Mary Ann Schoettly-- ordained
a priest on April 26,2009 in
Philadelphia, PA.
Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now- https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/10/rev-dr-bridget-mary-meehan-arcwp-chat.html
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Article in New Jersey Herald on Mary Ann Schoettly, newly ordained womanpriest
Mary Ann Schoettly-- ordained
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Response to Cardinal Rigali's Statement on the Ordination of Women in Phildelphia by Eileen DiFranco
Ordination Liturgy
Bishop Patricia Fresen lays hands on
Mary Ann Schoettly
in Philadelphia on April 26, 2009
Mary Rammerman (left to right)
Mary Ann Schoettly in middle,
and presiding bishop: Andrea Johnson on right)
Response to Cardinal Rigali’s Statement on the Ordination of Women in Philadelphia
In refusing to recognize the priestly vocations of women, Sister Joan Chittister said quite accurately that the Roman Catholic Church forces itself to see with one eye, hear with one ear, and walk with one leg. The “constant teaching and tradition” Cardinal Rigali cites came into being because clerical men turned and continue to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the voices, the life experiences, and the aspirations of their sisters in Christ. Even now, adult women with full moral agency have been directed by men who sadly, have very little life experience with women, not to speak about the deepest desires of their hearts – to serve the people of God. When women try to speak, they are silenced; their motives questioned. When they act according to the dictates of a well- formed, adult conscience, they are excommunicated. This is in stark contrast to the treatment of the ordained male priests who caused terrible confusion within the Body of Christ by sexually abusing children and vulnerable women.
The Pontifical Biblical Commission stated in 1976 that there is no scriptural reason why women should not be ordained. This is based, of course on Galatians 3:28 which states that there is no male or female in Christ Jesus. Paul also wrote of the Deacon Phoebe and the Apostle Junia.. He clearly uses the words “deacon” and “apostle to refer to these women - the same words he used to describe himself.
Then, of course, there is the archeological evidence of women priests, deacons, and bishops, which tell their own stories if one has eyes to see and read and understand.
Jesus himself believed in the full agency of women when he directed Mary Magdalene rather than Peter to “Go tell!” Mary, then, is the very first person in the New Testament to preach the Good News. Thus, Jesus our Emmanuel, God with us as us, quite obviously did not feel that choosing a woman as the first apostle denigrated Himself, His image, His message or the Kingdom of God..
Jesus, whose companions were the least among us, did not have a vocabulary that included the words “denigrate” or “excommunicate.” Instead, Jesus, the Good Shepherd would seek rather than exclude, enfold rather than cast away. Jesus, the penultimate pastor, never drove people away from His table. He said that we should find rest in Him, not banishment. Excommunication is unscriptural and it is uncharitable. It is unbecoming to those who consider themselves to be pastors.
The ordained women who have pledged their lives, their futures and their sacred honor to the Lord God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth in whose image they were lovingly fashioned, have relied upon that God to guide them every step of the way. They have come this far by faith and hope and love. They will continue to do so as they model a church that sees with two eyes and hears with two ears and walks on two legs.
Eileen McCafferty DiFranco, RCWP
East Regional Administrator
(The article above responds to Cardinal Rigali's Response (below) to our Roman Catholic Womenpriests ordinations in Philadelphia on April 26,2009)
Cardinal Rigali Responds To Invalid Ordination
Philadelphia Bulletin - Philadelphia, PA, USA The ordination ceremony, which took place on Sunday with a bishop from a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP), took place at a Christian chapel ...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Liturgy in Ocala Florida
.jpg)
Dena O Callaghan is wearing a lavander blouse,
John, her husband, a married priest is in a white shirt
seated next to her. This community gathering celebrated
the Easter liturgy in April 2009.
.jpg)
These are photos of a house churchEaster liturgy in Ocala, Florida.
Married priest, John O Callaghan and RCWP Candidate for Ordination Dena O Callaghan hosted this beautiful liturgy in their home in Ocala, Florida.
With Loving Dissent: John Chuchman's Blog Link
John Chuchman's Blog Link
With Loving Dissent
A Site for any who Love their Church enough to be willing to work to reform it.
http://lovingdissent.blogspot.com/
With Loving Dissent
A Site for any who Love their Church enough to be willing to work to reform it.
http://lovingdissent.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 27, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Two Women in Philadelphia on April 26, 2009
.JPG)
Mary Ann Schoettly celebrates ordination liturgy
on left Bishop Andrea Johnson, on right Bishop Patricia Fresen
photo by Sarinar Rostek
.JPG)
On Sunday, April 26, 2009 Mary Ann Schoettly, a resident of Sussex County, New Jersey, was ordained a priest and Chava Redonnet from Rochester, N. Y. was ordained a deacon by Bishop Andrea Johnson. This historic ordination took place in the sanctuary of Mishkan Shalom, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Philadelphia. This is a short video of Philadelphia ordinations.
http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/04/nj_woman_ordained_as_a_priest.html
Article in NJ Star Ledger.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/nj_woman_is_ordained_as_a_prie.html
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/04/nj_woman_ordained_as_a_priest.html
Article in NJ Star Ledger.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/nj_woman_is_ordained_as_a_prie.html
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Two Women in Philadelphia/Article in Philadelphia Inquirer
Risking heresy to serve as priests
By David O'Reilly
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
"Robed in floor-length white linen and purple stoles, two Roman Catholic women will kneel this afternoon in a spare Roxborough sanctuary, in a liturgy both ancient and audacious"....
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20090426_Risking_heresy_to_serve_as_priests.html
By David O'Reilly
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
"Robed in floor-length white linen and purple stoles, two Roman Catholic women will kneel this afternoon in a spare Roxborough sanctuary, in a liturgy both ancient and audacious"....
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20090426_Risking_heresy_to_serve_as_priests.html
Friday, April 24, 2009
Four Catholic Women Bishops Ordained In California Article by Theologian: Marjorie Reiley Maguire
FOUR CATHOLIC WOMEN BISHOPS ORDAINED IN CALIFORNIA
by Marjorie Reiley Maguire
On Divine Mercy Sunday, God granted the constant prayer of the Church for vocations, in a way that will bring a great harvest of priests to the Church in America.
For the first time in the United States, four women were ordained as Roman Catholic bishops. The ordination took place on April 19, 2009 in a Catholic chapel in California, before about 100 people.
The four new women bishops are part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement (RCWP). They were called to be ordained bishop by the women priests in their respective regions.
The ordinands are Bishops Joan Mary Clark Houk of Pittsburgh for the Great Waters (central) Region, Andrea Michele Johnson of Annapolis for the eastern region, Bridget Mary Meehan of Virginia and Sarasota for the southern region, and Maria Regina Nicolosi of Red Wing, Minnesota for the upper midwest region. A fifth woman, Dana Reynolds of California, was previously ordained a Catholic bishop for the western region, in 2008 in Europe.
Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan is a member of the Sisters for Christian Community. The other new women bishops have been married for more than forty years and have adult children. Bishop Regina Nicolosi's husband, Charles, is a retired, permanent deacon for the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. All four women have degrees in Catholic theology and extensive pastoral experience.
There were three ordaining bishops, which is a requirement for the ordination of a bishop. Bishop Patricia Fresen, now living in Germany, was a Dominican sister for forty years in South Africa and taught in the Catholic seminary in Pretoria. Bishop Ida Raming is a German theologian. Bishop Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria was one of the founders of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. She and Bishop Ida Raming were two of the first seven women priests, ordained on a boat on the Danube in 2002. Two other women who were ordained priests with the Danube 7 were also in attendance at the California ordination of bishops, Iris Müller from Germany and Dagmar Celeste, the former first lady of Ohio.
The ordaining bishops, along with several other European women, received their own ordinations as bishops, in full apostolic succession, from three unnamed male, Roman Catholic bishops who are in full communion with Rome. The male bishops believed that the time has come for women's ordination. They ordained several women bishops in recent years so that the movement could continue with full Catholic sacramental ordinations but without the clandestine participation of the male bishops.
A history of the RCWP movement and personal stories by the ordained women can be found in the book Women Find a Way, edited by Elsie Hainz McGrath, Bridget Mary Meehan, and Ida Raming.
The Vatican has not recognized the ordinations of the priests and bishops in the RCWP movement. In the language of Catholic theology, these ordinations are valid but illicit.
However, the women priests and bishops consider themselves in full communion with Rome. They follow the ordination rite of the Catholic Church and believe they pass on the apostolic succession that has been given to them, in the same manner as it is passed on to male priests and bishops in the Church. In Catholic theology, apostolic succession is passed on by the intentional ordaining laying on of hands by an ordained bishop.
The first ordinations in North America for RCWP were in 2005, when four women were ordained priests on a boat on the St. Lawrence River. There are presently more than 70 ordained priests, deacons, and candidates in the RCWP movement in North America. A spokesperson for RCWP claimed that the new bishops were needed because numerous women who are already qualified for ordination are applying as candidates.
After the California ordination of the women bishops, one Catholic woman in attendance remarked, "It is sacrilegious for the Church to continue to pray for vocations if it refuses to recognize the vocations the Holy Spirit is giving to women like those who were ordained today, while recognizing the ordinations of male child abusers and Holocaust deniers."
________________________________________________________________
* Marjorie Reiley Maguire, who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a Catholic theologian, with a Ph.D. from Catholic University, and an attorney, with a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin.
.
by Marjorie Reiley Maguire
On Divine Mercy Sunday, God granted the constant prayer of the Church for vocations, in a way that will bring a great harvest of priests to the Church in America.
For the first time in the United States, four women were ordained as Roman Catholic bishops. The ordination took place on April 19, 2009 in a Catholic chapel in California, before about 100 people.
The four new women bishops are part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement (RCWP). They were called to be ordained bishop by the women priests in their respective regions.
The ordinands are Bishops Joan Mary Clark Houk of Pittsburgh for the Great Waters (central) Region, Andrea Michele Johnson of Annapolis for the eastern region, Bridget Mary Meehan of Virginia and Sarasota for the southern region, and Maria Regina Nicolosi of Red Wing, Minnesota for the upper midwest region. A fifth woman, Dana Reynolds of California, was previously ordained a Catholic bishop for the western region, in 2008 in Europe.
Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan is a member of the Sisters for Christian Community. The other new women bishops have been married for more than forty years and have adult children. Bishop Regina Nicolosi's husband, Charles, is a retired, permanent deacon for the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. All four women have degrees in Catholic theology and extensive pastoral experience.
There were three ordaining bishops, which is a requirement for the ordination of a bishop. Bishop Patricia Fresen, now living in Germany, was a Dominican sister for forty years in South Africa and taught in the Catholic seminary in Pretoria. Bishop Ida Raming is a German theologian. Bishop Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria was one of the founders of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. She and Bishop Ida Raming were two of the first seven women priests, ordained on a boat on the Danube in 2002. Two other women who were ordained priests with the Danube 7 were also in attendance at the California ordination of bishops, Iris Müller from Germany and Dagmar Celeste, the former first lady of Ohio.
The ordaining bishops, along with several other European women, received their own ordinations as bishops, in full apostolic succession, from three unnamed male, Roman Catholic bishops who are in full communion with Rome. The male bishops believed that the time has come for women's ordination. They ordained several women bishops in recent years so that the movement could continue with full Catholic sacramental ordinations but without the clandestine participation of the male bishops.
A history of the RCWP movement and personal stories by the ordained women can be found in the book Women Find a Way, edited by Elsie Hainz McGrath, Bridget Mary Meehan, and Ida Raming.
The Vatican has not recognized the ordinations of the priests and bishops in the RCWP movement. In the language of Catholic theology, these ordinations are valid but illicit.
However, the women priests and bishops consider themselves in full communion with Rome. They follow the ordination rite of the Catholic Church and believe they pass on the apostolic succession that has been given to them, in the same manner as it is passed on to male priests and bishops in the Church. In Catholic theology, apostolic succession is passed on by the intentional ordaining laying on of hands by an ordained bishop.
The first ordinations in North America for RCWP were in 2005, when four women were ordained priests on a boat on the St. Lawrence River. There are presently more than 70 ordained priests, deacons, and candidates in the RCWP movement in North America. A spokesperson for RCWP claimed that the new bishops were needed because numerous women who are already qualified for ordination are applying as candidates.
After the California ordination of the women bishops, one Catholic woman in attendance remarked, "It is sacrilegious for the Church to continue to pray for vocations if it refuses to recognize the vocations the Holy Spirit is giving to women like those who were ordained today, while recognizing the ordinations of male child abusers and Holocaust deniers."
________________________________________________________________
* Marjorie Reiley Maguire, who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a Catholic theologian, with a Ph.D. from Catholic University, and an attorney, with a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin.
.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Womenpriests movement ordains bishops
More news stories about Roman Catholic Womenpriests' ordination of women bishops in the United States.
National Catholic Reporter story link:
"Womenpriests movement ordains bishops"
Apr. 23, 2009
By Dennis Coday
http://ncronline.org/news/women/womenpriests-movement-ordains-bishops
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
News Stories on Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Four Bishops in the United States
Clandestine ‘ordinations’
Caliornia Catholic
Roman Catholic Womenpriests ‘ordain’ four bishops at undisclosed location
“One of the major reasons for not revealing the place is that we wanted a prayerful, quiet, non-media event,” said Womenpriests national spokeswoman Bridget Mary Meehan in an email to California Catholic Daily. “Our focus is not on the bishops ordinations but on servant leadership to the Catholic community.” Meehan was one of the four women “ordained” as a “bishop” on April 19.
