"St. Teresa of Avila, Patron of Church Reformers, A Gutsy Woman and Mentor for Today" by Bridget Mary Meehan

Bridget Mary Meehan

October 15th is the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila.

Teresa was a woman who loved life, lived it fully, knew her own sinfulness, felt the emptiness that God alone could fill, and discovered abiding peace in the presence of God. I think Teresa is a great mentor for spiritual seekers and reformers today.

As an adolescent, Teresa went out regularly, frequently without parental permission. She lied to her father about an affair with a man she hoped would marry her. Teresa recalled that when she was no longer a virgin, they put her in a convent. After becoming ill with heart problems, she returned home.

Shortly afterwards, she decided to enter the convent to save her soul. Her mother, whom she adored, had died when she was eleven. She had a close relationship with her father. Leaving home to enter the convent was a devastating experience: " I can remember completely what it was like, and in sober truth I don't think that the pain will be more when I die then when I walked out of my father's house, for I felt as if my very bones were being pulled apart."

(As I reflect on leaving home at 18 to enter the convent, I put on a brave face, but felt sad as this was the first separation from my family. Now 45 years later this wonderful group of women , our band" is planning a reunion of the "ins and outs". There is a special spiritual bond that we continue to share that is deeply rooted from our shared memories and prayerful presence. When we entered the convent in 1966, we were 90 strong, and had no idea where God was leading us. Now, the joy is, we stay connected on a listserve and support one another with prayer and words of affirmation and encouragement.
Today families are torn apart by gut-wrenching pain when they are separated for long periods of time-- immigrants, military etc. The blessing now is that there is an internet and we can communicate with loved ones across the miles and time zones.)

After entering the convent, Teresa continued to care for her ailing father until his death. " I suffered much hardship during his sickness. I believe I served him womewhat for he trilas he suffered during mine." (There are many care-givers today who are walking in Teresa's shoes and can identify with her compassionate service to her beloved Dad. )

After her father's death, Teresa lived in two worlds. She longed for intimacy with God. On the other hand she was distracted by the social life that convent living at the time. (Apparently, these were the big party days!)

When she was forty years old, Teresa saw an image of Jesus in agony that changed her life. "The vision of Christ left upon me an impression of his extraordinary beauty, and the impression remains today." From that time on, Teresa grew closer to Christ and developed a way of practicing the presence of God which Teresa desribed as an intimage sharing between friends. (Autobiography 8:5) She could share everything- her joys, sufferings, failures, victories- with her beloved friend, God. On one occasion Teresa's wagon got stuck in mud as she was crossing a river. As she watched her supplies float away, Teresa heard God say to her: "This is how I treat my friends.' "Then its no wonder," she responded, " that you have so few!"

Her deepening prayer life led Teresa to reform the Carmelite Order. After prayerful reflection, Teresa decided that it was time for a renewal of religious life. She would initiate communities in which the 'primitive rule' would be followed where women would live as passionate disciples of Christ through prayer and asceticism. Teresa believed that the fruitfulness of prayer was demonstrated in daily living. "What value God places on our loving and keeping peace with one another, the good Jesus places it before anything else. "

When Teresa wrote her Autobiography, she was under scrutiny for heresy by the Spanish Inquisition for visions and raptures. If she had been convicted, she would have been burned at the stake like many others. Her prayer and reform agenda had become threats to church authorities. Sr. Joan Chittister's analysis: "Her prayer was too personal and ... too Protestant...She was hardly anti-Semitic enough since her father himself was Jewish, and she was starting something new."

Teresa had a cheerful disposition; she did not put up with "sour-faced saints" and she enjoyed play. She often entertained her sisters, instrument in hand, encouraging them to lighten up and share laughter with one another. Although she was a busy reformer with a big agenda traveling the length of Spain creating a new form of religious life during the last twenty years of her life, Teresa had time for recreation and fun. She knew that what we accomplish is not as important as the love in our hearts... Like Teresa we can experience a passion for God in our passion for life. (Makes me wonder if Teresa would be an advocate for women priests if she lived in our time, or perhaps a leader in our movement for justice for women in the church. One thing she would not be afraid of the wrath of the hierarchy as she experienced that first hand with the Inquisiton. And she would be a lively fun-loving companion on the journey. )

Teresa died on Oct. 4, 1582. She was cononized by Pope Gregory XV and declared the first Doctor of the Church on September 27,1970.

Teresa's words continue to inspire generations of spiritual seekers. Her "Bookmark Prayer is one that we can use again and again to calm our nerves, center ourselves, and let go and let God be in charge of our lives. Then as night follows day, wondrous things will happen--maybe even a vision or two of God's love that will sweep us of our feet! Teresa has left us contemporary saints-in-the-making that we are, a sound prescription for holiness, one we can find if we talk and walk with God. (This reflection is from the chapter on Teresa of Avila, in Praying with Visionary Women, Bridget Mary Meehan/ Sheed and Ward, 1999, pp75-80.)

Prayer by St. Teresa of Avila

"Let nothing disturb you,



Let nothing frighten you,



Everything is changing;



God alone is changeless.



Patience attains the goal.



Who has God lacks nothing.



God alone fills all our needs."

"Kansas City Bishop Indicted in Reporting of Abuse by Priest"/ New York Times/Call to Action

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/us/kansas-city-bishop-indicted-in-reporting-of-abuse-by-priest.html?_r=2&emc=na

http://www.kmbc.com/news/29486658/detail.html?taf=kc1

By A. G. SULZBERGER and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: October 14, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — "The Roman Catholic bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Robert Finn, and the diocese he leads have been indicted by a county grand jury on a charge of failure to report suspected child abuse in the case of a priest who had been accused of taking lewd photographs of young girls. The indictment is the first ever of a Catholic bishop in the 25 years since the scandal over sexual abuse by priests first became public in the United States.
Bishop Finn is accused of neglecting to report abuse that occurred as recently as last year — almost 10 years since the nation’s Catholic bishops passed a charter pledging to report suspected abusers to law enforcement authorities. .."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:
It is about time the a bishop is held accountable by civil authorities. The protection of children should be a good shepherd's first priority, not protection of the institution. Yet the Vatican is pressing Maryknoll to dismiss Fr. Roy Bourgeois for his promotion of women priests, but we hear nothing from them about dismissing this priest who abused an innocent child. What would Jesus do? I think he'd be outraged as I am sure the majority of Catholics in Kansas City are.

