http://www.wildhair95.blogspot.com/
"I was at Bishop Joan Houk’s talk last evening at Vanderbilt. It was really my first up close experience with the issue of the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church. I came away very impressed."
Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now- https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/10/rev-dr-bridget-mary-meehan-arcwp-chat.html
Friday, February 12, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Florida Ordinations: NBC/Ft.Myers TV Program Link
The Underground Priesthood
SARASOTA: "They call themselves servants of God and are joining the ranks of more than 100 women around the world.
Earlier this month the Roman Catholic Women Priests held the first ordination of women Priests and Deacons in the state of Florida. These women are taking positions reserved for men under Catholic Church law."
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Dena O'Callaghan presides at Liturgy of the Eucharist and Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
"I celebrated my first Mass yesterday in Gainesville with my 2 sisters and their husbands, my cousin and his wife, my nephew and John.
My brother-in-law couldn't come to my ordination because of his Parkinson's disease."
Dena O'Callaghan ordained a priest on Feb. 6, 2010 in Sarasota, Florida
Dena, John and community lay hands
and pray for healing of Joe
Newly Ordained Priest: Dena O'Callaghan anoints Joe
accompanied by priest husband, John
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Homily- "We Are Making History: A Renewed Model of Priestly Ministry" by Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan/ Florida Ordinations
Homily: “We Are Making History: A Renewed Model of Priestly Ministry”
The Ordinations of Dena O’Callaghan, Katy Zatsick as Roman Catholic Womanpriests
And Mary Ellen Sheehan as a deacon
By Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Today Dena O’Callaghan and Katie Zatsick are making history as they answer God’s call to a renewed model of priestly ministry as Roman Catholic Womanpriests. Mary Ellen Sheehan is making history as the first woman from Georgia to be ordained a deacon by the Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement.
The Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement is living Jesus example of Gospel equality and reclaiming our early Christian tradition of women in ordained leadership. The movement, Roman Catholic Womenpriests is a justice movement for the full equality of women in the Catholic Church, not a splinter group.
Roman Catholic Womenpriests reject the automatic excommunication issued by the hierarchy. Pope Benedict canonized Mother Theodore Guerin, an excommunicated nun in 2005, and will canonize Mother Mary MacKillop, another excommunicated nun in 2010. So, my sisters and brothers we are in good company, and perhaps even on a fast tract to Sainthood! We are not leaving the church. We are leading the church.
Nearly 5000 priests in the U.S. have sexually abused over 12,000 Catholic children, but they were not excommunicated. Something is radically wrong with a hierarchical system that does not hold the bishops accountable for such a devastating crisis.
In our scripture, we encounter Samuel who discovered God’s call with the help of his wise mentor Eli. Dena, Katy and Mary Ellen have discerned their call to serve God’s people within supportive networks of families, friends and communities who have accompanied them on this journey to holy orders on this joy-filled day.
At the Last Supper, Jesus addressed his mandate: "Do this in memory of me" to women and men, therefore empowering women to preside at Eucharist which they did in the house churches in the early centuries of our history. Romans 16 uses the word eklesia ("church") to describe the group that gathered in the home of Prisca and Aquila, a husband-wife ministry team. Paul praises the missionary co-workers in these words: "Greet Prisca and Aquila who work with me in Christ Jesus …Greet also the church in their house" (Romans 16:3-5).
Seven percent of Americans attend religious services in home churches according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. According to Robert Putnam, a Harvard Kennedy School professor and author of American Grace, approximately 16% of Americans are unaffiliated with any religious denomination. Putnam believes that the disillusioned today reject the “one size fits all” approach and are looking for a church that is more homemade and where women play important leadership roles. Many of our Roman Catholic Womenpriests serve God’s people in house churches. Dena O’Callaghan and her priest husband John serve a community that meets in their home in Ocala, Florida.
Jesus treated men and women as equals and partners. Among his disciples were many women. In our Gospel today, the women encounter an angel who shares the good news of the Risen Christ.
“The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James. The other women with them also told the apostles, but the story seemed like nonsense and they refused to believe them….”
How long O God, How long will we have to wait for the male apostles to get it!
Here we are 21 centuries later! The Vatican claims it has no authority to ordain womenpriests as if God is suddenly impotent before women. Some things never change, do they!
In the beautiful story of Emmaus, Jesus walks with the disciples. Some scripture scholars think the two may have been a married couple. Be that as it may, they did not recognize the Risen One until they sat down for supper and in the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened to the dazzling splendor of resurrected glory in their midst.
Today, we also encounter Jesus in the breaking of the bread with open eyes and burning hearts. Today, Dena, Katy, and Mary Ellen answer God’s call and join us in recognizing Jesus in our midst calling us be the Body of Christ, serving the Body of Christ with the Body of Christ .
Women were ordained as deacons, priests and bishops until the 12th century. Scholars including Dorothy Irvin, Gary Macy, Ute Eisen, Carolyn Osiek, Shaun Madigan, and many others reach similar conclusions. The beautiful banner in our sanctuary depicts a scene of an early church Eucharist.
Sexism which is always a sin is the root cause of the institutional church’s exclusion of women from priesthood.
Like Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat and sit in the back of the bus helped to ignite the civil rights movement, Roman Catholic Womenpriests are disobeying an unjust law that discriminates against women. The ordinations of Roman Catholic Womenpriests are valid because of our unbroken line of apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic male bishop who ordained our first women bishops is a bishop with a line of unbroken apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church in full communion with the pope. Therefore, our bishops validly ordain deacons, priests and bishops.
We are part of a worldwide movement that claims equality as a human right. In a recent address, former president Jimmy Carter who is a member of the Elders, an eminent group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to address issues of human suffering, said: “We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasize the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share.”
According to the Pew Survey one in ten Americans are former Catholics. There are legions of women who feel like second-class citizens in their own church, divorced and remarried Catholics, gays and lesbians and all those on the margins of church and society.
Like the Disciples at Emmaus, the infinite boundless love of Christ ignites the fire in our hearts, the passion in our souls to serve God’s beloved people, especially those who are rejected or marginalized in inclusive communities where all are welcome. The world is our parish.
Blessings on you, Dena O’Callaghan, Katy Zatsick and Mary Ellen Sheehan, faith-filled women of courage, as you step forward into your future as Roman Catholic Womanpriests and deacon to serve God’s people!
— — — Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for Christian Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2006. Dr. Meehan is currently Dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University, and is the author of 18 books, including "The Healing Power of Prayer" and "Praying with Women of the Bible.". She presides at liturgies in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Church in Sarasota, Florida and in N.Va. She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Dr. Meehan can be reached at SofiaBMM@aol.com. The website www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org, BridgetMarysBlogspot.
The Ordinations of Dena O’Callaghan, Katy Zatsick as Roman Catholic Womanpriests
And Mary Ellen Sheehan as a deacon
By Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Today Dena O’Callaghan and Katie Zatsick are making history as they answer God’s call to a renewed model of priestly ministry as Roman Catholic Womanpriests. Mary Ellen Sheehan is making history as the first woman from Georgia to be ordained a deacon by the Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement.
The Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement is living Jesus example of Gospel equality and reclaiming our early Christian tradition of women in ordained leadership. The movement, Roman Catholic Womenpriests is a justice movement for the full equality of women in the Catholic Church, not a splinter group.
Roman Catholic Womenpriests reject the automatic excommunication issued by the hierarchy. Pope Benedict canonized Mother Theodore Guerin, an excommunicated nun in 2005, and will canonize Mother Mary MacKillop, another excommunicated nun in 2010. So, my sisters and brothers we are in good company, and perhaps even on a fast tract to Sainthood! We are not leaving the church. We are leading the church.
Nearly 5000 priests in the U.S. have sexually abused over 12,000 Catholic children, but they were not excommunicated. Something is radically wrong with a hierarchical system that does not hold the bishops accountable for such a devastating crisis.
In our scripture, we encounter Samuel who discovered God’s call with the help of his wise mentor Eli. Dena, Katy and Mary Ellen have discerned their call to serve God’s people within supportive networks of families, friends and communities who have accompanied them on this journey to holy orders on this joy-filled day.
At the Last Supper, Jesus addressed his mandate: "Do this in memory of me" to women and men, therefore empowering women to preside at Eucharist which they did in the house churches in the early centuries of our history. Romans 16 uses the word eklesia ("church") to describe the group that gathered in the home of Prisca and Aquila, a husband-wife ministry team. Paul praises the missionary co-workers in these words: "Greet Prisca and Aquila who work with me in Christ Jesus …Greet also the church in their house" (Romans 16:3-5).
Seven percent of Americans attend religious services in home churches according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. According to Robert Putnam, a Harvard Kennedy School professor and author of American Grace, approximately 16% of Americans are unaffiliated with any religious denomination. Putnam believes that the disillusioned today reject the “one size fits all” approach and are looking for a church that is more homemade and where women play important leadership roles. Many of our Roman Catholic Womenpriests serve God’s people in house churches. Dena O’Callaghan and her priest husband John serve a community that meets in their home in Ocala, Florida.
Jesus treated men and women as equals and partners. Among his disciples were many women. In our Gospel today, the women encounter an angel who shares the good news of the Risen Christ.
“The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James. The other women with them also told the apostles, but the story seemed like nonsense and they refused to believe them….”
How long O God, How long will we have to wait for the male apostles to get it!
Here we are 21 centuries later! The Vatican claims it has no authority to ordain womenpriests as if God is suddenly impotent before women. Some things never change, do they!
In the beautiful story of Emmaus, Jesus walks with the disciples. Some scripture scholars think the two may have been a married couple. Be that as it may, they did not recognize the Risen One until they sat down for supper and in the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened to the dazzling splendor of resurrected glory in their midst.
Today, we also encounter Jesus in the breaking of the bread with open eyes and burning hearts. Today, Dena, Katy, and Mary Ellen answer God’s call and join us in recognizing Jesus in our midst calling us be the Body of Christ, serving the Body of Christ with the Body of Christ .
Women were ordained as deacons, priests and bishops until the 12th century. Scholars including Dorothy Irvin, Gary Macy, Ute Eisen, Carolyn Osiek, Shaun Madigan, and many others reach similar conclusions. The beautiful banner in our sanctuary depicts a scene of an early church Eucharist.