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=7d66cde0-9806-46e9-be57-2e33dee8cda6
CNN: IReport
Four Roman Catholic Women Ordained RC Bishops by Roman Catholic Womenpriests
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-247472
Pushing history forward « Theology in the Vineyard
By tschmidt
Four women were ordained in the movement called Roman Catholic Womenpriests on April 19 They are Joan Houk of Pittsburgh, Andrea Johnson of Annapolis, Bridget Mary Meehan of Virginia and Sarasota, and Regina Nicolosi of Red Wing, ...Theology in the Vineyard -
http://theologyinthevineyard.wordpress.com/
Her promotion won't make the Diocese very happy
Sarasota Herald Tribune
by Tom Lyons
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090412/COLUMNIST/904121038&tc=email_newsletter
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: More photos of Ordination of Four Women Bishops on April 19, 2009 in California
Presentation of Book of Gospels
Laying on Hands by Community
Rose Marie Hudson, a Roman Catholic Womanpriest
from St. Louis, Missouri, presents
Joan Houk for ordination as
bishop of Great Waters Region
Janice Sevre-Duszynska , a Roman Catholic Womanpriest
from Lexington, Kentucky, presents
Bridget Mary Meehan for ordination
of Bishop of Southern region
Alice Iaquinta, a Roman Catholic Womanpriest
from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presents
Regina Nicolosi for ordination
as Bishop of Midwestern Region
Gloria Carpeneto, a Roman Catholic Womanpriest
from Baltimore ,presents
Andrea Johnson as Bishop
of Eastern Region
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: YouTube Movies of Ordination of Womenbishops in the United States
Youtubemovies of ordination ceremony of first womenbishops ordained in the United States by Roman Catholic Womenpriests
Entrance Procession:
Clips of Bishop Patricia Fresen's homily at Ordinations of Women Bishops-
three parts:
Examination of Bishops-Elect before the Community
Prostration of Bishops/Litany of the Saints
Laying of Hands
Anointing of the Bishop's Head
Presentation of Book of Gospels
Investiture with Bishop's Staff
Bishop Patricia Fresen presents first women bishops to be ordained in the United States to the Community
April 21, 2009
Media Contacts:
National Media Contact, Bridget Mary Meehan; 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com
USA-Western Administrator, Suzanne Thiel; 503-784-3330, suzthiel@yahoo.com
USA-Midwest Co-Administrators, Kathy Redig; 507-429-3616, krredig@hbci.com , Alice Iaquinta; 414-791-9952, aliceiaquinta@hotmail.com
USA-Great Waters Administrator, Rose Marie Hudson; 636-208-5598 , reehud@sbcglobal.net
USA-Eastern Administrator, Eileen McCafferty DiFranco; 267-258-6966 , emdifranco@aol.com
USA-Central Administrator, Roberta Meehan; 623-388-6627, biology@ctos.com
USA-Southern Administrator, Janice Sevre-Duszynska; 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance@msn.com
Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA is pleased to announce the ordinations of Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea Michele Johnson, Maria Regina Nicolosi and Bridget Mary Meehan as Roman Catholic bishops. These ordinations took place on April 19, 2009 in California. Officiating at the ceremony were Bishops: Patricia Fresen and Ida Raming from Germany and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria.
Joan Mary Clark Houk has been called by the members of the Great Waters Region to minister pastorally to the womenpriests, womendeacons and People of God of her region. To be always mindful of that call, she has "Faithful Servant" inscribed on her bishop's ring. Joan's many years of parish ministry, and her experience as a wife and mother has prepared her well for her pastoral role. Married for forty-eight years, Joan and John have six children, eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Andrea Michele Johnson resides in Annapolis, MD, and has been elected to serve as bishop for the Eastern Region. She has worked in international education exchange with the senior Fulbright Scholar Program, and also as a director of religious education over many years. She was pastoral minister in a priestless Catholic parish in the mid-1980’s and also served as a former director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, Andrea currently works in hospital chaplaincy. She is happily married to Spencer, her husband of thirty-nine years and is the mother of three adult children – two sons and one daughter, and is the grandmother of two.
Maria Regina Nicolosi was elected by the members of the Midwest Region to be their bishop. Regina was born in the Rhineland, Germany, close to the Abbey of St. Hildegard and before she moved to the USA, she was a teacher. After raising her family, Regina worked as a senior housing manager and a nursing home chaplain. Currently, she celebrates Eucharist with small faith communities and has served as the program coordinator for the Midwest region. In this role she has helped prepare several women for priestly ordination. Regina is married and has four children and eight grandchildren. She and her husband Charles live in Red Wing, MN. For more information, contact crnicolosi@yahoo.com
Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister for Christian Community, was elected to serve as bishop for the Southern Region. She presides at inclusive liturgies and sacramental services for vibrant faith communities in Sarasota, Florida and Falls Church, Virginia. For fifteen years, Bridget Mary served as a pastoral associate at Ft. Myer Chapel in N.VA. She is the author of eighteen books including Praying with Women of the Bible, Praying with Visionary Women, and co-author of Praying with Celtic Holy Women. She is host/producer of TV/Internet media designed to promote justice, equality and mutual respect, and dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University. For more information, contact sofiabmm@aol.com
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Monday, April 20, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Four Bishops in the United States-A Historic Move Towards Women's Equality in the Catholic Church
Back row, left to right Roman Catholic Women bishops: Ida Raming, Patricia Fresen, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Antiochan Rite Bishop Jeannette Love,
Front Row: New Roman Catholic Womenbishops:
Regina Nicolosi, Andrea Johnson, Joan Houk, Bridget Mary Meehan
Dr. Iris Mueller, a pioneer in the Women's Ordination and prominent German theologian lays hands on womenbishops in historic ordinations in USA
Roman Catholic Womanpriest Alice Iaquinta presents Regina Nicolosi
for ordination as bishop of Midwestern region/USA
Bishop Patricia Fresen lays hands on Bridget Mary Meehan/Southern Region in historic ordination of womenbishops in the Catholic Church in the USA
Presentation of Andrea Johnson by Gloria Carpeneto for Bishop of Eastern Region/USA
Bishop Ida Raming laying on of Hands on Joan Houk in historic ordination of womenbishops in the Roman Catholic Church in the USA.
