Bishop
Mary Eileen Collingwood, ARCWP, ordained four women in Brecksville, Ohio. Susan Gusik, was ordained a priest and
Toni-Kay Attanasio, Geraldine Lococo and Kathleen O’Connor Sauline were
ordained deacons.
Mary
Eileen delivered the following homily:
We gather today to celebrate with
great joy the ordination of Susan Marie Guzik as priest, and Toni-Kay
Attanasio, Geraldine Lococo, and Kathleen O’Connell Sauline as deacons with the
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.
As most of us know so well, very
joyful and grace-filled experiences often happen at the same time others are
found suffering in the worst way.
This very day protesters are
gathering across our nation demonstrating against a zero-tolerance policy on
immigration. The many people struggling
to come into this country have been victims within their nation of origin, and
find after coming here, their struggle continues with the past and present
policies we have here, in this nation, on immigration.
The separated families’ situation
goes on indefinitely. Many parents are already deported and their children
remain in limbo in migrant detention facilities. Family shelters for those families who can
now remain together are quickly running out of room.
This is not a public relations
problem. This is a human moral
tragedy. The sorrowful images that are
flashed across our television screens portray an inhumanity that is spreading
like wild fire across our nation. This
crisis of immense proportion is far from over.
To be clear, this is a moral
opportunity. This is the moment in time
to which we have been called to be here for our vulnerable children and
brothers and sisters in peril. There is
great urgency swelling up in the hearts of those who care to re-unite children
with their families. And the question of
the day is: When will it happen?
Matthew’s Gospel comes to the
rescue today, on this very day of joyful celebration and righteous protest.
The setting of Jesus’ teaching is
so serene—a mountain set apart, a teacher directing his message to his closest
disciples, simple statements coupled with glorious rewards. What some have come to know as Christian law,
the Beatitudes actually originated in the ancient Jewish Wisdom teachings. The
reading draws a connection between a particular manner of behavior and the
consequences that flow from such behavior.
It is important to note that the
behavior or values Jesus advocates is frequently the opposite of those espoused
by society at large. And indeed, these
teachings offer us an opportunity to seek the wisdom that we so desperately
need in our times. To be certain, each
and every one of them invite us to turn our standards and our way of life
upside down and inside out. In this way,
we come to understand the challenges set before us. We need to change the narrative. These beatitudes, these blessings, call for
profound inner transformation.
The disciples of Jesus are not
merely his followers; they also continue the work he began. Work to secure justice for the oppressed,
giving food to the hungry, giving sight to the blind, protecting strangers,
sustaining the fatherless and the widowed.
Our ordinands today, as disciples of Jesus, are committed to work to
sustain the good that is in the world and to transform whatever needs
transformation.
My friends, these women of faith
are living examples of the Beatitudes in our time.
Susan Guzik, our octogenarian,
who, contrary to what some may believe, is not being rewarded with a life time
achievement award today, but rather with the recognition and confirmation that
her entire life has been grounded in the vastness of her priestly life and
witness among us. She remains an avid reader with a desire to learn and to
serve. Sue is always seeking right relations
with God, self, others, and all creation. She seeks it actively, hungering and
thirsting for justice. Through her many
active years in Stephen Ministry responding to the needs of people, she has
nurtured right relationships in her family, her parish and surrounding
communities for many decades.
Toni-Kay Attanasio, our
California school psychologist, is a mighty force for the good. She has taken on the toughest kids in the
toughest area of the city. Many have
come to know that those efforts, grounded in her contemplative nature, reflect
a deep commitment to individuals with special needs and their families. She is a beacon in the dark, a guiding post
for those who need direction, a fierce advocate for those in need. And along with all of that-- and perhaps more
importantly-- she is a spiritual seeker, believer, and prophet for our
time. Toni-Kay has traveled the rough
roads of persecution and accepts it as part and parcel to following Jesus’ life
and ministry of equality and justice.
Gerry Lococo, a leader of prayer
and spiritual force for the Sunday’s Bread Community in Pittsburgh, is a
calming presence and listening spirit among us.
When you spend any time with
Gerry at all, you know you have encountered God face to face. Contrary to Jewish thought that believed
human beings could not see God and still live, anyone who is in Gerry’s
presence walks away knowing that they are not only alive, but spiritually
energized! She stands in a holy place
and receives many blessings. In turn, so
goes those who meet, pray and live with Gerry.
Be it in a show of solidarity in ecumenical gatherings, or a clear voice
for justice, Gerry shines her light for all to see and witness.
Kathleen Sauline can walk into a
room and immediately gauge the level of joy or discord present. She has been blessed with an inner sense of
knowing where she needs to be in service to others. Kathleen has a clear vision of the necessary
components that build authentic relationships.
She has worked with teachers, guiding them through restorative practices
that build right relationships with their students. The faith community that nurtured her through
the years of raising her family has encouraged her and has fostered within her
an enlightened sense of church. Kathleen
offers others mercy and forgiveness in generous portions. She has learned the meaning of mercy as a
foundational component of Christian ministry.
Blessed are we who gather here
today to witness the ordination of these formidable women of faith. Our church will be blessed beyond our
imaginations by their lifegiving prophetic witness.
We celebrate this sacrament of
Holy Orders this afternoon knowing that the blessings of the Holy One are upon
us, for we have been anointed and share in Jesus’s life and ministry as priest,
prophet and royal witness to truth, equality and justice in our church and our
world.
Our prayer is that our
institutional church will soon awaken to realize these pearls of great worth
are ordained women who are keeping the vision of justice and equality in an
inclusive church alive and well. Yet the
same question comes to the surface once again: When will it happen?
The narrative does change, my
friends, when we encounter individuals who have a vision and follow Our
Creator’s Living Spirit among us. We come together today with full
understanding of the challenges we face as a nation and as a church. We believe that transformation is possible on
any level of society, if we see with eyes of faith and work with hearts that
move mountains. We celebrate that very faith
in these women’s hearts today. May it
always be so!
