Celebration of Life: Rev. Wanda Russell ARCWP

The stories this community shared about Wanda yesterday gave beautiful testimony to her spirit—her listening heart, her compassion, her joy, and her generous hospitality.

In this moment of grief and gratitude, we trust in Jesus’ promise—that Wanda has now heard those words fully:

“Come to me…”
not just as an invitation, but as a loving embrace into the fullness of life—reunited with her dear Mom and all her loved ones who were there to greet her as she crossed over.

Jesus speaks of a “yoke” that is easy—not because life is without struggle, but because love carries us through it.

And now, even our grief at the loss of Wanda’s earthly presence can open us to a new relationship with her—her eternal presence, her love with us always.

Wanda lived that kind of love and deep faith—
the kind that lightens the load for others,
that makes room,
that listens,
that shows up.

And that love does not end—
it becomes a blessing that goes on and on, forever.

And then we hear that beautiful promise:

“In God’s house there are many dwelling places… I go to prepare a place for you.”

A promise of home—wide enough for all, filled with belonging.
Today, we entrust Wanda into that spacious love of God,
where there is no more pain, no more worry—
only peace, only the fullness of life.

And perhaps the most comforting promise of all is this:

“I will come back and take you with me… so that where I am, you also may be.”

Love never ends.
Wanda is held in God’s embrace.

So as we remember her, we give thanks—
for her life, her love, her witness.

And we listen, even now, for the quiet invitation of Christ—
not only to Wanda, but to each of us:

Come… rest… trust…
Trust in the power of Love—
the Beloved’s unconditional and everlasting love for you.

And we echo together:
Love is our Light and our Salvation.

Today, we also hear the tender promise spoken through the prophet Isaiah and echoed in the letter to Timothy:

“I have called you by name, you are mine.
You are precious in my eyes, and I love you and give you honor…”

Today, we trust that Wanda hears these words now in their fullness—
named, claimed, loved, and welcomed home
in the heart of God.

Gospel: 

Lector: A reading from the holy Gospel according to

Mathew and John. (Matthew 11: 28-30 and John 14: 1-3)

All: Glory to You, O God!

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will

give you rest. Take up my yoke upon you and learn from me, for

I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for

yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” 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 and then I will

come back to take you with me, so that where I am, there you

may be as well.

Why We Use the Lectionary—and Sometimes Go Beyond It

Recently, someone asked me a thoughtful question:
Why do your communities sometimes follow the Catholic lectionary—and other times use different or additional Scripture readings?

I’m really grateful for this question, because it goes right to the heart of how we listen to God’s Word in our time.

First, let me say this clearly: we deeply value the lectionary. The cycle of readings that developed after the Second Vatican Council is a beautiful gift. It connects Catholics around the world and draws us into the life of Jesus in a shared rhythm.¹

In our inclusive Catholic communities, we often use these readings—especially during Advent, Lent, Easter, and other major feasts—because we cherish that connection to the wider Church.

And… we don’t always stop there.

Sometimes, in prayer and conversation, our community senses a call to expand or choose additional readings. Not because we’re dismissing the lectionary, but because we believe something simple and profound:

The Word of God is still speaking.

So we ask together:
What is the Spirit inviting us to hear—right here, right now?

At times, that leads us to include passages that aren’t often heard in Sunday liturgy, or that are shortened in ways that soften their impact. For example:

• In Romans 16, we meet Phoebe, named as a deacon, and Junia, called “prominent among the apostles.” Yet these verses are rarely proclaimed in Sunday liturgy.²
• In John 4, the Samaritan woman becomes one of the first evangelizers—yet her role as a theological voice is often underplayed.
• In Genesis 16 and 21, Hagar, a marginalized woman, names God as “the One who sees me.”³
• In Galatians 3:28, we hear that in Christ there is “no longer male and female”—a vision of equality that still challenges us today.

Sometimes we also include verses that the lectionary leaves out—especially when they speak about justice, inclusion, or challenge systems of exclusion.

And sometimes, we include additional readings that help us live the Gospel in today’s world.

These might be:

• A reflection from a contemporary theologian or spiritual writer
• A poem or prayer that speaks to justice, compassion, or healing
• A reading that highlights care for Earth, racial justice, gender equality, or peace-making
• Or even a brief community reflection that connects Scripture to lived experience

In this way, Scripture is not just something we hear—it becomes something we enter, reflect on, and live.

For us, this isn’t about choosing “favorite readings.” It’s about communal discernment—listening together for how the Gospel becomes a living word now.

It may help to remember that the earliest Christian communities didn’t have a fixed lectionary. They shared the stories of Jesus in ways that spoke directly to their lives. The lectionary came later—and it’s a beautiful development—but it’s not the only way the Spirit has guided the Church.⁴

So in a sense, we are holding both:

• a deep respect for tradition
• and a deep trust in the Spirit’s ongoing movement

Some people wonder if this affects unity. That’s a fair question. But unity has never meant everyone doing everything exactly the same way. From the beginning, there have been diverse expressions of faith and practice.