Isn't it time for Catholics to donate dollars in support of prophetic priests, like Fr. Roy, who speak truth to power and who will be cut off, by Maryknoll? Isn't it time for Catholics to cut off their financial support from bishops like Kansas City Bishop Finn? More than ever we need married priests and women priests now and empowered, accountable faith communities who will not put up with sexual abuse cover-ups. As Vatican II reminded us the people of God are the church. Now is the time for action, people of God!
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
sofiabmm@aol.com

THE OTHER FACE OF GOD: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE" by Diana Milesko

The Book of Ruth reveals a relationship based on unconditional love, and hesed, or God’s loving kindness toward another. It shows the courage of Ruth, who faces the unknown, and the wisdom of Naomi, who guides Ruth. Ruth’s courage and Naomi’s wisdom embody God’s love and validate ordination of women today. They offer evidence that Roman Catholic women priests can enrich the spiritual growth of everyone, and illustrate how women can achieve their place in the church. First, Ruth reflects godliness in her unconditional love, as opposed to a “conditional” love of a patriarchal institution based on obedience and prejudice. Second, Ruth honors an older woman; in turn, Naomi shows Ruth that obstacles are not insurmountable. Third, Ruth, has the courage to demand justice, without rancor or subservience.
Unconditional Love
That beautiful passage(1) in which Ruth declares her love for Naomi, reminds me of a holy woman in my own life, my Mother, who signed all letters to her seven children, her ten siblings, her students, and everyone she cared for, with, “My Unconditional Love.” Hers was a matriarchy, where all children were equal in the eyes of the mother; her love was unconditional. Ruth is a kindred spirit of the holy in Mother.
In contrast to this unconditional love, in a patriarchy of privilege and power such as the church, love is conditional, based on good behavior and conformity. The institutional church fears loss of this power for themselves more than they value spiritual gain for the many. (2)
Yet every human needs unconditional love. Early Church anchoress, Julian of Norwich (1342-1416) repeatedly declares God’s love is not earned by good behavior nor lost by sin. God’s love is unconditional, like that of a good mother. She stresses that God is both our mother and our father. This idea was also developed by Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth century. (3)
Unconditional love bears hurts, forgives thoughtlessness, and surmounts prejudice, knowing that buried within them is an ember of God’s energy waiting for a breath of love. Women priests are this breath of love, from which a brighter, warmer church will arise.
Respect for other Women
Contrary to abundant and demeaning mother-in-law jokes, Ruth demonstrates love and respect for the elder Naomi. Unfortunately, this respect is not seen often enough. Too many women perceive other females as competitors for men. Consequently, they master techniques and dress to emphasize sex appeal, since that attracts males. They claim, as if it is desirable, “I prefer the company of men over women.” Sexual attraction is normal, of course. But it cannot be the sole quality upon which to esteem women.
Columnist Ruth Marcus observes how much appearance matters for female candidates. “It is no accident that the two most prominent women in the Republican Party today, Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachman, are trim and attractive.”(4)
Ruth would hold that female attractiveness is not of prime importance, and discrimination against women is deeply wrong.
In 1970 our first Jewish Congresswoman, Bella Abzug was elected from New York’s Manhattan District 19. Called “Bellicose Abzug” by Time Magazine (5), she was known for wide-brimmed hats, a fiery personality, as well as work for feminism, peace, and civil liberties. She said, “ I began wearing hats as a young lawyer because it helped me to establish my professional identity. Before that, whenever I was at a meeting, someone would ask me to get coffee.” Ruth would deem Bella Abzug a soul-sister, hat and all. Both were strong, determined, and just. Both women knew that self-respect and courage are agents for attaining equality. Like Ruth, Bella Abzug was a role model for the holy.
Courage to Demand Justice
Ruth goes to work in a foreign field knowing God accompanies her. She is independent and demonstrates self-esteem when talking with Boaz. “Ruth has rights and she knows it. She is entitled by Jewish law to the leftovers in the fields. She seeks justice, not favors. The word of God in Ruth is that women have rights. Women, too, are a Word of God and are also worthy of being heard.” (6)
Women today must have courage to assert, again and again, that there is no defense for discrimination. When women are insistent in this, they expand godliness in everyone. The church opposes women priests because they threaten it’s patriarchy. That is a good thing. For the patriarchal church is a harsh, authoritarian thing with a God that loves only conditionally and is male. Ironically, the church’s central image is not a powerful oppressor, but a crucified and powerless victim (7) who loves and respects women. It follows, then, that the church was founded on a love and concern for society’s outcasts. This foundation is anticipated in the Book of Ruth. God works primarily through Ruth and Naomi, and not Boaz, to bring new life to the line of David from which the Messiah comes. “Women plot the liaison between Ruth and Boaz, initiate the relationship, make plain the resolution, name the baby. And Ruth hands the baby to Naomi as her own. This is woman’s work. And of God. ‘The Lord made her conceive,’ the Scripture says. Boaz is not even in the picture.” (8)
The story of Ruth gives further evidence of God’s love for the marginalized. The Moabite, Ruth, marries Boaz and their son, Obed, is grandfather of King David. It is a Moabite, whom the Torah curses, (9) an outcast woman, from whom Israel’s greatest king and its future come. The story of Ruth makes clear that God works through everyone. She proves women are designed for the priesthood; they bring God’s love to the world. In contrast, the 1994 papal declaration of John Paul II stated that now, and for all time, women cannot be priests. Many Catholics are troubled by such blatant and boastful claim to male supremacy. One in ten Americans are former Catholics. (10) Women leave the church because it does not accept them in God’s love. They know that Christianity, spoken by Jesus, affirms God’s love equally for everyone. Unconditional love cannot co-exist with a patriarchy that asserts only what men do is important and women are inferior and exist largely for men’s use.
Bella Abzug once observed, “The establishment is made up of little men, very frightened.” She could be speaking of the church. Men in the institutional church are afraid to admit their limitations, so distort Scriptures to “prove” their superiority. This is not new. In the 12th century, the name of a strong woman, Junia, was changed to that of a male in the Bible. (11) Apparently as a woman, Junia was too threatening to the patriarchal church.
Today, insecure males use false tradition and phony law to dominate women. They hide behind strange definitions of religion and questionable interpretations of historical texts. Religion should help us see the God in each of us. Church leaders should ask a question so popular that it has attained a cult quality. Nonetheless, the question is always valid. “What would Jesus do?” Would Jesus, a victim who defended outcasts, permit church tradition to discriminate against women? Of course he wouldn’t. Like his ancestor Ruth, (through his mother, Mary, lineage of David,) Jesus loved and respected women as well as men.
Ruth would champion the thousands of women like Bishop Bridget Mary Mehan and Janice Sevre-Duszynska, who are moving the church out of it’s calcified prejudice toward a loving acceptance of women as equals in the priesthood. There is no ‘ordination’ anywhere in the New Testament, much less a law forbidding women to be priests. “Jesus was a revolutionary. The Last Supper was not an ordination. Jesus never ordained anyone. He called us to a community of equals, with mutuality: a circle, not a hierarchy. He challenged the religious and civil authorities of his time to empower the marginalized, including women.” In 1976, no biblical obstacles were found to women's ordination. Women's rights are human rights. Who are Shaughnessy and his brother priests at the Vatican to say that God calls only men? Such thinking and behavior is a sin against women and our loving God.” (12) It is this commitment to justice, this principle of life, that Ruth would celebrate as an image of the holy.
Today’s Catholic women, like Naomi and Ruth, have no intention of being victims. They are moving forward, living God’s message of justice and change. Like Ruth, they are the other face of God--a nurturing, loving face that is courageous, wise and strong. They value themselves; in turn, others value them as well. They seek justice with dignity. They become Catholic priests. This is how change happens. Bit by bit, woman by woman. They don’t wait for a patriarchy of frightened old men to grant ‘permission.’ Their courage reveals the true meaning of God--love of self; love of everyone--and helps future generations of women, and men as well, become more Godly. Like Ruth, they move the human race toward a better spiritual future.
“The fact that women keep striving for fullness of humanity may be the greatest act of faith they make in a just and loving God.” (13)
When Boaz marries Ruth, he gives what he possesses; Ruth gives what she is. In giving what one is, one becomes more than one is. Ruth is wisdom, and “Wisdom [is] the feminine personification of God in the Hebrew Scriptures.” (14)
When the institutional church disallows women priests, it diminishes the entire Catholic community. Most especially, it diminishes itself. Women are as spiritual, if not more, than men. Women are the backbone of the church. They do the work; they sing the songs; they teach the young. Women and men are two faces of God; when they become collaborators in faith, they expand our reach toward the best in humanity; the best in godliness.
But if they are denied the priesthood--the place that can best use their courage, their nurturing, and their wisdom--they look for wholeness in other arenas. Some turn to eastern practices. Each yoga practice begins and ends with the greeting, “Namaste,” which means, "the Divine in me greets the Divine in you." That is reverence. It is far removed from, “the puny thing that religion has been allowed to deteriorate into over the years.” (15)
“It is wrong to leave half the human race--its most caring and compassionate side--out of the discussions. How can there be a decent life decision unless based on care, compassion? The presence of women is necessary if a human race on the brink of extinction from war, racism, starvation and global violation is itself to be saved.” (16)
Ruth shows that life is to be shaped, not endured; that women can surmount the impossible. The authoritarian church is preoccupied with power and control; it fears change, and ordaining women is change. Yet the world is rapidly changing, and the church must change as well. Ruth would call for the church to rejoice at the ordination of women priests.
Conclusion
A wise old woman, once told me, “The challenge in life is its daily-ness.” Years ago, I went to church looking for help in this daily-ness, with no luck. “Nothing is said in the pulpit to rouse...to inspire...to dare...to...spiritual achievements.... The lessons doled out to women are meekness and self-abnegation...to do some humble service for men,” said Elizabeth Cady Stanton. (17) Her words mirrored my experience.
One exception was Sheil Center at Northwestern University where I attended mass in the 1970‘s, when our children were young. Fr. Krump was genial, but his true talent was his sermons. He didn’t give many. Each week he invited someone from the community to speak. God’s energy permeated the chapel on Mother’s Day when a mother spoke about the delight and challenge of her role, or on Father’s Day when a father talked about the wonder of his responsibilities. Such speakers reflected the holy. Ruth would be proud.
The simple story of Ruth is an inspiration for all women, but especially for those who want to be priests. Ruth does not rationalize; she loves both men and women. She takes advice from Naomi, her mother-in-law, and speaks as an equal to Boaz. Ruth shows unconditional love and hesed, God’s loving kindness toward another, and reveals women as images of the holy. Her story gives strength and inspiration to women priests whose ordination is crucial. For women priests will help the Church find the God in all of us.





