http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/penn-state-doing-the-correct-thing-not-the-right-thing/2012/07/13/gJQA8H7GiW_blog.html
In an article entitled: "Jerry Sandusky and doing the right thing," Alexandra Petri writes:
"Until people discover that really damages your institution is sacrificing your decency to its good name, such horrors will keep happening... People like Sandusky may well be monsters. But more frightening are the people who weren't monsters and allowed this monstrous thing to keep on happening.The real question of history is not how bad things happen to good people but how good people allow bad things to happen."
The lessons of the Penn State sexual abuse case apply to the Catholic Church. We should ask ourselves how could Catholics allow the hierarchy to cover-up sexual abuse for so long?
Again, Petri hits the nail on the head: "Individual failures of conscience multiply in the name of something comfortingly large like 'the program."
The bishops and the Vatican chose to protect 'the church', not the victim of sexual abuse and in the end brought shame, devastation, and grave scandal to the church.
Catholics should, like Voice of the Faithful, demand accountability and transparency from their church leaders in all cases of sexual abuse. No more cover-ups and intimidation of victims by diocesan lawyers!
If the national media had put as much attention on the recent Philadelphia story of 37 priests accused of sexual abuse, two grand jury investigations, the conviction of Monsignor Lynn, and the cover-up by a Philadelphia cardinal as they did on Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno and Penn State, we might see more outrage and action by Catholics in support of zero tolerance of clergy sexual abuse of children and youth in the Catholic Church.
As good people, followers of Christ, Catholics should not allow bad things like sexual abuse and its cover-up to keep on happening in our church.
Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now- https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/10/rev-dr-bridget-mary-meehan-arcwp-chat.html
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
"A World Of Our Own", video set to music featuring photos of Pope and Cardinals/ Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLbrp7KiyiI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Oh my, back to Trent and the old, clerical, male dominated church illustrates that it is time for a more open, inclusive Catholic Church. Just how did the women priests get into this video!! Yet another example of the Vatican as the gift that keeps on giving. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Oh my, back to Trent and the old, clerical, male dominated church illustrates that it is time for a more open, inclusive Catholic Church. Just how did the women priests get into this video!! Yet another example of the Vatican as the gift that keeps on giving. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
"Jesus the Resurrection", Homily by Donna Rougeux, ARCWP, Wed. July 11, 2012
1st reading: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
Gospel: Matthew 9: 18-26
Good evening Resurrection community. The name of this community speaks of what is happening to our church when we gather for these liturgies so I am very happy about the choice of this name. When we embrace the teachings of Vatican II by coming together as equals to celebrate liturgies, in a place that welcomes all and encourages full active participation, we are bringing new life to our dying church. The readings we heard tonight from Wisdom and the Gospel of Matthew have resurrection as a theme.
The gospel story we are using tonight, in Matthew, is also in Mark and Luke. On the first Sunday of this month Mark's version was used. It was a longer version packed with meaning. The story in Matthew, shows an evolution of the people's understanding of Jesus. The emphasis of the story in Mark was 'Jesus as healer' and in Matthew the emphasis evolves to 'Jesus as the one who conquerors death or as the one who can transform death into new life'....Jesus was resurrected and has the power of resurrection. In Mark's version of the story the synagogue official describes his daughter as sick and in need of healing but in tonight's version he says his daughter just died. Jesus took the girl by the hand and she got up. Is Jesus inviting you to take his hand and arise to new life today?
Sleep, unconsciousness, and death are states that surround us in many forms throughout our life. But the reading from Wisdom teaches us that God is not the author of death. It reads "God created all things to be alive." In fact when we grasp the understanding of resurrection we find that we do not have to fear death because it always leads to new life. Embracing the Jesus who is the resurrection means transforming sleep to awake-ness, unconsciousness to consciousness and death to life.
Our
culture here in the United States and in the Catholic church, unfortunately,
too often encourages us to stay asleep, and unconscious. Hanging on to status
quo requires that we follow the leaders, relying on tradition and being lulled
into an untrue image of living in the land of the "free and the
brave." If we remain in these states death looms ahead of us. The
awakening that comes with maturity and with embracing the teachings of Jesus
who is the resurrection, allows us to be conscious and alive. This
transformation is life-giving and exciting but comes with responsibility and
renders us unable to go back to being asleep. As we mature and grow into our
divine selves...the selves that God has designed us to be, we must rely on
Jesus. Even though we can't really turn back to being unconscious or asleep we
still have the capacity to choose. We can choose to continue growing or to stay
where we are. Choosing growth requires courage and strength along with taking
less traveled roads and unpopular stances. Luckily we are not alone because
Jesus takes us by the hand just as he did in the Gospel story with the little
girl, and says to us "arise."
A great
illustration in nature of the metamorphosis of a moth or a butterfly can help
us understand what happens to us as we encounter transformations, growth and
resurrection in our lives. Listen to
this story of a boy's experience with the metamorphosis of a moth.
A boy found a pear-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home and kept it for many months. In the meantime, he read about the peculiar-shaped cocoon, how the small end held a narrow opening through which the moth's body must pass. He read that it was no doubt the pressure to which the moth's body was subjected as it passed through this opening that caused the vessels in the wings to develop as the moth emerged.
A year had passed when he
noticed the first efforts of the moth to escape her captivity. For several
hours it wrestled with the mouth of the cocoon but seemingly could not free
itself. Finally, with his penknife, the boy cut away the last few threads,
hoping to make the exit a bit easier: It worked! The moth crawled out, dragging
her swollen body and tiny wings. The youth continued his watch because he knew
the beauty of these creatures at their best, but he was doomed to be
disappointed. His seeming kindness had caused the moth to be stunted. She was
so stunted, she only lived a short time, crawling painfully instead of flying.
She needed that extra struggle to prepare her for life ahead.
How
strong are your wings? Have you come through any struggles lately that
strengthened you? Are you in the midst of a resurrection?
The other
theme in the story tonight is about the faith that we need if we are to be
healed and resurrected. Jesus commends the woman who touched his garment for
her faith. In the story of the boy with the moth we see his desire to help the
moth was possibly coupled with a lack of faith that the moth could endure the
struggle. The power of faith in the resurrection Jesus is just what is needed
to awaken us from sleep and bring us from death into new life. I close with
part of Paul's words to the Ephesians, "May Christ dwell in your hearts
through faith, so that you, being rooted and grounded in love, will be able to
grasp fully the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ's love and, with
all God's holy ones, experience this love that surpasses all understanding, so
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Thursday, July 12, 2012
"Arlington Diocese Parishioners Question Need for Fidelity Oaths" by Michelle Boorstein,/" Will Catholic Teachers Be Forced by Bishops To Throw Away Their Birth Control Pills? " Reflection by Bridget Mary Meehan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sunday-school-teachers-balk-at-oath-agreeing-to-all-church-teachings/2012/07/11/gJQAcAvGeW_story.html
Will Catholic teachers be forced by the Catholic hierarchy to throw away their birth control pills? How will a diocesan bishop, like Paul Loverde, check out compliance? In response to "Arlington Parishioners Question need for fidelity oaths" in the Washington Post July 12, 1012, I argue that church mandated fidelity oaths are a violation of freedom of conscience.
