Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now- https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/10/rev-dr-bridget-mary-meehan-arcwp-chat.html
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerard O’Connell and Colleen Dulle discuss Pope Leo’s consistent statements pushing for peace and an end to armed conflicts worldwide. In the second part of the show, Colleen and Gerry unpack a few brief stories including Pope Leo receiving the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center, his new home in the apostolic palace and the Vatican’s appeals court’s decision for a partial re-trial in the “Trial of the Century.”
Today, March 25, 2026, something sacred stirred in the heart of the Church.
Sarah Mullally was installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury—the first woman to serve in this historic role in the life of the Church of England.
For many, this is a milestone.
For me—as a Roman Catholic woman priest and bishop in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests—it feels like a moment of grace breaking open. A moment we have prayed for, worked toward, and trusted the Spirit would one day reveal.
This is more than history being made.
It is the Holy Spirit whispering—perhaps even proclaiming—“See, I am doing something new.”
A Gospel Pattern of Inclusion
In the Gospels, Jesus Christ consistently steps across boundaries others were unwilling to cross.
He speaks with the Samaritan woman and entrusts her with the Good News.
He affirms Mary of Bethany as a disciple at his feet.
He commissions Mary Magdalene as the first witness to the Resurrection—the apostle to the apostles.
The pattern is unmistakable:
where structures exclude, the Spirit includes.
Archbishop Mullally’s installation is not simply an institutional development—it is a living proclamation of this Gospel truth. It reminds us that leadership in the Body of Christ is not determined by gender, but by call, courage, and fidelity to love.
A Sign of What Is Already Emerging
As a pastoral minister in an inclusive Catholic community, I recognize this moment not as something entirely new, but as something deeply familiar.
Across the world, in communities often unseen or unrecognized by official structures, women are already
-preaching the Gospel
-presiding at Eucharist, and at other sacramental rites
-accompanying the marginalized, wounded and the seeking
-leading with compassion, and working for justice for all
The Spirit has not waited for permission.
The Spirit is already moving.
Archbishop Mullally’s leadership shines a light on what so many of us are already living: a Church becoming what it is called to be—a community of equals.
A Loving Challenge to the Roman Catholic Church
This moment also invites us—especially within the Roman Catholic Church—to reflect with honesty and hope:
What might we learn from our Anglican sisters and brothers?
We know that teachings once thought unchangeable have developed over time. The Church’s understanding of slavery, religious freedom, and the role of the laity has deepened through prayerful discernment.
Why should the question of women in ordained ministry be any different?
This is not a question of abandoning tradition.
It is a question of allowing tradition to grow, guided by the Spirit who is always leading us deeper into truth.
The View from the Margins
In the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement, we live this reality now.
We gather around open tables where all are welcome.
We proclaim a Gospel of radical inclusion.
We practice leadership as shared service—not domination.
And yet, we remain on the margins.
But history—and the Spirit—teach us something important:
what is marginalized today often becomes the heart of the Church tomorrow.
The Spirit so often begins at the edges—among those willing to risk, to hope, to love beyond boundaries—and then slowly transforms the center.
Archbishop Mullally’s installation feels like one of those moments when the edges begin to reshape the whole.
A Church We Can Imagine Together
This day invites us not only to celebrate, but to dream.
A Church where women and men share equally in ordained ministry, and the inclusive love of Christ is not just preached—but embodied.
This is not a distant vision.
It is already being born.
The installation of Sarah Mullally is more than a milestone.
It is a doorway.
And perhaps, in this moment, the Spirit is gently inviting us—
not just to admire it—
but to step through it.
May we have the courage to walk together into that future, as a true discipleship of equals.
A Prayer from the Heart
As I hold this moment in prayer, I feel both deep gratitude and a holy longing.
Gratitude—for the courage of those who have walked this path before us, often at great personal cost.
Longing—for the day when the Roman Catholic Church will fully embrace the gifts of women and all genders in ordained ministry.
And so I pray:
Holy Wisdom, Sophia,
you who call women, men, and people of every gender to serve your people in love—
Open the hearts of your Church.
Expand our vision.
Free us from fear.
May we become a community of equals,
where every voice is honored,
every gift is welcomed,
and your presence shines through all who are called.
The Annunciation: (March 25) ARCWP Founder’s Day
Mary said “Yes” to Gabriel. Women are saying “Yes” to The Call to Roman Catholic Priesthood.
We gather today to remember our loved ones who have passed this year. We give thanks for them and for the many good memories of their time with us. In this Remembrance Service, we comfort one another with stories and precious memories of our loved ones.
Listen now to this beautiful song called Holy Angels by Sara Thomsen
Poem by Marge Piercy
Look around us, search above us, below, behind.
We stand in a great web of being joined together.
Let us praise, let us love the life we are given.
Time flows through us like water.
The past and the dead speak through us.
We breathe our children’s children, blessing.
Blessed is the earth from which we grow,
blessed the life we are lent,
blessed the ones who teach us,
blessed the ones we teach,
blessed is the light,
blessed is the darkness
but blessed above all else is peace
which bears the fruits of knowledge
on strong branches.
Peace that bears joy into the world,
peace that enables love, peace over each of us,
everywhere, blessed and holy is peace.
Adapted from Kadish Poem by Marge Piercy
Psalm 23: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.
All: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.
O my Beloved, You are my shepherd,
I shall not want;
You bring me to green pastures for rest
And lead me beside still waters
Renewing my spirit;
You restore my soul.
You lead me in the path of goodness
To follow Love’s way.
All: God is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Even though I walk through the
Valley of the shadow and of death,
I am not afraid;
For You are ever with me;
Your rod and your staff
They guide me,
They give me strength and comfort.
You prepare a table before me
In the presence of all my fears;
You bless me with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
All the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the heart of the Beloved forever.
Amen. (Translation by Nan Merrill, Praying the Psalms)
New Testament: Gospel: John 14:1-3
Don't let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God;
In God's house there are many dwelling places;
Otherwise, how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you? I am indeed going to prepare a place for you
And then I will come back to take you, that where I am, there you may be as well.
Tribute
Loving God, we remember those who have passed away. We pray that they may rest in eternal light and everlasting peace. We carry them in our hearts forever. Amen.
Family, friends, community light a candle and share a thought, prayer, poem, song or brief story in remembrance.
At the conclusion of each tribute, we pray together:
All: Loving God, we remember the blessings that (person's name) brought to us.
Benediction
Our hearts are a bit broken even as we are also grateful for the many ways over the years that our loved ones graced our lives.
They enriched the human fabric of our days.
May their spirits know a peace unburdened by earthly pain and trial.
May they be blissfully enfolded in the synchrony of All Creation
May they be at rest, embraced in unending love, forever and ever, Amen.
Closing Song: When the Saints Go Marching In