Co-celebrated Mass of first USA ordained womenbishops in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement in the USA on April 19, 2009 in California
(From left to right)Bishops Joan Houk, Ida Raming, Regina Nicolosi,
Patricia Fresen Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger,
lower step, Bridget Mary Meehan, Andrea Johnson
First USA Ordination of Womenbishops in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement Second Row:Roman Catholic Womenbishops: Ida Raming (Germany), Patricia Fresen (Germany), Christine Mayr- Lumetzberger (Austria
Bishop Jeanette Love (Old Antiochian Rite)
Bishop Jeanette Love (Old Antiochian Rite)
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Four U.S. Bishops in historic ceremony
April 21, 2009
Media Contacts:
National Media Contact, Bridget Mary Meehan; 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com
USA-Western Administrator, Suzanne Thiel; 503-784-3330, suzthiel@yahoo.com
USA-Midwest Co-Administrators, Kathy Redig; 507-429-3616, krredig@hbci.com , Alice Iaquinta; 414-791-9952, aliceiaquinta@hotmail.com
USA-Great Waters Administrator, Rose Marie Hudson; 636-208-5598 , reehud@sbcglobal.net
USA-Eastern Administrator, Eileen McCafferty DiFranco; 267-258-6966 , emdifranco@aol.com
USA-Central Administrator, Roberta Meehan; 623-388-6627, biology@ctos.com
USA-Southern Administrator, Janice Sevre-Duszynska; 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance@msn.com
Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA is pleased to announce the ordinations of Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea Michele Johnson, Maria Regina Nicolosi and Bridget Mary Meehan as Roman Catholic bishops. These ordinations took place on April 19, 2009 in California. Officiating at the ceremony were Bishops: Patricia Fresen and Ida Raming from Germany and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria.
Joan Mary Clark Houk has been called by the members of the Great Waters Region to minister pastorally to the womenpriests, womendeacons and People of God of her region. To be always mindful of that call, she has "Faithful Servant" inscribed on her bishop's ring. Joan's many years of parish ministry, and her experience as a wife and mother has prepared her well for her pastoral role. Married for forty-eight years, Joan and John have six children, eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Andrea Michele Johnson resides in Annapolis, MD, and has been elected to serve as bishop for the Eastern Region. She has worked in international education exchange with the senior Fulbright Scholar Program, and also as a director of religious education over many years. She was pastoral minister in a priestless Catholic parish in the mid-1980’s and also served as a former director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, Andrea currently works in hospital chaplaincy. She is happily married to Spencer, her husband of thirty-nine years and is the mother of three adult children – two sons and one daughter, and is the grandmother of two.
Maria Regina Nicolosi was elected by the members of the Midwest Region to be their bishop. Regina was born in the Rhineland, Germany, close to the Abbey of St. Hildegard and before she moved to the USA, she was a teacher. After raising her family, Regina worked as a senior housing manager and a nursing home chaplain. Currently, she celebrates Eucharist with small faith communities and has served as the program coordinator for the Midwest region. In this role she has helped prepare several women for priestly ordination. Regina is married and has four children and eight grandchildren. She and her husband Charles live in Red Wing, MN. For more information, contact crnicolosi@yahoo.com
Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister for Christian Community, was elected to serve as bishop for the Southern Region. She presides at inclusive liturgies and sacramental services for vibrant faith communities in Sarasota, Florida and Falls Church, Virginia. For fifteen years, Bridget Mary served as a pastoral associate at Ft. Myer Chapel in N.VA. She is the author of eighteen books including Praying with Women of the Bible, Praying with Visionary Women, and co-author of Praying with Celtic Holy Women. She is host/producer of TV/Internet media designed to promote justice, equality and mutual respect, and dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University. For more information, contact sofiabmm@aol.com
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
April 21, 2009
Media Contacts:
National Media Contact, Bridget Mary Meehan; 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com
USA-Western Administrator, Suzanne Thiel; 503-784-3330, suzthiel@yahoo.com
USA-Midwest Co-Administrators, Kathy Redig; 507-429-3616, krredig@hbci.com , Alice Iaquinta; 414-791-9952, aliceiaquinta@hotmail.com
USA-Great Waters Administrator, Rose Marie Hudson; 636-208-5598 , reehud@sbcglobal.net
USA-Eastern Administrator, Eileen McCafferty DiFranco; 267-258-6966 , emdifranco@aol.com
USA-Central Administrator, Roberta Meehan; 623-388-6627, biology@ctos.com
USA-Southern Administrator, Janice Sevre-Duszynska; 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance@msn.com
Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA is pleased to announce the ordinations of Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea Michele Johnson, Maria Regina Nicolosi and Bridget Mary Meehan as Roman Catholic bishops. These ordinations took place on April 19, 2009 in California. Officiating at the ceremony were Bishops: Patricia Fresen and Ida Raming from Germany and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria.
Joan Mary Clark Houk has been called by the members of the Great Waters Region to minister pastorally to the womenpriests, womendeacons and People of God of her region. To be always mindful of that call, she has "Faithful Servant" inscribed on her bishop's ring. Joan's many years of parish ministry, and her experience as a wife and mother has prepared her well for her pastoral role. Married for forty-eight years, Joan and John have six children, eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Andrea Michele Johnson resides in Annapolis, MD, and has been elected to serve as bishop for the Eastern Region. She has worked in international education exchange with the senior Fulbright Scholar Program, and also as a director of religious education over many years. She was pastoral minister in a priestless Catholic parish in the mid-1980’s and also served as a former director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, Andrea currently works in hospital chaplaincy. She is happily married to Spencer, her husband of thirty-nine years and is the mother of three adult children – two sons and one daughter, and is the grandmother of two.
Maria Regina Nicolosi was elected by the members of the Midwest Region to be their bishop. Regina was born in the Rhineland, Germany, close to the Abbey of St. Hildegard and before she moved to the USA, she was a teacher. After raising her family, Regina worked as a senior housing manager and a nursing home chaplain. Currently, she celebrates Eucharist with small faith communities and has served as the program coordinator for the Midwest region. In this role she has helped prepare several women for priestly ordination. Regina is married and has four children and eight grandchildren. She and her husband Charles live in Red Wing, MN. For more information, contact crnicolosi@yahoo.com
Bridget Mary Meehan, a Sister for Christian Community, was elected to serve as bishop for the Southern Region. She presides at inclusive liturgies and sacramental services for vibrant faith communities in Sarasota, Florida and Falls Church, Virginia. For fifteen years, Bridget Mary served as a pastoral associate at Ft. Myer Chapel in N.VA. She is the author of eighteen books including Praying with Women of the Bible, Praying with Visionary Women, and co-author of Praying with Celtic Holy Women. She is host/producer of TV/Internet media designed to promote justice, equality and mutual respect, and dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University. For more information, contact sofiabmm@aol.com
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Movies on YouTube: (Coming soon): Links of Ordination Historic Ceremony of Ordinations of Womenbishops in the United States
Youtubemovies of ordination ceremony of first womenbishops ordained in the United States by Roman Catholic WomenpriestsEntrance Procession:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-tsOVVddBo
Clips of Bishop Patricia Fresen's homily at Ordinations of Women Bishops-
three parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJQFDNMnAO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7I5T_ZC6es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpZ1RAc7PqA
Examination of Bishops-Elect before the Community
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mSG_PZ8cA
Prostration of Bishops/Litany of the Saints
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCk3yWVs4FQ
Laying of Hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woC43RqYmdA
Anointing of the Bishop's Head
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA4UJp5Nd-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyjolnnVc2c
Presentation of Book of Gospels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1kGVF_q2Yc
Investiture with Bishop's Staff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwr0fens4-Y
Bishop Patricia Fresen presents first women bishops to be ordained in the United States to the Community
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6m2iexOXvU
Monday, April 13, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Cloud of Witnesses Retreat
From left to right
Bishops: Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Gisela Forster, Patricia Fresen
at first North American ordinations on international waters/St. Lawrence Seaway
July 25, 2005
Art by Rose Mewhort (Candidate RCWP)
Canada West
Dear RCWP USA,
Where were you when you recevied news of the ordination of the first RC Women, contra legem, the Danube Seven? Could you have imagined the lengths it had taken to prepare for this ordination and to get there on the day for the ceremony?