Primacy of Conscience is a core Catholic moral belief that even the pope himself affirms. Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) expressed the Church’s understanding of the primacy of conscience – an understanding which he stated while serving as Chair of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Tübingen in 1968.
“Above the pope as an expression of the binding claim of church authority,” writes Ratzinger, “stands one’s own conscience, which has to be obeyed first of all, if need be against the demands of church authority.” St. Thomas Aquinas, a major medieval church theologian, whom conservative church officials often quote, once said that he would rather be excommunicated than violate his conscience.
It is hard to believe that a church embroiled in a global cover-up of sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of youth by thousands of priests can get away with attempting to intimidate those who have dedicated their lives to teaching the faith in Catholic schools. How about a loyalty oath for priests and bishops to stop protecting pedophiles? Now there is crime and a scandal to address. See Philadelphia conviction of Monsignor Lynn and the current case against a Kansas bishop if you think this issue has been addressed. Go to www.bishopaccountablity.org ( This web site gives overview and details of the horrific sexual abuse crisis in the United States. Roughly two-thirds of top U.S. Catholic leaders have allowed priests accused of sexual abuse to keep working.)
The Arlington diocese is in clear violation of Catholic Church teaching that affirms primacy of conscience with these forced loyalty oaths. No one should demand that you violate your conscience in order to keep your job. Ask yourself what would Jesus do? Recall how he challenged the religious leaders of his time for their enforcement of rules and regulations that had nothing to do with true religion. It sounds to me like these loyalty oaths are a local example of a Vatican -inspired, modern day Inquisition! We, the people of God, are the church, and no church official can cancel our baptism or keep us from living our faith with love and compassion at the heart of the Gospel.
This is yet another reason we need a renewed priestly ministry in an inclusive Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered Catholic church that includes women priests in every parish today!
Recommended articles:
Haring, Bernard. “Building a Creative Conscience: Resisting Moral Rigor Mortis”,Commonweal, August 11, 1989.
Kennedy, T. Who Is Worthy? The Role of Conscience in Restoring Hope to the Church (Pluto Press, Annandale, 2000), pp. 84-85.
Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Washington Post article by Michelle Boorstein July 11, 2012
"Kathleen Riley knows her beliefs on the male-only priesthood and contraception put her at odds with leaders of her church. But as a fifth-generation Catholic who went to a Catholic school and grew up to teach in one, Riley feels the faith deeply woven through her. So when her Arlington parish asked for volunteers last summer to teach Sunday school, she felt called by the Holy Spirit to say yes.
A year later, the 52-year-old computer scientist feels the same spirit calling her to say no.
Last month, Riley joined at least four other Sunday school teachers and resigned from her post at St. Ann’s parish after a letter arrived at her home requiring her — and all teachers in the Arlington Catholic Diocese — to submit “of will and intellect” to all of the teachings of church leaders.
Although the St. Ann’s teachers represent a tiny fraction of the diocese’s 5,000 Sunday and parochial school teachers, the letter went out to parishes just as classes were finishing for the summer and diocese officials says they do not know how many teachers have received it.
The Arlington Diocese, which includes nearly a half-million Catholics across northern and eastern Virginia, is one of a small but growing number that are starting to demand fidelity oaths. The oaths reflect a churchwide push in recent years to revive orthodoxy that has sharply divided Catholics.
Such oaths are not new for priests or nuns but extend now in some places to people like volunteer Sunday school teachers as well as workers at Catholic hospitals and parish offices.
One in Baker, Ore., reiterates the sinfulness of abortion and says, “I do not recognize the legitimacy of anyone’s claim to a moral right to form their own conscience in this matter.” One in Oakland, Calif., requires leaders of a group doing outreach to gay and lesbian Catholics to say they “affirm and believe” official church teaching on marriage, hell and chastity.
The Arlington “profession of faith” asks teachers to commit to “believe everything” the bishops characterize as divinely revealed, and Arlington’s top doctrine official said it would include things like the bishops’ recent campaign against a White House mandate that most employers offer contraception coverage. Critics consider the mandate a violation of religious freedom.
The Arlington Diocese is considered among the most conservative in the country and was the next to last in the nation to say girls could serve at the altar. Teachers must give the new oath in front of a priest.
“The church is foremost a communion, not a building,” said the Rev. Paul deLadurantaye, Arlington’s head of education and liturgy. “And the church’s teaching is meant to be a service, not to coerce or oppress. . . . This is just to say the church is a reliable guide, more reliable in these matters than what I read elsewhere. There’s something more transcendent than just my own judgment.”
Diocesan spokesman Michael Donohue said the letter was sent to parishes this spring in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s direction that churches worldwide celebrate this year’s 50th anniversary of the start of Vatican II in various ways, including those that “profess our faith in the risen Lord.”
He said the oath is meant to be a positive sign to parents and called it uncontroversial.
“I can’t imagine there are many [teachers] who have issues with the church’s teachings on faith and morals,” Donohue said. Asked about polls showing that the majority of American Catholics use artificial contraception, forbidden by church doctrine, he said he “found it hard to believe” that anyone who had concluded that a church teaching was wrong would want to teach it..."
Will Catholic teachers be forced by the Catholic hierarchy to throw away their birth control pills? How will a diocesan bishop, like Paul Loverde, check out compliance? In response to "Arlington Parishioners Question need for fidelity oaths" in the Washington Post July 12, 1012, I argue that church mandated fidelity oaths are a violation of freedom of conscience.
Primacy of Conscience is a core Catholic moral belief that even the pope himself affirms. Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) expressed the Church’s understanding of the primacy of conscience – an understanding which he stated while serving as Chair of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Tübingen in 1968.
“Above the pope as an expression of the binding claim of church authority,” writes Ratzinger, “stands one’s own conscience, which has to be obeyed first of all, if need be against the demands of church authority.” St. Thomas Aquinas, a major medieval church theologian, whom conservative church officials often quote, once said that he would rather be excommunicated than violate his conscience.