Sexism which is always a sin is the root cause of the institutional church’s exclusion of women from priesthood.
Like Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat and sit in the back of the bus helped to ignite the civil rights movement, Roman Catholic Womenpriests are disobeying an unjust law that discriminates against women. The ordinations of Roman Catholic Womenpriests are valid because of our unbroken line of apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic male bishop who ordained our first women bishops is a bishop with a line of unbroken apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church in full communion with the pope. Therefore, our bishops validly ordain deacons, priests and bishops.
We are part of a worldwide movement that claims equality as a human right. In a recent address, former president Jimmy Carter who is a member of the Elders, an eminent group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to address issues of human suffering, said: “We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasize the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share.”
According to the Pew Survey one in ten Americans are former Catholics. There are legions of women who feel like second-class citizens in their own church, divorced and remarried Catholics, gays and lesbians and all those on the margins of church and society.
Like the Disciples at Emmaus, the infinite boundless love of Christ ignites the fire in our hearts, the passion in our souls to serve God’s beloved people, especially those who are rejected or marginalized in inclusive communities where all are welcome. The world is our parish.
Blessings on you, Dena O’Callaghan, Katy Zatsick and Mary Ellen Sheehan, faith-filled women of courage, as you step forward into your future as Roman Catholic Womanpriests and deacon to serve God’s people!
— — — Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for Christian Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 31, 2006. Dr. Meehan is currently Dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for Global Ministries University, and is the author of 18 books, including "The Healing Power of Prayer" and "Praying with Women of the Bible.". She presides at liturgies in Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Church in Sarasota, Florida and in N.Va. She was ordained a bishop on April 19, 2009. Dr. Meehan can be reached at SofiaBMM@aol.com. The website www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org, BridgetMarysBlogspot.
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Florida Ordinations: More Movies- Processional, Litany of Saints Presentation of Candidates for Ordination etc.
Processional led by Sheila Carey,
liturgical dancer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XaE2td1gEw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-ODbMkMSk&feature=player_embedded
Processional to "We are Called"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5IBtqp_vx8&feature=player_embedded
Processional Bow to altar and bow to people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xeO6f4sqrw&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of Candidates for Priesthood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiXVi6eVQj0&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XaE2td1gEw&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of the Candidates for Priesthood:Dena O'Callaghanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrmtxFUHsoo&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of the Candidates for Priesthood/ Katy Zatsick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqthQxORVUY&feature=player_embedded
Veni Sancte Spiritus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEUK8HCkuUk&feature=player_embedded
Examination of the Diaconate Candidate:
Mary Ellen Sheehan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS3b41C2CWk&feature=player_embedded
Florida Ordinations: Litany of the Saints-
Cantor Michael Rigdon accompanied by Linda Lee Miska on piano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqRTDLndCg8&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ikFaJl6CSE&feature=player_embedded
Investiture of new deacon, Mary Ellen Sheehan with Stole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmtZKqpgtS0&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of the Gospel to New Deacon Mary Ellen Sheehan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9-SzRQK17k&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of newly ordained priests to Assembly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXaul9y_rs0&feature=player_embedded
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preparation of the Gifts led by Ruth Steinert Foote and children from Good Shepherd Community/Ft. Myers, Florida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKC552tHi5c&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of Chalice and patent to newly ordained priests
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100207/ARTICLE/2071058/2055/NEWS?p=2&tc=pg&tc=ar
Recessional: We are marching in the light of God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjvaDx8eVU4&feature=player_embedded
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Discussion on Merits of Womenpriests on European popular website/Florida ordinations of Roman Catholic Womenpriests
Bishop Bridget Mary lays hands on
Katie Zatsick at ordination
Enthusiastic Supporters at Florida Ordinations on Feb. 8,2010
Options and Discussion of the Merits of the Alternatives
http://www.womenpriests.org/circles/tm.asp?m=9038&mpage=11&key=袬
Monday, February 8, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Florida Ordinations. Video Clips
Laying on of Hands at Ordination of Womenpriests/Florida
Some Clips (more to come)
Consecration: Ordination of Roman Catholic Womenpriests/Florida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvYVTfbbX9Y&feature=player_embedded
Veni Sante Spiritus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEUK8HCkuUk
Examination of Priestly Candidates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hovzlwr73NQ&feature=player_embedded
Presentation of Dena O'Callaghan and Katy Zatsick for Ordination to the priesthood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqthQxORVUY
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=hovzlwr73NQ
Vesting of new deacon Mary Ellen Sheehan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmtZKqpgtS0
Prostration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqRTDLndCg8&feature=player_embedded
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Links to Articles and Photos of Historic Florida Ordinations
Ordination of Dena O'Callaghan
at historic ordinations of first women priests ordained in Florida
Laying on of Hands at Ordination of Katy Zatsick
Dena O'Callaghan and Katy Zatsick at their ordination liturgy
Pastor Phil Garrison and Dr. Jean Simpson
Regional Coordinator of UCC welcome
RCWP to ordination of Roman Catholic Womenpriests
Mary Ellen Sheehan on left was ordained a deacon
Roman Catholic Womenpriests celebrate Eucharist
at historic, first Florida ordinations of women priest.
On Feb. 6th, enthusiastic supporters of Roman Catholic Womenpriests gathered to celebrate the ordinations of Dena O'Callaghan, Katy Zatsick as priests and Mary Ellen Sheehan as deacon. Over 200 people packed St. Andrew United Church of Christ , interrupting the service with resounding approval and spirited rejoicing.
Links:
Article on Sat. Feb. 5th, front page
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100206/ARTICLE/2061054/2416/NEWS?Title=Ordaining-more-women-bishop-welcomes-controversy
Article on Sunday, Feb.6th front pagehttp://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100207/ARTICLE/2071058/2055/NEWS?Title=Church-disapproval-doesn-t-deter-crowd
Great Photos from newspaper galleryhttp://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=SH&Dato=20100206&Kategori=NEWS0514&Lopenr=206009999&Ref=PH&template=gallery
Catholic News Wire article
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/women_priest_ordinations_cause_disunity_says_florida_diocese/
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Ordaining More Women, Bishop Welcomes Controversy
Ordaining More Women, Bishop Welcomes Controversy
Ann Scott
"Good!" said Bridget Mary Meehan, the former nun who is performing today's ordinations and is one of five bishops in the national movement. "They're upping the ante. People will have to be courageous to support us and that is what this is about. Like our sister Rosa Parks, we refuse to sit on the back of the bus any longer."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100206/ARTICLE/2061054/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
Catholic Bishop Decries Ordination of Women in Florida
http://www.speroforum.com/a/26840/Catholic-bishop-decries-ordination-of-women-in-Florida
Ann Scott
"Good!" said Bridget Mary Meehan, the former nun who is performing today's ordinations and is one of five bishops in the national movement. "They're upping the ante. People will have to be courageous to support us and that is what this is about. Like our sister Rosa Parks, we refuse to sit on the back of the bus any longer."
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100206/ARTICLE/2061054/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
Catholic Bishop Decries Ordination of Women in Florida
http://www.speroforum.com/a/26840/Catholic-bishop-decries-ordination-of-women-in-Florida
Friday, February 5, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Women Ordained as Priests/NBC/Channel 8/Tampa
http://video.tbo.com/m/28899592/woman-ordained-as-priests.htm?q=ordain
Television reporter Jackie Barron interviewed Dena OCallaghan and Bridget Mary Meehan at our press conference on Feb. 5th in preparation for the historic ordination of Roman Catholic Womenpriests on Feb. 6th at St. Andrew UCC Church in Saraosta, Florida. This television interview aired at 5:30pm and 6:pm, 11:00 pm and possibly on Feb. 6th at 9:00am and noon.
Television reporter Jackie Barron interviewed Dena OCallaghan and Bridget Mary Meehan at our press conference on Feb. 5th in preparation for the historic ordination of Roman Catholic Womenpriests on Feb. 6th at St. Andrew UCC Church in Saraosta, Florida. This television interview aired at 5:30pm and 6:pm, 11:00 pm and possibly on Feb. 6th at 9:00am and noon.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: National Public Radio/Tampa Interview with Dena O'Callaghan and Katy Zatsick
from left to right
Katy Zatsick, Dena O Callaghan, Bridget Mary Meehan
Judy Lee(red stole) and Eleonora Marinaro at Diaconate Ordination
"Women Risk Excommunication to be Ordained Catholic Priests" by Scott Finn, National Public Radio/Tampa
“We are in good company, because there have been saints canonized who were once excommunicated (from the church.)” O’Callaghan said.
O’Callaghan is married to a former Catholic priest, and they lead a small “house church” in Ocala. She says she’s taken all the seminary courses needed to become a priest. Now, she’ll be able to hear confessions, anoint the sick and, most importantly, lead Mass.
Zatsick hopes being a priest will amplify her anti-war message – a message that was reinforced when her own son was injured in Iraq.
“I had the strength and the courage to walk into Walter Reed, not knowing if he would live or die. So I know I have the courage to walk the pathway of peace,” Zatsick said."http://www.wusf.usf.edu/news/2010/02/01/women_risk_excommunication_to_be_ordained_catholic_priests
Jan. 23, 2010 Washington Post
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Faithfully, if not obediently, Catholic" by Katie Balestra in Washington Post
"Faithfully , if not obediently, Catholic"
By Katie Balestra ,Saturday, January 23, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/22/AR2010012202919.html?hpid=topnews
"Our goal is to bring about full equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church," said Meehan, 62. "We love the faith. We love the spirituality. That's why we remain Catholic. We are holding disobedience to an unjust law that discriminates against women. We're willing to go the whole mile with the institution on this." ...
"Meehan was 8 when her family moved to Arlington County from Ireland in 1956. Her father said she spent her free time as a child "playing church," setting up an altar in their home. "She was a priest from day one," said Jack Meehan, 85, in a thick Irish brogue. "I'm very proud of her."
She thinks the Vatican's actions are motivated by fear.
"They're so afraid because they're seeing that people are actually thinking this is a good idea," said Meehan, who discusses the issue on her blog. "We're taking it from the hierarchical model into the open, inclusive Catholic community of equals. And that's the thing that threatens them the most, a total change from one model to another."
