Since the ordination of seven courageous women on the Danube in 2002, Roman Catholic Women Priests have been living the dream of a renewed priestly ministry. Our dream of creating circles of equals in inclusive communities and ministries is a reality. We baptize, anoint the sick and dying, officiate at weddings, and invite everyone to celebrate Eucharist including those excluded by the institutional Church- the divorced and remarried, and LGBTQI. As Phillip Newell reminds us it doesn't matter if we succeed in changing the Roman Catholic Church's ban on women's ordination, all that matters is that we are faithful to the vision of God's all-embracing love. The good news is that in spite of the Vatican's excommunication, Catholics call on women priests to serve their spiritual needs. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, sofiabmm.bmm@gmail.com
"Where do we find the strength to spiritually resist what is false? This is an important question for many of us today in our struggle against systems and powers that deny the sacredness of the earth and the dignity of every human being. We need one another in this great work, like-minded souls with whom we can work and, as we have noted in previous chapters, we also need a sense of inner authority to challenge outward power structures and well-established systems of thought. This is not work in which we can always expect to have the approval and support of the majority. Like Alexander Scott, we will sometimes feel like lone voices. Nor can we be sure that our work will ever succeed in bringing about the changes we hope for. The work must rest primarily on the integrity of the vision as well as the certainty that what we are calling for is a truth that belongs to the human soul, not just our soul. We are to help awaken it in one another and be true to it in ourselves." From Sacred Earth and Sacred Soul by John Philip Newell, Chapter 5
Kathryn:Let us begin Marty’s renewal of Baptismal Promises with a prayer to the Source of all Life.
O Holy One, you continually remind us that your love surpasses all understanding and through your love, your child, Marty, desires to renew the promises of the holy sacrament of Baptism.May Marty continue to grow in his understanding of your infinite love as he learns the meaning of faith through service.May he continue to appreciate his gifts and responsible place as co-creator of his life in You. Amen.
The Renewal of Baptismal Promises begins with a statement of intent by Marty on his desire for this special occasion.
Marty: I was initially baptized as an infant in the Roman Catholic Church.My parents and Godparents presented me and agreed to uphold the Baptismal Promises on my behalf.I am now an adult and have thought a great deal about this, and I wish to proclaim these Baptismal Promises as my own.
Kathryn:By asking for this Baptismal Renewal within the Christian community, you are promising to live justly, to love tenderly and to walk with integrity for all to see and celebrate. You are promising to continue to learn about your brother, Jesus and his message of love.Do you promise to do this to the best of your ability?
Marty: Yes, I do.
Baptismal Renewal Ritual
Kathryn: In our ritual today, we use many sacramental symbols and signs. We now continue the baptismal renewal ritual with a blessing of the water and the oil.
Karen: O Holy One, Source of all that is, we experience your grace through sacramental signs, which tell us of your unseen presence.
Seth: At the dawn of creation, Your Spirit breathed on the waters making them the wellspring of all holiness.
Stephen: The water of the Red Sea, through which our ancestors traveled, is a symbol of our liberation from all that holds us captive. In the waters of the Jordan River, our brother Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John, and anointed with your Spirit.
Karen: After the resurrection, the disciples of Jesus celebrated baptism in water and the Spirit with those who answered Your call to holiness.
Seth: From age to age, oil has been used to anoint the priests, prophets, leaders and visionaries.
Kathryn:I invite all present to please extend your hands in blessing the water and oil.
O Holy One, you call us to be co-creators of a world filled with blessing and abundance. As co-creators with you, we bless this water and oil as a symbol of your grace filled presence in our community.(pause)
Baptismal Renewal Promises
Kathryn: We invite everyone to renew your baptismal promises and respond “Yes, I do” to each of the following:
Do you promise to see what is good for your sisters and brothers everywhere, rejecting injustice and inequity, living with the freedom and responsibility of children of God?
All: Yes, I do.