It is hard to believe that a church embroiled in a global cover-up of sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of youth by thousands of priests can get away with attempting to intimidate those who have dedicated their lives to teaching the faith in Catholic schools. How about a loyalty oath for priests and bishops to stop protecting pedophiles? Now there is crime and a scandal to address. See Philadelphia conviction of Monsignor Lynn and the current case against a Kansas bishop if you think this issue has been addressed. Go to www.bishopaccountablity.org ( This web site gives overview and details of the horrific sexual abuse crisis in the United States. Roughly two-thirds of top U.S. Catholic leaders have allowed priests accused of sexual abuse to keep working.)
The Arlington diocese is in clear violation of Catholic Church teaching that affirms primacy of conscience with these forced loyalty oaths. No one should demand that you violate your conscience in order to keep your job. Ask yourself what would Jesus do? Recall how he challenged the religious leaders of his time for their enforcement of rules and regulations that had nothing to do with true religion. It sounds to me like these loyalty oaths are a local example of a Vatican -inspired, modern day Inquisition! We, the people of God, are the church, and no church official can cancel our baptism or keep us from living our faith with love and compassion at the heart of the Gospel.
This is yet another reason we need a renewed priestly ministry in an inclusive Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered Catholic church that includes women priests in every parish today!
Recommended articles:
Haring, Bernard. “Building a Creative Conscience: Resisting Moral Rigor Mortis”,Commonweal, August 11, 1989.
Kennedy, T. Who Is Worthy? The Role of Conscience in Restoring Hope to the Church (Pluto Press, Annandale, 2000), pp. 84-85.
Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Washington Post article by Michelle Boorstein July 11, 2012
"Kathleen Riley knows her beliefs on the male-only priesthood and contraception put her at odds with leaders of her church. But as a fifth-generation Catholic who went to a Catholic school and grew up to teach in one, Riley feels the faith deeply woven through her. So when her Arlington parish asked for volunteers last summer to teach Sunday school, she felt called by the Holy Spirit to say yes.
A year later, the 52-year-old computer scientist feels the same spirit calling her to say no.
Last month, Riley joined at least four other Sunday school teachers and resigned from her post at St. Ann’s parish after a letter arrived at her home requiring her — and all teachers in the Arlington Catholic Diocese — to submit “of will and intellect” to all of the teachings of church leaders.
Although the St. Ann’s teachers represent a tiny fraction of the diocese’s 5,000 Sunday and parochial school teachers, the letter went out to parishes just as classes were finishing for the summer and diocese officials says they do not know how many teachers have received it.
The Arlington Diocese, which includes nearly a half-million Catholics across northern and eastern Virginia, is one of a small but growing number that are starting to demand fidelity oaths. The oaths reflect a churchwide push in recent years to revive orthodoxy that has sharply divided Catholics.
Such oaths are not new for priests or nuns but extend now in some places to people like volunteer Sunday school teachers as well as workers at Catholic hospitals and parish offices.
One in Baker, Ore., reiterates the sinfulness of abortion and says, “I do not recognize the legitimacy of anyone’s claim to a moral right to form their own conscience in this matter.” One in Oakland, Calif., requires leaders of a group doing outreach to gay and lesbian Catholics to say they “affirm and believe” official church teaching on marriage, hell and chastity.
The Arlington “profession of faith” asks teachers to commit to “believe everything” the bishops characterize as divinely revealed, and Arlington’s top doctrine official said it would include things like the bishops’ recent campaign against a White House mandate that most employers offer contraception coverage. Critics consider the mandate a violation of religious freedom.
The Arlington Diocese is considered among the most conservative in the country and was the next to last in the nation to say girls could serve at the altar. Teachers must give the new oath in front of a priest.
“The church is foremost a communion, not a building,” said the Rev. Paul deLadurantaye, Arlington’s head of education and liturgy. “And the church’s teaching is meant to be a service, not to coerce or oppress. . . . This is just to say the church is a reliable guide, more reliable in these matters than what I read elsewhere. There’s something more transcendent than just my own judgment.”
Diocesan spokesman Michael Donohue said the letter was sent to parishes this spring in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s direction that churches worldwide celebrate this year’s 50th anniversary of the start of Vatican II in various ways, including those that “profess our faith in the risen Lord.”
He said the oath is meant to be a positive sign to parents and called it uncontroversial.
“I can’t imagine there are many [teachers] who have issues with the church’s teachings on faith and morals,” Donohue said. Asked about polls showing that the majority of American Catholics use artificial contraception, forbidden by church doctrine, he said he “found it hard to believe” that anyone who had concluded that a church teaching was wrong would want to teach it..."
St. Mary Magdalene/BBC Documentary Now on Youtube/
BBC Documentary on Mary Magdalene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptSAhT06Oqw (the film)
Mary Magdalene and Jesus: You Light Up My Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yJwNOXzxrU
Read more:
Book for Bible Study, Women's Spirituality Groups, Inclusive Liturgies etc.
Bridget Mary Meehan, Praying with Women of the Bible, (chapter on St. Mary of Magdala,
Saragm Hagar Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Judith, Samaritan Woman, Martha, Women with the Flow of Blood, Mary, Mother of Jesus, Canaanite Woman, Mary of Magdala, Woman who anoints Jesus'head, Lydia, Mary, Mother of John Mark, Thecla.
This book has been used by individuals and groups for Bible Study, Women's Spirituality Groups, Inclusive Liturgies etc.
Book on Mary Magdalene:
Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
http://www.margaretstarbird.net/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptSAhT06Oqw (the film)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yJwNOXzxrU
Read more:
Book for Bible Study, Women's Spirituality Groups, Inclusive Liturgies etc.
Bridget Mary Meehan, Praying with Women of the Bible, (chapter on St. Mary of Magdala,
Saragm Hagar Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Judith, Samaritan Woman, Martha, Women with the Flow of Blood, Mary, Mother of Jesus, Canaanite Woman, Mary of Magdala, Woman who anoints Jesus'head, Lydia, Mary, Mother of John Mark, Thecla.
This book has been used by individuals and groups for Bible Study, Women's Spirituality Groups, Inclusive Liturgies etc.
Book on Mary Magdalene:
Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
http://www.margaretstarbird.net/
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Occupy Catholics Seek to Make Tradition Relevant to a New Movement by Jamie L Manson on Jul. 09, 2012 NCR Online
http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/occupy-catholics-seeks-make-tradition-relevant-new-movement
"We are the 99%, made in God's image, seeking God's justice."So declares the Facebook page for Occupy Catholics, one of the latest additions to the pantheon of Catholic church justice movements. But rather than emerging out of Vatican II or in direct response to a particular crisis within the institutional church, Occupy Catholics might be the first progressive Catholic group to grow directly out of a popular movement..."
