"On a Jesuit campus in Lower Merion Township, inside a building named for a Delaware County man who would one day become a cardinal of the Roman Catholic church, the answers to clergy sexual abuse seemed, at least to those typically in church pews, perfectly clear.
Major changes are in order, said a group of thoughtful people who call themselves the faithful but who, unlike their bishops, do not wear mitre hats or white robes. Such people gathered at St. Joseph’s University a few nights ago to demand major institutional reforms.
Here’s some of what they had to say:
Force dirty bishops and priests to resign or fire them. Let women become priests. Let priests marry. Let married men and women become priests. Make sure that American leaders of the church return from this month’s Vatican meeting on clergy abuse with substantive orders to fix the rotting architecture of a religious institution that millions of Pennsylvanians turn to for sacred guidance."
LinkedI'For so long, it's like the church has not heard the voices of women,' says Sister Donna Brady
CBC News ·
Pope Francis acknowledged for the first time this week that priests and bishops have sexually abused nuns. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)
Sister Donna Brady wasn't surprised by the Pope's admission this week that nuns have been sexually abused by priests, but she's relieved the subject is finally out in the open.
Brady, a member of the Sisters of Saint Martha in Antigonish, said when she learned of the abuse years ago, she felt "a lot of anger and deep sorrow."
Brady spoke with CBC Information Morning guest host Pauline Dakin about what this means for the future of the Roman Catholic Church. Their conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Do you have a sense of why the Pope is making this admission now and addressing it?
Maybe because the time is right. It's almost like valuing women has been something our world in general hasn't really done, and our church in particular doesn't do that. And so maybe as women [we] are growing in awareness of our own value and that we do have gifts to offer, maybe that begins to open up the possibility that things can change.
I know you're a woman who has dedicated her life to the Catholic Church. So how are you feeling today?
I'm hoping that this opens a dialogue, and that things can begin to change. In my mind, this is all part of an abuse of power and authority. It has many manifestations. And for so long, it's like the church has not heard the voices of women and they haven't recognized and valued their gifts. It's very easy to use and abuse what you don't value.
So I'm hopeful that women are maybe tapping more into our own power, and by power I mean the gift that God has given us for the good of the community. And I think as we're knowing that and getting stronger in that, that allows us to enter into a dialogue that should change the power dynamics in the church.
The Vatican on Wednesday clarified comments by Pope Francis about a case of what he called "sexual slavery" within a French congregation of nuns, saying he was referring to an abuse of power that was reflected in instances of sexual abuse. (Max Rossi/Reuters)
Because traditionally in terms of power and influence and regard, nuns have sort of taken a back seat, haven't they?
In some ways within the institutional structure, the hierarchical structure of the church, that's true. But out in the world, which is always our mandate, we've been very powerful in terms of health, education, social services. Where we haven't had influence is in the hierarchical structure of the church.
You mentioned that this is a problem that we see take many forms. I think you're referring to the sexual abuse of children and more vulnerable people within church congregations?
That's true. And it's other forms of abuse of power. St. Paul says that there are many gifts in the church. The problem has been we've put all the gifts that the Spirit gives for the building up of the community, and we've put it into the domain of the ordained clergy.
They then have taken power over everything. So sexual abuse is one form of that abuse. Also you can work in parishes and have something all set up and another priest comes in and doesn't like it, so he can just dismantle the whole thing. Too much power.
And this isn't just happening to religious women. The whole abuse — both sexual and otherwise — has been happening to all women in the church.
Do you ever think this is just too deeply entrenched, that the Catholic Church is not fixable in its current configuration, let's blow it up and start over?
Sounds pretty tempting sometimes doesn't it? I guess my hope lies in the example of the LCWR, which is the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the U.S. For five years, the Vatican was investigating them, and in many ways they could have just walked away. But they really decided to stay and enter that process in a way that would develop dialogue, communion and bring about change.