Stephen: Do you promise to work for the realization of God’s vision of harmony and right relations among all peoples, rejecting the idols of money, property, color, sex and position?
All: Yes, I do.
Kathryn: Do you promise to seek peace and live in peace in one human family, rejecting prejudice and half-heartedness in every form, and all barriers to unity?
All: Yes, I do.
Stephen: Do you promise to cherish the universe, and this precious planet, working creatively to renew and safeguard the elemental sacraments of air, earth, water and fire?
All: Yes, I do.
Kathryn: Do you believe in the Holy One, the Source of all life, in Jesus our brother, who loved and lived among us so that all might live with abundant fullness; in the breath of the Holy One’s center, the Spirit who continues the work of forgiveness and reconciliation, birthing and blessing, challenge and hope, so that together we can continue the work of creation?
All: Yes, I do.
Immersion/Pouring of Water
Stephen:Marty, when you are ready, immerse yourself in this holy water.I baptize you in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit.May you rise in the newness of life and walk as a child of God.
Kathryn:
We are using a coquille shell in the pouring of the water.It is a symbol used by pilgrims who are on life’s journey with the Holy One.We will first baptize you with holy water from the river Jordan, the same river in which Jesus was baptized by John.Then we will pour the water we blessed today. (Kathryn pours the water from the river Jordan as she says)
We baptize you, Marty,
In the name of the Holy One who is the Source of all life, (Karen and Seth scoop water from the tub and pour over Marty’s head)
Who is revealed through Jesus and in all of creation,
And Whose Spirit invites and inspires us as co-creators. Amen.
Anointing with Oil
Kathryn: Karen and Seth will now anoint Marty
Kathryn: (Karen and Seth anoint Marty’s forehead as the presider speaks the following)
Marty, you were conceived in love and welcomed to life with love. We anoint you with this oil in recognition that all creation is sacred, that you are sacred.
Presentation of Stole
Kathryn:Karen will now place the stole on Marty.
Stephen:(as Karen places stole on Marty, the presider speaks the following)
Marty, we present you with this stole. May it remind you that you are called to live a life of love in service to others.
Lighting Candle
Kathryn: Seth will now light Uncle Marty’s Baptismal Renewal Candle from his Baptismal Easter Candle.
Kathryn:(as Seth lights Marty’s candle from his Baptismal Easter Candle, the presider speaks the following)
Marty, may this candle remind you of Jesus, who opened peoples’ minds and hearts to see the “light” of God’s presence within them. And, may your light shine for all to see.
All Amen and Hallelujah!
Presentation of Marty to his Family and the World Christian Community
Kathryn and Stephen: (Karen and Seth hold Marty’s arms up and present him to his family as the presiders say the following)
It is with great joy that we reaffirm and again welcome Marty (Marvin Dale Cummins, Jr.)to our Christian Community.Marty, may you, and all of us walk in the footsteps of our brother, Jesus and remember all that he taught us for all the days of our lives.
ALL:Amen! And let it be so!
Closing Song: Anthem:One Day at a Time by Lynda Randle
1:00pm and 7:00pm EST – Choose one Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86715645736
Meeting ID: 867 1564 5736.
Dial-in for audio :929 205 6099 US
A womanist church has great power to transform church and society, primarily because womanist theology centers the experiences of Black women while working for the survival and wholeness of all people and all creation. Experiences of the triple oppression of racism, sexism, and classism give Black women an epistemological insight into recognizing injustice and creating solutions that benefit all.