ARCWP and WOC Invite You to a Celebration Liturgy on the Feast of Saint M ary of Magdala on July 22, 2012, 2:30PM-4:30PM in Falls Church, VA.
Association
of Roman Catholic
Women
Priests
And
Women’s
Ordination Conference
Cordially Invite You To A
Celebration Liturgy
on the Feast of Saint Mary of Magdala
Officiating Bishop
Bridget Mary Meehan, SFCC, ARCWP
Sunday ~
July 22, 2012 ~ 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
First Christian Church
6165 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22044
(please
consult for directions)
A
free will offering will be taken to help defray our expenses. If writing a check, please make your donations
payable to Godtalk Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit religious
organization. In addition, Inclusive
Liturgies, Pink Smoke video, books and other resources will be available for
purchase.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Berlin Cardinal Re-Affirms His Support for Lesbian and Gay Relationships
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki
Cardinal
Rainer Woelki of Berlin has re-affirmed his support for same-sex relationships
which he made at a German conference of Catholic lay people back in
May.
"The Church must rethink its approach to remarried divorcees and gay relationships, the world's youngest cardinal has said."Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, 55, made his comments in an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit and said that while the Orthodox Church considers only the first marriage sacramentally valid, divorce and a second marriage is tolerated. Asked whether this could be a model for the Catholic Church, he replied that the Church should talk about it.Commenting on gay men in relationships he said he tried not to see them as just violating natural law but as people trying to take responsibility for each other in lasting partnerships. 'We must find a way of allowing people to live without going against church teaching,' he said."
Mark
deVries, a Dutchman who blogs at In Caelo et in Terra (In Heaven and on Earth), has
translated the relevant passage into English:
“ 'Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,' the Catechism says about people with homosexual tendencies. If I take that seriously, I can’t merely see homosexual relationships as a 'violation of natural law,' as the Catechism puts it. I should also try to perceive it as people permanently taking responsibility for one another, being loyal and willing to take care of each other, even if I can’t agree with such a lifestyle. The lifestyle that we, as the Catholic Church, stand for, is the sacramental marriage between one man and one woman, open to the transmission of life. I have also said this at the Catholic Day in Mannheim, immediately before the passage you quoted.”
deVries
disagrees that this statement is an endorsement of lesbian and gay
relationships. He states:
"Reading this, I think it is unfair to see Cardinal Woelki’s earlier statement as an acceptance or even endorsement of homosexual relationships. He says clearly that he is unable to agree with this lifestyle. But, and this is the key, he does emphasise an important element of our dealings with people or situations that we don’t agree with. This element is love, as the catechism quote also hints at. Through love, we can see the good in situations which are “intrinsically disordered”, meaning that in their nature they are contrary to natural law. But, as Jesus has shown us, love trumps all, so even in these situations, love can shine through. Does that mean that homosexual acts and relations cease to be disordered? No, they don’t. But, as the Catechism and the cardinal indicate, we must acknowledge the fact that love, loyalty, responsibility and care can be present in this lifestyle."
I
think that deVries' argument actually makes the point that Woelki does
endorse same-gender relationships. By noting that the love relationship
matters more than sexual activity, deVries is pointing out that
Woelki's thinking is more in line with theologians, like the recently censured Sr. Margaret Farley, who argue that the
quality of a relationship and the presence of love in a relationship should be
our standards for moral judgement.
As we stated previously, Cardinal Woelki's comments are a
breath of fresh air and part of a growing trend to give some positive
acknowledgment of same-gender relationships from some high-ranking clerics in
the church. May the discussion continue in this vein.
--Francis
DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry
"Williams warns Church 'Frustrated' over Women Bishops" BBC/Women, Second Class in Anglican Church?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18759168
Continue reading the main story
But it has said it will now seek to delay Monday's vote on the change.
In his sermon, Dr Williams added that the Church must not become "depressed"
over its problems...
'Second class'
The Church of England has confirmed that its steering committee for the
draft legislation on introducing women bishops would seek permission
adjourn the final approval debate...
This would allow the bishops to reconsider the amendment agreed in May.
Largely in order to secure the support of moderate conservatives in the synod
who are sympathetic to traditionalists, senior bishops amended the legislation
to ensure it would also give such parishes the right of access to a male bishop
who shared their beliefs about women's ordination.
But some liberal Anglicans feel this would render women "second class" bishops and
indicated they may vote to reject the legislation, along with conservatives long opposed to the change....
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says a postponement
of the vote appears increasingly likely to avoid an
embarrassing and damaging rejection of the legislation."
Continue reading the main story
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said
many in the Church of England
are "profoundly frustrated" as it struggles over the issue of women
bishops.The Church's ruling synod has outlined plans to exempt
traditionalists from serving under women bishops.
are "profoundly frustrated" as it struggles over the issue of women
bishops.The Church's ruling synod has outlined plans to exempt
traditionalists from serving under women bishops.
But it has said it will now seek to delay Monday's vote on the change.
In his sermon, Dr Williams added that the Church must not become "depressed"
over its problems...
'Second class'
The Church of England has confirmed that its steering committee for the
draft legislation on introducing women bishops would seek permission
adjourn the final approval debate...
This would allow the bishops to reconsider the amendment agreed in May.
Largely in order to secure the support of moderate conservatives in the synod
who are sympathetic to traditionalists, senior bishops amended the legislation
to ensure it would also give such parishes the right of access to a male bishop
who shared their beliefs about women's ordination.
But some liberal Anglicans feel this would render women "second class" bishops and
indicated they may vote to reject the legislation, along with conservatives long opposed to the change....
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says a postponement
of the vote appears increasingly likely to avoid an
embarrassing and damaging rejection of the legislation."
Church Historian Predicts Schism over Attempts by Popes John Paul and Benedict's Attempt to Rewrte Vatican II
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/latest-news/4267
"A top Church historian has said he believes the Catholic Church
will undergo a major schism over its moral and social teaching.
"Christianity, the world's largest religion, is rapidly expanding -
by all indications, its future is very bright," said Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch,
professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University.
"But there are also many conflicts within it, and these
are particularly serious in the Roman Catholic Church,
which seems on the verge of a very great split over the
Vatican's failure to listen to European Catholics."
The 60-year-old historian predicted that the Catholic Church
faced a division over attempts by Popes John Paul II and
Benedict XVI to "rewrite the story" of the Second Vatican
Council by portraying it as a "minor adjustment" rather
than as a "radical move to change the way authority was expressed".