BIBLIOGRAPHY
for DM640 Women of the Bible
THE OTHER FACE OF GOD: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Lessons from the “Book of Ruth”
by Diana Milesko
Page 1 (1)1(Ru 1:8,9,14-17) “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you.
Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die; there will I be buried.”
(2) Catholic Patriarchy Towards a Liberal Catholicism: “Psychology and Four Women” by Peter C. Morea. SCM Press. 2000, pp.96-110.
(3) Wikipedia: Julian of Norwich
(4) Columnist Ruth Marcus, October 6, 2011 “Erie Times” p 7B
Page 2 (5)“The CIA: Prying into Mail, Plotting Murder”, Time Magazine Mon, Mar. 17, 1975
(6) The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman’s Life by Joan D. Chittister (Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids MI/ Cambridge UK 2000) p 49
(7) Catholic Patriarchy (ibid)
(8) The Story of Ruth: (ibid) p 54
(9) Deut 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever do so.
Page 3 (10) Bridget Mary’s Blog, October 3, 2011
(11) Praying with Women of the Bible, Bishop Bridget Mary Mehan, Liguori/Triumph Press Liguori, MO, 1998. pp. 109-110
(12) Bridget Mary’s Blog, October 3, 2011: Janice Sevre-Duszynska Priest, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests Lexington
Page 4 (13) The Story of Ruth (ibid) p 75
(14) Praying with Women of the Bible p 35
(15) “What Is Prayer? A Conversation with Srr Joan Chittister” by Janet Haag, The Huffington Post, June 8, 2010
(16) The Story of Ruth (ibid) p 81
(17) Praying with Women of the Bible pp 27- 28 Elizabeth Cady Stanton

***Note from Bridget Mary Meehan

This insightful paper connecting Ruth to contemporary issues of justice and equality was written by Diana Milesko for a Global Ministries University D. Min. course- DM640 Women of the Bible.
For more information about Global Ministries Univeristy, visit: www.globalministriesuniversity.org

Women Priests' Supporters Travel to Rome to Witness for Justice and Equality/Janice Sevre-Duszynska and Donna Rougeux Will Report From Rome Too

October 13, 2011
Dear Members and Friends,
In just two days WOC will once again take on Rome! With the support of women's ordination supporters from around the world, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to hand-deliver our petition, signed by over 15,000 justice-seeking men and women!
This year WOC will be joined by Call To Action, Association of Roman Catholic Womenpriests/Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA and Women's Ordination Worldwide.
Together, we will lift up your voices in St. Peter's Square. You can follow along with our day-to-day updates and pictures on WOC's new blog, The Table - where talking religion is always proper etiquette. Thank you for your continued energy and generous support!
Next stop: the Vatican!

In Peace,

Kate Conmy
Membership Coordinator

Bishop Marie Bouclin Becomes First Roman Catholic Canadian Woman Bishop

(left to right: Deacon Donna Rougeux,
Priest Janice Sevre-Duszynska from Association
of Roman Catholic Women Priests
were present at historic ordination of first Canadian
woman ordained a bishop by the Roman Catholic Women
Priests Movement on Sunday in Germany.
Bishop Gisela Forster, one of the Danube 7, is standing behind Marie and Janice in the background.)




(Left to right)
Deacon Donna Rougeux, Bishop Patricia Fresen,
Priest Janice Sevre-Duszynska


Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Warm wishes and blessings from the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests to Marie Bouclin, the first Roman Catholic Canadian Woman Bishop! May the Roman Catholic Women Priests Initiative continue to bloom and grow in Canada!
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/

"The 100th Anniversary Celebration of St. Joan's International Alliance" By Janice Sevre-Duszynska

Dorothy Irvin at 100th Anniversary Celebratio
of St. Joan's International Alliance in England


St. Joan's Alliance Celebration of 100th Anniversary
This afternoon as we travel to Trier, Germany on the Euro-rail, I'd like to share a little about the group and its history. St. Joan's Alliance grew from the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society founded in London in 1911, the only association of Catholics to work for women's right to vote. These early suffragettes did not have it easy, according to Myra Poole, who spoke at our gathering. They were sexually harassed by police when arrested and force fed in jail. They were faced with so much opposition and cruel behavior that they believed in militancy. In 1910, 300 women tried to break into Parliament and were abused as they were taken to jail. The Roman Catholic Church, five per cent of the population, did nothing to serve or protect the women. For example, when a parish priest spoke in favor of the women and their cause, they were beaten up.

The three brave women responsible for the beginnings of St. Joan's were Florence Barry, Beatrice Gatsby and Gabrielle Geoffrey. These justice-minded women worked for the eradication of poverty and prostitution as well as for the vote. In 1921, Joan of Arc was canonized and she became a symbol of those who stand up to oppression. In
1928, members of St. Joan's spoke of their need of "losing ecclesiastical virginity." There were suffragists in the audience at Vatican II who tried to work for women priests.
St. Joan's was the first group in Catholicism to work for women priests. In the 60s, the women also worked for the diaconate, made a cautious request for priesthood as well as for a thorough examination of Canon law. Theologians Ida Raming and Mary Daly belonged to St. Joan's. "Patriarchy's everywhere," said Daly. "Even in outer space."