The Gathering is unique, the only church founded and identified as “womanist,” applying womanist theology to the full life and worship of a church. The Gathering, a womanist faith community in Dallas, Texas, welcomes all people to partner in pursuing racial equity, LGBTQ equality, and dismantling PMS (patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism), following Jesus in liberating the oppressed and lifting up the marginalized. The Gathering, A Womanist Church tells the story of the birth and ongoing development of a womanist faith community. This book includes personal narratives of people transformed in this community, womanist co-pastors’ sermons informed by their experiences and those of other Black women, and litanies for womanist worship. The Gathering website: https://www.thegatheringexperience.com
Presenters:
Rev. Dr. Irie Lynne Session is co-pastor of the Gathering, A Womanist Church, a Spiritual Entrepreneur, and Chief Illuminator of DreamBIG Courses, Coaching, Content Creation, & Connections. She holds a master of divinity with a certificate in Black Church Studies and doctor of ministry in prophetic preaching and transformative leadership. Dr. Session is the author of Badass Women of the Bible: Inspiration from Biblical Women Who Challenged and Subverted Patriarchy and Murdered Souls, Resurrected Lives: Postmodern Womanist Thought in Ministry with Women Prostituted and Marginalized by Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp is a St. Louis, Missouri native currently residing in Texas with her spouse, Nakia, and daughter, Anaya. She is a co-pastor of The Gathering, A Womanist Church in Dallas and a PhD candidate in Biblical Interpretation-Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School. Kamilah holds a bachelor of science in business economics, a master of divinity, and a juris doctor degree.
Rev. Dr. Jann Aldredge-Clanton, an ordained minister and author, is co-chair of Equity for Women in the Church, ministry partner of The Gathering, adjunct professor at Richland College, and co-leader of New Wineskins Community. Her books include Praying with Christ-Sophia, Changing Church, and Inclusive Songs for Resistance & Social Action.
To prepare for this session, we recommend that you read The Gathering, A Womanist Church
Welcome! (Elena) We warmly welcome you to the inclusive Catholic Community of Mary Mother of Jesus in Sarasota, Florida. All are welcome here. We invite you to pray the liturgy where it says, “All.” And please sing your heart out! Everyone will be muted during the service. during the shared homily and prayers of the community, we invite you to unmute yourself to contribute, then mute yourself again. Please have bread and wine or juice with you as we pray the Eucharistic Prayer.
We are called, we are chosen, we are Christ for one another. We are promised to tomorrow, while we are for him today. We are sign, we are wonder, we are sower, we are seed. We are harvest, we are hunger. We are quesion, we are creed.
Then where can we stand justified? In what can we believe? In no one else but Christ who suffered, nothing more than Christ who rose. Who was justice for the poor. Who was rage against the night. Who was hope for peaceful people. Who was light.
(Janet & All): We begin our celebration together ✝️ in the name of The Holy One the Source of all Being, Jesus the Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit Sophia our Wisdom within. Amen.
(Janet): Please welcome each other with a sign of Christ’s peace! Bow toward your camera with hands folded as together we say:I bow before the presence of God in You. Namaste, Namaste, Namaste
Reconciliation Rite. (Cheryl): We pause now to remember times when messages of our unworthiness have clouded our vision of the infinite love within us. Let us imagine our imperfections, the chaos and messes of our lives all brightly lit by a love that heals and transforms us as we evolve and grow in awareness of our divinity and our humanity. (Pause for several moments. Then Place your hand over your heart.)
All:I love you. Thank you. I’m sorry. I forgive you. Thank you. I love you.
Opening Prayer.(Elena & All):
O God , voice in the listening heart, your gifts to us are beyond measure, and your patience without limit. Spirit of the Holy One, we gratefully acknowledge your presence among us and within us. We humbly ask that during this time when we are gathered in your presence we may grow in an awareness of your call to faith and trust. Receive our thanks and praise for the gift of our humanity, the consciousness and freedom that allows us to know and love you and one another. Forgive our insensitivity that allows us to take you and others for granted. Teach us the selflessness, trust and deep faith manifested by the widows in today’s readings. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen
Liturgy of the Word(Please pause for a moment of silence)
(Jim B) First Reading: 1Kings 17: 7-16
Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to Elijah: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.”