"A top Church historian has said he believes the Catholic Church
will undergo a major schism over its moral and social teaching.
"Christianity, the world's largest religion, is rapidly expanding -
by all indications, its future is very bright," said Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch,
professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University.
"But there are also many conflicts within it, and these
are particularly serious in the Roman Catholic Church,
which seems on the verge of a very great split over the
Vatican's failure to listen to European Catholics."
The 60-year-old historian predicted that the Catholic Church
faced a division over attempts by Popes John Paul II and
Benedict XVI to "rewrite the story" of the Second Vatican
Council by portraying it as a "minor adjustment" rather
than as a "radical move to change the way authority was expressed".
Sunday, July 8, 2012
A Member of Liturgy Committee at Catholic Parish Ordained a Deacon by RCWP/Ecumenical Hospitality
| Of Women Priests and Ecumenism and how we
... - Catholic News Live
A member of the
liturgy committee at a San Francisco parish was
ordained a deacon on Saturday June 23 according to the website of Roman Catholic Womenpriests ...
The author of this post's over- the- top- critique of ecumenism
misses the point that RCWP is offering the church a renewed priestly ministry in inclusive, welcoming, grassroots communities of faith. We are welcome in other Christian churches because they are aware of our profound, prophetic role in renewing our RC church according to Jesus' vision and our earlier tradition. Roman Catholic Women Priests are following Jesus' example of Gospel equality. (check out Luke 8, that lists the names of the prominent women who were disciples of Jesus and notice the words that there were "MANY MORE" According to scholars, women bankrolled Jesus' ministry. The Risen Christ appeared first to Mary of Magdala. Mary, not Peter, was the first apostle, commissioned by Christ to proclaim the good news of the resurrection. Women presided at Eucharistic liturgies in early Christianity. See Romans 16.
Women were ordained for 1200 years.
(Gary Macy, The Hidden History of Women's Ordination) The Vatican's own scholars, the Papal Biblical Commission in 1976 stated that there is NOTHING in scripture that prohibits women's ordination. Roman Catholic Women Priests are as Catholic as the pope and faithful members of our church. Our sisters and brothers in other denominations stand in solidarity with the Spirit's liberating movement for justice and equality in our church and world. Jesus prayed that all may be one. We rejoice and live Jesus' vision for spiritual unity with our sisters and brothers now in mutual trust, and with loving hearts. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp www.arcwp.org sofiabmm@aol.com |
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Religion, Equality,the Feminine Face of God and Women Priests
In her article "Living the life you want," Sally Quinn said "There is hardly any religion that does not treat women as second class citizens and, consequently, that has to have an effect on the thinking of both sexes. When religions accept us as equals it will make a huge difference in the way women view themselves and the worlds around them." (Washington Post, July 7, 2012)
Women priests are visible reminders that women are equal images of God, and that is one of the reasons for ordaining women in the Catholic Church.
So often, when women attend our inclusive women-led liturgies, they cry. Later many comment that it is a ground-shaking experience. It goes beyond the "holy shakeup" that Roman Catholic Women Priests bring to the church. We glimpse the Feminine Divine in a deep spiritual encounter that liberates God out of the male box and liberates women and men from the male-only symbol system that has predominated for centuries. It is an earth-shattering experience for some, and quite affirming too. ( especially women who are presently experiencing alienation in Catholic worship with our new/old liturgy with its exclusive language repeated over and over again.)
A major problem with patriarchal religion is that it professes that God is neither male nor female, but uses images and words that are exclusively male to refer to God and teaches that only males can "represent" God in worship and in positions of authority. It is time to encounter God beyond all names and images and explore God's feminine face in our prayer and worship. The Feminine face of God is revealed in the bible and in Christian tradition.
I have written three books on this topic: Exploring the Feminine Face of God, Delighting in the Feminine Divine, Heart Talks with Mother God (co-authored with Regina Madonna Oliver. Books are available at amazon.com except for Exploring the Feminine Face of God. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp, www.arcwp.org, sofiabmm@aol.com
Women priests are visible reminders that women are equal images of God, and that is one of the reasons for ordaining women in the Catholic Church.
A major problem with patriarchal religion is that it professes that God is neither male nor female, but uses images and words that are exclusively male to refer to God and teaches that only males can "represent" God in worship and in positions of authority. It is time to encounter God beyond all names and images and explore God's feminine face in our prayer and worship. The Feminine face of God is revealed in the bible and in Christian tradition.
I have written three books on this topic: Exploring the Feminine Face of God, Delighting in the Feminine Divine, Heart Talks with Mother God (co-authored with Regina Madonna Oliver. Books are available at amazon.com except for Exploring the Feminine Face of God. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp, www.arcwp.org, sofiabmm@aol.com
"The Thwarting of Catholic Reform" by Paul Surlis/ Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church/ARCC News
www.arcc-catholic-rights.net
"As we approach the 50th anniversary of
the opening of the Second Vatican Council (Oct. 11, 1962), we should highlight
some of the structural changes in the Catholic Church that were supported by the
Council but undermined or ignored, especially by Pope John Paul II and currently
by Pope Benedict XVI.
One structural change called for collegiality,
which would have had profound implications for accountability and transparency,
both of which are needed in the Vatican and in the Church at large. Collegiality
means that all the bishops as a collective have a role in Church governance as a
matter of divine law and in a way that makes them a counterpart to the
centralism that has prevailed in the Church for more than a
millennium.. .
.
The Vatican, with its centralized power structure, turns a deaf ear to requests from lay persons, priests and bishops for open and honest debate on optional celibacy for priests despite the fact that it obtained until 1139 when mandatory celibacy for the western (Roman) Catholic Church was introduced.
Likewise, discussion of the ordination of women is disallowed despite the fact that women presided at Eucharistic celebrations in the early Church and no valid scriptural or theological reasons exist which would prevent the ordination of women today. . . .
If the will of the Second Vatican Council, the supreme teaching authority in the Church, had not been subverted on these issues by Pope John Paul II (who worked tirelessly to undermine national conferences of bishops) and today by Benedict XVI, we would have accountability and transparency in the Church.
We also would have truly independent Episcopal councils of priests with lay persons in each diocese, we would have elected councils of lay persons in each parish and issues like ordination of married men and ordination of women would get impartial hearings and become transformative realities in a church where they are sorely needed.
Instead, Catholics are deprived of priests and full Eucharistic liturgies. Precious Catholic liberties are stolen from them not by secular governments but by the Vatican and its accomplices..."