Other women in the movement spoke of the "Living Pix," the Incarnation as more important than the Eucharist as Mary had Jesus and lived. They said it was better to hover around the church door rather than the stage door and recognized the desire of so many women who would prefer to go to confession to a woman priest. Yet, the Victorian nun was taken as the norm, said Myra Poole, even as she was the "climax of absurdity." "She did good works and obeyed and didn't challenge. She surrendered her name, submerged her identity and individuality," said Myra. "The nuns at St. Margaret's Hall in Oxford were not interested in the Alliance."

In the early 40s, Alice Abadan of the Alliance called for social transformation. "Let us not be blinded by habit and convention," she said.

Meanwhile, French women got the vote in 1944-45. As the Alliance grew, members held women congresses.

The Alliance has played the leadership role in petitioning for lay (men and women) observers and women auditors at the Second Vatican Council (1961-1964); the revision of the nuptial liturgy; revision of those canons of the Code which adversely affect women; admission of women to Holy Orders.

In 1963, St Joan's asked for women religious to elect their own representatives to the Vatican Council. There was a motion for women's ordination at the International Congress of Laity in 1967. In 1968, members took on the topic of birth control.
That year theologian Ursula King wrote an article on women's ordination. In 1976, Canadian bishops led the way to ask for women's ordination. However, Pope Paul VI was surrounded by conservative men.

Mary Dietrich from Canterbury joined St. Joan's in 1966. As the Alliance spread to other countries, the word "international" was inserted. Dorothy Irvin has been a member of the
Alliance for over 40 years.

Registered as a non-profit association in Belgium, the Alliance is active wherever there are members, and attends United Nations sessions in Vienna, Geneva, and New York.
Consistent and valuable work has been done with the United Nations (and earlier with the League of Nations) for the advancement of women in the following areas:

- Equal access to education and vocational training
- Economic opportunities
- Family law
- Abolition of child and forced marriages
- Slavery and traffic in persons
- Female genital mutilation
- Human rights for women
- Elimination of discrimination against women

Dorothy Irvin, Connie Aligada, Sharon Masloski, Gabriella Velardi Ward, Julienne Feza and I have been active reps for the Alliance for the past three years during the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The Alliance has worked for the ratification by member states of the United Nations' "Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women," the "Convention for the suppression of Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of Others," and the "Convention on the Rights of the Child." Since 1966 the U.S. Members of the Alliance have supported the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

St. Joan of Arc is recognized as having played a determining role in forming the concept of national sovereignty, a concept essential to the work of the UN today. See www.stjoansinternationalalliance.org

Open Letter to U.S. Bishops About Priest Shortage Crisis/ Support Roman Catholic Women Priests Now by Promoting Women's Vocations to Priestly Ministry

Bridget Mary's Reflection:

Sign the letter to the U.S. bishops below and support Roman Catholic Women Priests Now!

Do you know a woman who serves the people of God and is open to being called by a faith community to serve as a priest in a inclusive, renewed model of priestly ministry?

If you do, invite her to pray, discern and contact the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, and/or Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

sofiabmm@aol.com

www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org

FCM’s (Federation of Christian Ministry) Roman Catholic Faith Community Council is supporting a special Open Letter to US Bishops about the impending priest shortage crisis in the US. A number of priest organizations and national church renewal/reform groups are also joining this effort.Studies show that half of the 19,302 active diocesan priests plan to retire by 2019. We are ordaining about 380 new diocesan priests each year. In just eight years, we will have only 13,500 active diocesan priests to serve our 18,000 parishes, presuming ordinations remain constant, as they have for over a decade. (2008 Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate study)

To sign onto the open letter, download paper copies to circulate, download a free organizing kit or circulate to family and friends, or simply sign yourself. Click this link

http://www.futurechurch.org/fpm/optcel/openletter/?utm_campaign=pentecost2011&utm_medium=email&utm_source=FCMRCFC

The open letter will be published in one or several national Catholic publications in 2011 and 2012. Every effort will be made to contact individual US Bishops and officials at the US Bishops’ conference. Only your name and diocese will be included in the online listing. (it is ok to sign anonymously if you wish)

Media Advisory: Fr. Roy Bourgeois and Women Priests' Supporters Go to Rome- Press Conference on Monday, Oct. 17th, 2011; Italian Premiere-"Pink Smoke"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2011
Contact: Erin Saiz Hanna – 202. 675. 1006, Mobile in Rome (10/16-10/20) - 401.588.0457
ehanna@womensordination.org

MEDIA ADVISORY

Fr. Roy Bourgeois and pro-women’s ordination delegation to hold press conference; march to Vatican to deliver petition signed by 15,000 supporters

WHAT: Press conference, followed by march to St. Peter’s Square

WHEN: Monday, October 17th, 2011 @ 12:00 PM
Press are invited to attend the Italian Premiere of Pink Smoke Over the Vatican at 11:00 AM, just prior to the press conference*

WHERE: CASA DEL CINEMA (Sala Kodak) - Largo Marcello Mastroianni, 1 Ingresso da Piazzale del Brasile, Parcheggio di Villa Borghese – Roma

WHO:

Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Roman Catholic priest, peace activist and founder of the human rights group School of the Americas Watch. Fr. Bourgeois currently faces dismissal from his Maryknoll order for his support of women’s ordination.

Erin Saiz Hanna, Women’s Ordination Conference (USA), Women's Ordination Worldwide (International)

Nicole Sotelo, Call To Action (USA), U.S. Representative of the International Movement We Are Church (International)

Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Ordained Roman Catholic Woman Priest (USA)

Therese Korturbash, Catholic Network For Women’s Equality (Canada), Women's Ordination Worldwide (International)

Miriam Duignan, WomenPriests.org (International)

Dr. Dorothy Irvin, renowned scholar on women's ordination in the early church


* Pink Smoke Over the Vatican is an award-winning documentary film about the controversial movement of women seeking ordination in the Roman Catholic Church.

Bridget Mary's Reflection:

I can't wait to share the photos and movies of this upcoming event! Can you imagine some of the Vatican Prelates attending "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican"?

Let's hope that representatives from the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith meet with Fr. Roy and his lawyer, Fr. Tom Doyle, who has put together a brilliant defense rooted in "primacy of conscience". Thousands of Catholics have signed petitions in support of Roy.

The Maryknoll Order should not only affirm their brother Roy, but challenge the Vatican for pressuring them to dismiss this faithful, courageous priest. Isn't it sad that pedophiles and the bishops who kept them in ministry are not excommunicated or thrown out of their orders or dioceses, but prophetic priests like Fr. Roy, are shown the door!

No matter what the Vatican or Maryknoll do, Fr. Roy Bourgeois will always be a priest of the people and a prophet of justice.

Now we are at a tipping point as more and more male priests and bishops join Fr. Roy- 400 Austrian priests, a growing number of French priests, the Irish Association of Priests, the Australian Priests' Association and over 250 German -speaking theologians. (A Cardinal from Portugal, bishops from Switzerland, Ireland and Australia are also on record as open to women priests.)