So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, “Please would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink. As she went to get it he called out, “And while you’re at it would you bring me something to eat?”
She said, “I swear as surely as your God lives, I don’t have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we’ll die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you’ve said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. This is the word of the God of Israel: “The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.“And she went right off and did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn’t run out and the bottle of oil didn’t become empty: God’s promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it.
These areSpirit inspired words found in First Kings and we respond, All: Thanks be to God.
(Janet)Psalm of Praise:146 ---- Response: The Whole Universe is Aflame!
~Holy One, You truly contain within your gentleness, within your humanity all the unyielding immensity and grandeur of the world.
The Whole Universe is Aflame!
~We love you as the source, the activating and life-giving ambience, the term and consummation of the natural world, and of its process of becoming.
The Whole Universe is Aflame!
~We praise you for the extensions of yourbody and soul to the farthest corners of creation through grace, through life, and through matter.
Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus observed how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor woman came up and put in two small coins--- a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor woman gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss: she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford---she gave her all.”
This reading is found in the Gospel of Mark and our response is AMEN
It Is not often that the Roman Lectionary presents us with three related readings. Today’s readings do have a recognizable thread running through them.All three consider the act of giving until it hurts. In fact, they consider giving until that end will be death.
First we are told of the nameless woman who lives in Sidon and who is visited by the prophet Elijah. He asks for water and a piece of bread – typical requests for people living in the desert. She can fetch water, but sharing her bread will leave her with no food so that she and her son will eventually die.
Second, we hear a commentary by Jesus on what he observes – a poor widow who gives everything she possesses, everything she has to live on. This story remains in the lectionary and is usually taught in the same way – that this poor widow is to be recognized as a role model for the rest of us because of her good and unselfish giving.
In the middle reading, we hear Jesus considering what it means to give everything. We believe he already knew that his destiny was to do just that.That vast gesture has been interpreted by Christians in different ways, but all agree that this choice of Jesus, to give until it hurts, was for our benefit.
Affirming that giving is almost always a good thing, we can say that all three people mentioned in the readings were able to give to this extent because they trusted in something beyond themselves.
The woman in Sidon had to trust Elijah when he assured her, in spite of common sense, that her food supplies would not be depleted. She had never seen him before this encounter. Remember, however, that in sending Elijah, Yahweh said “I have directed a woman to provide for you.” This pagan woman had some familiarity with Yahweh – through what means we do not know, but enough to recognize this man of God when he came.She must have had a sense – an inner knowing – that Elijah could be believed and trusted Therefore, she was able to give all she had.
Jesus leaned on no one and nothing for this choice to give his very person.He listened for his father’s voice within him and trusted it completely – even when it promised a bitter end.
Although we all have a sense of interior knowing, it takes practice to know when it is Truth speaking and when it is not. (Key: The Spirit leaves us in peace – not “calm,” but a peace the world cannot give.) We must listen with our well-practiced ear to what direction the Source of Life points. We may, indeed, find ourselves peacefully accepting to die in some way or another. But by listening we may avoid assuming we must make a dramatic, sacrificial – but perhaps inappropriate – choice that leads us to false martyrdom, bitterness and disillusionment.Strangely, we may be astonished by listening that leads us to something wonderful and life-giving. This is because, in choosing Truth, we are assured of eventually arriving at peace and goodness.
Today we are looking at our choices in giving. The main thing is to let all our choices be good-choices, God choices.
As the Spirit moves you, now is your opportunity to share your thoughts about the readings, the liturgy, or something else. Please turn your microphone on to share, then off when you’re finished.
Profession of Faith: (Elena & All):
~We believe in the all-embracing Source of Life, birthing and healing, making all things possible.
~We believe that the transformative Divine sparks relationship across Earth and Eternity, with love beyond our wildest dreams.
~We believe that The Beloved waits patiently for us to erase the boundaries we place around human consciousness, and to realize heaven in the here and now.