Katie Balestra is a freelance writer based in the District.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Progressives seek bishop's ear
http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/tsnews.aspx?ArticleID=451671&pubdate=1%2f29%2f2010
Progressives seek bishop's ear
"VENICE -- About 30 members of Call To Action, a group of progressive Catholics, called on Bishop Frank Dewane on Wednesday to address claims that he has discriminated against Catholics in his diocese who hold liberal views.
Members of churches from Sarasota to Naples staged a protest outside the Diocese of Venice office at 1000 Pinebrook Road, then went inside to seek an audience with the bishop. A spokesman said he was in a meeting. "
Progressives seek bishop's ear
"VENICE -- About 30 members of Call To Action, a group of progressive Catholics, called on Bishop Frank Dewane on Wednesday to address claims that he has discriminated against Catholics in his diocese who hold liberal views.
Members of churches from Sarasota to Naples staged a protest outside the Diocese of Venice office at 1000 Pinebrook Road, then went inside to seek an audience with the bishop. A spokesman said he was in a meeting. "
Roman Catholic Womenpriests; Dissent is necessary/St. Thomas Aquinas excommunicated
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/1/28/134333/686
The Road to Remonstrance
By Frank Cocozzelli
"Dissent also draws attention to vital new ideas even if they were treated with scorn upon arrival. For example, a reconsideration of natural law principles in light of knowledge acquired since St. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century offers strong arguments in support of artificial birth control and embryonic stem cell research while establishing homosexuality is not the aberration Church fathers believe it to be. Even the great Aristotelian thinker, St. Thomas Aquinas was treated as a heretic and excommunicated shortly after his death. And yet his ideas came to greatly influence Catholic theology."
Excommunication is not a barrier to canonization in the Catholic Church: three examples, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Theodore Guerin, Blessed Mother Mary McKillop and of course, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake! So Roman Catholic Womenpriests who are excommunicated now, may one day be canonized. In fact excommunication could be a fast track to canonization!!! So reform-minded Catholics, cheer up!!
Bridget Mary
The Road to Remonstrance
By Frank Cocozzelli
"Dissent also draws attention to vital new ideas even if they were treated with scorn upon arrival. For example, a reconsideration of natural law principles in light of knowledge acquired since St. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century offers strong arguments in support of artificial birth control and embryonic stem cell research while establishing homosexuality is not the aberration Church fathers believe it to be. Even the great Aristotelian thinker, St. Thomas Aquinas was treated as a heretic and excommunicated shortly after his death. And yet his ideas came to greatly influence Catholic theology."
Excommunication is not a barrier to canonization in the Catholic Church: three examples, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Theodore Guerin, Blessed Mother Mary McKillop and of course, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake! So Roman Catholic Womenpriests who are excommunicated now, may one day be canonized. In fact excommunication could be a fast track to canonization!!! So reform-minded Catholics, cheer up!!
Bridget Mary
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Mary Ward:Then and Now" by Gemma Simmonds CJ
Mary Ward: Then and now
Gemma Simmonds CJ
Thinking Faith (UK)
January 22, 2010
http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100122_1.htm
"Celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of Mary Ward’s foundation of the first unenclosed religious order of women on the Jesuit model continue this weekend with a Mass at Westminster Cathedral. Gemma Simmonds CJ looks at the life and writings of this woman of ‘heroic virtue’ who wanted to secure a better role for women in the Church and in society, and at how this struggle continues today. Why is Mary’s vision for women, yet to be fully realised, still a vital goal to strive for?"
"In December 2009 Pope Benedict XVI formally promulgated a Decree recognising the ‘heroic virtue’ demonstrated by Mary Ward, conferring on her the title ‘Venerable’ and setting in motion her cause for canonisation. This judgement reverses that of Pope Urban VIII who condemned her as a ‘heretic, schismatic and rebel to Holy Church’ and her sisters as ‘poisonous growths in the Church of God [which] must be torn up from the roots lest they spread themselves further’. "
Gemma Simmonds CJ
Thinking Faith (UK)
January 22, 2010
http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100122_1.htm
"Celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of Mary Ward’s foundation of the first unenclosed religious order of women on the Jesuit model continue this weekend with a Mass at Westminster Cathedral. Gemma Simmonds CJ looks at the life and writings of this woman of ‘heroic virtue’ who wanted to secure a better role for women in the Church and in society, and at how this struggle continues today. Why is Mary’s vision for women, yet to be fully realised, still a vital goal to strive for?"
"In December 2009 Pope Benedict XVI formally promulgated a Decree recognising the ‘heroic virtue’ demonstrated by Mary Ward, conferring on her the title ‘Venerable’ and setting in motion her cause for canonisation. This judgement reverses that of Pope Urban VIII who condemned her as a ‘heretic, schismatic and rebel to Holy Church’ and her sisters as ‘poisonous growths in the Church of God [which] must be torn up from the roots lest they spread themselves further’. "
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests; Music Director Forced to Resign after comments supporting justice for women in church/Washington Post/Michelle Boorstein
Music director says she was told to resign for comments on status of women in Catholic Church
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 27, 2010; 12:19 PM
The music director at a traditional Catholic parish in Fairfax says her pastor demanded her resignation after she was quoted in a Washington Post article sympathizing with the women's ordination movement -- an assertion he denies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR2010012702258.html
Last Saturday, Jan. 23, the Washington Post published an article giving an update on the impact of our Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement, highlighting the progress and support from women leaders including women leaders like Erin Hanna of Women's Ordination and Sister Maureen Fiedler. The article began with a description of a Mass in my home in N.Va. See link to article.
Sr. Maureen Fiedler wrote in the National Catholic Reporter the story of Sylvia Mulherin, who was forced to resign because she made a positive comment about women's ordination as a justice issue.
"Sylvia Mulherin, 69, a former nun and music director at St. Leo's Parish in Fairfax, Va., was quoted as saying this: "Jesus was progressive in his treatment of women but, over time, men unjustly pushed women out. Maybe the women don't have to come in the back door, but we still have to sit in the pews."
The very next day, she was told to tender her resignation immediately!
In a message she sent to her choir members and colleagues, she said:"My sole point is that I believe women have not achieved true equality in the Church and this fact deserves further consideration by the Church's leadership. This position is apparently unacceptable in the Diocese of Arlington."
Bridget Mary's comment:
When an institutional church gets so afraid of a movement for justice and equality for women in the church, that thoughtful dialogue and questioning is no longer acceptable, it is in danger of not only losing millions of Catholics who believe that Jesus treated women and men as equals, but also risks losing its soul by failing to follow Christ's example and the early church tradition of women in ordained ministry.
Bridget Mary Meehan
Music director loses job over pro-woman quote National Catholic ...The major photo featured Bridget Mary Meehan, one of the women bishops in the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. But the article was wide ranging, ...
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 27, 2010; 12:19 PM
The music director at a traditional Catholic parish in Fairfax says her pastor demanded her resignation after she was quoted in a Washington Post article sympathizing with the women's ordination movement -- an assertion he denies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/27/AR2010012702258.html
Last Saturday, Jan. 23, the Washington Post published an article giving an update on the impact of our Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement, highlighting the progress and support from women leaders including women leaders like Erin Hanna of Women's Ordination and Sister Maureen Fiedler. The article began with a description of a Mass in my home in N.Va. See link to article.
Sr. Maureen Fiedler wrote in the National Catholic Reporter the story of Sylvia Mulherin, who was forced to resign because she made a positive comment about women's ordination as a justice issue.
"Sylvia Mulherin, 69, a former nun and music director at St. Leo's Parish in Fairfax, Va., was quoted as saying this: "Jesus was progressive in his treatment of women but, over time, men unjustly pushed women out. Maybe the women don't have to come in the back door, but we still have to sit in the pews."
The very next day, she was told to tender her resignation immediately!
In a message she sent to her choir members and colleagues, she said:"My sole point is that I believe women have not achieved true equality in the Church and this fact deserves further consideration by the Church's leadership. This position is apparently unacceptable in the Diocese of Arlington."
Bridget Mary's comment:
When an institutional church gets so afraid of a movement for justice and equality for women in the church, that thoughtful dialogue and questioning is no longer acceptable, it is in danger of not only losing millions of Catholics who believe that Jesus treated women and men as equals, but also risks losing its soul by failing to follow Christ's example and the early church tradition of women in ordained ministry.
Bridget Mary Meehan
Music director loses job over pro-woman quote National Catholic ...The major photo featured Bridget Mary Meehan, one of the women bishops in the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. But the article was wide ranging, ...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Faces Excommunication for Support of Catholic Women Priests"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-archer/nobel-peace-prize-nominee_b_431987.html
Greg Archer
Professional writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Posted: January 25, 2010 03:51 PM
Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Faces Excommunication For Support Of Catholic Women Priests
What's Your Reaction:
huffington_post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-archer/nobel-peace-prize-nominee_b_431987.html
"Meet Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a celebrated priest and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He\'s joined forces with supporters of Women\'s Ordination, which has been sending a clear message to the Vatican for decades--that womenpriests were part of the original Catholic Church before Canon Law was...',"
Greg Archer
Professional writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Posted: January 25, 2010 03:51 PM
Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Faces Excommunication For Support Of Catholic Women Priests
What's Your Reaction:
huffington_post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-archer/nobel-peace-prize-nominee_b_431987.html
"Meet Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a celebrated priest and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He\'s joined forces with supporters of Women\'s Ordination, which has been sending a clear message to the Vatican for decades--that womenpriests were part of the original Catholic Church before Canon Law was...',"
Monday, January 25, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Diocese Pushes Strong Marriage Bond"
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/01/25/20100125marriage0114.html
"Roberta Meehan, an acknowledged foe of Olmsted's conservative approach who is ordained as part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement, said the diocese should offer marriage preparation, but one size does not fit everyone. "
"What works for two Ph.D. scientists is not the same for a couple of 19-year-olds just out of high school," she said. "Each couple should be counseled on an individual basis."
"Roberta Meehan, an acknowledged foe of Olmsted's conservative approach who is ordained as part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement, said the diocese should offer marriage preparation, but one size does not fit everyone. "
"What works for two Ph.D. scientists is not the same for a couple of 19-year-olds just out of high school," she said. "Each couple should be counseled on an individual basis."
