Over 20 Books
Inspiring Healing • Inclusive Spirituality • Women’s Wisdom • Gospel Equality
Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan
Available on Amazon and other online booksellers
Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now- https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/10/rev-dr-bridget-mary-meehan-arcwp-chat.html
Friday, July 10, 2026
My Books: Bridget Mary Meehan
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Excommunication Is Not the Last Word: A Gospel Reflection on the Punishment of the Society of St. Pius X
By Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan
The recent excommunication of the bishops and priests of the Society of St. Pius X following the unauthorized episcopal consecrations in Switzerland has once again placed before the Church an important question:
**What is the purpose of excommunication in the life of the Church?**¹
Is it meant to heal or to punish? To reconcile or to divide? To restore communion or to reinforce exclusion?
I find this moment deeply significant—not because I agree with the theology or ecclesial positions of the Society of St. Pius X, but because it reveals the continuing tension between authority and conscience within our Church.
I do not share the Society’s rejection of many of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. I embrace Vatican II’s vision of the People of God, baptismal equality, collegial leadership, ecumenical dialogue, and the Church’s engagement with the modern world.² I believe women are called by the Holy Spirit to every ministry in the Church, including ordained ministry. I celebrate Eucharist in inclusive communities where all are welcome at Christ’s table.
Yet the Gospel challenges us to distinguish between disagreement and exclusion.
Jesus consistently chose conversation over condemnation. He welcomed those whom religious authorities rejected. He crossed boundaries of gender, ethnicity, class, and religious purity. He healed before he judged and restored people to community.³
History reminds us that excommunication has often failed to heal divisions. Instead, it has frequently become a symbol of institutional power rather than pastoral care. It has wounded consciences, fractured communities, and silenced prophetic voices.
The worldwide Roman Catholic Women Priests movement knows this reality personally. Women called by God and affirmed by their communities have been declared excommunicated simply for answering what we believe is the Spirit’s call.⁴ Our communities continue to celebrate the sacraments, accompany the marginalized, and proclaim the Gospel with joy.
Ironically, this moment raises an important question.
For decades, the Vatican devoted considerable effort to dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X despite profound disagreements over Vatican II.⁵ If dialogue has long been considered worthwhile with those who reject central teachings of the Council, why has there never been authentic dialogue with women priests and inclusive Catholic communities whose ministries embody many of Vatican II’s deepest hopes?
We are not asking the Church to abandon its tradition.
We are asking the Church to listen.
Listen to women whose priestly vocations have been recognized by the communities they serve.
Listen to Catholics who long for a Church that reflects the baptismal equality proclaimed in the New Testament.⁶
Listen to the countless people who have discovered healing in inclusive Eucharistic communities after years of exclusion because of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, or other circumstances.
The future of the Church will not be secured by stronger penalties or broader exclusions.
It will be secured by courageous listening.
The Final Document of the Synod on Synodality reminds us that “what comes from the Spirit cannot be stopped.“⁷ A truly synodal Church trusts that the Holy Spirit speaks through the whole People of God—not only through hierarchy but also through the lived experience of the baptized.
Our inclusive Catholic communities witness another model of Church: collaborative leadership rather than clericalism, shared ministry rather than domination, open Eucharistic tables rather than guarded boundaries, and communities rooted in compassion, justice, and mutual respect.
This is not a rejection of Catholic tradition.
It is an effort to live more deeply into its heart.
The Eucharist is Christ’s gift to the world, not a reward for institutional conformity.
As Pope Leo continues to shape the future of the Church, I pray he will widen the circle of dialogue. Imagine what healing could occur if he invited women priests, theologians, lay leaders, LGBTQ+ Catholics, survivors of abuse, married clergy, and leaders of inclusive Catholic communities into genuine conversation.
Dialogue is never a sign of weakness.
It is an act of hope.
The Church has nothing to fear from listening to the Spirit speaking through the faithful.
The Risen Christ continues to breathe new life into the Church, often from its margins. Those once dismissed frequently become the very people through whom renewal comes.
Excommunication should never have the final word.
Love does.
Mercy does.
The Holy Spirit does.