And in the process they found a way of being true to themselves, bringing about change and yet working for unity and not division. So that gives me great hope. Because not all our clergy are bad, not all of our priests, not all of our bishops. To me it's an imbalance of power and the way forward is to begin to distribute the gifts back to the community.
Information Morning - NS
Antigonish Sister speaks out about about newly admitted sexual abuse of nuns at the hands of Catholic priests
00:0011:03
Another scandal in the Catholic Church, as the Pope admits nuns are abused at the hands of priests. We heard some thoughts on going forward from a Sister of St Martha. 11:03
What would you want to see change right away?
I would want to see right away that the rethinking and restructuring of the church hierarchy happens not only from the top down but from the grassroots up. In the parishes right now, the voice of the laity is only advisory. I would say it has to be set up in such a way that laity's voice has authority and power. And we start on the parish level — as well as coming from the Vatican level — then I think things can begin to move.
And does this mean allowing women to be priests?
I don't think so. I think that's a whole separate issue. What we're talking about is authority in the church. Right now all authority is in the hands of the clerics. Doesn't have to be. That whole system can change, as far as I'm concerned.
What do you think it's going to take to make change happen?
I'm not sure, but I have great hope in the spirit of God being able to move mountains. It's happened before and this just might be the time … I think right now we are being offered an invitation to rethink who we are, who we're called to be in relation with each other, our earth and our God. It's like everywhere we look it's so obvious, and maybe it's going to become more obvious to more people that the structures we're operating under is they're the exact opposite of what Jesus lived and taught, and they're definitely not working.
From left to right: Kathryn Shea ARCWP, Son Seth, Mary Theresa Streck ARCWP , Co-Presiders at MMOJ Liturgy
Theme:There is Only
Love
Welcome
to Mary Mother of Jesus, an inclusive Catholic community where all are welcome
to share the Eucharist.We use inclusive
language in our scripture readings and prayers.You will be invited to gather around the Table to pray the Eucharistic
Prayer.We warmly welcome our newcomers
to our liturgy and invite you to introduce yourself at the announcement time
after Communion.
Gathering Hymn:Namaste
by Mark Hayes
https://youtu.be/7olTHC5rscE
Centering/Opening Prayer
O Holy
One, we are delighted to gather with you as we share this sacred space and as
we celebrate our oneness in you.You
gave us the most sacred of commands, “Do onto others, as you would have them do
unto you.”We envision theday when everyone practices your desire.We know that you are with us as we walk each
day in conscious awareness of our responsibility to love one another and to bring
forth your kin-dom on Earth. And to this, we say,AMEN.
Community Reconciliation Loving God of Mercy, You understand the failures of our
human nature. You grant us – despite our weaknesses – forgiveness for our
failures. We thank you,
Holy One, for your Spirit within us, calling us to compassionately love one
another.Teach us the virtues of pardon
and peace so that we may – in turn – learn to forgive one another for our
failures to others and our planet Earth.We ask this of you, our healer and comforter.Amen.
Presider:Let us give
glory to our loving Holy One.
All (Sung):Glory to
God, glory, O praise God, Alleluia.Glory to God, glory.
O praise the name of our God. (3X)
Liturgy of The Word
First Reading: Isaiah 58:6-12
6-9 “This is
the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of
exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m
interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the
homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being
available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your
lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. I will
secure your passage. Then when you pray, you will hear Me answer. You’ll call
out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
9-12 “If you
get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other
people’s sins, if you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves
to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your
shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go.
These are the inspired words of the prophet, Isaiah, and the community affirms them by saying, Amen. (interpretation taken from the Message Bible)
Response:May the Christ Light Shine in you, May the
Christ Light Shine in me and together, we will shine with God’s love to the
world.
Second Reading: A Reading about Love
When you love
you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in
the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you
worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of
praise upon your lips.
These are the
inspired words of Kahlil Gibran and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.