Friday, January 22, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Faithfully, if not obediently, Catholic" by Katie Balestra in Washington Post
"Faithfully , if not obediently, Catholic"
By Katie Balestra ,Saturday, January 23, 2010
"Our goal is to bring about full equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church," said Meehan, 62. "We love the faith. We love the spirituality. That's why we remain Catholic. We are holding disobedience to an unjust law that discriminates against women. We're willing to go the whole mile with the institution on this." ...
"Meehan was 8 when her family moved to Arlington County from Ireland in 1956. Her father said she spent her free time as a child "playing church," setting up an altar in their home. "She was a priest from day one," said Jack Meehan, 85, in a thick Irish brogue. "I'm very proud of her."
She thinks the Vatican's actions are motivated by fear.
"They're so afraid because they're seeing that people are actually thinking this is a good idea," said Meehan, who discusses the issue on her
Katie Balestra is a freelance writer based in the District.
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "The Vatican's Peverted Sense of Justice" in Brevard County Forum
"Nearly 5,000 Catholic priests [in the U.S.] have sexually abused over 12,000 Catholic children…but they were not excommunicated," says Father Roy Bourgeois, who faced the latter scenario after helping celebrate what the Vatican considers to be an illegitimate ordination mass in August 2008. Bourgeois, a Vietnam veteran with a Purple Heart who became a prominent peace activist, stood with the trailblazers of the female ordination movement in Lexington, Ky., to make Janice Sevre-Duszynska a Catholic priest."
"The Vatican may soon have further explaining to do, this time in a U.S. courtroom. A federal appeals court ruled in late November that a lawsuit arising in Kentucky over the Vatican's negligence in dealing with sexual abuse could proceed -- the first time a court that high has recognized the Holy See's potential liability in this arena.One of the key pieces of evidence in the lawsuit? A 1962 memo, approved by Pope John XXIII, directing Catholic bishops to keep silent about sex-abuse claims. "
http://www.topix.com/forum/county/brevard-fl/TOCNQHRDV7MQMQAP6
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "When Ideas Catch Fire" by Nicole Sotelo in National Catholic Reporter
"As young Catholics, we are indebted to our theological forebears, like Mary Daly, who helped us to understand that God created us equal -- equal in gender, race and more. We may not embrace everything about a person and their writings, but in some way we have been transformed by a key idea that opened up new ways of thinking. And, in turn, we hope to transform what we can of our church and society. This is what happens when an idea catches fire. It helps us illuminate the world. "
Nicole Sotelo
http://ncronline.org/blogs/young-voices/when-ideas-catch-fire
Nicole Sotelo
http://ncronline.org/blogs/young-voices/when-ideas-catch-fire
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Pope summons all bishops to meeting on church scandal' by John Cooney in Irish Independent
Pope summons all bishops to meeting on church scandal - National News, Frontpage - Independent. ie
Pope summons all bishops to meeting on church scandal
By John Cooney
Wednesday January 20 2010
"Bishops of all 26 dioceses in Ireland have been summoned to Rome next month by Pope Benedict for an unprecedented emergency meeting on the child clerical abuse scandals.
An index of the urgency surrounding the Rome venue is that the heads of the major Vatican Congregations will take part in the talks in a desperate bid to address the anger and shock felt by Catholics since the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports."
"Sources said Pope Benedict's letter would not, however, contain a detailed blueprint for the reorganisation of the Irish church, such as the holding of a national synod or assembly of bishops, priests and laity. "
- John Cooney
Irish Independent
Bridget Mary's Response:
While the Pope may hope that summoning the Irish bishops to Rome in response to the church scandal, will be a "shock and awe" approach to calm the Irish rebellion, I doubt it. As my Irish cousins say the Pope should "sack" the bishops, who were involved in the cover-up. I suggest that Pope Benedict invite survivors of abuse to Rome and listen to their pain. Perhaps, they could help him craft a worldwide pastoral letter of repentance. Next, the Vatican could learn a lot from Ireland's grandmothers. My relatives tell me that some are so angry that they are not attending Mass anymore. These women were weekly, some even daily Mass-goers. My opinion is that Ireland should return to its earlier tradition of a married priesthood and women in priestly ministry. Think Bishop St. Brigit who along with Bishop Conleth administered a double monastery in Kildare and St. Ita of Killeedy, who heard her nuns confessions.
Pope summons all bishops to meeting on church scandal
By John Cooney
Wednesday January 20 2010
"Bishops of all 26 dioceses in Ireland have been summoned to Rome next month by Pope Benedict for an unprecedented emergency meeting on the child clerical abuse scandals.
An index of the urgency surrounding the Rome venue is that the heads of the major Vatican Congregations will take part in the talks in a desperate bid to address the anger and shock felt by Catholics since the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports."
"Sources said Pope Benedict's letter would not, however, contain a detailed blueprint for the reorganisation of the Irish church, such as the holding of a national synod or assembly of bishops, priests and laity. "
- John Cooney
Irish Independent
Bridget Mary's Response:
While the Pope may hope that summoning the Irish bishops to Rome in response to the church scandal, will be a "shock and awe" approach to calm the Irish rebellion, I doubt it. As my Irish cousins say the Pope should "sack" the bishops, who were involved in the cover-up. I suggest that Pope Benedict invite survivors of abuse to Rome and listen to their pain. Perhaps, they could help him craft a worldwide pastoral letter of repentance. Next, the Vatican could learn a lot from Ireland's grandmothers. My relatives tell me that some are so angry that they are not attending Mass anymore. These women were weekly, some even daily Mass-goers. My opinion is that Ireland should return to its earlier tradition of a married priesthood and women in priestly ministry. Think Bishop St. Brigit who along with Bishop Conleth administered a double monastery in Kildare and St. Ita of Killeedy, who heard her nuns confessions.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Excommunication and Sainthood--Our Future?
In December 2009, Pope Benedict signed a decree that cleared the way for Mother Mary MacKillop's canonization in 2010. Mother MacKillop will be Australia's first saint.
Sister of St. Joseph, Pauline Morgan said: "She was a woman of courage... and a woman of action... When she saw a need like the poor children not being educated, or the elderly in distress..."whenever there was a need she tried to do something about it."
Her daring spirit led to clashes with the local church officials that resulted in excommunication and the disbanding of her religious order. The hierarchy objected to the Sisters living in remote areas where they served farm workers and laborers. Later the bishop, who had initiated the excommunciation, lifted the unjust censure and a church commission vindicated Mother Mary MacKillop and the Sisters.
In 2005, Pope Benedict canonized Mother Theodore Guerin, another pioneering woman, who during her lifetime was also excommunicated by her local bishop.
Is Pope Benedict sending a message that faith-filled women who follow their consciences and who endure the wrath of the hierarachy, including excommunication can become role models for the whole church? The good news is that excommunication is not a barrier to canonization. It is certainly true that the hierarchy has a track record of excommunicating holy women in one century, then canonizing them in another century. Some things never change! For many, the most painful persecution comes from within one's own faith family. For others, it may be a badge of honor and a possible fast track to holiness!
Pope Benedict excommunicated Roman Catholic Womenpriests in 2008. I wonder how long it will take the Vatican to recognize our movement as a prophetic gift leading the Catholic Church into its future as an inclusive community, where women take their rightful places as equals, and where justice is a reality for all God's people.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Sister of St. Joseph, Pauline Morgan said: "She was a woman of courage... and a woman of action... When she saw a need like the poor children not being educated, or the elderly in distress..."whenever there was a need she tried to do something about it."
Her daring spirit led to clashes with the local church officials that resulted in excommunication and the disbanding of her religious order. The hierarchy objected to the Sisters living in remote areas where they served farm workers and laborers. Later the bishop, who had initiated the excommunciation, lifted the unjust censure and a church commission vindicated Mother Mary MacKillop and the Sisters.
In 2005, Pope Benedict canonized Mother Theodore Guerin, another pioneering woman, who during her lifetime was also excommunicated by her local bishop.
Is Pope Benedict sending a message that faith-filled women who follow their consciences and who endure the wrath of the hierarachy, including excommunication can become role models for the whole church? The good news is that excommunication is not a barrier to canonization. It is certainly true that the hierarchy has a track record of excommunicating holy women in one century, then canonizing them in another century. Some things never change! For many, the most painful persecution comes from within one's own faith family. For others, it may be a badge of honor and a possible fast track to holiness!
Pope Benedict excommunicated Roman Catholic Womenpriests in 2008. I wonder how long it will take the Vatican to recognize our movement as a prophetic gift leading the Catholic Church into its future as an inclusive community, where women take their rightful places as equals, and where justice is a reality for all God's people.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Women and Religion" by Nicholas Kristof in New York Times
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Women and Religion" New York Times
by Nicholas Kristof
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100113/COLUMNIST/1131019/-1/TODAYSPAPER?p=all&tc=pgall&tc=ar
"Religions derive their power and popularity in part from the ethical compass they offer. So why do so many faiths help perpetuate something that most of us regard as profoundly unethical: the oppression of women?" ...
"Jimmy Carter says that religion is one of the " basic causes of the violation of women's rights."
Carter is a member of the Elders, a small group of eminent religous leaders headed by Nelson Mandela.
"The Elders are focusing on the role of religion in oppressing women and they have issued a joint statement calling on religious leaders to "'change all discriminatory practices within their own religions and traditions.'"
Bridget Mary Meehan's Reflection
The Elders provide a beacon of hope that justice for women in all religions is now on the front burner of our international leaders' agenda. Religions and religious leaders can no longer oppress women and blame God for it. No longer can religion be manipulated to justify the violation of women's God-give rights as equal human beings in the family of God.
by Nicholas Kristof
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100113/COLUMNIST/1131019/-1/TODAYSPAPER?p=all&tc=pgall&tc=ar
"Religions derive their power and popularity in part from the ethical compass they offer. So why do so many faiths help perpetuate something that most of us regard as profoundly unethical: the oppression of women?" ...
"Jimmy Carter says that religion is one of the " basic causes of the violation of women's rights."
Carter is a member of the Elders, a small group of eminent religous leaders headed by Nelson Mandela.
"The Elders are focusing on the role of religion in oppressing women and they have issued a joint statement calling on religious leaders to "'change all discriminatory practices within their own religions and traditions.'"