Read more
The Vatican, with its centralized power structure, turns a deaf ear to requests from lay persons, priests and bishops for open and honest debate on optional celibacy for priests despite the fact that it obtained until 1139 when mandatory celibacy for the western (Roman) Catholic Church was introduced.
Likewise, discussion of the ordination of women is disallowed despite the fact that women presided at Eucharistic celebrations in the early Church and no valid scriptural or theological reasons exist which would prevent the ordination of women today. . . .
If the will of the Second Vatican Council, the supreme teaching authority in the Church, had not been subverted on these issues by Pope John Paul II (who worked tirelessly to undermine national conferences of bishops) and today by Benedict XVI, we would have accountability and transparency in the Church.
We also would have truly independent Episcopal councils of priests with lay persons in each diocese, we would have elected councils of lay persons in each parish and issues like ordination of married men and ordination of women would get impartial hearings and become transformative realities in a church where they are sorely needed.
Instead, Catholics are deprived of priests and full Eucharistic liturgies. Precious Catholic liberties are stolen from them not by secular governments but by the Vatican and its accomplices..."
Read more
Association
for the Rights of Catholics in the Churc
" A Fortnight of Freedom: Catholic Heroes of Religious Liberty" by the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church-ARCC
www.arcc-catholic-rights.net
5. Leonardo Boff, O.F.M., proponent of liberation theology. Silenced in 1985 by the CDF because of his criticism of church leadership. Charged Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, with "religious terrorism."
6. Charles Curran, moral theologian. Ousted from Catholic University in 1967 because of his teaching on contraception. Reinstated after a strike by faculty and students. Coordinated a dissent by 600 theologians from Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae. Under pressure from John Paul II, ousted again in 1986.
7. Joan Chittister, O.S.B., spiritual writer. In 2001 the Vatican Congregation on Consecrated Life forbade her to address a conference on the Ordination of Women in Dublin. Backed by her community, she ignored that admonition.
8. Roger Haight, S.J., author of Jesus, Symbol of God. Prohibited by the CDF in 2009 from writing and teaching.
9. Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J., The Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011, without consulting her, charged that her Quest for the Living God differs from authentic Catholic teaching on essential points." She rejected that as a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of her views.
10. Louise Lears, S.C., removed from ministry in 2008 by Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, and Louise Akers, S.C., removed from teaching in 2009 by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, for supporting women's ordination. Sister Akers stated that to deny women's right to ordination would violate her conscience.
11. Margaret McBride, R.S.M., excommunicated in 2009 by Bishop Thomas Olmstead of Phoenix, because she voted, as a member of the Ethics Committee at St. Joseph's Hospital, to save the life of a mother rather than that of a fetus.
12. Geoffrey Robinson, retired auxiliary bishop of Sydney. The Vatican Congregation for Bishops, prompted by American bishops, asked him to cancel his American tour in 2008 because he called for a review of Church teaching on sexuality.
13. Margaret Farley, R.S.M., author of the book Just Love, which the CDF declared is not a valid expression of Catholic teaching. She explained that it was not intended to do so, but rather to help people think through questions of human sexuality.
14. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, accused by the CDF of expressing "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith" and daring to "challenge positions taken by the Bishops, who are the Church's authentic teachers of faith and morals."
Nearly four hundred years ago, the astronomer, Galileo, was condemned by the Inquisition because he asserted that the earth moves around the sun. In 2000 John Paul II issued an apology. Let us hope that four hundred years will not elapse before the Church acknowledges these modern heroes of religious liberty, who dared to say "things [the bishops] do not like to have said."
Joseph F. O'Callaghan is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at Fordham University, former Chair and current Board Member of Voice of the Faithful in the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, and author of Electing Our Bishops: How the Catholic Church Should Choose Its Leaders (2007).
"The American
Catholic bishops, charging that religious liberty is under attack, have proposed
that the two-week period from June 21 to July 4 be dedicated to a Fortnight of
Freedom, emphasizing prayer, education and public action.
Their summons seems hypocritical,
however, when it is evident that they ignore the sensus fidei or sense of the faith professed by the People of God
(Lumen Gentium 35) and trample on the rights of conscience of
those who disagree with them.
When they speak of religious liberty one may well
ask: Religious liberty for whom? The bishops? Or all the Catholic
people?"
"In observance of the Fortnight of
Freedom Catholics may wish to dedicate each day to those Catholic theologians
and leaders who have been bullied, threatened, silenced, or wrongfully
excommunicated by the pope, the Congregation for the Defense of the Faith (CDF),
and the bishops. The following are worthy of being so honored:
1. Yves Congar, O.P., leading theologian at Vatican II. Forbidden to teach or publish in 1956 by the Holy Office (the successor of the Inquisition) for his writings on ecumenism. He explained: "What put me wrong [in their eyes] is not having said false things, but having said things they do not like to have said."
1. Yves Congar, O.P., leading theologian at Vatican II. Forbidden to teach or publish in 1956 by the Holy Office (the successor of the Inquisition) for his writings on ecumenism. He explained: "What put me wrong [in their eyes] is not having said false things, but having said things they do not like to have said."
2. John Courtney Murray, S.J., principal author
of Vatican II's "Declaration on
Religious Liberty". Silenced
by the Holy Office and forbidden to publish because of his writings.
3. Hans Kung, theological expert at Vatican II. Deprived of official
status as a Catholic theologian at the University of Tubingen by Pope John Paul
II, because of his book Infallible? an Inquiry.
4. Edward
Schillebeeckx, O.P., another major voice at Vatican II. His books on
ministry drew hostile attention from the Vatican and mistrust and suspicion from
the Dutch bishops.
5. Leonardo Boff, O.F.M., proponent of liberation theology. Silenced in 1985 by the CDF because of his criticism of church leadership. Charged Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, with "religious terrorism."
6. Charles Curran, moral theologian. Ousted from Catholic University in 1967 because of his teaching on contraception. Reinstated after a strike by faculty and students. Coordinated a dissent by 600 theologians from Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae. Under pressure from John Paul II, ousted again in 1986.
7. Joan Chittister, O.S.B., spiritual writer. In 2001 the Vatican Congregation on Consecrated Life forbade her to address a conference on the Ordination of Women in Dublin. Backed by her community, she ignored that admonition.
8. Roger Haight, S.J., author of Jesus, Symbol of God. Prohibited by the CDF in 2009 from writing and teaching.
9. Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J., The Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011, without consulting her, charged that her Quest for the Living God differs from authentic Catholic teaching on essential points." She rejected that as a misinterpretation and misrepresentation of her views.