Roman Catholic Women Priests are a "holy shakeup" rocking the Catholic Church. We are creating a grassroots, inclusive, open church that welcomes all- like Jesus did.Yes, indeed, it is revolution, rooted in Jesus' vision of Gospel equality.

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com

New Videos from Heart of the Vision with Janice Sevre-Duszynska- : Sister Myra Poole- Issues Facing Roman Catholic Church in England

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DftoMMsrmPw

("Britain is ready for women priests.")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZXzIsrzps

(Women leaving church, keep an open mind, hierarchy don't know whether they are coming or going, youth not present)

"Occupy Our Hearts" by Jocelyn A. Sideco/ National Catholic Reporter/Occupy Wall Street Movement

http://ncronline.org/blogs/young-voices/occupy-our-hearts
Occupy our hearts
By Jocelyn A. Sideco
Created Oct 06, 2011
"...Recent days have proven that Wall Street and corporate greed have pushed Americans to their limit. And now, many are protesting saying, “We are the 99 percent who will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1 percent...
....Occupy Wall Street is for today’s generation what School of Americas was for folks 10 and 20 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I am not denying that School of the America’s is still a big issue. I would just suggest that there are formative first experiences we all have. And for the Millennials, Occupy Wall Street may be just that. For others, perhaps the Invisible Children (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/ [3]) campaign has moved them to act in an effort to improve the quality of life for all people.
In its third week, Occupy Wall St. called for a college walk-out and got thousands of people to protest. This exponential growth from the handful who pitched tents on Sept.17 tells us something: our quality of life is no longer acceptable.
This growing movement addresses a desire to build community and begs the question: how do we, as people of faith, approach the atrocities that affect us and others in a way that pleads for justice and stands with the least of these?
The United States Catholic Bishops published “Economic Justice for All: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy” in 1986. Now 25 years later, their message still rings clear:
“As Catholics, we are heirs of a long tradition of thought and action on the moral dimensions of economic activity. The life and words of Jesus and the teaching of his Church call us to serve those in need and to work actively for social and economic justice. As a community of believers, we know that our faith is tested by the quality of justice among us, that we can best measure our life together by how the poor and the vulnerable are treated. This is not a new concern for us. It is as old as the Hebrew prophets, as compelling as the Sermon on the Mount, and as current as the powerful voice of Pope John Paul II defending the dignity of the human person.” (#8)
The bishops continue to say,
"The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion; the production to meet social needs over production for military purposes". (#94)
Our community of faith calls us to internalize these words, values, and moral stance so that we can be a life-giving expression of God’s love and care to others today.
For me, I awoke to the needs of the poor when I crossed the line at Fort Benning. For others, they awoke when family members got laid off and could not pay medical bills. Let our hearts and minds be occupied with the needs of the least of these so that our faith can cross the line into acts of justice and solidarity with firmness, confidence, and compassion."
[Jocelyn A. Sideco is a founding member of Contemplatives in Action, an urban ministry and retreat experience that began as a response to the needs in post-Katrina New Orleans and now continues as an online ministry offering spirituality resources for those working for justice throughout the world. Visit http://www.contemplativesinaction.org/ [4] for more information.]

" You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Church"

http://publicreligion.org/2011/10/millennials-leave-their-churches-over-science-lesbian-gay-issues/#.To-yMc1umH0.gmail

..." the Barna Group, a Christian-affiliated polling organization, recently completed a five-year project which has morphed into a book called You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Church.

The study focused on young adults who were regular Christian churchgoers during their early teenage years, but became disconnected from church life after the age of 15. According to Barna, 59% of young Christians disengage either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life around this age. There was, predictably, no single reason for young adults’ disaffection with the churches where they grew up. But the study managed to isolate six main reasons why Millennials (age 18-29) tend to leave Christian churches as they grow up: a sense that young adults were receiving an unsatisfying or “shallow” version of Christianity, feelings that the church was overprotective, the perception of judgmental attitudes around sex and sexuality, churches’ unfriendliness to members grappling with doubt, the sense that Christianity was too exclusive, and finally, the tense relationship between Christianity and science...."

..."But buried within Barna’s category of “sex and sexuality” is something quite specific: churches’ stances on gay and lesbian issues. Research from earlier this summer reveals that nearly 7-in-10 (69%) Millennials agree that religious groups are alienating young people by being too judgmental about these issues. ..."

Video Interviews by Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Donna Rougeux, and Dorothy Irvin in England-Featuring Scholarship of Theologian John Wijngaards

Jackie, Dorothy, Donna, Janice,
John Wijngaards at "Housetop," John's Center for Womenpriests Ministry,in England ("What I tell you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your ear you must shout from the housetops." Matthew 10:27
In the background of the Housetop photo is the new Last Supper painting by Bogdhan Piasecki. It was commissioned in the 90s by the Irish women's ordination group, Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC) after consultation with a Jewish Scholar about the Passover meal.)


(left to right )Janice Sevre Duszynska, Bridget Mary Meehan,
Donna Rougeux - Presentation of the Bible to Deacon Donna

Visit Women Priests Scholarly Web Site:
http://www.womenpriests.org/index.asp

Interview with Theologian John Wijngaards 6-3,
50,000 women deacons ordained in East, published hundreds of scholarly
articles on women's ordination. (rooted in scripture, tradition, including Middle Ages)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z6ez5U8b9Y&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Interview with Theologian John Wijngaards-5 Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b92bW9uMRXc

Interview with Theologian John Wijngaards -4-1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Aol_xaNY4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Interview with Theologian and Catholic Priest John Wijngaards who has specialized in Study of Women Priests. (In Celtic Church, there are definite traces of women's ministry, led tank was used to baptize people, women deacons baptized adult women catechumens. see pic. and listen to interview.)

French Priests from Diocese of Rouen Support Austrian Priests Petition for Reform/ Let's Affirm them as Priests of the People, Prophets for Justice

French Radio News (France Info) reporting on the support of French Priests from the diocese of Rouen for the Austrian Priests' petition:

http://www.france-info.com/france-societe-2011-10-07-l-appel-a-la-desobeissance-des-pretres-autrichiens-signe-par-des-567114-9-12.html

Austrian Priests' call to disobedience endorsed by French Priests

October 7, 2011
France Info - 04:42

"Seventeen priests from the Rouen diocese in France have just signed the “Call to Disobedience” launched a few months ago by more than 200 Austrian priests. These men of the Church wish to see it evolve. Among other things, they are seeking the ordination of married men and women, communion for remarried divorcees, and greater integration of lay people into Catholic communities.

This movement started with the call to disobedience launched in June, which so far has been signed by several hundred Austrian priests.

As a group, the priests from Rouen who joined the movement, had issued a public call to French bishops earlier on regarding the desertion of the faithful who no longer recognize themselves in today's Church. This time they hope that the movement initiated by their Austrian counterparts will cause the Vatican to change things around.

In Austria, the mobilization of priests has bishops worried. Cardinal Archbishop Christoph Schönborn has not excluded the possibility of resorting to sanctions, stating, “A public call to insubordination upsets me deeply. Those who abandon the principle of obedience shatter unity.”
So far there has been no reaction from French bishops."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:
These priests (from Austria, Germany, France, Ireland, Australia and elsewhere are speaking truth to power in the Catholic Church. They are truly following Jesus's mandate of Gospel equality. They are "priests of the people" and "prophets for justice."
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
sofiabmm@aol.com

Sign Petition To Support Sexual Abuse Survivors - Join in Rome on Oct. 29, 2011

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/survivorsvoice/
Join Us Again In Rome on October 29th.