~We believe that in the twists and turns of difficult times, The Holy One invites us into relationship with a love that can soothe and unify a hurting world.
~We believe in Jesus whose radical blend of divinity and humanity reveals the promise and the challenge of being crafted in the image and likeness of Our Creator.
~We believe that like Jesus, we are called to bring generous presence to the lonely and despairing, the hurting and broken, the yearning and
disenfranchised.
~We believe in the Spirit of Sophia Wisdom, nudging the universe to unfold as it wouldmaking each new day one filled with promise and possibility.
~We believe that the Spirit inspires within and among us the gentleness to comfort, the daring to challenge and the strength to lift up.
~We believe in the wildfire of the Spirit, sweeping through this amazing journey of life, urging us toward wholeness, forever and ever. ( 2016 A Creed for all times By Lynn Kinlan)
Prayers of the Community (Jim B)
We bring to the table prayers for our community and the world.
Our response is: (Christ of the universe graciously hear us!)
~ O God, you are present to us, yet our minds cannot contain the mystery of your being.
All: Let what we know of you in the life and love of Jesus draw us to you in ever deepening faith. Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~ It is difficult towait with hope for what we think is good and just.
All: Increase our faith and help us to hold fast to our dedication to you.
Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~ Let the harvest of our land yield enough for all.
All: banish famine from our world; teach us to share.
Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~We bring to the table all who have died from covid,who suffer from “long haul covid” as well as their family and friends who bear an enormous burden of grief. R. Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~We bring to the table all our sisters and brothers who continue to suffer from natural disasters, man’s inhumanity to man, and unbearable suffering of mind and body. Teach us how to stand by them and serve them as you would.
R. Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~(Joan): We bring to the table the intercessions in our Community Prayer Book……
R. Christ of the universe graciously hear us!
~(Jim B): Who and what else shall we bring to the table today?
(Please unmute yourself to offer a prayer, to which we all respond:
R. Christ of the universe graciously hear us.(Then remember to remute.)
(Jim B): Christ, we will be your presence in the world today and every day of our lives. All: Amen
Sprung from the seeds that I’ve washed and I’ve planted
So long ago and even til now, even til now
Bread from the fields from my friends and bread from the lean years.
Bread from my youth and my loves and bread from the green years
This much is ready now 3xBake it as your own
Here is my life my self the bread that I bring
Here is my soul my wine the song that I sing
Take it for gift and take it for granted
Sprung from the seeds that I’ve washed and I’ve planted
So long ago and even til now, even til now
Wine of my joys and my dreams and wine of my good times.
Wine of my won’t and my will, my did and my should times
This much is ready now 3x Pour it as your own
Bread from the Highlands of life and bread from the valleys
Bread from the good things we’ve known that nobody tallies
Now we are ready Lord 3xBake us as your own
Here is my life my self the bread that I bring
Here is my soul my wine the song that I sing
Take it for gift and take it for granted
Sprung from the seeds that I’ve washed and I’ve planted
So long ago and even til now, and even til now, and even til now
(Let us pause for a moment of silence before we begin the Eucharistic Prayer.)
Preparation of our Communion Gifts
(Cheryl and All):Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, each one of us has bread to offer in this sacred meal, this grain that the earth has given and human hands have made.It will become for us our Bread of Life.Blessed be God for all the love that has been given to each one of us.
(Jim B and All): Blessed are you, God of all creation.Through your goodness, each one of us has fruit of the vine to offer in this sacred meal, that earth has given and human hands have prepared.It will become for us our Spiritual Drink.Blessed be God for all the graces that have been given to each one of us.
