in our circle of influence. We can all do that.
Because today is Mother’s Day, I asked Father Jayme if I could preach the homily. This is one of my many favorite holidays of the year. You can ask my husband—I am a fanatic about holidays. I love my family, holiday food, and the occasional gift.
Holidays have a fun side, but most of them also have a serious side. Mother’s Day, for example, stems from the efforts of a woman named Anna Jarvis, who held a memorial service for her mother in 1907. Her mother had organized “Mothers’ Work Days” to improve sanitation and public health, and later “Mother’s Friendship Day” to promote reconciliation after the Civil War.
Today, we carry on that tradition of honoring people who have worked to make the world a better place to live . . . So, how can we mother the world?
One of the tools we have at our disposal is our voice. I can understand why Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” As the Good Shepherd, Jesus practiced his ministry in mothering mode. He saw his followers, his “sheep,” as his children, and it was his responsibility to protect and nourish them.
Of course, his mothering had a very important purpose—to bring his children to eternal life. Jesus said he is doing this for the “Father,” which was his way of referring to God. Here’s a good question: If we see God in a fathering role, does this mean we can see Jesus in a mothering role?
I had to pause for a moment and re-read Jesus’ words: “The Father and I are one,” because that reminds me of what parents often say to their children when they are on the same page, when they are working as a team. I can just hear the mom say to the children, “Your father and I agree that you shouldn’t go to that party. Your father and I are of one voice.”
“My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus said. Jesus knows that our voices are the most powerful tools we have for the purposes of mothering—and again, all of us have a mothering responsibility. We all have a responsibility to use our voices for peace and justice, moral instruction and moral support, encouragement and constructive criticism, nurturing, compassion, and wisdom.
Another reason I wanted to preach the homily today is because my priestly vows have given me the title “Mother Annie.” People have been referring to me in this way for the last ten years. (I was ordained on May 15, 2015 to be exact.) I am “Mother” in the same way that a male priest is “Father.”
As you know, the Catholic Church refers to its male priests as “Father” and should allow women to be priests and refer to them as “Mother,” because a priest’s role is to nurture, guide, and instruct parishioners. The role of a priest is to be a shepherd to his or her flock. This is only possible because the priest has an important voice.
My voice might be soft, but I am being heard!
I love Helen Reddy’s song, “I am woman, hear me roar,” because even when that song was written in 1972, women were starting to find their voice. In the refrain of that song, Reddy sings, “I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman,” and now, fifty-three years later, the female voice is even stronger and more invincible.
But even stronger that a woman’s voice is a mothering voice, that is, the voice of someone who is out there giving birth to and nurturing things that make the world a better place to live. This is the part that roars.
Because Jesus was a man, we don’t think of him as a mothering figure. In Catholic doctrine, we tend to leave that role to Mary. But I suggest to you that Jesus also had a mothering voice, a gentle and guiding, calming and correcting voice. We continue to hear his voice today because he speaks through all of us with words of wisdom, enlightenment, redemption, and love.
On this Mother’s Day, or rather, Mothering Day, may we all find a way to echo his words of grace. May our voices roar thunderous enough to cut through the deafening noise of the world’s hatred and violence. May we all find our mothering voice.
Phyllis Zagano
The pope said so.