Its hard to believe that a year has past since our first historic Reformation Day Event in Rome.
Please Join us this year as we Celebrate the Survivor.
This years event is being sponsored by Survivors Voice Europe.
For a look at last years event, please click here Survivors Day 2010
For information on this years event please click here Survivors Day 2011
Thank you for your support and we hope to see you there!.
Sincerely,Gary Bergeron & Bernie McDaid
Survivors Voice Inc

Hierarchy Criticised at Association of Catholic Priests Meeting in Ireland/ Advocate "Married Priests and Women Priests"/Irish Times/Patsy McGarry

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1005/1224305259164.html
The Irish Times - Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Hierarchy criticised at priests' first agm
PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent
"THE FIRST annual general meeting of the Association of Catholic Priests was told last night that if people had a vote on such matters church leaders would be swept out of office.
If Irish Catholics had a democratic way of reflecting their feelings “church leaders would suffer a defeat as cataclysmic as that administered to Fianna Fáil in the recent general election”, Fr Kevin Hegarty said.
What was needed was a church which would open its doors to “married priests and women priests”. It would benefit from secular insights like, for example, on human intimacy and democracy, he said. It would work at developing a “healthy and holistic theology of sexuality”.
The Mayo priest said church leadership now seems divided and rudderless. Not since the 19th century “has there been such public disagreement among the bishops. Cardinal Cullen’s Tridentine temple has come tumbling down”.
Fr Hegarty is a priest of Killala diocese who serves in Carne parish on the Mullet peninsula. He was speaking at the gathering in the Green Isle Hotel on the Naas Road, Dublin, where the attendance was put at 300 – including some lay people who wished to give support.
There was “a torpidity about the Catholic Church in Ireland today. .."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Did you ever hear the old Irish joke that nothing good came out of Mayo? Obviously, not true!! Way to go, Fr. Kevin Hegarty, in speaking truth to power to the Irish hierarchy! Get ready for an invitation to the Vatican!
The Irish Priests Association are part of a growing number of priests who are advocating a renewed Catholic Church that treats women as equals and is open to women priests. They are in solidarity with 400 Austrian Priests, 250 German theologians, and 200 U.S. priests who support Maryknoll Roy Bourgeois' stance of primacy of conscience in his support of women priests. It appears obvious the Vatican is the emperor with no clothes on this issue! The church cannot claim to be a just church while treating women as second class citizens. Now, we are witnessing the disconnection and discontent with the institutional church's sexism among the male priests. Like the Wall Street demonstrations, maybe this will have a snowball effect and grow to a worldwide revolt against the Vatican's prohibition of women's ordination! We are experiencing a "holy shakeup" that may lead the church to affirm women priests in a renewed Roman Catholic Church in our life time.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com

"Do I Really Want to Support and Be Associated with an Exclusive Organization?" by John Chuchman

Do I really want to support and be associated with
An Exclusive Organization

that discriminates against married men and women
called to priesthood,

that discriminates and demeans people
because of their sexual orientation,

that names other organizations with similar missions
defective,

that misuses our hard-earned donations,
channeling the monies to suit the needs
of its hierarchs,

that places conformity to its own made
rules and regulations
above Love and Compassion
practiced and preached by Jesus,

that places protection of the organization
above caring for the abused
by protecting the abusers
and perpetuating the abuse of children,

that refuses to address our needs
and the needs of our Children and Grandchildren
in today's real world,
and instead tries to drag us all
back into the middle ages,

that places prime emphasis on
worshiping Jesus
(which He never requested)
and not on emulating Jesus
(which He wished for us all,)

that thinks of religious education
solely for children,
lest adults truly understand the Faith
and see through religiosity,

that is run by its hierarchs
without any sense of
transparency and accountability,

that constantly strives to make us feel unworthy
(in order to control us)
rather than uplifting us
to free us,

that is totally un-Christlike,

and

that makes God male
in order to make males gods?


I don't think so.

What was I thinking!
(I guess I really wasn't.)


Thank God,
Jesus' life and message
had nothing to do with Church,
but everything to do with People,
Life, and Love.


Love, John Chuchman
Catholic by Baptism
which no cleric, Bishop, nor Pope can change

"Fear of Freedom" by Olga Lucia Alvarez Benjumea, ARCWP

Olga Lucia Alvarez Benjumea

FEAR OF FREEDOM
"The Truth will make vou free" John 8:32

Olga Lucia Alvarez Benjumea ARCWP

She was standing in the doorway of the exit from the women's prison, looking; spread out in front of her was the city, with its lights and colors. It was Christmas. Nobody was expecting her; they had just given her the ticket to freedom". She had no where to go. She had been deprived of liberty for 12 years... She had experienced all the unpleasantness that one lives through in a prison. The hardest -the marginalization, the rejection, the lack of affection. In a few short seconds everything passed like a movie through Rosa's brain.; nevertheless, she looks back, and sees the prison building, where she has lived all kinds of improprieties and feels like she wants to go back inside. Rosahas lost the sense of freedom; she is a wounded bird; they have clipped her wings; she has forgotten how to fly. Sheis afraid of Freedom! Where did her self-esteem go? Her dignity? Often she experienced profound depression; her tears have dried up; she looks lost. Her body trembles from headto foot; she has lost weight; she has lost stability. She spoke with the chaplain. She shared her tragedy and disgrace, the blows and injustices as well: "I'll seehow I can help you" was the response of God's representative. Once in a while she saw him around, but he never asked about her. Even the chaplain is afraid to speak out, he doesn't want to get involved; he cannot get past the threat of the loss of his official position. Many others like Rosa are living through the same situation. Depressed, paralyzed by anxiety, a psychiatrist is brought in to "help". Suddenly a cry is heard from the patio: "Come and get your meds!" There are many who approach the nurse, it's a wonder there aren't more. "Open and swallow," says the nurse. They must be taken in front of her, because the full prescription can't be administered. Those who dare, try to alleviate their aches and pains with 250 mg of Valproico or Valprosid. Rosa is about to leave; she is there at the door. She can't go back into the prison. Without knowing where to go, she begins to walk toward "the prison of freedom". A prison that doesn't welcome, give affection or security. It's the ooprison"of society, family and religion, which disdains, condemns, singles out, marginalizes her and receives her with hostility. Suddenly she remembers some friends who have already gotten out and with whom she once lived another reality; she begins to look for them on the street they mentioned and she heads there. What joy! She meets up with Laura and with Maria; at least she is acquainted with them and she has someone to talk to. They share what they have: "Come, you can rcst; tomorrow we'll keep talking" they said to her. Rosa, rested, her friends help her to summon the strength to confront the new prison''. She starts the battle to find housing and work to survive.... No vacancy ,No room, No job,, *Full up", No...No… Those of us who have traveled in the city of Medellin, prideo of Colombia have been able to see through the windows not only the beautiful city, the Festival of Flowers, but also many Rosas camped at the bank of the Medellin River, in the sewers, in improvised canopies beneath the mango trees... Without knowing their stories, we call them: delinquents, or rejects; don't mess with them; they are dangerous.... Thank God, today the Bordado a Mano (Hand-embroidered)Foundation exists, created by a woman who is an ex-convict and who like the hand of God has gone little by little searching out and rescuing her fellow former prisoners from the dregs, giving them the opportunity to recover their dignity and be witness to the Tenderness and Goodness of God, in the project of the Kingdom of God, which is coming to be Here and Now. *THE TAX COLLECTORS AND THE PROSTITUTES WILL GO AHEAD OF YOU II{TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD." Matthew 2l:28-31 Mother/Father God, your forgiveness, I dare to ask: when you say "The tax collectors and the prostitutes" (two words which include the least valued in this world) were you referring to these brothers and sisters of ours? I await your answer and I know that I already have it. Note: Out of respect for the suffering of these women, I have used fictitious names.