Bridget Mary Meehan's Reflection
The Elders provide a beacon of hope that justice for women in all religions is now on the front burner of our international leaders' agenda. Religions and religious leaders can no longer oppress women and blame God for it. No longer can religion be manipulated to justify the violation of women's God-give rights as equal human beings in the family of God.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Priests' Council in Los Angeles Support U.S. Women Religious/Vatican Investigation in NCR
by Thomas C. Fox on Jan. 12, 2010
NCR Today
The statement follows another one of support by the California bishops last November.
Here's what the LA priests wrote:
"During this Year for Priests we, the Council of Priests in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, have become more aware of our dept of gratitude to those who support and work with us in ministry. We wish to join our voices with our people and fellow priests throughout the country in expressing gratitude to Women Religious in America for their lives of service to the Church."
NCR Today
The statement follows another one of support by the California bishops last November.
Here's what the LA priests wrote:
"During this Year for Priests we, the Council of Priests in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, have become more aware of our dept of gratitude to those who support and work with us in ministry. We wish to join our voices with our people and fellow priests throughout the country in expressing gratitude to Women Religious in America for their lives of service to the Church."
Monday, January 11, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Bishop Bridget Mary dedicates Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community in Ft. Myers
On January 10,2010, Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP, dedicated and blessed Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Church in Ft. Myers, Florida. This diverse congregation, made up of people of many cultures, languages, races and all states of life gave the bishop a warm welcome.
Bishop Bridget Mary blessed the sacred space and the people with water and anointed the table , the walls, and crosses with oil. The gathered assembly sang heartily "This little light of Mine, Amazing Grace, I'v Got that Joy, Joy, down in my heart, Holy Ground and When the Saints Go Marching In" The homily given by Pastor Judy Lee with the people's participation emphasized that at Jesus' baptism, God affirmed Jesus saying "You are my beloved, on you, my favors."; and also that God affirms each member of the Boday of Christ as God's beloved, charging us , in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, to do right and act for justice. This congregation knows well the pain of living on the outside, but God who shows no partiality chooses each of us to serve regardless of whether, black or white, American or foreign-born, male or female. The church was packed, the media came, and all particpated in this joyful Mass. All were welcome at the Banquet table of Christ's love, which was followed by a hot meal and festivities. The food was prepared by members of CTA, Lamb of God Lutheran-Episcopal and the members of Good Shepherd.
http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Bishop Bridget Mary blessed the sacred space and the people with water and anointed the table , the walls, and crosses with oil. The gathered assembly sang heartily "This little light of Mine, Amazing Grace, I'v Got that Joy, Joy, down in my heart, Holy Ground and When the Saints Go Marching In" The homily given by Pastor Judy Lee with the people's participation emphasized that at Jesus' baptism, God affirmed Jesus saying "You are my beloved, on you, my favors."; and also that God affirms each member of the Boday of Christ as God's beloved, charging us , in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, to do right and act for justice. This congregation knows well the pain of living on the outside, but God who shows no partiality chooses each of us to serve regardless of whether, black or white, American or foreign-born, male or female. The church was packed, the media came, and all particpated in this joyful Mass. All were welcome at the Banquet table of Christ's love, which was followed by a hot meal and festivities. The food was prepared by members of CTA, Lamb of God Lutheran-Episcopal and the members of Good Shepherd.
http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Movies:
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Scandals must kickstart new era for Church" by John Cooney/Irish Independent
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/scandals-must-kickstart-new-era-for-church-2000698.html
"Scandals must kickstart new era for Church"
By John Cooney Wednesday January 06 2010
"A CHILLING sense of witnessing the end of an era was as sharp as the cold Armagh air yesterday as the body of Cahal Daly was laid to rest. "
"The laity in Ireland must speak out now and demand a more democratic rather than medievalist church. Otherwise they will be expected to follow the paternalistic route which Pope Benedict plans to anno-unce in his pre-Lenten pastoral letter to the Irish that will be interpreted as the mandate for church governance that is to be implemented by the two principal leaders of the Irish Church, Cardinal Brady and the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.
Both Brady and Martin are fine leaders -- and they undoubtedly have a central role to play -- but they operate within the limited parameters of Rome's refusal to redefine its outmoded and unscientific code of sexual morality that still demands a celibate male clergy and bans the use of condoms, the admission to the sacraments to divorced Catholics, the right of women to choose abortion and the admission to the ministry of married men and of women, whether single or married."
Bridget Mary's Comment: Will the Irish save the Roman Catholic Church? Stay Tuned...
John Cooney's prophetic call for a Synod of the People of God in Ireland is a mandate of reform for a scandal ridden Irish Church, that if not heeded will face its own demise. The question now is will the Irish save the Church? It is in the hands of the Irish people.
The anger of the Irish people, has shaken the Irish bishops. They have demanded and received the resignation of the bishops at the heart of the sex abuse scandal in Ireland
Now the next question is , does Pope Benedict realize that the Irish people, who have payed, prayed and obeyed, and who have provided missionaries for centuries to spread the faith to distant lands, are demanding renewal of the church they love.
As Noreen, my cousin from County Laois, said, "the church is done in Ireland." Is it? Let's hope the church where priests raped and abused the youth is done.
It is time for a new day when the people are empowered to be who they really are "the Body of Christ" with their full baptismal rights and responsibilities. We can reclaim the wisdom of our early Christian story when women and men worked side by side to share the faith in Christian communities like Brigit of Kildare, and St. Gobnait of Ballyvourney.
The Celtic Christian tradition of Ireland challenges us to embrace partnership, equality and justice for all, including women as ordained leaders of our church.
It is my prayer that the Irish people will step up now and lead the way for Catholics throughout the world who love their faith and want to renew their church.
I am grateful for the gift of my Irish Catholic heritage which revels in the God-Presence in the mystical heart.
As a small child in our cottage near Rathdowney, County Laois, I remember making mud cakes and delighting in the softness of the soil in my hands. Here my brother Patrick and I fed the lambs from a baby bottle. Here we chased the ducks across the fields and ran away when the gander chased us! Here I experienced the the oneness of earth and heaven. Here I learned the joys of kinship, hospitality,and story-telling . My 85 year-old Dad still tells stories of long ago in Ireland when they chased rabbits through the fields, and about the times we fished in the Erkina River. Here I learned from Bridie, my mother, to welcome the stranger, Mrs. Kinerney the traveller, whom I asked for a ride home from school and who mended our pots and pans. Here our family prayed the rosary. Here I talked to Mary and the angels who seemed like extended family. Here I first saw the face of Christ.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
"Scandals must kickstart new era for Church"
By John Cooney Wednesday January 06 2010
"A CHILLING sense of witnessing the end of an era was as sharp as the cold Armagh air yesterday as the body of Cahal Daly was laid to rest. "
"The laity in Ireland must speak out now and demand a more democratic rather than medievalist church. Otherwise they will be expected to follow the paternalistic route which Pope Benedict plans to anno-unce in his pre-Lenten pastoral letter to the Irish that will be interpreted as the mandate for church governance that is to be implemented by the two principal leaders of the Irish Church, Cardinal Brady and the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.
Both Brady and Martin are fine leaders -- and they undoubtedly have a central role to play -- but they operate within the limited parameters of Rome's refusal to redefine its outmoded and unscientific code of sexual morality that still demands a celibate male clergy and bans the use of condoms, the admission to the sacraments to divorced Catholics, the right of women to choose abortion and the admission to the ministry of married men and of women, whether single or married."
Bridget Mary's Comment: Will the Irish save the Roman Catholic Church? Stay Tuned...
John Cooney's prophetic call for a Synod of the People of God in Ireland is a mandate of reform for a scandal ridden Irish Church, that if not heeded will face its own demise. The question now is will the Irish save the Church? It is in the hands of the Irish people.
The anger of the Irish people, has shaken the Irish bishops. They have demanded and received the resignation of the bishops at the heart of the sex abuse scandal in Ireland
Now the next question is , does Pope Benedict realize that the Irish people, who have payed, prayed and obeyed, and who have provided missionaries for centuries to spread the faith to distant lands, are demanding renewal of the church they love.
As Noreen, my cousin from County Laois, said, "the church is done in Ireland." Is it? Let's hope the church where priests raped and abused the youth is done.
It is time for a new day when the people are empowered to be who they really are "the Body of Christ" with their full baptismal rights and responsibilities. We can reclaim the wisdom of our early Christian story when women and men worked side by side to share the faith in Christian communities like Brigit of Kildare, and St. Gobnait of Ballyvourney.
The Celtic Christian tradition of Ireland challenges us to embrace partnership, equality and justice for all, including women as ordained leaders of our church.
It is my prayer that the Irish people will step up now and lead the way for Catholics throughout the world who love their faith and want to renew their church.
I am grateful for the gift of my Irish Catholic heritage which revels in the God-Presence in the mystical heart.
As a small child in our cottage near Rathdowney, County Laois, I remember making mud cakes and delighting in the softness of the soil in my hands. Here my brother Patrick and I fed the lambs from a baby bottle. Here we chased the ducks across the fields and ran away when the gander chased us! Here I experienced the the oneness of earth and heaven. Here I learned the joys of kinship, hospitality,and story-telling . My 85 year-old Dad still tells stories of long ago in Ireland when they chased rabbits through the fields, and about the times we fished in the Erkina River. Here I learned from Bridie, my mother, to welcome the stranger, Mrs. Kinerney the traveller, whom I asked for a ride home from school and who mended our pots and pans. Here our family prayed the rosary. Here I talked to Mary and the angels who seemed like extended family. Here I first saw the face of Christ.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Monday, January 4, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Women Priests Will No Longer Be Contained" by Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Cincinnati.Com
"The Holy Spirit moves in grace and truth among the grassroots and cannot be deterred - even by the Vatican. In recent years, women have reclaimed their ancient heritage within the Church. Today there are about 100 women ordained as Roman Catholic Womenpriests.
Your farewell article on Archbishop Pilarczyk contained a chart indicating that there are 482 Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. That is an error you may want to correct for the incoming archbishop, Dennis Schnurr.
As an ordained Roman Catholic Womanpriest, I make the total 483."
