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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests to Ordain 2 Sarasota Women as Priests and 2 Florida Women as Deacons

Release date: May 13, 2015
From: The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests www.arcwp.org
Contact: Janice Sevre-Duszynska, D.Min. (media) 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com
Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com
On Saturday, May 23 at 2 p.m. (Vigil of Pentecost) the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will ordain two priests and two deacons. The presiding bishop will be Bridget Mary Meehan of Sarasota. The ceremony will take place at St. Andrew United Church of Christ, 6908 Beneva Road in Sarasota, the home of Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community. All are welcome.
On April 29th Pope Francis defended pay equality, calling it “pure scandal” to pay women less than men. But when will the pontiff make women equal in the Church?
Although Francis recently championed for women in more leadership roles in the church, on the issue of women’s ordination the door remains closed.
However, the Good News is that the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests is living Gospel equality now by ordaining women and men to serve inclusive Catholic liturgical communities where all are welcome to receive sacraments.
To be ordained priests:
Sally Brochu, 73, sasb714@gmail.com 941.445.7610 of Nokomis has three children, 11 grandchildren and recently four great-grandchildren from a 32-year marriage. Involved in parish life, Sally was invited to attend the Center for Parish Ministry in Maine, a three-year commitment of learning and preparation for ministry. She earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Emmanuel College in Boston. After fulfilling Clinical Pastoral Counseling requirements, Sally became a Board Certified Chaplain through the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. She worked as the Director of Pastoral Care for a Catholic Regional Medical System in Maine for 10 years. “I loved working with a compassionate and professional chaplaincy team and our ministry to so many people at their times of need, but I also observed and experienced some of the inner workings of a hierarchical church that has lost its way. It became clear to me that there needed to be another model of church. To find it in ARCWP is remarkable and exciting as we work together to build a new model of Church with Jesus as the center and the Spirit guiding us forward. In Florida gay marriage is now legal. After my priestly ordination I will officiate at a wedding of a gay couple who have lived their faithful commitment to one another for 35 years.”

Kathryn Shea kathshea1950@gmail.com 941.650.6592 of Sarasota is a licensed clinical social worker and President and CEO of The Florida Center for Early Childhood in Sarasota. She is also Chair of the Community Alliance of Sarasota County. She is a mother, a grandmother, and an outspoken advocate for all children with mental health and behavioral disorders and those prenatally exposed to alcohol. Kathryn has worked for and led non-profit organizations in New York and Florida for over 35 years, serving mostly the marginalized, discounted, disenfranchised, and most vulnerable children and their families who have no voice. The Spirit led her to resist our country’s immoral stockpiling of nuclear arms and the invasion of Central America in the 1980s, for which she was arrested and jailed several times. She states, “I consider myself a Spirit-filled, social justice, Holy Shake up woman and now, I continue this life-long passion to serve as a Roman Catholic Woman Priest where I commit to working for social justice as long as I have breath left in me.”

To be ordained deacons:

Lorraine Sharpe Meyer
lorocks@icloud.com 407.580.5448 of Casselberry, FL as a nurse and a chaplain has specialized in care for people with Hansen’s Disease, AIDS and dementia. She has also worked with the homeless in many areas of the U.S. and Thailand. “As a lifelong Catholic, I so often witnessed male priests who, due to lack of proper training, were unable to comfort people requesting sacraments. Then, as a chaplain to people with dementia, I found that I was able to be a ‘real priest’ for them. The beauty of the experience sunk into my soul. When I discovered the Women Priest movement, I knew immediately that I belong to it.” She hopes that as a Catholic priest she will be able to continue to bring those who feel disenfranchised into a welcoming community.

Renee Dubignon ronnie.arcwp@yahoo.com 727.642.2070 of Holiday, FL worked as a detective with the New York City Police Department. In Harlem she developed a youth action unit. She also worked as an instructor in social science, human relations and cultural diversity. Her primary ministry was working with the New York City Police Department to overcome bigoted behaviors. In this context, she designed and implemented a citywide cultural diversity program tailored for each community. She counseled city officials and police officers that faced emotional challenges including paranoia and suicide. “My deep faith in God’s love guided me in the pastoral care of those in need of liberation from the negative effects of crime and evil. I have a calming spirit that aids me in helping others heal. God uses me as a vessel to heal physical and psychological problems. That is my calling.” 

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