Gospel Acclamation:Celtic
ALLELUIA!
https://youtu.be/AFvdHcrPhkw
Gospel: Mathew 5:13-16
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be
salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your
saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light,
bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re
going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you
light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you?
I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on
a light stand—shine!
Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to
others, you’ll prompt people to open up with the Beloved, the Holy One.
These
are the inspired words of Matthew, disciple of Jesus and we affirm them by
saying, Amen.(interpretation taken from the
Message Bible)
Shared Homily/Community Reflection
Mary Theresa's Homily Starter
-->
This coming week,
many of us will celebrate Valentine’s Day – a day to remember the sweethearts
in our life through many expressions of love. The survival of our species
continues because of this beautiful attraction to one another. And this is
very, very good!
Today in our readings
we are pondering a different love, a self-giving love that goes deeper than the
physical attraction. This is a love that flows from a covenantal fidelity with
the Holy One and with each other. This is a love that sustains us in a world
that sometimes feels like chaos.
In our first reading
from Isaiah, the prophet reminds the people of Israel of their covenantal
relationship with God. Israel is challenged to a live a communal love that does
justice. This love will make their lives shine in the darkness – in the chaos.
They are to get rid of all oppression, take care of one another and then their lights
will turn on and their lives will turn around!
In the second
reading, Kalil Gibran, tells us that through self-giving love, we are truly in
the heart of the God. And when we are there,
the Holy One directs our actions and desires.
In the Gospel of
Matthew, we are reminded of the fruits of self-giving love. We become
salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth so that through
us, people will taste godliness. What a concept. We are to shine for all to
see. What beautiful readings.
Today we celebrate Seth
who turned 30 on Thursday. Seth is the Face of God to this beautiful community
and we certainly have experienced his bright light. It is the self-giving love
of Kathryn and Stephen and family and friends that continues to surround Seth
and nurture him into the miracle we see before us.
Happy Birthday, dear
Seth. When we look at you, we know this to be true: there is only, only love.
Profession of Faith
We believe in
the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational
understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that
ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, bringer of healing, heart of
Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's prophets,
mystics, and saints. We believe that We are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of divine love, a
source of wisdom and truth, and an instrument of peace in the world. We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being, the depth living in each of us. We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us
for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it
happen.
Prayers of the Community
Presider: We are
people of faith.We believe in the power
of prayer.We believe that we send
blessings to those who are struggling and who need to experience hope; to those
who are grieving and need to be comforted in their loss, to those who are
facing medical challenges that they be granted hope and healing. We bring the
needs of people throughout our world to our community and to our gracious and
comforting God.
Response:We are filled
with joy as we awaken to your call.
Presider 1: For what else do we pray?
Presider 2:Joyful
God, we know you attend to our prayers and respond with your wisdom and
love.In you, we place our faith.ALL: Amen.
Preparation of the Gifts
Offertory Song: “We Are Called” by David Haas https://youtu.be/5DCzqHV-Xns
Presider 1: Blessed
are you, Jesus of Nazareth, through your goodness we have this bread and this
wine and our own lives to offer.Through
this sacred meal may we remember how to live the new story.
All:Blessed be God
forever.
Presider 2:Divine
Presence, we believe that you are always with us, loving in each of us and
healing others through us.
All:Namaste (with a
nod…3x)
Presider 1:Lift up
your hearts.
All:We lift them up
in tender love, open to serve.
Presider 2: Let us
give thanks for all that we have.
All: It is our joy to be grateful for our many blessings as
we gather at our family table.(let us
“gather at our family table)
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Presider 1: O Holy
One, you have been called by many names by many people in the centuries of our
planet’s life. Yet, no name truly defines you or describes you.We celebrate you as the marvelous, loving
energy of life who caused us and our world to be. We celebrate you as the
Source of light and life and love, and we celebrate your presence and all-ways
care.
Presider 2: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer
together:(Eucharistic prayer taken from
the work of Diarmuid O’Murchu and Jay Murnane)
All: O Holy One, we stand at a critical moment in Earth’s
history – a time when humanity must choose its future.