Your farewell article on Archbishop Pilarczyk contained a chart indicating that there are 482 Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. That is an error you may want to correct for the incoming archbishop, Dennis Schnurr.
As an ordained Roman Catholic Womanpriest, I make the total 483."
Janice Sevre-Duszynska, RCWP
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: The Epiphany Reminds Us that Inclusivity is the Hallmark of Christianity
Three Wise Women (Paperback)~ Mary Hoffman
(Author), Lynn Russell (Illustrator)
Three women from different parts of the world follow the star and give what they can. They think their gifts are not much, but what they give has symbolic value to Christ's life and teachings.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?index=books&linkCode=qs&keywords=0711220220
Three Wise Women Would Have...
asked for directions,
arrived on time,
helped deliver the baby,
cleaned the stable,
made a casserole,
brought practical gifts...
(perhaps a supply of diapers)
and there would be
PEACE ON EARTH.
The word epiphany means manifestation or showing. The take home message is that God chose outsiders to reveal that inclusivity is the hallmark of Christianity. God's love is for all-no exceptions.
There were two major feasts in the early church, Easter and Epiphany. Baptisms were celebrated at both these liturgies. The time of preparation became known as Lent and Advent. The community celebrated four different comings of Jesus on the Epiphany: 1. Birth, 2. visit of Magi, 3, Baptism, 4 Miracle of Cana.
The story of the Magi challenges us to recognize that God chooses outsiders, like RCWP, who are on the prophetic edge of our church to communicate the core Gospel message that God's love is for all. Each of us is a manifestation of God's love, and that love embraces all, not just the insiders or the rule-keepers. Therefore, all are welcome to receive sacraments in our communities. This is good news. We are called to be Christ to others in our daily lives.
Our mission is to serve God's beloved people- no matter who they are or where they are. Alienated Catholics would be the second largest denomination in the U.S. if they were a denomination. These sisters and brothers feel the institutional church no longer meets their needs or cares about them. Roman Catholic Womenpriests communities bring good news to alienated Catholics . We offer a spiritual home where all are welcomed to receive sacraments. Noone is turned away from the Eucharistic Banquet. Inclusivity is our hallmark too!
Let us go forth with great joy following the starlight! Like the wise women in the book above, we bring the gift of our lives in loving service to God's people.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Irish Catholics, lead the way, challenge Vatican Abuse of Power, Claim Justice and Equality to Save the Catholic Church
Bridget Mary Meehan at St. Brigit's Well Licannor,
County Clare, May 27,2009)
"Challenge Vatican Abuse of Power, Lead the Way toward Justice and Equality to save the Catholic church "
by Bridget Mary Meehan
Irish missionaries saved Europe in the Dark Ages, now Irish Catholics can save the church from its own demise.
I was born in County Laois and have written about women in the Celtic Christian Tradition. (Praying with Celtic Holy Women)
As a passionate reformer who has worked for church renewal for many years, and now as an ordained woman priest in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement, I am following the story of the fallout of the clerical sex abuse scandal in Ireland with great hope that the Irish people,will demand justice, equality and accountability from the hierarchy, and send a powerful message to Pope Benedict that a new day has dawned for the church in Ireland. The Vatican abuse of power and world-wide cover up is the crux of the sex abuse debacle. It is my hope that you, the people of God, will demand more than apologies and go for important structural change including women priests and married priests as well as a role in the selection of bishops who will be called forth from the community to serve the community, not named in a secretive process that rewards candidates for "loyalty" to the hierarchy at all costs, over pastoral care for the people. Sadly, the corruption of our church goes to the top of the pyramid/the Vatican. It is a story of power and control run amuck! It is a worldwide crisis that has affected millions of Catholic worldwide. (see article below*** on corrupation/ abuse of power by Vatican)
My young -adult Irish cousins tell me that they are "disillusioned" by the Catholic Church in Ireland. No wonder, they have been betrayed and abused by bishops who were supposed to be truth-tellers and justice-doers. No wonder there are so few young adults in the pews in Ireland today.
Irish Catholics , it is my hope that the the home of saints and scholars, including nuns and priests who serve with integrity, will be the tipping point now and bring in a new day for church renewal.
When the iron is hot, it is time to act!
In grassroots communities, you can shape an open, renewed, vibrant church where all are welcome, all are safe, and all are invited to receive sacraments.
In the United States, the Roman Catholic Womenpriests Movement have more than tripled in growth in less than 3 years. (close to 70 in the U.S., 100 worldwide) . There are approximately 35 womenpriest led communities in the U.S. In Florida, I work with a leadership team that includes two priest partners, bothof whom are married.
Women of Ireland, stand up for equality and join the movement to renew a priestly ministry in a community of equals. It is time to ignite the fire of the Holy Spirit blowing across Ireland for reform and transformation of the Catholic Church.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Bishop of Southern Region
http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
***Pope outraged and shamed by Irish clergy's abuse.
. . . a report by the Irish government of sex abuse from 1975-2004 . . .
Benedict was "deeply disturbed and distressed" by the report . . .
The report said church placed greater importance on protecting its reputation and maintaining secrecy than it on children's welfare and justice . . .
The report also criticized the Vatican for not cooperating with the inquiry. The commission had asked for details of abuse sent to the Vatican, But the Vatican did not reply
later explaining that the request had not gone through proper diplomatic channels.
excerpted from December 25 NCR
Why Only Laity can rid us of turbulent priests
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/why-only-the-laity-can-rid-us-of-the-turbulent-priests-14614989.html
Ireland confronts its sex abuse crisis
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/ireland-confronts-its-sex-abuse-crisis
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Church must hold a national synod to solve its problems by John Cooney/Irish Independent/Dec.26, 2009
IRISH INDEPENDENT SATURDAY DECEMBER, 26, 2009.
Church must hold a national synod to solve its problems,
by John Cooney
"With Galway’s Martin Brennan under persistent pressure to fall on his crozier after the resignations of four ‘Murphy’ bishops, the first healing step has been taken to assure victims of clerical sexual abuse that the Catholic Church in Ireland is no longer a safe haven for prelates who have let innocent children suffer at the hands of paedophile priests... 2009 was the year that bishops became accountable for their misdeeds and inactions. " Priests have no national conference having disbanded from fatigue of being largely iognored by know-all bishops who are still under the illusion that they are the officer corps...What may lie ahead is a slimmed-down church which may have joyous lay participation as far as liturgy is concerned but remains essentially under the rules directed by Romeward-looking bishops too afraid to champion the case with Pope Benedict for new forms of ministry allowing married male clergy, and women, married or single, to become priests. Neither Cardinal Brady nor Archbishop Martin support these aspirations which have been favoured for at least twenty years now by the vast majority of Irish Catholics..."
Thank you, John Cooney for this article.
I am heartened by the pressure that Catholics in Ireland have brought to bear on the hierarchy. It is long overdue. Yes, the people turned up the heat and the prelates fell on the croziers, as they should.
The fallout has been deeply felt especially by the older generation.
My cousin, Noreen, from County Laois told me that two elderly women, devout church-goers, told her that they were no longer attending Mass as a result of this horrific scandal. It takes a lot to shake the faith of our elders, but the Murphy report of the sex abuse of minors in the Dublin Archdiocese has been a tipping point for many.
But will the Vatican get the message, or will it be business as usual?
If Irish Catholics insist on a decision-making role in the selection of bishops, and in parish, diocesan and national councils, then this could be a first step. Perhaps, they will lead the way in moving away from an unaccountable, hierarchial church to a more open, participatory church, where they people are partners in decision-making.
I hope the Irish call on married priests and women priests to serve the community. In the early Celtic Christian community, Ireland had both married priests and woman priests. It is your ancient heritage. Why not reclaim it?
The institutional church cannot continue to discriminate against women and deprive the church of the gifts that women bring to heal and transform the Body of Christ. Ireland has taken the lead with two women presidents, why not now with women priests and bishops?
May St. Brigit of Kildare, leader and bishop pray for us.
Bridget Mary Meehan
sofiabmm@aol.com
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Church must hold a national synod to solve its problems,
by John Cooney
"With Galway’s Martin Brennan under persistent pressure to fall on his crozier after the resignations of four ‘Murphy’ bishops, the first healing step has been taken to assure victims of clerical sexual abuse that the Catholic Church in Ireland is no longer a safe haven for prelates who have let innocent children suffer at the hands of paedophile priests... 2009 was the year that bishops became accountable for their misdeeds and inactions. " Priests have no national conference having disbanded from fatigue of being largely iognored by know-all bishops who are still under the illusion that they are the officer corps...What may lie ahead is a slimmed-down church which may have joyous lay participation as far as liturgy is concerned but remains essentially under the rules directed by Romeward-looking bishops too afraid to champion the case with Pope Benedict for new forms of ministry allowing married male clergy, and women, married or single, to become priests. Neither Cardinal Brady nor Archbishop Martin support these aspirations which have been favoured for at least twenty years now by the vast majority of Irish Catholics..."
Thank you, John Cooney for this article.
I am heartened by the pressure that Catholics in Ireland have brought to bear on the hierarchy. It is long overdue. Yes, the people turned up the heat and the prelates fell on the croziers, as they should.
The fallout has been deeply felt especially by the older generation.
My cousin, Noreen, from County Laois told me that two elderly women, devout church-goers, told her that they were no longer attending Mass as a result of this horrific scandal. It takes a lot to shake the faith of our elders, but the Murphy report of the sex abuse of minors in the Dublin Archdiocese has been a tipping point for many.
But will the Vatican get the message, or will it be business as usual?
If Irish Catholics insist on a decision-making role in the selection of bishops, and in parish, diocesan and national councils, then this could be a first step. Perhaps, they will lead the way in moving away from an unaccountable, hierarchial church to a more open, participatory church, where they people are partners in decision-making.
I hope the Irish call on married priests and women priests to serve the community. In the early Celtic Christian community, Ireland had both married priests and woman priests. It is your ancient heritage. Why not reclaim it?
The institutional church cannot continue to discriminate against women and deprive the church of the gifts that women bring to heal and transform the Body of Christ. Ireland has taken the lead with two women presidents, why not now with women priests and bishops?
May St. Brigit of Kildare, leader and bishop pray for us.