Are you aware of the dangers of the sabotage possible, death even, and of the chaos engendered through the complexity of secret communications between countries necessary to bring this off.
My favorite story, and Bishop Gisela Forster tells it in WOMEN FIND A WAY is of the secret bishop who sought a room in a monastery on his way or maybe he was in Passau already, and his brother priests or monks locked him in his room and kept him there the whole day. One of the three ordaining bishops was missing.
The whole drama of the event is unparalled in Dr. Forster's account., which so wonderfully carries humor and joy despite the formidable obstacles overcome and challenges met. It is probably unparalleled in Church history although not so far removed from the challenges encountered by the aposles and disciples in the Acts of the Apostles..
30 women were ready for ordination through their study and experience in the programs of preparation,
7 were ordained. Would that we had the stories of the other 23. what were the hold-ups? Much of what we still encounter could be learned from those stories.
7 tenacious and persistent women held strong in the circumstances, held up through the ceremony and opened the way we hope for-forever -for the ordination of Roman Catholic women .7 women on a ship on the Danuberisked their lives and security in their public and private lives so as to begin.While a necessity not entirely understood by the rest of the world the symbolism and actual reality of this irver ordination held many of us riveted. I know I felt immediately compelled to support these women. Something had appeared that I knew was so right there was no turning back to the world as I knew it prior to this momentous event.
I can only imagine what the experience was like for many of you who were at the ceremony.
I believe the ordaining of USA womensbishops will carry comparable historical impact. The reality will be compelling despite all of our theological quandaries and wrangling about the role of bishops and our fears that we will now abuse power.
The real meanings of these episcopal ordinations are yet to unfold and who we become in our new realities will be up to us and our God. The first women are well-chosen in a commuity discerned process. We go one step at a time and think and act by responsible choices just as, in that very first step in 2002, we had women who were thinking spiritual persons making responsible choices and so we have continued ever since.
It will take centuries, I believe, to thoroughly express the wealth of gratitude owed our bold , courageous women who set out in 2002. And just as long to fully appreciate Bishop Fresen's situation and the gift of herself coming one year later. The fullness of Wisdom Sophia's graces poured out at this time are unfathomable.
Litany response:
1. We thank you for your complete self giving in going forward to the first RC ordinations.
Glory to our Mother and Father God and to the Holy Spirit, Bright Fire of Holy Wisdom , whose power working in these founding women has done infinitely more than we could ever have asked or imagined.
Priest Ida Raming, we thank you
...................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God,
..........................................................................
Priest Iris Muller, we thank you......................
.............................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God.....
...........................................................................
Priest Gisela Forster, we thank you for
...........................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God..........
................................................................................
Priest Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger,
we thank you.................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God.........
...............................................................................
Priest Adelinde Roitinger, we thank you
.....................................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God........................................................................
.................................................................................
Priest Dagmar Celeste, we thank you...
.............................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God..........
.................................................................................
Priest Pia Brunner, we thank you...............
.............................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God..........
...........................................................................
And one year later at the Spanish Women's Synod
Priest Patricia Fresen, we thank you..........
......................................................................
Glory to our Mother and Father God..........
..............................................................................
And then 2003:
Glory to our Mother and Father God
for the following episcopal ordinations:
Bishop Gisela Forster
Bishop Christine Mayr Lumetzberger
Bishop Rafael Regelsberger
And then in March 2005:
Glory to our Mother and Father God for the episcopal ordination of
Bishop Patricia Fresen
And then in Spring 2006:
Glory to our Mother and Father God for
the episcopal ordination of
Bishop Ida Raming
Glory to our Mother and Father God, and to the Holy spirit, Bright Fire of Divine Ruah, whose power working in these women and men has done infinitely more
than we could ever have asked or imagined.
Closing: Music...the rhythmic song and of the men and women in Canoro Pianto.......... a different track than the others we have heard. .
Michele Birch-Conery, RCWP
Canada-West
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: An Easter Celebration and Prayer
Roman Catholic Womanpriest, Judy Lee and some members of community after Holy Sat. Vigil Liturgy, Ft. Myers, Fl.
Art image by Charlotte Therese
Mary of Magdala,
What joy you felt as you embraced
the Risen One!
We share your joy this day as the Risen Christ embraces us too!
Jesus, who called you by name,"Mary!" calls each of us by name,
Long ago, Jesus sent you, as apostle to the apostles, to proclaim the Good News , the Easter Proclamation that resounds through eternity!
Now, Jesus sends us to proclaim the Gospel by our words and deeds!
"Go to the sisters and brothers and tell them, 'I'm ascending to my Abba and to your Abba, my God and your God." Mary of Magdala went to the disciples. "I have seen the Teacher."
May we, like you, be joyful witnesses of the Good News wherever we are and wherever God sends us.
May we, like you, celebrate women as equal images of the divine.
May we, like you, live Jesus' example of Gospel equality.
May we, like you, ignite a fire of love for justice, peace and equality as we live our priestly ministry in communities of equals serving God and others, especially those most in need of loving kindness and compassion.
Alleluia! Christ is risen, indeed risen!
Bridget Mary Meehan
Roman Catholic Womanpriest
Friday, April 10, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: A Good Friday Prayer
Jesus, today we come to the cross
with Mary, your mother,
Mary of Magdala,
and all the holy women
who stood by you in the final hours of
your suffering and agony.
Like these faithful disciples,
we accompany you,
Heart of Love ,
as you pour forth
forgiveness
healing
peace
compassion
justice
over all.
Jesus, we are your broken vessels and wounded healers.
By your abundant, overflowing grace,
forgive, heal and transform us
so that we may embody your
Christ-presence in our church and world.
Fill our hearts with your compassion so that our hearts may reflect
your Heart of Love.
We pray for mercy and compassion on
all who are ill,
all who grieve,
all who despair,
all who are lonely,
all who are dying,
all who have transitioned into eternal life,
all who need the basic necessities of life,
all who are out of work, who need employment,
for peace within and between nations
all who need prayer and all who have no one to pray for them.
May we hold one another always in Your Heart of Love where we are forever one.
Amen.