Link to "Heart of the Vision" Journey with Janice Sevre Duszynska, Donna Rougeux, Dorothy Irvin in England, Germany, Rome

(left to right:Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Jules Hart, and Donna Rougeux
at showing of "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican" in Lexington Kentucky)

Blessing of Lexington Community on Janice and Donna:
http://www.youtube.com/user/HeartoftheVision
Janice Sevre-Duszynska writes:"We'll meet Dorothy Irvin in London for the 100th anniversaryof ST. Joan's International Alliance. Then to Germany to visit Stuttgart and Hildegarde's place in Bingen. By train we'll travel to Bologna and then Rome where we'll meet Ree Hudson who will stay with us. In Rome we'll gather with Roy, CTA and WOC folks to do some good witnessing.We'd appreciate your prayers. I'll be videoing our journey. " Here is the link to my youtube station: Heart of the Vision.
http://www.youtube.com/user/HeartoftheVision

The Rebel Feminist Priest: Fr. Roy Bourgeois

http://inthesetimes.com/article/11836/the_rebel_feminist_priest/

"No Justification for Ban on Women Priests and Deacons" by Dorothy Carter/Kentucky.com

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/10/03/1905855/no-justification-for-ban-on-women.html
..."As to Shaughnessy's claim that excluding women is not sexist, I beg to disagree most strongly. In my life as a "cradle Catholic," I have heard many arguments against the ordination of women, and all of them ring hollow... According to the church, baptism opens up the other sacraments to Catholics. Yet one is excluded. At the base of the refusal to allow the ordination of women, there is without much doubt either a feeling that our souls are defective or that our baptism is of an inferior type.... "Read complete letter by Dorothy Carter of Lexington is a lifelong Catholic and a professor of humanities and foreign languages at Eastern Kentucky University.

http://www.kentucky.com/2011/10/03/1905855/no-justification-for-ban-on-women.html#ixzz1ZqLEeva6

U.S. Churches are "Smaller and Grayer"- Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2011

"In U.S. churches, attendance is down, and the average age of congregants is up.
The percentage of congregations with average weekend worship attendance of 100 or fewer inched up from 42% to 49% over the decade. More than a quarter of congregations had 50 or fewer people attending in 2010...The percentage of congregations with majorities of members from racial and ethnic groups, often including immigrants, grew from 23 percent to 30 percent over the decade. These congregations are disproportionately non-Christian or evangelical Protestant. They also tend to have younger members."

Letter to Editor by Janice Sevre-Duszynska:"Limited View of Priesthood Not Based on Scripture"

(left to right:Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Bridget Mary Meehan
at Ordination of Deacon Donna Rougeux )
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/10/03/1905852/letters-to-editor-oct-3.html


"The Vatican (and representatives of the institutional church) is the gift that keeps on giving," says woman bishop, Bridget Mary Meehan.
In his recent op-ed, as a spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington, Tom Shaughnessy validates her statement. As a woman priest who celebrates weekly Mass in Lexington, be assured there will be more folks at our inclusive liturgy because of what he has written.
Jesus was a revolutionary. The Last Supper was not an ordination. Jesus never ordained anyone. He calls us to a community of equals, with mutuality: a circle, not a hierarchy. He challenged the religious and civil authorities of his time to empower the marginalized, including women.
We're doing the same. Shaughnessy's straight-line Vatican theology is absurd and the church — the people of God — knows that.
In 1976, the Vatican requested its Pontifical Biblical Commission of 20 biblical scholars to explore the issue of women priests. They found no biblical obstacles to women's ordination. Scriptural and archaeological research give evidence of women's leadership in the early church as deacons, priests and even bishops.
The Christ within each of us is beyond gender. Women's rights are human rights. We are claiming the right to stand "in persona Christi" — in the person of Christ — as equals to men.
Who are Shaughnessy and his brother priests at the Vatican to say that God calls only men? Such thinking and behavior is a sin against women and our loving God.
Janice Sevre-Duszynska
Priest, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
Lexington
Read more:
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/10/03/1905852/letters-to-editor-oct-3.html#ixzz1ZjVyD4kr

St. Therese of Lisieux, Called to Priestly Ministry, Pray for a Renewed Priestly Ministry in a Renewed Church

Oct. 1st is the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as St. Therese of the Child Jesus. She also was referred to as "the Little Flower" and is a Doctor of the Church. Most people don't know that St. Therese of Lisieux felt called to
be a priest. She prayed for death at 24, the age of ordination, so she could celebrate in heaven at the age men could celebrate the Eucharist on earth.

St. Therese's Words:
"I feel in me the vocation of the priest. With that love, O Jesus I would carry you in my hands... And...give you to souls. Ah, in spite of my littleness, I would like to enlighten souls as did the prophets and the doctors. I have the vocation of the apostle... I would want to preach the gospel on all the five continents simultaneously and even the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years only but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages. But above all, O my beloved Savior, I would shed my blood for you even to the ver last drop. Charity gave me the key to my vocation... I understood that the Church has a heart and that this heart was burning with love...I understood that love comprised all vocations and that love was everything, that it embrace all times and places... in a word, that it was eternal! Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my love, my vocation, at last I have found it...My vocation is love!" (The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux, 2 volumes translated by John Clarke, O.C.D, ICS Publications, Washington Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars, Washington DC, 20002, 1982,1988.)

I believe that if St. Therese lived in our time she would be ordained a priest! She would be a prophetic voice affirming Vatican II's vision ..."every type of discrimination based on sex... is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God's intent" (Gaudium et Spes #29)

St. Therese, patroness of all who seek equality for women in ministry, pray for us!

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org

Vigil at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Support of Women's Ordination 10/30, @ 12:30 PM

Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP Roy Bourgeois, MM
Donna Rougeux, ARCWP (photo taken in Pittsburgh where Fr. Roy
addressed the issue of conscience and his support of the women priests
movement.)