As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and
fragile, the future holds both peril and great promise.
May we recognize that, in the midst of a magnificent
diversity of cultures and life forms, we are one human family and one Earth
community with a common destiny.
United with our vast universe, with our Mother-Planet and
her people everywhere, with one another and You, Holy One, our spirits dance
and sing this song of praise:
“We are Holy, Holy, Holy”
We give grateful thanks for those who came before us, for
all those who gave from their hearts, who gave from their lives, that there
might be a better world, a safer world, a kinder world, we pray for peace in
their name.
And for the children, that they may live, that they may have
children of their own and that it will go on -this great blossoming that is meant to go on and on – we pray for peace,
in their name.
And for all peoples of this earth who have no voice in this,
For the animals that have no voice in this,
For the plants, the trees, the flowers that have no voice in
this,
For all who share this earth with us, we pray for peace in
their name.
We thank you for our brother, Jesus. He showed us so simply,
so tenderly, how the world is in our hands. He had nothing in this world but
your love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was
more than enough, and that remains our clarity in the midst of confusion: the
miracle of healing, new hope, nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
Presider 1: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of
the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light
and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
All: On the night before he faced his own death and for the
sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and
friends.He reminded them of all that he
taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and
washed their feet.
Presider 1 lifts bread.
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the
Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them
saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
(pause)
Presider 2 lifts cup
He then raised high the cup of blessing, spoke the grace,
and offered them the wine saying:
Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my
life,
for you and for everyone, for liberation from every
oppression.
Whenever you do this, Re-member me and all that I have
taught you!
(pause)
Loving Source of All, we have looked for others to save us
and to save our world. Yet, we are called, and consecrated and sent into the
world to establish justice and show the blessed fulfillment that comes with
simplicity and the giving of ourselves in love.We will make new our commitment to the harmony of the original vision of
creation.
We will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and
our small circles. Like Jesus, in all openness, we will be filled with your own
Spirit and renew the face of the earth.
For it is through learning to live as he lived,
And why he lived,
And for whom he lived,
That we awaken to your Spirit within,
Moving us to worship you truly,
O Holy One,
At this time and all time and in all ways.
And we say yes to You!
Presider 2: Let us sing together the prayer of Jesus: (adapted from "Our Mother" by Her Church: https://youtu.be/z0Vv6rTWdIY)
O Holy One,
who is within us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Oh, Each day you give us all that we need;
You remind us of our limits, and we let go, we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place
within within, within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever.
now and forever, now and forever. Amen (Miriam
Therese Winter)
The Sign of Peace
Presider 2: God, we
know that you give us peace and unity beyond what any words can express.You are here with us as we join hands in a
circle of love and sing our prayer: “Let there be peace on earth.”
https://youtu.be/0_DxNpW1kHQ
Litany at the Breaking of the Bread
Presider 1: Please join in our prayer for the breaking of
the bread:
(presiders break the bread during prayer)
All: We are called to
live the Gospel of peace and justice in harmony and with joy. We will live
justly, love tenderly and walk with integrity in Your Presence.
(Presiders lift bread and wine)
Presider 2: This is the bread of life and the cup of
blessing. Through it we are nourished and we nourish each other.
All: What we have
heard with our ears, we will live with our lives; as we share communion, we
will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Presider1: Our Eucharistic celebration is all-inclusive. We
belong to the Divine and to each other and nothing can separate us. Everyone is
invited to receive at this friendship table. Please pass the bread and wine
with the words “You are the love of God in the world.”
Communion Meditation: There is Only Love (Mindy Lou Simmons Solo)
https://youtu.be/qhMTfIRrB7o
Community Blessing
May wonder and thanksgiving fill us, may compassion
penetrate us, that we may penetrate the numbness that continues our society’s
injustices. May we know that we are loved.
May we continue to be the face of the Holy One to each other
and may our name be a blessing in our time!Amen.