Bridget Mary Meehan
Roman Catholic Womanpriest
Good Friday, April 10, 2009
with Mary, your mother,
Mary of Magdala,
and all the holy women
who stood by you in the final hours of
your suffering and agony.
Like these faithful disciples,
we accompany you,
Heart of Love ,
as you pour forth
forgiveness
healing
peace
compassion
justice
over all.
Jesus, we are your broken vessels and wounded healers.
By your abundant, overflowing grace,
forgive, heal and transform us
so that we may embody your
Christ-presence in our church and world.
Fill our hearts with your compassion so that our hearts may reflect
your Heart of Love.
We pray for mercy and compassion on
all who are ill,
all who grieve,
all who despair,
all who are lonely,
all who are dying,
all who have transitioned into eternal life,
all who need the basic necessities of life,
all who are out of work, who need employment,
for peace within and between nations
all who need prayer and all who have no one to pray for them.
May we hold one another always in Your Heart of Love where we are forever one.
Amen.
Bridget Mary Meehan
Roman Catholic Womanpriest
Good Friday, April 10, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Cloud of Witnesses Retreat
Left to Right Bishop Gisela Forster, Bishop Dana Reynolds,
Bishop Ida Raming and Priest Suzanne Thiel in Germany
April 2008/Dana's Episcopal Ordination
Ordinations in Canada
Dear Community,
Today, as we are poised to begin Holy Week, we prepare to celebrate the mysteries at the heart of our faith, where trial and triumph, joy and sorrow, chaos and hope, become real at the same time, intertwined in the lives and hearts of Jesus and his followers. At this time, in our community life, we are coming ever-closer to the ordination of our new bishops, a time of joy. However, at this very same time, our Bishop Dana has come into a time of need for bodily rest and renewal. Acknowledging the limitations of our very human bodies and offering care and respite to our physical selves, even though the timing is difficult, is itself an encounter with the Sacred -- a spiritual discipline, in fact. We are human, and our bodies cannot always quite keep up with our energetic spirits and minds and outer events. This can be an exacting time of meeting the Holy Spirit.
We also acknowledge that we are one body in Christ. We are all part of one another. Every time we come into this awareness, it, too, is an encounter with the Sacred. Dana's vulnerability is our vulnerability; out strength is her strength. May the great winds of Ruah swirl amongst our RCWP community, gathering together all our resources of health and wholeness and joy, carrying them to Dana with our love and the love of our God, for her deep healing and renewal.
As a prayer ritual for Dana, I invite you to cup your hands and hold Dana and her needs in your hands. Imagine yourself, with your hands gently holding Dana, being held in the cupped hands of our loving God/de. Breathe......
"In the fragrance of our yearned-for wholeness, we sense you, we hear you, we know your presence, O loving God.
We hear the echoes of your healing throughout our lives.
We remember all of the times you have heard our needs, and healed us and made us well, in body and mind and heart and spirit,
and we give thanks.
We know your nearness,
We know your love,
We know you as the source of strength that is greater than our own strength,
and we give thanks.
Held in your hands, in your love, we trust in your wisdom and grace.
Holy One, we know you as the author of our lives, the One in whom all our desires reside.
Remind us, as we hold Dana at our centre, in our hands and minds and hearts, that we are yours.
We thank you for the Wisdom we are all learning at this time -- that it is good to honour our needs and our limitations.
We give thanks for the courage to say yes to our ourselves and no to the demands of outer life when we have to --
for the greater good, the greater health --
even when we would rather not have to choose between them.
Anoint Dana with your Spirit of love and wholeness,
and let her never doubt her place of honour in your kin-dom and our community.
In Your love, we are one.
In our oneness with you, we are healed.
Power and truth to these statements,
Amen."
Today, and in the days to come, may we hold at our centre in a special way our very special Bishop Dana, as she attends to her health, to her being, to her well-being. Dana, we send our prayers for healing and peace.
With love,
Monica (Kilburn-Smith, Calgary)
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Mary, Mother of Jesus Catholic Community celebrates Palm Sunday at St. Andrew Church in Sarasota, Fl.
Married priest Michael Rigdon co-presides
with married priest Lee Breyer and Roman Catholic Womanpriest,
Bridget Mary Meehan at Palm Sunday liturgy
with Mary, Mother of Jesus Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida.
Community prays over Bridget Mary
Sheila Carey/Liturgical Dance
On April4, 2009, Mary, Mother of Jesus Catholic Community gathered at St. Andrew Church in Sarasota, Florida to celebrate Palm Sunday.
Here are several clips that give glimpses into our beautiful liturgy.
Blessing of Palm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnDY7cTpvgc
Liturgical Dance- Communion Meditation
In this clip, Sheila Carey performed this stunning sacred dance to "you raise me up."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6h0FcBlPHA
Prayer of Blessing for Bridget Mary by Congregation.
In this clip Jack Duffy leads the community in a prayer of blessing for the outpouring of the Spirit on bishop-elect Bridget Mary Meehan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0_2MbRZ0VQ
After Recessional: "When the saints go marching in".
Jack Meehan plays a rousing version of this classic spiritual as the community bids each other farewell for the season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjem1Qlk284
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Cloud of Witnesses Retreat
Bishop Elect Andrea Johnson and Hildegard
of Bingen and RCWP Community with our communities and support people, our fillling Cloud of Living Witnesses
My conversation with Andrea was just a bit different from my exchange with Dana Reynolds. Andrea had to think about her real names first. Andrea? Andrew? That didn't seem to work. And Michelle or Michael in his armor and brandishinig his sword didn't fit either.
"Hildegard, Andrea then replied, " because of her boldness and the way she spoke back to bishops!"
Not unlike their Eastern Saint Katherine Drexel.--I thought. Katherine had written in her journals,
" To speak only and when it pleases God; but to lose no opportunity of speaking before priests and beareded men."
PEOPLES' COMAPNION to the BREVIARY,Vol. 1. Carmelites of Indianapolis,1997. 535.
.It seemed to me then, that for Andrea and for all of our Bishops elect and our ordained bishops and ourselves: candidates, deacons, and priests that the work by Hildegard entitled "O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti" is a most powerful and relevant prayer for us in Cloud of Witnesses International and I offer it in prayer for us today.
I am taking the opportunity to re-language from Norma Gentile whose translation comes closest to contemproary conceptions but not close enough for RCWP realities.
I found a statement which links Hildegard to our time and it is from this statement that I am working the re-languaging..
The statetment is from "Poetry Chaikhana" http://www.poetry-chaikhana..com/H/Hildegardof%20B/OignisSpirit.htm
Hildegard believed:
"All of physical reality even in its most solid forms of earth and rock, all of 'solid' reality...flows . Nothing is as tangible or stationary as it may superficially appear.
All forms possess a sort of divine inner 'sap.'