May we become the Church Jesus envisioned—a community where justice embraces mercy, authority is exercised through humble service, and every baptized person is welcomed as a full participant in Christ’s mission.
The future of Catholicism depends not on who is excluded, but on how courageously we welcome the gifts God has already poured out among us.
Footnotes
- The Vatican declared that the Society of St. Pius X entered into a renewed schismatic situation following the unauthorized episcopal consecrations of July 1, 2026. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced the excommunication of the bishops involved and imposed additional canonical penalties on SSPX clergy, while also warning lay faithful about formal adherence to the movement. (Vatican News)
- Second Vatican Council, especially Lumen Gentium, §§9–17, 31–38; Gaudium et Spes, §1.
- See, for example, John 4:1–42; Luke 7:36–50; Luke 19:1–10; Mark 2:15–17.
- Roman Catholic Women Priests members who undergo ordination are subject to canonical penalties under the Vatican decree issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2007 and incorporated into the Code of Canon Law in 2021.
- Since the 1988 episcopal consecrations by Marcel Lefebvre, successive pontificates have engaged in repeated efforts toward reconciliation, including the remission of excommunications by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and continued doctrinal dialogue under later popes. (Wikipedia)
- Galatians 3:28; Romans 16:1–7; Acts 2:17–18.
- Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, §60: “What comes from the Spirit cannot be stopped.”
German Women Religious Speak a Gospel Truth: The Holy Spirit Calls Women to Preach—and to Serve Fully
The courageous statement by these German women religious is a powerful witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our Church today. They have spoken a truth that countless Catholic women have known for generations: the ability to proclaim the Gospel does not depend on gender but on God’s call and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
When they write, “The capacity to preach is not grounded in gender, but in God’s calling and in the gift of the Holy Spirit,” they echo the witness of Mary Magdalene, the first apostle of the Resurrection, who was commissioned by the Risen Christ to proclaim the Good News. They stand in the tradition of Phoebe, Junia, Prisca, Lydia, and the many women who exercised leadership in the earliest Christian communities.
As a Roman Catholic woman bishop in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, I rejoice that these sisters have found the courage to speak publicly about an injustice that has wounded the Church for centuries. Their experience reflects the lived reality of women throughout the world who teach theology, accompany the dying, lead retreats, offer spiritual direction, and proclaim God’s Word with wisdom and compassion—yet are forbidden to preach at the Eucharist solely because they are women.
The irony is striking. Women may explain Scripture in classrooms, hospitals, retreat centers, prisons, and parish gatherings, but when the Eucharistic community assembles around the table of Jesus, their voices are officially silenced. Such a prohibition cannot be reconciled with the Gospel’s vision of the baptismal equality of all believers.
The sisters also name another painful truth: many women no longer remain silent. Some courageously raise their voices; others quietly leave the Church. The real threat to communion is not women preaching. The real danger is an institution that continues to deny the Spirit’s gifts when they are embodied in women.
The witness of these women religious also points beyond the question of preaching. If the Holy Spirit calls women to proclaim the Gospel, then the same Spirit can also call women to ordained ministry. The ministries of preaching, presiding, and pastoral leadership belong together. The Roman Catholic Women Priests movement has demonstrated for more than two decades that communities flourish when women and men minister together as equals around Christ’s inclusive table.
In our inclusive Catholic communities, women preach, preside, baptize, celebrate Eucharist, anoint the sick, and accompany people through every stage of life. We have witnessed abundant spiritual fruits: vibrant communities, renewed faith, compassionate pastoral care, and shared leadership rooted not in clerical privilege but in Gospel service.
These communities are not acts of rebellion. They are signs of hope. They reveal what becomes possible when the Church trusts the Holy Spirit more than fear and tradition more than exclusion.
The German sisters have reminded the Church that Scripture, authentic Tradition, and the signs of the times all point toward justice for women. Their prophetic witness joins that of theologians, bishops, women deacons, women priests, and countless faithful Catholics across the world who believe that the Church will one day fully embrace the equality proclaimed in Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
The Holy Spirit has never stopped calling women. The only question that remains is whether the institutional Church will finally listen.
Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan Bishop,
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP)
Monday, July 6, 2026
Two New Books, One Lifelong Calling by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP
Building Communities of Welcome, Offering Prayers of Healing
For most of my life, I have been guided by one simple conviction:
Love heals. Love welcomes. Love transforms.
That conviction has shaped my ministry as a Roman Catholic woman priest and bishop, my teaching, my pastoral work, and now my two newest books.
For more than twenty years, I have had the privilege of serving communities that long for a Church where everyone belongs—a Church rooted in the radical love of Jesus, where all are welcomed, all are valued, and all are invited to share their gifts.
Along the way, I have discovered something beautiful: healing and belonging are deeply connected. When people know they are loved without conditions, something begins to change within them. Hope awakens. Wounds begin to heal. Communities become places of compassion instead of exclusion.
Those discoveries inspired my newest books.
Creating an Inclusive Catholic Community
Liturgies, Homilies and Resources
This book grew out of nearly twenty years of celebrating Eucharist in inclusive Catholic communities.
When I first dreamed of gathering people around an open table where everyone was welcome, I often wondered:
What resources would have helped me begin?
This book is my answer.
Inside you'll find practical tools for creating vibrant, Spirit-filled communities rooted in Gospel equality and radical hospitality, including:
- Inclusive liturgies for the liturgical year
- Interactive homilies
- Original prayers and blessings
- Eucharistic celebrations centered on participation
- Sacramental rites for baptisms, weddings, reconciliation, anointing, and funerals
- Practical guidance for beginning and sustaining communities where everyone belongs
Whether you are beginning a house church, leading a faith-sharing group, or seeking new ways to celebrate the Gospel, my hope is that this book reminds you of Jesus' promise:
"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
Sometimes all it takes is two or three people—and a willingness to say yes to the Holy Spirit.
Healing Prayers and Blessings for Everyday Life
If my first new book is about building communities, this second book is about healing hearts.
Life brings grief, illness, anxiety, disappointment, heartbreak, uncertainty, and loss. Every one of us carries wounds that need tenderness and hope.
Healing Prayers and Blessings for Everyday Life is a companion for those moments.
Each chapter includes:
- A heartfelt prayer
- A gentle reflection
- A blessing to carry into daily life
These prayers are not about pretending everything is fine.
They are about discovering that Divine Love is already holding us—even when life feels uncertain.
Throughout the book I return to one simple truth:
You are healing.
You are deeply loved.
You are never alone.
Whether you read one prayer each morning, share them with someone who is suffering, or return to them during seasons of grief or transition, I hope these prayers become trusted companions on your journey toward wholeness.
My Journey
I was ordained as one of the first Roman Catholic women priests in the United States in 2006 and one of the first women bishops in North America in 2009. Today I serve as a bishop in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Dean of the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry programs at Global Ministries University, co-founder of People's Catholic Seminary, and pastor of Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community.
I have written more than twenty books on spirituality, healing prayer, women's leadership, and inclusive Catholicism. Through my blog and media ministry, I have had the joy of connecting with millions of readers seeking a more compassionate and hope-filled expression of Christian faith.
Every article I write, every homily I preach, every blessing I offer, and every book I publish springs from the same belief:
God's love is bigger than fear.
God's table is wide enough for everyone.
Healing is already unfolding within us.
I'd Love to Connect With You
If these themes speak to your heart, I invite you to join this growing community.
Here on Substack (and on my blog), I'll continue sharing reflections on:
- Healing prayer
- Inclusive Catholic spirituality
- Women and the future of the Church
- Gospel justice
- Divine Love
- Mary Magdalene and women in Scripture
- Blessings for everyday life
- Building communities where everyone belongs
Thank you for being part of this journey.
May you always remember:
You are beloved.
You are healing.
You are called to be a blessing.
With peace and every blessing,
Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan
Learn More
📚 Author Website:
https://bridgetmarymeehan.author-pages.com/
📝 Blog:
https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com
🌍 Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community:
www.marymotherofjesus.net
🎓 Global Ministries University:
https://www.globalministriesuniversity.org
💜 Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests:
https://www.arcwp.org