What unites us is deeper than uniformity. It is our shared desire to:
hear the Word, break it open, and live it.

At the end of the day, our goal is simple:
to create spaces where people can encounter a God who is alive, present, and still speaking—especially to those who have too often been left out.

Footnotes

1. Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium.
2. Romans 16:1–7; see Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her.
3. Genesis 16:13; see Elizabeth A. Johnson.
4. John Henry Newman, Development of Christian Doctrine.

Women as Deacons – the Long Struggle for Women's Ordination in the Catholic Church by Rev. Dr. Ida Raming RCWP

 

Women as deacons – the long struggle for women's ordination

in the Catholic Church

 

The struggle for women's access to the diaconate in the Catholic Church has been raging for a long time, and women are still excluded from this office. This is fundamentally shameful for the leadership of the Church, because there is evidence that this office existed for women already in the early Church, as can be seen from texts in the New Testament:

 

"I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints..............." (Romans 16:1).

 

Later, however, in the medieval church, this office was contested for women due to the patriarchal attitudes that were prevalent at the time and still are today. This is evident from sources of ecclesiastical law in the Corpus Iuris Canonici, more specifically from the first part of the Corpus, the Decretum Grationi. A well-known legal scholar of the Middle Ages, Johannes Teutonicus, claimed that women were not eligible for ordination because of their gender.

 

However, although this opinion was probably the prevailing view at the time, it was not entirely unchallenged, as can be seen from the concluding remarks on C. 27 q. 1 c. 23 Commentary on the Decretum Gratiani, which states:

 

"Alii (the others, i.e. those who do not share Johannes Teutonicus' opinion) confess, however, that a nun can indeed be validly ordained, because on the basis of baptism any (suitable) person can be validly ordained." (dicunt, quod si Monialis ordinetur, bene recipit characterem (ordinis): quia ordinari (quaestio) facti est et post baptismum quilibet potest ordinari).

 

As evidence for this statement, reference is made to the following decision of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD):

"No woman shall be ordained (ordinari) as a deaconess before she is 40 years of age, and then only after careful examination. But if, after receiving ordination and exercising her office for some time, she marries, despising the grace of God, she shall be excommunicated, together with the one who married her" (Decision of the Council on C. 27 q. 1 c. 23 Decretum Grationi).

 

According to this view, which contradicts traditional thinking, the indispensable prerequisite for valid ordination is not male gender, but baptism alone!

 

And today?

 

Women are still excluded from the diaconate and priesthood in the Catholic Church, even though the CIC states (can. 849 CIC/1983):

 

„Baptism is the gateway to the sacraments; its actual reception, or at least the desire for it is necessary for salvation; through it, people are freed from sin, recreated as children of God and through an indelible mark, conformed to Christ and incorporated into the Church“

 

This can. 849 CIC clearly contradicts can 1024 CIC: „Only a baptized man can validly recieve holy orders.“

Why has this not been recognized and observed long ago?

 

The anti-Christian patriarchal thinking that unfortunately still prevails, especially in the Vatican. prevents the progress that is so necessary and that Jesus Christ demands of the Church.

 

This is made clear in Mark 10,42ff.

 

Jesus says: „You know that the rulers of the nations oppress them (the people) and that the great ones make them feel their power: it shall not be so anong you; rather, whoever among you wishes to be great shall be your servant, and who ever among you wishes to be first shall be your slave. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served , but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many...“ (see also Matthew 20,25)

 

Stuttgart, March 2026 (vollständige englische Übersetzung)

 

Dr. theol. Ida Raming

 

Published in „Kirche In“, Juily 2025 issue

 

Further reading: Ida Raming, The exclusion of Women from the Priesthood . God-given Tradition or Discrimination?, 1973, 3^rd edition Lit Verlag 2024, see pages 115 and 164,

 

 

 

 

 

 

New E-Book Available on Amazon Kindle: Creating an Inclusive Catholic Community : Liturgies, Homilies, Resources by Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GY6JLNBB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21RBR9OON5VHV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YRi4Mno23rWktNDoL0i5cFypKJcLL2iDWhuGuctj562FNQKGpXSZj4CV00WJ3waiOdCRDLQ6BkfQrqP5a46oMA.45uVSD4-j4SUGGjbz6xK5zUk_nogNklZiJaVS8ahXUY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Creating+an+Inclusive+Catholic+Community&qid=1776945413&s=digital-text&sprefix=creating+an+inclusive+catholic+community+%2Cdigital-text%2C122&sr=1-1

Creating an Inclusive Catholic Community: A Practical Guide and Resources

by Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

It only takes two or three…
Two or three people gathered in love.
Two or three willing to listen to the Spirit.
Two or three who believe Church is not a building—but a living community.
In Creating an Inclusive Catholic Community, Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan invites readers into a bold, Spirit-led renewal of Church—one rooted in Gospel equality, radical hospitality, and shared leadership.
Drawing from her lived experience as a Roman Catholic woman priest and bishop, Meehan offers both a powerful story and a practical guide for those who long to create welcoming, justice-centered faith communities today.