Eucharistic Prayer
(Janetand All):Loving God, you embrace us with your extravagant affection in our times of both blessedness and weakness.You are always with us…you live in us and we live in you.May we reflect your compassionate care in everything we do and say with everyone we meet today.And moved by the Spirit, each one of us will sing our shared blessing:
(Elenaand All): Creator God, we thank you for the gift of Jesus of Nazareth in history – and the gift of Jesus the Christ in faith. You brought him from among all your people to baptize us in your Spirit.His life was moved by his consuming vision of your presence both in himself and in his earthly mission.He revealed you to us through his compassionate life well lived. And he showed us, through his teaching and example, not only how we should live, but also for what we may suffer and even die…as he did. Through him and your Spirit, you breathe life into us so that we may be witnesses to his gospel messages.
(Janet)When his time on earth had come to an end, Jesus - aware of and accepting his destiny - gave up his life for the values that he deeply believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is stronger than death.And then, in providing an example of his wisdom for all people in every age to come, he opened wide his arms and died on a cross.The Spirit that lived in Jesus resurrected him to a new life, a promise that he made to all of us too.Jesus is with us today as he will be through the end of time.
(Outstretch an arm as we pray the Consecration together.)
We remember the gift that Jesus gave us the night before he died.He gathered with his friends to share a final Passover meal.And it was at that supper that Jesus took bread, said the blessing and shared it with them saying: take this, all of you, and eat it.This bread is you; this bread is me.We are one body, the presence of God in the world.When you do this, remember me and all that I have taught you.This is the new and everlasting covenant.
(short pause)
(Elena) In the same way, Jesus took a cup of wine, said the blessing and gave it to his friends saying: take this all of you and drink it.This wine is you; this wine is me.We are one blood, the presence of God in the world.When you do this, remember me and all that I have taught you.This is the new and everlasting covenant.
(Elena and All): Jesus, who was with God in the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth, is with us now in this bread.The Spirit, of whom the prophets spoke in history, is with us now in this cup.
Let us proclaim this mystery of faith…All: Christ dies, Christ rises, Christ comes again and again and again.
(Jim B): Jesus who walks with us on the path to holiness, you are the spark of love in whom we believe; the Wisdom of Sophia in whom we trust; and the desire for justice that consumes us.
(Cheryl B): As we celebrate the memory of Jesus, we remember our prophetic leader. We remember the communion of saints who have inspired and loved us and all who have gone before us leaving their foot prints on our hearts.(Names………..)
(Cheryl and All): For it is through living as Jesus lived that we awaken to your Spirit loving through us to promote justice and equality in our service to our sisters and brothers.AMEN
Prayer of Jesus
(Jim B & All):Eternal Spirit, Earth maker, Pain bearer, Life giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be. Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven –The hallowing of your name echos through theuniverse.
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world,
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings.
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come to earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In the times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trial too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever.Amen
(A contemplative prayer in the style of Taize from St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle.)
(Cheryl) PRAYER FOR THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
~O God of Courage, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.
~ O God of Compassion, You call us to be your presence in the world. We will love tenderly.
~ O God of Truth, You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
Chant before Communion:“I will not leave you comfortless”
(Elena andAll): What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
(Elena) Please share Eucharist with the words “You are the Body of Christ”, “You are the Face of God”.
O that we could give like the rain, pouring out on rich and poor the same
O that we could give like the sun, shining light on everyone.What shall I give to you?2x
Teach us how to give we pray, offering our work and play
O that we could learn how to care, every breath we breathe a prayer.
What shall I give to you?2x
O that like the bread we become scattered grains all gathered in one.
May the cup of blessing you give, fill us and teach us how to give.
What shall I give to you? 4x
PRAYERS OF GRATITUDE, INTRODUCTIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Elena and All)COMMUNAL BLESSING
~May you be blessed with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.
~May you seek truth boldly and love within your heart.
~May you continue to be the face of the Holy One to all you meet.
~May you hold steadfastly to your faith and belief that when the Beloved speaks, it comes to pass.
(Elena) Full of Christ’s peace, may we go out to love and serve one another in our community and in our wider world. Remember: We are the face of Christ to the world! All: Amen