Attention: Supporters of Women’s Ordination and Father Roy Bourgeois,
Maryknoll is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday, October 30, 2:00 PM. The mass is opened to the public. Please join us for a peaceful vigil in front of the famous Cathedral in support of women’s ordination and Father Roy Bourgeois beginning at 12:30 PM.
Our goal is to call attention to the Maryknoll leadership’s decision, under pressure from the Vatican, to dismiss Father Roy Bourgeois for the “grave scandal” of publicly supporting Roman Catholic Women Priests. It is outrageous for Maryknoll to use the term "scandal" in reference to Father Roy; we are all aware of the real scandal in the Church. Let’s take a stand against this grave injustice now!
How can an organization that promotes peace and justice worldwide turn its back on this Viet Nam vet turned Maryknoll priest, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is the founder of the School of the America's Watch, and is the epitome of everything we thought Maryknoll stood for?
We encourage the Maryknoll leadership to examine their consciences as Father Roy has done: "As priests we say we are called by God. Who are we to say that God would not call a woman?"
Our movement is growing and gaining attention. Many members of the Maryknoll community-- priests, nuns and lay missionaries-- have written letters or spoken directly to their superiors in support of Roy, empowered by the public outcry, media coverage and two vigils on the grounds of Maryknoll. Maryknoll has been deluged with mail and many long time supporters are withholding donations.
While we stand in solidarity in front of St. Patrick’s, Father Roy will be in Rome meeting with the Pope to determine his fate. Join with us to stand up for women, for Roy and to encourage the Maryknoll leadership, as they enter their next hundred year cycle, to support the ordination of women, and embrace the future of our Church!
Here's a link to an article in the national Catholic Reporter. The end of this article lists related articles.
NCR Article:Roy Bourgeois

In Solidarity,
Anne Dowling
For more information about the Vigil: Anne Dowling 917 860-1794 annedwl@aol.com
For more information about Father Roy Bourgeois http://www.womensordination.org/content/view/108
http://ncronline.org/news/people/canon-lawyer-questions-maryknolls-move-against-bourgeois

Roman Catholic Woman Priest Olga Lucia Alvarado Ministers in Colombia, South America

Olga Lucia Alvarado, ARCWP ministers in Colombia, South America
Some of the themes of Olga Lucia Alvarado's Liturgical Celebrations were: Violence against women. Domestic violence. Economic violence. Extreme violence. Analysis of the Human Rights vunerable in our country.

Olga writes: "These young people grow up with a different concept to the priestly ministry and who know what they're hearing the women's ministry! I feel I have to release my brothers, so I feel liberated, empowered the laity in the church sense and commitment."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Blessings on you, Olga Lucia, as you minister to faith communities in Colombia. Indeed, you are demonstrating the difference a woman priest makes as you connect violence against women with human rights and the need for justice for all especially those who live on the margins in poverty that is rooted so sadly in structural sin and injustice. Living justice in all areas of life and in all structures is constitutive to the Gospel of Jesus! We in the North will learn from the people in the global South. May you and other courageous women lead the way to prophetic justice in our church and world now!
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.associationoformancatholicwomenpriests.org/

"This Is My Blood, Shed For a Few: Phoenix Faces Living On Bread Alone" by Jamie L. Manson/NCR

http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/my-blood-shed-few-phoenix-faces-living-bread-alone

"The last time I wrote about Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, he had just evicted the body of Christ from the chapel of St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Now, it seems, Olmsted is targeting his blood.
Late last week, the bishop announced that he would be placing serious restrictions on the distribution of the Eucharist under the form of wine. His decision isn’t so much about germs, but rather the new GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal), which is to be implemented at the start of the new liturgical year on the first Sunday of Advent.
Olmsted clarified his reasons in a handy FAQ posted on the diocesan Web site (http://diocesephoenix.org/


"So many in church leadership easily forget that Jesus offered his final meal in the same way that he took most of his meals: under the most profane of circumstances. Every aspect of his ministry demonstrated that holiness was revealed in touching diseased bodies, or passing out bread and fish to hungry masses, or dining with society’s most unsavory characters.
Given the nature of Jesus’ ministry, what could harm the blood of Christ more than withholding it from God’s people?
Jesus seems to have little to do with any of Olmsted’s new norms. Olmsted’s real agenda is to make a clear distinction between the sanctity of the clergy’s hands and the laity’s unconsecrated, and therefore potentially defiling, hands. The multitude of lay hands, it seems, is starting to make him feel uncomfortably outnumbered..."
"The “excessive use” of extraordinary ministers is “obscuring the role of the priest and the deacon.” The new norms also offer a good excuse to get women farther away from altar, the tabernacle, the chalices and the ciboria. Remember, this is the same bishop who, last month, remained silent as his rector banned altar girls from serving in the Phoenix cathedral." Are these diocesan leaders afraid that by watching women function around the sacrament, the laity might let their imaginations run wildly into the world of women ordination? With more than 65 percent of U.S. Catholics supporting women priests, it’s a little late to turn off that channel."[Jamie L. Manson received her Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School where she studied Catholic theology and sexual ethics. Her columns for NCR earned her a first prize Catholic Press Association award for Best Column/Regular Commentary in 2010.]
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Thank you, Jamie Manson, for naming the real issue as clericalism and fear of women's ordination! Yes, indeed, as more and more Catholics experience inclusive liturgies with women priests, there will be no turning back!
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests is offering Inclusive Worship Aids to Catholic communities who are passionate about a renewed, inclusive church that welcomes all to the Sacred Banquet of God's boundless love. Our liturgies utilize a "community of equals" approach in which the gathered assembly recite the "consecration" and the baptized pray the Eucharistic prayer. I think Jesus would feel right at home at these liturgies where all are welcome. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/

Sign Petition to Support Fr. Roy Bourgeois- "Catholic Priest Faces Dismissal for Support of Women's Ordination" by Alex Di Branco

Maryknoll Priest, Fr. Roy Bourgeois
attended Janice Sevre-Duszynska's ordination
in Aug. 2008.
http://news.change.org/stories/catholic-priest-faces-dismissal-for-support-of-womens-ordination
"Father Roy Bourgeois, a Catholic priest of 39 years, felt obligated to speak his conscience -- and it told him that women should be allowed to be priests too. His outspoken opposition to sexist discrimination could cost him dearly, however, as he now faces dismissal from his position and excommunication."
"The Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) has launched a petition on Change.org in support of Fr. Bourgeois and other Catholics who believe that women deserve the same clergy rights as men in the Church. "I cannot possibly speak out about injustice in society and at the same time be silent about this injustice in my church," Bourgeois affirmed. WOC -- along with cosponsors the Association of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Call To Action, and Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA -- wants the Vatican to know that a respected priest shouldn't be kicked out for supporting women's ordination when there's no scriptural prohibition for this practice.
"After much reflection, study, and prayer, I believe that our Church's teaching that excludes women from the priesthood defies both faith and reason and cannot stand up to scrutiny," Fr. Bourgeois wrote in response to his threatened removal from office in the Maryknoll Catholic order. 'This teaching has nothing to do with God, but with men, and is rooted in sexism. Sexism, like racism, is a sin. And no matter how hard we may try to justify discrimination against women, in the end, it is not the way of God, but of men who want to hold on to their power..."
Over the past decade, 120 women priests and 10 female bishops have been ordained by the Roman Catholic Womenpriests, thanks to the courageous defiance of their brothers in clergy who believe that the call to serve God extends to both sexes, in spite of the penalty of automatic communication for ordaining a woman priest. (A documentary, Pink Smoke Over the Vatican, explores this movement.)
"...The Vatican does not excommunicate the pedophile-priests who have raped and sodomized Catholic youth, or punish the bishops who covered up these crimes," stated Bridget Mary Meehan of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, one of the petition sponsors. "Yet, now in this outrageous action they stand ready to defrock Fr. Roy, priest of the people and prophet for justice who has served God for over 40 years as a well-known peace and justice activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee."
"Fr. Bourgeois is standing strong in his beliefs, refusing to recant his support for women priests, but he needs you to stand with him. The Women's Ordination Conference and their allies will hand-deliver petition signatures on October 17. Click here to tell the Vatican to keep Fr. Roy Bourgeois where he belongs: in the pulpit. And start putting women up there too, while they're at it."

Author: Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.