The fluid Holy Spirit.. that is the true being or essence which shows itself as life: ' and earth sweats her green vigor.' (Hildegard)
This is not a dusty theological statetment, but a vision of life, how the Divine flows unhindered through all creation, and it is that flowing that is life. And all things, all people, you and I, we are not solid, separate physical bodies. We, too, are nothing less than that eternal flow."
Quantum Physics, we could say, has caught up with Hildegard.
O Ignis Spiritus Paracliti(O Comforting Fire of the Spirit)
O life bringing Divine Paraclete
Spirit Holy. O Divine Fire of Ruah
of Wisdom Sophia, you comfort us.
You are the life that flows through
all of Creation. We praise you,
You are the Holy One.
O Holy Anointing Spirit,
you heal us. You suffuse
all our wounds. Even the deepest
receive your life-giving balm.
New life comes to us inwardly
and you then gradually draw us out.
Fire of Love, your Sacred Breath
infuses us. You know us
in the marrow of our bones,
in the core of our hearts and souls.
You then instill us with the strength
and graces we most need.
Fountain of flowing Lght,
you enlighten and draw to you those who are lost. You bring strangers together.
You make possible the re-union of those who are estranged.
You who are our Holy Protector,
show us how to bring unity
in diversity without the divisions created by the need to be right. Keep us as one
and enfold us in your infinitie blessings.
O Caring One of great compassion,
free those held by dark forces from within and without..Dissolve the bonds of all those imprisoned literally or in their hearts and spirits.
O Peneterating Light and Fire,
fill the universe in the height and depth the length and breadth of your great
Wisdom and Love.
As the clouds suffuse the skies.
and wind comes streaming.
As rain falls against stone
and new and fresh water rises,
cleanse our ever greening earth
and bring your refreshing Living water, the Light and Fire of your Living Truth to our understanding and our hearts..
Emboldening Fire of Ruah, draw Your knowledge out from the hidden places within us that we may speak with courage in Holy Wisdom's ways.
We praise you as we hear you in the Universe
that praises you. Sustain us and the Universe through the power of your Holy Spirit Who infuses all Being in the fluid circulation of Your Divine Love.
From RCWP Canada and Europe West
Cloud of Witnesses
re-languaged mbc
jpeg painting "On Holy Ground"
Rose Mewhort
diaconate candidate/.Canada
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
"Episcopal Posse": Article by Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church
Episcopal Posse
Have you read or heard about the now dead Connecticut House Bill 1098? This story is a must for all Catholics! T
he way this bill was defeated serves as a strong warning to Catholic church reformers. Elected representatives in CT responded to recent large-scale thefts in Catholic parishes by drafting a bill that would modify a historical exception given to the State Catholic corporations allowing Catholic bishops to control who serves as the corporate officers. The legislators met a strong Catholic Crusade against the State's right to establish or change its own rules for incorporation.
In an all-out campaign by way of TV, radio, newspaper ads, letters from the pulpit, etc., the CT bishops mustered a posse of 3500 people to storm Hartford in protest against this bill which would require that parish members elect those who serve on the board of their Catholic parish corporation. Imagine that! Parishioners elect the parish State corporation.board! An excommunicatable offense?
Hearing about it, the legislators killed the bill before they arrived.Bridgeport Bishop William E. Lori, called Senate Bill 1098 "irrational, unlawful and bigoted" and "a thinly veiled attempt to silence the Catholic Church". Might their response be "a thinly veiled attempt" to keep secret what they have gotten away with for many years? The lesson here is: Don't mess with the Principalities of Catholic Princes!
While not a matter of interfering with our Roman Catholic faith or sacraments, for us to seek some participation in governance decisions on the use of our contributions seems to be the greatest act of schism we can commit as evidenced by this forceful and successful Catholic hierarchy blatant interference with the State. Such is the Prince-bishops' power over our elected civil authorities. And our money keeps them in power.
Remembering the Women Sunday Readings 4/6 Palm Sunday - 2 Samuel 13:1-22, Mark 14:3-9, 66-72, 15:40-414/12 Easter Sunday - John 20:1-18
Authorization given to distribute this article as is without any change. Thank you.
Support for The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) is greatly appreciated. Comments welcomed rschutz1@prodigy.net or 1-877-700-ARCC (2722).
Have you read or heard about the now dead Connecticut House Bill 1098? This story is a must for all Catholics! T
he way this bill was defeated serves as a strong warning to Catholic church reformers. Elected representatives in CT responded to recent large-scale thefts in Catholic parishes by drafting a bill that would modify a historical exception given to the State Catholic corporations allowing Catholic bishops to control who serves as the corporate officers. The legislators met a strong Catholic Crusade against the State's right to establish or change its own rules for incorporation.
In an all-out campaign by way of TV, radio, newspaper ads, letters from the pulpit, etc., the CT bishops mustered a posse of 3500 people to storm Hartford in protest against this bill which would require that parish members elect those who serve on the board of their Catholic parish corporation. Imagine that! Parishioners elect the parish State corporation.board! An excommunicatable offense?
Hearing about it, the legislators killed the bill before they arrived.Bridgeport Bishop William E. Lori, called Senate Bill 1098 "irrational, unlawful and bigoted" and "a thinly veiled attempt to silence the Catholic Church". Might their response be "a thinly veiled attempt" to keep secret what they have gotten away with for many years? The lesson here is: Don't mess with the Principalities of Catholic Princes!
While not a matter of interfering with our Roman Catholic faith or sacraments, for us to seek some participation in governance decisions on the use of our contributions seems to be the greatest act of schism we can commit as evidenced by this forceful and successful Catholic hierarchy blatant interference with the State. Such is the Prince-bishops' power over our elected civil authorities. And our money keeps them in power.
Remembering the Women Sunday Readings 4/6 Palm Sunday - 2 Samuel 13:1-22, Mark 14:3-9, 66-72, 15:40-414/12 Easter Sunday - John 20:1-18
Authorization given to distribute this article as is without any change. Thank you.
Support for The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) is greatly appreciated. Comments welcomed rschutz1@prodigy.net or 1-877-700-ARCC (2722).
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Cloud of Witnesses Retreat
Bishop Dana Reynolds and Hildegard of Bingen
Conversation:
"Well, Dana, I asked, who is St. Dana?
Or rather who is your Patron Saint?
"Hildegard of Bingen. "
There was no hesitation in her reply. She did not have to think for even 1/2 sec.
Here is a woman who knows her own mind and mystical heritage, I said to myself.
"Because of her creativity," Dana further asserted.
There was no mistaking Dana's integrity in her knowing.
In one of her Sacred Imaginations Website entries Dana has said,
"Creative self-expression allows us to connect with the wisdom and desires of our souls for better self understanding and healing.
It also serves as prayer, drawing us closer to our Creator."
The Work:
I have knowm many artists working in a number of artistic media but not all make this spiritual connection so boldly. In my own writing and artistic work, I know that what Dana says is true and I would add that the language of symbol and metaphor, of analogy , of story and narrative and interview and imaging in any artistic form can bring us into mystical experience. It can take us into Divine Union and this must have been from where Hildegard, completely infused by the Luminous Spirit of God prolifically poured forth her work in an immense range of expressions, even when she was unwell.