Bridget Mary Meehan
sofiabmm@aol.com
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Let's think outside the rectory" by Bishop Fritz Lobinger/South Africa
http://www.uscatholic.org/ordainelders?CFID=856098&CFTOKEN=48005076
Let’s think outside the rectory
The critical lack of priests is making the Eucharist an endangered species. It's time to consider a new kind of ministry among God's people, says this bishop.
By Bishop Fritz Lobinger, the retired bishop of Aliwal, South Africa
"Mmusong is a small but vibrant Catholic community of about 700 high in the mountains of South Africa. On Sundays the simple church building is full, but most of the time not for Mass, only for a service of the Word. Mass is something rare in Mmusong. The priest of the distant parish center serves nine communities, and he is able to celebrate Mass in Mmusong only once a month..."
"Ordaining proven local leaders could thus be the starting point for a solution. Because the majority of proven local leaders are women, it is unavoidable that the question of their inclusion among ordained elders will arise, though present church law does not permit it. .."
Let’s think outside the rectory
The critical lack of priests is making the Eucharist an endangered species. It's time to consider a new kind of ministry among God's people, says this bishop.
By Bishop Fritz Lobinger, the retired bishop of Aliwal, South Africa
"Mmusong is a small but vibrant Catholic community of about 700 high in the mountains of South Africa. On Sundays the simple church building is full, but most of the time not for Mass, only for a service of the Word. Mass is something rare in Mmusong. The priest of the distant parish center serves nine communities, and he is able to celebrate Mass in Mmusong only once a month..."
"Ordaining proven local leaders could thus be the starting point for a solution. Because the majority of proven local leaders are women, it is unavoidable that the question of their inclusion among ordained elders will arise, though present church law does not permit it. .."
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Why laity must help choose bishops" in Irish Independent
Why laity must help choose bishops
Our Rome-appointed bishops have been playing the Vatican's game of Pass the Parcel, says Tim Pat Coogan
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/why-laity-must-help-choose-bishops-1990078.html
"GIVEN the scale of what is happening in the Irish Catholic Church, debating the departure of five auxiliary bishops has all the rich, ripe irrelevance to the gravity of the situation as had Taoiseach Brian Cowen's axing of five junior ministers.
The only meaningful departure would be that of the Pope himself. As Cardinal Ratzinger he was probably the best informed man in the Vatican, being both Prefect of the powerful Congregation of the Faith and Dean of the College of Cardinals. These offices mean that he was privy to the ever swelling tide of reports on clerical sex abuse which poured into the Vatican during his tenure in office, from every diocese in the world... "
Our Rome-appointed bishops have been playing the Vatican's game of Pass the Parcel, says Tim Pat Coogan
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/why-laity-must-help-choose-bishops-1990078.html
"GIVEN the scale of what is happening in the Irish Catholic Church, debating the departure of five auxiliary bishops has all the rich, ripe irrelevance to the gravity of the situation as had Taoiseach Brian Cowen's axing of five junior ministers.
The only meaningful departure would be that of the Pope himself. As Cardinal Ratzinger he was probably the best informed man in the Vatican, being both Prefect of the powerful Congregation of the Faith and Dean of the College of Cardinals. These offices mean that he was privy to the ever swelling tide of reports on clerical sex abuse which poured into the Vatican during his tenure in office, from every diocese in the world... "
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Schedule 2010
(Mary, Mother of Jesus, who turned the Spirit of God into the Body and Blood of Christ, pray for us. The Catholic Church has an age-old devotion to Mary as priest. www.womenpriests.org/pafffirm.asp )
Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community
Mass at Saint Andrew UCC /Sarasota, Florida on Saturdays at 6:00pm until May
Historic Ordinations of Roman Catholic Womenpriests- Feb. 6th, 1:00 pm, (Contact Bridget Mary Meehan at sofiabmm@aol.com), St. Andrew UCC/Sarasota, FL.
“Break the Silence on Women’s Ordination” Maryknoll Priest Fr. Roy Bourgeois speaker:
Feb. 20th, 1:00pm (Contact Mike Rigdon at mikerigdon@verizon.net), St. Andrew UCC/Sarasota, FL.
Where: St. Andrew Church, United Church of Christ
at 6908 Beneva Rd. Sarasota, Florida 34238
Pastors: Bridget Mary Meehan, Roman Catholic Womanpriest,
Priest Partners: Michael Rigdon, Lee Breyer
All are welcome
For more information:
email sofiabmm@aol.com or
call 955-2313 or
Visit http://www.marymotherofjesus.org/
*Mass/ Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community, Ft. Myers, Fl. Jan. 10th, 2:00 pm
(Contact: Pastor Judy Lee at judyabl@embarqmail.com)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: "Second Bishop to step down over abuse cover-ups" by John Cooney
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/second-bishop-to-step-down-over-abuse-coverups-1985712.html
Second bishop to step down over abuse cover-ups
By John Cooney Wednesday December 23 2009
"A SECOND Catholic bishop named in the shocking Murphy Report into cover-ups of clerical child sexual abuse in the archdiocese of Dublin is expected to announce his resignation today.
Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin James Moriarty will explain that he is stepping down as head of the diocese in order to give the priests and lay people a fresh start for 2010.
The decision of Bishop Moriarty, a former Dublin auxiliary under Cardinal Desmond Connell, comes six days after Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray's resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.
Dr Murray stepped aside over his "inexcusable" failings when investigating complaints against notorious paedophile priest Fr Thomas Naughton when he too was an auxiliary bishop in Dublin."...
Second bishop to step down over abuse cover-ups
By John Cooney Wednesday December 23 2009
"A SECOND Catholic bishop named in the shocking Murphy Report into cover-ups of clerical child sexual abuse in the archdiocese of Dublin is expected to announce his resignation today.
Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin James Moriarty will explain that he is stepping down as head of the diocese in order to give the priests and lay people a fresh start for 2010.
The decision of Bishop Moriarty, a former Dublin auxiliary under Cardinal Desmond Connell, comes six days after Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray's resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI.
Dr Murray stepped aside over his "inexcusable" failings when investigating complaints against notorious paedophile priest Fr Thomas Naughton when he too was an auxiliary bishop in Dublin."...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Letter of Thanks to Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community for Prayer for Healing Mass
Dear Bridget Mary:
..." Jean and I would love to be able to join you on Christmas. We will at least in spirit. I want to give you a special thanks for all that you and your community did for me this year. The special healing mass you offered Jean and I during our first visit to Sarasota and the healing prayer offered by you and fellow community members. They had a tremendous impact on my life and health. Mission accomplished, Dr. Dattoli told me during our consultation in late October. He reported that the body scans taken earlier that day showed no signs of cancer. Based on my initial diagnosis of advance, aggressive, and lethal prostate cancer, I never thought I would be hearing news this great. I am currently in Jerusalem Israel finishing up an UNT extension course with students at Neve Yerushalayim. I am staying near the Old City and participated in the Via Dolorosa procession last Friday afternoon that ended up in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. What a powerful, solemn yet joyous, and spiritual experience it was. May your life be blessed for all the wonderful blessings you provide others. I will be forever grateful. Tell your Dad, Jack, that he has inspired my oldest son to renew his interest in music. Jean and I wish you both a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope we get a chance to visit again."...
Best,
Rudy and Jean
Rudy Ray Seward
Professor of Sociology & Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Sociology
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #311157
Denton, Texas 76203-5017
Phone: 940.565.2295
..." Jean and I would love to be able to join you on Christmas. We will at least in spirit. I want to give you a special thanks for all that you and your community did for me this year. The special healing mass you offered Jean and I during our first visit to Sarasota and the healing prayer offered by you and fellow community members. They had a tremendous impact on my life and health. Mission accomplished, Dr. Dattoli told me during our consultation in late October. He reported that the body scans taken earlier that day showed no signs of cancer. Based on my initial diagnosis of advance, aggressive, and lethal prostate cancer, I never thought I would be hearing news this great. I am currently in Jerusalem Israel finishing up an UNT extension course with students at Neve Yerushalayim. I am staying near the Old City and participated in the Via Dolorosa procession last Friday afternoon that ended up in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. What a powerful, solemn yet joyous, and spiritual experience it was. May your life be blessed for all the wonderful blessings you provide others. I will be forever grateful. Tell your Dad, Jack, that he has inspired my oldest son to renew his interest in music. Jean and I wish you both a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope we get a chance to visit again."...
Best,
Rudy and Jean
Rudy Ray Seward
Professor of Sociology & Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Sociology
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #311157
Denton, Texas 76203-5017
Phone: 940.565.2295
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Jimmy Carter's Speech to Parliament of the World's Religion's Urging "End to Discrimination and Violence Against Women"
Speech by Jimmy Carter to the Parliament of the World's Religions
Melbourne, Australia
Dec. 3, 2009
Delivered via remote video from Atlanta, Ga., as part of The Elders project.
First, I want to thank Executive Director Dirk Ficca for making it possible for me to join you, even though remotely. I occupy a privileged position these days, best explained by a cartoon in New Yorker magazine. (President Carter explains cartoon about a boy who says "When I grow up, I want to be an ex-president.")
No longer in public office, I am able to receive exciting invitations like this, and also to speak without restraint on somewhat controversial subjects.
I am pleased to address the Parliament of World Religions about the vital role of religion in providing a foundation for – or correcting – the global scourge of discrimination and violence against women. As will be seen, my remarks represent the personal views of a Christian layman and a former political leader.
There are international agreements as well as our own Holy Scriptures that guide us:
Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, origin ... or other status ..."
The Holy Bible tells us that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
Every generic religious text encourages believers to respect essential human dignity, yet some selected scriptures are interpreted to justify the derogation or inferiority of women and girls, our fellow human beings.
All of us have a responsibility to acknowledge and address the gross acts of discrimination and violence against women that occur every day. Here are some well-known examples:
Globally, at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. (U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, February, 2000)
Our Carter Center has been deeply involved in the Republic of Congo. In war zones where order has broken down, horrific and sometimes lethal rape has become a tactic of warfare practiced by all sides.
In a study in 2000, the U.N. estimated that at least 60 million girls who should be alive are "missing" from various populations, mostly in Asia, as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide or neglect.
According to UNICEF, an estimated one million children, mostly girls, enter the sex trade each year and the U.N. estimates that 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually.