10. Louise Lears, S.C., removed from ministry in 2008 by Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, and Louise Akers, S.C., removed from teaching in 2009 by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, for supporting women's ordination. Sister Akers stated that to deny women's right to ordination would violate her conscience.
11. Margaret McBride, R.S.M., excommunicated in 2009 by Bishop Thomas Olmstead of Phoenix, because she voted, as a member of the Ethics Committee at St. Joseph's Hospital, to save the life of a mother rather than that of a fetus.
12. Geoffrey Robinson, retired auxiliary bishop of Sydney. The Vatican Congregation for Bishops, prompted by American bishops, asked him to cancel his American tour in 2008 because he called for a review of Church teaching on sexuality.
13. Margaret Farley, R.S.M., author of the book Just Love, which the CDF declared is not a valid expression of Catholic teaching. She explained that it was not intended to do so, but rather to help people think through questions of human sexuality.
14. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, accused by the CDF of expressing "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith" and daring to "challenge positions taken by the Bishops, who are the Church's authentic teachers of faith and morals."
Nearly four hundred years ago, the astronomer, Galileo, was condemned by the Inquisition because he asserted that the earth moves around the sun. In 2000 John Paul II issued an apology. Let us hope that four hundred years will not elapse before the Church acknowledges these modern heroes of religious liberty, who dared to say "things [the bishops] do not like to have said."
Joseph F. O'Callaghan is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at Fordham University, former Chair and current Board Member of Voice of the Faithful in the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, and author of Electing Our Bishops: How the Catholic Church Should Choose Its Leaders (2007).
"Kansas City Priest Arrested After Breaking into Nuclear Weapons Facility" /NCRonline
http://ncronline.org/news/peace/kansas-city-priest-arrested-after-breaking-nuclear-weapons-facility
Jul. 06, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- "A priest who has spent almost two decades in jail for acts of nonviolent protest against the country's nuclear weapons complex faces another possible year and a half in prison after his actions on Wednesday.
Fr. Carl Kabat, a 78-year-old member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, faces three criminal charges after cutting through a fence and entering the grounds of the Kansas City Plant, a major new nuclear weapons facility under construction, to call attention to its building.
Kabat's action represents the latest in a years-long campaign by activists to call attention to the facility's construction.
Protests at the site, which is estimated to cost $1.2 billion and scheduled to be partially operational by early 2013, have been led in part by area Catholics who have also been leading petition campaigns to remove funding from the site.
One of the petitions, focused on developing a plan for reuse of the facility should it be abandoned in light of weapons cuts, was unanimously passed by the local city council in March.
Kabat told NCR after his release Thursday that he first entered the property of the Kansas City complex Tuesday, using bolt cutters to make a hole in a perimeter fence and walking through.
Kabat said he then spent Tuesday night on the grounds of the complex until he was found and arrested Wednesday morning.
In an email Wednesday explaining Kabat's action, Chrissy Kirchhoefer, a member of the St. Louis Catholic Worker community who regularly assists the aging Kabat with travel and other needs, said the priest's intent was to celebrate "Interdependence day" by "cutting as much of the fence perimeter" of the Kansas City plant as possible to "allow all of the Holy One's deer and other animals that once used the former bean field for its habitat" to come into the area..."
Jul. 06, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- "A priest who has spent almost two decades in jail for acts of nonviolent protest against the country's nuclear weapons complex faces another possible year and a half in prison after his actions on Wednesday.
Fr. Carl Kabat, a 78-year-old member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, faces three criminal charges after cutting through a fence and entering the grounds of the Kansas City Plant, a major new nuclear weapons facility under construction, to call attention to its building.
Kabat's action represents the latest in a years-long campaign by activists to call attention to the facility's construction.
Protests at the site, which is estimated to cost $1.2 billion and scheduled to be partially operational by early 2013, have been led in part by area Catholics who have also been leading petition campaigns to remove funding from the site.
One of the petitions, focused on developing a plan for reuse of the facility should it be abandoned in light of weapons cuts, was unanimously passed by the local city council in March.
Kabat told NCR after his release Thursday that he first entered the property of the Kansas City complex Tuesday, using bolt cutters to make a hole in a perimeter fence and walking through.
Kabat said he then spent Tuesday night on the grounds of the complex until he was found and arrested Wednesday morning.
In an email Wednesday explaining Kabat's action, Chrissy Kirchhoefer, a member of the St. Louis Catholic Worker community who regularly assists the aging Kabat with travel and other needs, said the priest's intent was to celebrate "Interdependence day" by "cutting as much of the fence perimeter" of the Kansas City plant as possible to "allow all of the Holy One's deer and other animals that once used the former bean field for its habitat" to come into the area..."
Friday, July 6, 2012
"Nuns on the Bus, Bishops in Limos, ''Fortnight of Freedom Fizzles"/ Check out Theologian Mary Hunt's Analysis
 |
| Sister Simone Campbell: photo courtesy the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries, via flickr |
Feminist theologian Mary Hunt does not pull any punches in her analysis of the impact of the "Nuns on the Bus" on the social and political agenda of our nation.
Neither do the nuns on the bus! Their message reflects Matthew 25 and clearly places protecting poor and marginalized people as an agenda of compassion that impacts people of all faiths and no faith.
Young people really "get it" as was witnessed by their presence and support of the nuns on the bus! Institutional religion is not their priority, but justice and compassion is, which is at the heart of religious belief
The nuns agenda of justice and freedom for all, not just the bishops, is becoming an important election issue.
Well- done, Sisters! You have shone a bright light on immoral budgets like the one proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan. No wonder the lobbyists with big money and powerful names are running for cover.
Let's hope that your prophetic witness to Catholic social justice issues will be a top priority of U.S. voters too, and that they will elect responsible public officials who will legislate for the common good, instead of giving more tax cuts to billionaires, who are unwilling in many cases, to pay their fair share. We cannot afford spiritually to balance our budget on the backs of the poor.
The nuns on the bus have left the bishops' in the dust with their fizzling 'fortnight of freedom' out of steam! It goes to show that no multi-million dollar public relations campaign is a match for nuns' prayer power and prophetic witness!
Well done, Sisters, and outstanding analysis, Mary Hunt in your article below!
Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/6156/nuns_on_the_bus%3A_2700_miles%2C_nine_states%2C_and_a_rock_star_dc_welcome/
"Tourist buses are fixtures on Capitol Hill, but the arrival at the Methodist Building of “Nuns on the Bus: Nuns Drive for Faith, Family and Fairness” in noonday heat to the cheers of their colleagues had to be a first. Hustled out by handlers like rock stars, the half-dozen nuns (and one woman who was not a nun but joined the trip anyhow) made their way to a flag-backed stage to join other interfaith leaders in prayer and speeches.
