"I Do See Myself as a Woman Catholic Priest" Terese "Tee" Rigodanzo Kasper, ARCWP by Bill Jones, The Orland Park Prairie, June 9, 2016

Orland Park woman joins movement, gets ordained


Left" Terese "Tee" Rigodanzo Kasper and Bishop Mary Collingwood on Ordination

Terese ''Tee" Rigodanzo­ Kasper is a woman, and she says she is now a Roman Catholic priest.

"1 felt like my stepping out in some tiny, tiny way is going to make things more positive.This is a movement," she said. 

Rigodanzo-Kasper said she was raised Catholic, and she was "often involved in some type or church min­istry or employment." She became aware of the move­ment in recent years."I was vaguely aware of the movement, but I hadn't followed it closely," she said. When her husband died, however, she looked to get more involved in her faith, and she made a few calls. That is when she began inter­viewing to become a priest.

She said while the easier thing to do might have been to switch to a religion that welcomes female leadership, the core beliefs of 

Catholi­cism were still something that called to her. She simply considers the one church law that prohibits women from become priests to be unjust. "We feel we can still value the roots and traditions of what we feel are the impor­ tant messages of Jesus," she said. 

And becoming a priest held one important distinction for her over the sisterhood. "We are allowed to actually share the sacraments, which is huge," she said. Rigodanzo-Kasper noted the movement is not specific to women, though, despite that being its focus by name. 

She said the message, over­ all, is designed to be one of inclusion, and for the first time this year some men who support the movement also were ordained through it. Being part of it is not without its repercussions, though. Rigodanzo-Kasper said there have been ex­communications. And on a personal level she said she grounded, spiritual event."....

What comes next is any­one's guess, including Ri­godanzo-Kasper 's. She said many choose to practice in the buildings of other denom­inations when time allows. Some start home churches.

Rigodanzo-Kasper is sim­ ply doubling down on her involvement with the AR­CWP and mentoring another candidate for the priesthood. Whatever comes after that depends largely on where her faith guides her.

"I feel like I'm going to be growing and creating," she said."

Article in Spanish:
https://evangelizadorasdelosapostoles.wordpress.com/2016/06/18/yo-me-veo-como-una-mujer-sacerdote-catolico-terese-t-rigodanzo-kasper-arcwp/