In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.
The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and explains why so few women hold political office, even in most Western democracies.
You are all familiar with these facts, and I know you are considering the causes and possible solutions to this serious global problem.
There are clear indications that progress is being made in the secular world. We have seen women chosen as leaders in nations as diverse as India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Israel, Great Britain, Ireland, Chile, Germany, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. Their support came from citizens who are predominantly Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, and Christian, and include two of the three largest democracies on earth.
It is ironic that women are now welcomed into all major professions and other positions of authority, but are branded as inferior and deprived of the equal right to serve God in positions of religious leadership. The plight of abused women is made more acceptable by the mandated subservience of women by religious leaders.
Most Bible scholars acknowledge that the Holy Scriptures were written when male dominance prevailed in every aspect of life. Men could have multiple sex partners (King Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines), but adulterous behavior by a woman could be punished by stoning to death - then, in the time of Christ and, in some societies, 2009 years later.
I realize that devout Christians can find adequate scripture to justify either side in this debate, but there is one incontrovertible fact concerning the relationship between Jesus Christ and women: he never condoned sexual discrimination or the implied subservience of women. The exaltation and later reverence for Mary, as Jesus' mother, is an even more vivid indication of the special status of women in Christian theology.
I have taught Bible lessons for more than 65 years, and I know that Paul forbade women to worship with their heads covered, to braid their hair, or to wear rings, jewelry, or expensive clothes. It is obvious to most modern day Christians that Paul was not mandating permanent or generic theological policies.
In a letter to Timothy, Paul also expresses a prohibition against women's teaching men, but we know – and he knew – that Timothy himself was instructed by his mother and grandmother.
At the same time, in Paul's letter to the Romans, he listed and thanked twenty-eight outstanding leaders of the early churches, at least ten of whom were women. "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church … greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus … greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you… greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was … greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them."
It is clear that during the early Christian era women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers, and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.
My own Southern Baptist Convention leaders ordained in recent years that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors, chaplains in the military service, or teachers of men. They based this on a few carefully selected quotations from Saint Paul and also Genesis, claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin. This was in conflict with my belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God. The Roman Catholic Church and many others revere the Virgin Mary but consider women unqualified to serve as priests.
This view that the Almighty considers women to be inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or tradition. Its influence does not stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue, or temple. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment in which violations against women are justified.
The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.
Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views and set a new course that demands equal rights for women and men, girls and boys.
At their most repugnant, the belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo. It also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair and equal access to education, health care, employment, and influence within their own communities.
Recently I presented my concerns to a group of fellow leaders known as The Elders, who represent practicing Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus. We are no longer active in politics and are free to express our honest opinions. We decided to draw particular attention to the role of religious and traditional leaders in obstructing the campaign for equality and human rights, and promulgated a statement that declares: "the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."
Having served as local, state, national, and world leaders, we understand why many public officials can be reluctant to question ancient religious and traditional premises – an arena of great power and sensitivity. Despite this, we are calling on all those with influence to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices – in religious and secular life– that justify discrimination against women and to acknowledge and emphasize the positive messages of equality and human dignity.
http://www.cartercenter.org/news/editorials_speeches/parliament-world-religions-120309.html
Melbourne, Australia
Dec. 3, 2009
Delivered via remote video from Atlanta, Ga., as part of The Elders project.
First, I want to thank Executive Director Dirk Ficca for making it possible for me to join you, even though remotely. I occupy a privileged position these days, best explained by a cartoon in New Yorker magazine. (President Carter explains cartoon about a boy who says "When I grow up, I want to be an ex-president.")
No longer in public office, I am able to receive exciting invitations like this, and also to speak without restraint on somewhat controversial subjects.
I am pleased to address the Parliament of World Religions about the vital role of religion in providing a foundation for – or correcting – the global scourge of discrimination and violence against women. As will be seen, my remarks represent the personal views of a Christian layman and a former political leader.
There are international agreements as well as our own Holy Scriptures that guide us:
Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, origin ... or other status ..."
The Holy Bible tells us that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
Every generic religious text encourages believers to respect essential human dignity, yet some selected scriptures are interpreted to justify the derogation or inferiority of women and girls, our fellow human beings.
All of us have a responsibility to acknowledge and address the gross acts of discrimination and violence against women that occur every day. Here are some well-known examples:
Globally, at least one in three women and girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. (U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, February, 2000)
Our Carter Center has been deeply involved in the Republic of Congo. In war zones where order has broken down, horrific and sometimes lethal rape has become a tactic of warfare practiced by all sides.
In a study in 2000, the U.N. estimated that at least 60 million girls who should be alive are "missing" from various populations, mostly in Asia, as a result of sex-selective abortions, infanticide or neglect.
According to UNICEF, an estimated one million children, mostly girls, enter the sex trade each year and the U.N. estimates that 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually.
In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.
The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and explains why so few women hold political office, even in most Western democracies.
You are all familiar with these facts, and I know you are considering the causes and possible solutions to this serious global problem.
There are clear indications that progress is being made in the secular world. We have seen women chosen as leaders in nations as diverse as India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Israel, Great Britain, Ireland, Chile, Germany, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. Their support came from citizens who are predominantly Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, and Christian, and include two of the three largest democracies on earth.
It is ironic that women are now welcomed into all major professions and other positions of authority, but are branded as inferior and deprived of the equal right to serve God in positions of religious leadership. The plight of abused women is made more acceptable by the mandated subservience of women by religious leaders.
Most Bible scholars acknowledge that the Holy Scriptures were written when male dominance prevailed in every aspect of life. Men could have multiple sex partners (King Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines), but adulterous behavior by a woman could be punished by stoning to death - then, in the time of Christ and, in some societies, 2009 years later.
I realize that devout Christians can find adequate scripture to justify either side in this debate, but there is one incontrovertible fact concerning the relationship between Jesus Christ and women: he never condoned sexual discrimination or the implied subservience of women. The exaltation and later reverence for Mary, as Jesus' mother, is an even more vivid indication of the special status of women in Christian theology.
I have taught Bible lessons for more than 65 years, and I know that Paul forbade women to worship with their heads covered, to braid their hair, or to wear rings, jewelry, or expensive clothes. It is obvious to most modern day Christians that Paul was not mandating permanent or generic theological policies.
In a letter to Timothy, Paul also expresses a prohibition against women's teaching men, but we know – and he knew – that Timothy himself was instructed by his mother and grandmother.
At the same time, in Paul's letter to the Romans, he listed and thanked twenty-eight outstanding leaders of the early churches, at least ten of whom were women. "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church … greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus … greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you… greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was … greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them."
It is clear that during the early Christian era women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers, and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.
My own Southern Baptist Convention leaders ordained in recent years that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors, chaplains in the military service, or teachers of men. They based this on a few carefully selected quotations from Saint Paul and also Genesis, claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin. This was in conflict with my belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God. The Roman Catholic Church and many others revere the Virgin Mary but consider women unqualified to serve as priests.
This view that the Almighty considers women to be inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or tradition. Its influence does not stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue, or temple. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment in which violations against women are justified.
The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.
Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views and set a new course that demands equal rights for women and men, girls and boys.
At their most repugnant, the belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo. It also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair and equal access to education, health care, employment, and influence within their own communities.
Recently I presented my concerns to a group of fellow leaders known as The Elders, who represent practicing Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus. We are no longer active in politics and are free to express our honest opinions. We decided to draw particular attention to the role of religious and traditional leaders in obstructing the campaign for equality and human rights, and promulgated a statement that declares: "the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."
Having served as local, state, national, and world leaders, we understand why many public officials can be reluctant to question ancient religious and traditional premises – an arena of great power and sensitivity. Despite this, we are calling on all those with influence to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices – in religious and secular life– that justify discrimination against women and to acknowledge and emphasize the positive messages of equality and human dignity.
http://www.cartercenter.org/news/editorials_speeches/parliament-world-religions-120309.html
Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Mary, Mother of Jesus, the first priest/ Belief held for Centuries in Catholic Tradition
Mary, Mother of Jesus, who turned the Spirit of God into the Body and Blood of Jesus, pray for us.
Mary, the first priest, pray for us.
In the Chapel of the Veiling in the catacomb of St. Priscilla in Rome, Italy, a fresco depicts the ordination of a woman priest by a bishop seated on a chair.The woman is dressed in the vestments of the priesthood, the alb, chasuble, and amice, and holding a gospel scroll. In the center of the fresco, we see the same woman depicted as a deacon, vested in deacon's dalmatic, her arms raised in an attiude of worship in the orans position. On the right of the fresco, there is a woman holding a baby on her lap and wearing the same robe as the male bishop on the left, She is sitting in the same type of chair . These attributes indicate, according to Dr. Dorothy Irvin, Roman Catholic theologian and archaeologist, that the woman is thought of as a bishop, while the baby on her lap indicated that she is Mary, Mother of Jesus.. She is turned toward the figures in the center and left, watching the woman deacon and priest. "Women's ordination, Dorothy Irvin, concludes "was based on succession from the apostles, including women such as Mary, Mother of Jesus; Mary from Magdala, Phoebe, Petronella, and others abut whose status among the founders of the church thre could no doubt. " (See Dorothy Irvin's calendars, articles and resources for more information, contact irvincalendar@hotmail.com)
"One example of latent tradition is the age-old devotion to Mary as Priest.People believed held that Mary was, indeed, a priest for four main reasons: Mary belonged to a priestly family. Mary exercised priestly functions. Mary gave us the Eucharist and Mary procures forgiveness of sins. The devotion to Mary Priest has been present throughout the history of the Church. Tradition stressed Mary’s role as a priest in her offering Jesus during the Presentation in the Temple and during his crucifixion on Calvary.The devotion continued until 1927, when it was suddenly suppressed by the Holy Office - probably because of the implied link to women’s ordination! " http://www.womenpriests.org/paffirm.asp See this site for excellent arguments from the Scripture, the Tradition, and Contemporary Scholarship.
Image of Nativity from Free Catholic Clip Art
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Free+Catholic+Clip+Art&FORM=R5FD13#focal=afaf2822a3436edd9a70b1d4cb845c24&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fcentralmdcatholic.org%2Fnativity.JPG
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