Sister Simone Campbell, a Sister of Social Service and the Executive Director of NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby the sponsoring organization, appeared flabbergasted and delighted by the hundreds who turned out in the midst of the DC region’s massive power outage to welcome them home. Prophets in their own land—in this case, lobbyists among lobbyists—usually get a mixed reception at best.
Fourth of July tourists wondered what was happening, a good question for a broader audience. Why did screaming young Hill staffers, dozens of Muslim women in head scarves, elderly people both men and women, social justice workers, and lobbyists converge to fête a group of women who traveled 2,700 miles through nine states to visit soup kitchens? I am sure the riders will tell the story in full detail once they get their land legs back, and I know video crews accompanied them. So for now, I offer a word of explanation about what I think the trip means in the big picture of religiously influenced social change.
Bishops in Limos?
Several factors converged to spark the nuns’ creativity. A major one was the passage of House Republican Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget, cutting $36 billion from food assistance programs without trimming the military budget or increasing taxes on the wealthy. Mr. Ryan claimed that his ideology was faith-based, indeed that Catholic social teaching justified his approach to push poor people to fend for themselves. The NETWORK people simply did not see it that way, nor did a sizable group of Georgetown University faculty who called Ryan on the carpet. Even the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a tepid letter from their president, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan from New York, indicated some displeasure. (Mr. Ryan’s theological advisor is probably out of a job...
The "Fortnight" Fizzles
And then there's the notable fact that the nuns eclipsed the bishops’ “Fortnight of Freedom” without even mentioning it. Apparently official church efforts are going on all over the country as I write, but enthusiasm has been so low that even the bishops aren’t saying much about it. Even critics have ignored it. So much for a large-scale buy-in to their argument that the government insisting on having insurers offer contraception without a co-pay would eradicate religious liberty as we know and love it. Not even the Vatican’s brand new Opus Dei Fox News communication strategist Greg Burke can spin their way out of this failure. Coming on the heels of the conviction of a Philadelphia priest for enabling sexual predators to continue in ministry, what virtually every other diocese did as well, appetite for the bishops’ ideology is all but gone..."
Article by Mary E. Hunt
Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D., is a feminist theologian who is co-founder and co-director of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. A Roman Catholic active in the women-church movement, she lectures and writes on theology and ethics with particular attention to liberation issues.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
"Religious Liberty for All, Not Just Bishops"/ Let's Rise Up for Justice for Women and for All
Let's support religious liberty for women and for all, not just Bishops in the Catholic Church!
This is yet another reason we need women priests!
Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
A Call to Action From Call to Action National:
"You may have heard that the U.S. Catholic Bishops are trying to force their views about contraception on women and calling it the "religious liberty" of Bishops to do so.
But what about the religious liberty of women?
Stand up for women this July 4th and celebrate the fact that the United States promotes religious liberty for everyone, not just bishops.
Go to Call To Action's Facebook page and press "share" to get this graphic on your own page. Spread the message that religiou ...
As Catholics, we have a strong history of supporting religious liberty. Let's ensure it continues to include women..."
Jim FitzGerald, Executive Director
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
A Mini-Day in the Life of Two Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests and Co-Pastors of the Good Shepherd Community, Ft. Myers, Florida
.JPG) |
| Pastor Judy Lee (ARCWP) and Betty |
Yesterday was an overwhelming ministry day with some of our women.
 |
| Co-Pastor Judy Beaumont (ARCWP) and Betty |
We had wonderful housing for one woman and had put her in a
motel for two weeks
preparing for this day.
But, her confused mind betrayed her and so she
disappeared leaving a note full of paranoia and the opportunity
forever as this is about the third time this has happened
and she cannot remain on this housing
list.
We were very sad for her as she will be homeless again.
Then we had a beautiful experience helping another woman,
Betty age 60, get settled in housing.
She was so happy as she now has housing and a
well deserved
Disability income and, as she is slow, to her it is a
miracle and she kept thanking God for it!
Sadly, later in the day as we returned to bring her a TV
she came limping and crying to the door with her face swollen
and knees bleeding.
She rode her bike to her sisters' crowded home where she had
lived on the couch for nine years, and she was beaten and robbed
of her little money and her keys and ID
on the way by some violent
young men(probably on drugs).
Her new landlord is wonderful and he
mmediately changed the locks on her
door and, with another of our men, Louis,
carried the big TV up the stairs
for us.
We calmed her down, made sure she was physically okay,
and prayed with her,
and she will be okay, but what a day for her!
We then met with seven or eight of our people
for whom Judy B. is the Rep Payee
(for their Disability checks) and with the men
living at Joshua House.
This was an uplifting experience as all were doing well
and two of the men were planning
to cook a Bar-B-Q feast for the others for the July 4th holiday.
Also among
these were two women whose lives are truly turned around
and we celebrated the
health of one and one year out of jail for the other,
a very slow woman
who now lives with another woman who guides
her in positive ways.
Then, we had to move another woman to a Motel as her mental illness
causes her
to avoid toilets and just "go" and she was once again evicted.
She is gentile and educated and sweet,
and our Doctor did check her out medically,
but this is truly "all in her head" and she cannot control it.
Therefore we cannot keep her
housed although she has her Disability check.
We pray this Motel can put up with
her and have taken a lot of measures with plastic sheets,etc.,
and one of our
church members to help her clean, but the stench gets her evicted.
We take her to the psychiatrist and to the medical doctors,
but she simply does not follow up and
refuses help as she believes that she is fine.
In Florida if you refuse
any medical or mental health service there is NONE!!
She is the one that lived
on the doorsteps of St. Francis RC Church for years.
This is our hardest and
perhaps most difficult woman to minister to, oh for a miracle!
And, finally, we visited and brought some bread to another woman
whom we moved from a condemned trailer to good housing.
While she too suffers from physical disability and mental illness
and hoarding that crowds her out, she is doing
well in her new place.
She has resumed her activities as an activist and Board
member for the Coalition to End Homelessness
and as a jewelry maker.
It was a joy to see her and hear the plans for a day of
outreach to the homeless.
We are glad that, as this Nation celebrates its Independence,
we can help people who have fallen through the gaping hole
in
the bottom of the flimsy safety net,
to slowly regain their dignity and independence and
enjoy housing, positive relationships and the lives
that God has given them. Our special joy is
witnessing the many ways in which they help
one another.
Judy Lee, ARCWP
Judy Beaumont, ARCWP
Co-Pastors of Good Shepherd Community
www.arcwp.org
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