The knowledge and gifts of artistic talent and craft must undergird and penetrate the expression, however, and in the case of Hildegard and Dana this is exactly the reality.
One need only take a look at each of their works.
The Sacred Space:
In the sandstone house, yellow and blending in with the environment of Carmel, California, Dana has created a spiritual artistic environment that bathes you in light and in the sight of beautiful sacred objects in every nook and cranny (and it is a kind of nook and crannied home). Vivid varieites of flowers and vibrantly alive plants bring the outdoors in and the inside...out!
You can choose from comfortable deep sink into rest furniture or you can sit upright and straight in carved wooden chairs if that is your preference. or your need. The hearty smell of fresh baked olive brio bread lets you know you are embraced by gracious hospitality.
Victoria Rue, Kathleen Kunster and Michele Birch-Conery;( I flew down from Canada for the weekend)--made our pre- St. Lawrence ordination retreat one weekend in May/05 just prior to our ordinations to the priesthhod and diaconate.
It was a weekend rich in soul and heart bonding and in immersion in the sacred emvironment I have just described.
Yet, as RCWP, we did not entirely have the opportunity to just rest in our retreat. A phone call from somewhere important alerted us to the fact that we had to quick make the liturgy for the ordination and thus began a 4 way team and partnered text crash. We interpsersed our work with other activities such as two really good meals., a walk in the deep sand a few blocks away on the shores of our great Pacific Ocean and then???? A labyrinth walk.
On Sunday eveming, Victoria had to leave but we still had some time left for Monday a.m. and it was then that Dana brought out her astonishing writings. I was awed at the extent, the beauty and the mysticism of Dana's conception of a brand new special religious order of women. And I thought of Hildegard. I made the connection then and remember it today.
I've forgotten the name of the order and it doesn't matter because there we had been, little seedlings germinating together all weekend and not knowing that this is who we were to become and now the rest of you have come and we continue to become in our fragile but growing and maturing RCWP.
Today from Canada in rememberance and acknowledgement I pray and I pray with my sisters and brothers here and in Europe:
Today, we ask Wisdom Sophia to further infuse the graces of Spirit Holy into our sister Bishop Dana Reynolds. May the inexhaustible creativity of her patron Hildegard lead her in continued deep spiritual understanding and expression for her own deepening and for the furtherance of our evolving RCWP movement.
May Dana, Joan, Bridget Mary, Regina and Andrea, combine their gifts freely and unabashedly in total freedom and trust, in inclusivity with each other and with us, as we unfold our model of priestly ministry and stand together in solidarity around difficulties that arise.
May we continue to know the complete joy especially begun the morning of the reurrection when Mary Magadalen became the first apostle to the apostles. In knowing Mary's call and empowerment, may we encourage healing and renewal in the spirit of all women especially those who have been oppressed within Church environments and others in their racial and cultural daily realities.
Love to you all,
RCWP Canada and Europe
composed today March 31/09
mbc
Ordinations in Toronto 2007
Bishop Patricia Fresen ordains Marie Bouclin
I have been re-reading this passage from Rosemary Radford Ruether’s recent book Catholic ≠ the Vatican, which I underlined because it gave me hope. It is my prayer for you and all of us this day.
"(We) are engaged in a process the future of which cannot be predicted. It may be that those of us concerned with (church) reforms will grow tired of institutional intransigence and go elsewhere, or it may be that at least parts of the official institution will open itself to greater acceptance of such movements. I hope that we are engaged in a process that will lead to eventual transformation of the official institution to allow legitimacy to the broader range of thought and life. But meanwhile, we can and must carry on living ways of being a Christian community that satisfy our vision of what is authentic and truthful. In short, we need to insist on being the church today and not waiting to be allowed to do so in some distant future. "(emphasis mine).
For RCWP Europe and RCWP Canada,
Marie Bouclin
Monday, March 30, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Cloud of Witnesses Retreat- "God Made Me a Priest"
"God Made Me a Priest"
Poor Gertrude, triply silenced in a Christian cocoon of misogyny.
You are Eve, daughter of Satan: your mouth speaks only evil.
You, a woman, are under obedience: your voice is irrelevant,
Your superiors speak for you, if speech is necessary, which from women is rarely so.
You are less than nobody in God’s church: was it not you, a woman, who dealt with the devil, and caused sin to grow and drag down forever the church of God?
You caused the death and suffering of Jesus; now take your place submissively as an evil irrelevancy.
But God said to Gertrude:
Write, speak, forgive sins in my name: I will never let your words be in vain,
I now make you a priest of God, you are my mouthpiece.
My words are your words and yours mine.
The words of the powerful are shallow like pebbles in an empty can.
I now touch your mouth, today I make you my priest:
Feed the people,
Bless the bread,
Share the wine.
Speak for me to them.
Remove their doubts and scruples.
Lift their burdens.
Help the women to stand tall.
Tell them, “Come.”
No wonder we call her Gertrude the Great,
Ordained by God Herself, spokesperson of the Holy One.
God of Gertrude, Gertrude of God,
Touch our mouths with courage,
Loosen our tongues to speak,
Straighten our back to stand tall,
Priest us! Priest the women,
God the Great, Gertrude the Great.
Poor Gertrude, triply silenced in a Christian cocoon of misogyny.
You are Eve, daughter of Satan: your mouth speaks only evil.
You, a woman, are under obedience: your voice is irrelevant,
Your superiors speak for you, if speech is necessary, which from women is rarely so.
You are less than nobody in God’s church: was it not you, a woman, who dealt with the devil, and caused sin to grow and drag down forever the church of God?
You caused the death and suffering of Jesus; now take your place submissively as an evil irrelevancy.
But God said to Gertrude:
Write, speak, forgive sins in my name: I will never let your words be in vain,
I now make you a priest of God, you are my mouthpiece.
My words are your words and yours mine.
The words of the powerful are shallow like pebbles in an empty can.
I now touch your mouth, today I make you my priest:
Feed the people,
Bless the bread,
Share the wine.
Speak for me to them.
Remove their doubts and scruples.
Lift their burdens.
Help the women to stand tall.
Tell them, “Come.”
No wonder we call her Gertrude the Great,
Ordained by God Herself, spokesperson of the Holy One.
God of Gertrude, Gertrude of God,
Touch our mouths with courage,
Loosen our tongues to speak,
Straighten our back to stand tall,
Priest us! Priest the women,
God the Great, Gertrude the Great.
Marie Bouclin
Inspired by Gertrude the Great of Helfta (Mary Malone, Praying with the Women Mystics, Novalis, 2006
Inspired by Gertrude the Great of Helfta (Mary Malone, Praying with the Women Mystics, Novalis, 2006
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