A Church Without Walls
Across the world, something new—and ancient—is being born:

• • Communities gathering in homes, living rooms, and online 
• • Eucharist celebrated at open tables where all are welcome 
• • Voices once silenced now preaching, praying, and leading 
• • A Church becoming a circle of equals 

This book shows you how.

What This Book Offers
 Step-by-step guidance to start a small faith community
Liturgies, Homilies  and Resources grounded in feminist, liberation, and contemporary theology

A Prophetic and Pastoral Vision
Meehan proclaims a simple yet transformative truth:
The Church is the people of God—equal in baptism, diverse in gifts, united in love.
Here, Eucharist is not a reward for the few—
but a homecoming for all.

Here, leadership is not hierarchical—
but shared, collaborative, and Spirit-led.
Here, faith is not passive—
but lived in justice, compassion, and community.

For Anyone Who Feels the Call
This book is for:

• • Spiritual seekers longing for belonging 
• • Catholics who feel excluded or disillusioned 
• • Pastoral leaders and small groups ready to begin 
• • Communities dreaming of a more inclusive Church 

You don’t need permission.
You don’t need perfection.
You only need the courage to begin.

An Invitation
This is more than a book.
It is an invitation:
To gather.
To listen.
To break bread.
To become Church together.
Because when two or three gather in love—
Christ is already there.

Prayer for Earth by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Holy One, Source of Life,
Divine Presence breathing through all creation—
we come before you with grateful hearts,
standing on sacred ground,
held in the web of life that is your body.

Like Francis of Assisi,
we sing with Brother Sun who warms us,
with Sister Moon who lights our way in darkness,
with Brother Wind who dances through our lives,
and Sister Water who sustains and renews us.
Teach us again the language of kinship,
that we may recognize all beings as our relatives,
not resources to be used, but gifts to be cherished.

Like Clare of Assisi,
may we gaze with contemplative love
into the mirror of your presence in all that is.
In stillness, may we behold your radiant beauty
in forests and oceans,
in creatures great and small,
and in one another—
especially in those whose voices have been silenced.

God of justice and tenderness,
you have entrusted Earth to our care,
yet we confess with sorrow
that we have wounded the body of creation—
through greed, neglect, and systems of domination.
We have forgotten that the Earth is not ours to possess,
but ours to protect in love.

Call us now into conversion—
a transformation of heart and action.
Awaken in us a fierce compassion
that resists exploitation and heals what has been broken.
Strengthen us to stand with those on the margins—
especially women, Indigenous peoples,
and all who bear the heaviest burdens of environmental harm.

Spirit of Wisdom, Sophia-God,
flow through us like a living river,
guiding us into right relationship
with Earth and with one another.
May our communities become circles of care,
where every voice matters,
and every table is open—
a foretaste of your dream for the world.

Bless our hands, that they may tend the soil.
Bless our voices, that they may speak for the voiceless.
Bless our lives, that they may become a prayer—
woven with acts of justice,
compassion, and courageous love.

And may we, like Francis and Clare,
walk gently upon this Earth,
radiating joy, simplicity, and peace,
until all creation sings together again
in harmony, dignity, and delight.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother,
who lived in deep communion with all creation,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit,
the breath of life within us all.

Amen.

Video Clip of Inclusive Mary Mother of Jesus Liturgy from our early days at St. Andrew UCC

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fhqOWBo2mo

Priests: Lee Breyer (left) Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP (center) and Michael Rigdon (right)

See Links to Women Priests’ Witness for Justice- Katy Zatsick ARCWP and Ann Harrington ARCWP

How Katy Zatsick ARCWP 

https://www.youtube.com/live/3u36EOK7bII?si=RIFzUpd_OKu8LeR2

Rev. Ann Harrington ARCWP

“Service is at the heart of the gospel of Jesus. Jesus' command to love God, self, neighbor and enemy is my guiding light. The terror unleashed by the Trump administration makes my blood boil. Any MAGA supporter who thinks tearing people from their families and putting them in detention centers is consistent with the gospel of Jesus is dead wrong.”

”

https://paxchristi.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Public-Letter-Pope-Leo_Pax-Christi-International.pdf

Liturgy for Third Sunday of Easter by Rev. Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP Theme: “Did Not Our Hearts Burn?” — The Road to Emmaus Reimagined

What if one of the disciples on the road to Emmaus was a woman?

The Gospel names only Cleopas.

The other disciple remains unnamed—open, spacious, inviting us in.

What if that second disciple is not an omission,

but an invitation?

An invitation to see ourselves in the story.

An invitation to recognize that resurrection appearances

are not limited by gender, status, or recognition.

So today, let us imagine:

Cleopas and his companion—perhaps his wife, perhaps a woman disciple—

walking together, side by side,

carrying grief, confusion, and shattered hope. 

https://open.substack.com/pub/bridgetmarymeehan/p/liturgy-for-third-sunday-of-easter?r=2kfqor&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true