Is The Cincinnati Enquirer Afraid of the
Archbishop of Cincinnati?
Release date: May 20, 2013
Contact: Janice Sevre-Duszynska, D.Min. (media),
Why would The Cincinnati Enquirer not
cover an ordination because it is “illegal” in the Roman Catholic Church?
We sent The Enquirer the press release
for the Saturday, May 25th ordination of Cincinnati’s first woman
priest, Dr. Debra Meyers. She will be ordained at 1 p.m. at St. John’s
Unitarian Universalist Church, 320 Resor Avenue in Cincinnati 45220.
(See press release below).
The local media has covered our ordinations across
the country because they are news and of interest to the public. Reuters and
The Louisville Courier Journal covered our recent April 27th
ordination of Dr. Rosemarie Smead in Louisville.
We wonder why The Cincinnati Enquirer is
not interested? Does it have anything to do with the institutional church’s
stance on women priests?
Women priests are leading the Catholic Church
into a new era of justice and equality for women in the church. We are the
“Rosa Parks” of the Roman Catholic Church. We think a news blackout by The
Enquirer because we are “illegal” according to church authorities is one
view, but not the view of the majority of Catholics who would welcome news of
the first woman priest ordination in Cincinnati.
Historic First Ordination in Cincinnati as Dr.
Debra Meyers will be ordained a Roman Catholic Woman Priest
Release date: May 7, 2013
On Saturday, May 25, 2013, Dr. Debra Meyers of
Batavia, Ohio will be ordained a priest in the Association of Roman Catholic
Women Priests. The presiding bishop will be Bridget Mary Meehan of Falls
Church, Virginia and Sarasota, Florida. The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m.
at St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church, 320 Resor Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio
45220.
All are welcome.
Media are invited to a pre-ordination
conference on Saturday, May 25, at 11:30 a.m. at the church with the candidate
and Bridget Mary Meehan. Call Janice (859-684-4247)
to schedule an interview. Respectful filming/photo taking during the ceremony
is acceptable.
The ordained is theologically prepared and has
many years of experience in ministry.
Dr. Debra Meyers earned a Ph.D. in History and
Women's Studies and a MA in Religious Studies with an emphasis on pastoral
care. The author of several books, she is a professor of History and Women's
Studies at Northern Kentucky University. Her ministry focuses primarily on
single mothers and their children who make up the vast majority of impoverished
people in our country. She also serves the Resurrection Community in Cincinnati
where they are living the Gospel of equality and social justice. Dr. Meyers is
a wife, the mother of two successful children and a grandmother.
"God called me to the Catholic priesthood
as a child and every step of my academic and spiritual life as well as my
social justice activism has prepared me to serve God's people as a
pastor," said Dr. Meyers. "I thank ARCWP for the opportunity to
fulfill God's call."
Since two-thirds of the world's poor are
women, justice and equality must be top priorities for our church. Our world
and church can no longer function without the voices of women's lived experience.
Women priests are visible reminders that all women are images of God.
On March 13, five hours before the new pope
was elected, a woman priest celebrated Mass in Rome. The church is at a
crossroads with a new pope and women priests. This paradigm represents a holy
shakeup and is pregnant with potential for renewal and change. Pope Francis's
simplicity and solidarity with the poor and marginalized is the Good News that
Catholics have been waiting for. Now is the time to embrace women.
We are encouraged by the tender gesture of
Pope Francis who washed the feet of women in prison on Holy Thursday, thus
breaking the sexist tradition of washing only men's feet.
During the Easter homily Francis affirmed
women as the first witnesses to the Resurrection. "This tells us that God
does not choose according to human criteria...The women are driven by love and
know how to accept this proclamation with faith: they believe, and immediately
transmit it, they do not keep it for themselves."
Women who have accepted the call from God to
priesthood and who have become women priests want to share "the joy of
knowing that Jesus is alive, the hope that fills their heart."
The Association of Roman Catholic Women
Priests calls on Francis to embrace the full equality of women, including women
priests.
Women priests are answering the call and our
movement is growing since it began in 2002 with the ordination of seven women
on the Danube. There are now 150 in our Roman Catholic Women Priests' Movement
in the world, including 100 in the U.S. living and serving in over 60 inclusive
Catholic communities and welcoming all to receive the sacraments.
According to a recent CBS Gallup Poll, over
70% of Catholics in the U.S. support women priests. There is no shortage of
vocations as women are now saying "Yes" to this call and are being
ordained. Two women will be ordained priests and two will be ordained deacons
in Falls Church, Virginia in June.
See:
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