PRESS RELEASE: Newly Ordained Priest, Shanon Sterringer ARCWP, from Fairport Harbor , Ohio to Celebrate Mass of Thanksgiving on September 15, 2019 at 1:00PM

Bishop Mary Eileen Collingwood ARCWP (right) and Christine Mayr Lumetzberger RCWP (left) ordain Shanon Sterringer ARCWP a priest in Linz, Austria

Shanon Sterringer, Fairport Harbor, OH, was ordained a priest through the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP), in Linz, Austria on August 3, 2019.  She will celebrate her first Liturgy of Thanksgiving on Sunday, September 15, 2019 at 1:00 pm at the Community of St. Hildegard at 630 Plum St. in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.  

Shanon’s historic ordination took place near the Danube River with priests present from three countries, including two ordaining bishops: Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, RCWP (Austria, 2002, Founder of the Roman Catholic Women Priest movement), and Mary Eileen Collingwood, ARCWP (Cleveland, Ohio).   Dagmar Braun Celeste, RCWP, former First Lady of Ohio, was also in attendance.

Dr. Sterringer earned a Ph.D. (2016) in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio; DMin (2012), M.Div. equivalent (2010), and a MA in Theology (2007) from St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio; MA in Ministry (2011) from Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio; and a BA in Religious Studies (2003) from Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio.  Prior to following her call to ordination, Shanon served as a certified Lay Ecclesial Minister and Master Catechist in the Diocese of Cleveland.  She is an adjunct faculty member of Global Ministries University and the People’s Catholic Seminary, and a commissioned member of the Federation of Christian Ministries.

Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer will be joined for the dedication ceremony on September 15, 2019 at 1:00 pm. by Bishop Mary Eileen Collingwood, ARCWP, and other ordained women.  Following the opening liturgy, there will be a ceremonious “ground breaking” for the future Hildegard Herb Garden Project, expected to be completed by September, 2020.  The church will be open after the liturgy for a public open house. For more information, please email worship@hildegardhaus.com