Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Cloud of Witnesses Retreat

Today we conclude considerations about St. Katherine Drexel racial justice worker and servant to the poor who also founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

As a foundress building a new community ,she had words to say that are very profound for us. In terms of her powers of discernment and visioning capacities she has been described as having a joyous spirit with an incisive intellect . She held these powers within the Light of the Holy Spirit and so found the way through or around difficulties such that her work and that of her community with her advanced.

She herself speaks about the difficulties that can come from the outside to thwart the progress or a new work and a founding organization. Here is a quote from THE PEOPLE'S COMPANION BREVIARY FOR March 3, HER FEAST DAY. Consuela Marie Duffy, SBS quotes from Katharine's
retreat notes as follows:

Resolve: Generously with no half -hearted
dread of the opinions of church and [men
or women] to manifest my mission.
To speak only and when it pleases God;
but to lose no opportunity of speaking
before priests and beareded men.
Manifest yourself. You have no time to
occupy your thoughts with that
complacency or consideration of what
others will think. Your business is simply
"What will God think?"(246)

In RCWP, we have many instances where we have to make bold decisions as though called in the moment over against obstacles that can thwart our progress. But we are also not just a single foundress or foundeer. We are already a community of persons in founding time so that much of our advancement is also dependant on communal discernment and understanding and action in solidarity as well as autonomously. What a happy mix in our new model even as we are exploring and just getting the hang of it for ourselves and with the people we serve.

Reference
PEOPLE'S COMPANION TO THE BREVIARY. Vol. 1. Carmelites of Indianapolis, 1997.

It was Judy Lee From RCWP Southern Region who recently drew attention to
St. Katherine Drexel's extraordinary boldness, vision and success in 'manifesting' (as Katherine hereself calls it) in her call and mission.

I asked Judy how it was that she had found herself within the influence of Katherine Drexel's spirit, her spirituality. and her bold accomlishments in social justice and service to the poor. Judy contirbutes to our Cloud of Witnesses knowledge from first hand experience of this woman so recently canonized in the year 2000. A.D.

RC woman priest Judy Lee's story:

I grew up in a multicultural mostly Black,
inner-city neighborhood in NYC. I was baptized, raised and confirmed, very active in and married in a Methodist Episcopal chruch in that neighborhood. It was an anchor fo youth and the community.

Along with traditional theology, our pastors, one black and one white, embraced social gospel imperatives. I learned early that following Jesus meant serving and working for justice. It was on the cusp of the Civil Rights era and MLK Jr. spoke in another
neighborhood church setting. We were all set on fire in the experience of a God who loves justice and the poor. I began to know the Jesus of Liberation Theology as the Jesus who changed and formed our lives in our community.

While a few of the church community were not working class or poor, most were and I was one of them. All of us were inspired to achieve academically and to give back to the community. Pastor Mel, our Black pastor,
explained to me that I was like the Torjan Horse in the Helen of Troy story. My white skin
could gain me entrance where my peers could not go becaue of their dark skins. But my
solidarity with those who are poor and Black would be something that would forever give me a different persepctive to bring to the dialogue, and I must be true to it. It was a wonderful beginning in my formation. Once reaching adulthood I had a hard time finding
a church that set me on fire like that one did.

I came into the RCchurch as an adult in a Black inner-city church in Hartford. CT. The church was on the grounds of a woman's shelter where I, now a Professor of Social Work and a social worker, provided consultation and intervention at the request of its Director, Judy Beaumont, then a Benedictine sister.

There was also a Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House across the street and those residents also worked at the shelter and attended the church. There was a wonderful worker/servant priest named Father Al. I felt
that I had come home. I studied with Father Al and when I made my first "official" Communion my Pastor Mel came from California. Fr. Al invited him to the inclusive Table of Jesus and sonehow I thought that was how the church was -open and inclusive of me, of Mel, of Protestants, and other faiths as well as Catholics. I was happy.

I served by counselling parishioners with and for Father Al in 'tough' situations and by teaching teen CCD. When the time came for my confirmation, we talked about a Saint's name. Father Al sugggested Katherine for Katherine Drexel and Catherine of Siena for his mother.I was moved to accept his suggestion and then studied the lives of the K/Catherines.

I found that Mother Drexel's spirit rested on our people: the black, poor and oppressed of the world and the church. I felt her spirit rested on me as well. Despite her birth in wealth and by my very different life, we were now connected spiritually, forever.

But little did I know then that I would aslo speak back to power within the Chruch as Saint Catherine of siena did. Yes, K/Catherine is a good name for me. I bless them both.
Lee,Judy. "What Would You Like to Hear?"
E-mail to Michele Birch-Conery.
4 Mar. 2009..

Let us today bless them as they bless us and ask tha Sts Katherine Drexel and Catherine of Siena accompany us deeply and powerfully on our RCWP path and that they dwell strongly within the hearts of our Bishops elect, Bridget Mary Meehan, Joan Houk, Andrea Johnson and Regina Nicolosi.

May they dwell in the hearts of our ordaining bishops Dana, Patricia, Ida and Christine.

May they strongly indwell in us all-- women and men internationally in RCWP. May the Jesus they knew as liberating social activist be with us all. May Spirit Holy Wisdom Sophia, who infused them intimately infuse and enlighten us just us intimately.
May the penetrating power of true discernement move us forward always.

From RCWP-Canada. Europe-West and from Judy Lee RCWP USA.