Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests Ordination of Catherine Collins as Priest in San Francisco on Aug. 31, 2024

Catherine Collins- ARCWP Ordinand , left, Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP- Bishop- center and Andrea Grace Weaver ARCWP right, - Assistant
 on side The  Rev. John  Kirkley,  Rector of St. James Episcopal Church.   Elaine Phaff ARCWP

Rosemary Robinson ARCWP- MC

Today is the day God has made! We rejoice as we ordain Catherine Collins as a priest in a renewed priestly ministry in SF to serve God’s people in this vibrant community of faith! Amen! Alleluia! Cathy is walking in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles.

  According to all four gospels, Mary Magdalene and other women are present at the cross and tomb. In John’s narrative, the Risen Christ calls her by name, Mary, embraces her and sends her forth to tell the good news of Easter glory. She goes forth in the power of the Spirit to proclaim the core belief of Christianity that Christ’s new life and living presence is with them. 

Today, the Risen Christ calls Cathy by name, and sends her forth to proclaim the good news of God’s infinite, boundless love that all are welcome, all are equal and all are invited to celebrate sacraments in a Spirit inspired community of faith with Mary of Pentecost!

In the Gospel of Mary, the only gospel written by a woman, Mary Magdalene shares with the male disciples the life-giving revelations she has received from the Savior.

Scholars believe that this ancient text was written around the same time as the Gospel of John during a time in which various Christian communities believed women were as worthy and capable as men to teach and lead the church. All three versions of the Coptic and Greek manuscripts are missing pages in the beginning and in the middle. Don’t you wonder who ripped out the missing pages! 

The Gospels of Thomas and Philip- sacred texts, discovered in the Egyptian desert in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, list Mary Magdalene, Mary his mother and Mary his sister as always accompanying Jesus in his ministry.  (Meggan Watterson Mary Magdalene Revealed, p. 46)  

In the Gospel of Mary, we encounter Mary Magdalene as a courageous leader and insightful teacher in the early Jesus movement. 

 Contrary to papal teaching in recent decades, Jesus did not choose only men as apostles or disciples Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to proclaim important teachings that are at the heart of living the Gospel in every age.

Jesus’ legacy is Mary’s legacy and her legacy is our legacy. 

This good news should be included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and taught in all seminaries!

 

In chapter 10:11-13, the Gospel of Mary states; “We should clothe ourselves with the perfect human, acquire it for ourselves as he commanded us, and announce the good news.” This text reminds us of Jesus’s teachings that:  

 

We are all beloved of God, called to be fully human and fully divine. There is no hierarchy in the circle of love, all are connected, equal and loved. Each of us is created in God’s image and that this beautiful image is reflected in our humanity and divinity.

This means that we can see God’s face in us, in everyone and in all creation. The truth is that male, female, intersex, transexual, nonbinary is made equally in the divine image.

In Mary Magdalene Revealed, Meggan Watterson writes: “We have nothing to be ashamed of or to ever have to hide when it comes to whom we love. Who we love is not determined by our body or theirs, nor their sex or their gender, but the soul that expresses itself through it all.” (p.215)

In Mary’s gospel, the Savior said: “There is no such thing as sin…” (Gospel of Mary 3:3)

He cautioned about making unnecessary laws. “Go then, preach the good news about the Realm. Do not lay down any rule beyond what I determined for you, nor promulgate law like the lawgiver, or else you might be dominated by it.”(Gospel of Mary 4:8-10)

So why you- may wonder- does the RC Church need 1752 laws in the 1983 Code of Canon Law?

Roman Catholic Women Priests challenge one of these laws. We disobey Canon law #1024 because it is an unjust law that prohibits ordination of women. We do so as a prophetic act of obedience to the Spirit to embody the liberating Spirit at work in the ordained ministry of women and all genders. In our inclusive communities, we follow Jesus’ example of Gospel hospitality by welcoming all to participate in and receive all sacraments and by circular leadership in communities of baptized equals. 

In the Gospel of Mary, we see the tension that arises from Peter’s words that still echo in patriarchal power and domination over women in the Church today: 

Levi said to Peter, “Peter you are always ready to give way to your perpetual inclination to anger. And even now you are doing exactly that by questioning the woman as though you’re her adversary.” (Gospel of Mary 10:7-8)

A church that subjugates women with their teachings and structures contributes to women’s abuse and subjugation in the world.  In this, the Church violates its own teachings from the Second Vatican Council which states: “All forms of social or cultural discrimination in basic personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion must be curbed or eradicated as in incompatible with God’s designs.” (Gaudium et Spes 29) We believe that all justice issues are interconnected and thus, support all human rights initiatives. 

The good news we need to hear today is that there can be no spiritual authority outside of us that is greater than the voice of Spirit within us. This voice within us is a voice of love that affirms our moral agency and primacy of conscience in every decision we make.  

Pope Francis has called the Synod on Synodality to engage in a sacred listening process to hear all voices including those on the margins. We hope that Pope Francis will soon invite women priests to an open dialogue. If Pope Francis lifted the penalty of excommunication against Roman Catholic Women Priests, this action would send a powerful message that in a Synodal Church -no one is left out -and, that we are one Body in Christ, and a Church for everyone.

In the spirit of Mary Magdalene, we joyfully claim our spiritual authority as disciples and equals to ordain Cathy Collins a priest today!

Catherine Collins

Ordination

August 31, 2024

Jeremiah 1:4-8

 

Thank you all so much for coming today.  Some of my most favorite people in all the world are here.

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.” Sounds like the priesthood doesn’t it. No.  This is not about me.  It’s about all of us.  The God who created us, who knit us in our mothers’ womb, who has loved each one of us from all eternity, consecrated each one of us.  That’s what we celebrate at Baptism, at Confirmation. we celebrate, acknowledge publicly what has always been.  All of us chosen, loved, consecrated.  Every single one of us.

 

As we go through life, we choose jobs, careers.  I like to say I’ve had three careers—wife and mother, grandmother; CPAand church lady/church Mom. But here we are teachers, preachers, researchers; programmers, poets, plumbers, priests; cooks, carpenters, contractors; bakers brewers; librarians, nurses, doctors, lawyers, students, fire-fighters, administrators,counselors, etc.  All different, all wonderfully unique.  But there is one thing common to us all:  the God who created us, loves us into being, consecrated us and holds us in the hallow of her/his hands, lives within each one of us. We forget that!

 

In the 3rd century, St. Irenaeus said, “Christ became a child so that every child of Eve might become god.”  No wonder Mary Magdelene didn’t recognize Jesus Christ!  What does the risen Christ look like?  I think he looks like you.

(identify 3 or 4 people in the pews: He looks just like you.)

 

Our common call is to become Christ for one another.  How does that happen?  You are salt of the earth.  Just a pinch of saltdoes it.  Don’t overdo it—be your authentic self: a smile, a thank you, a telephone call: “How are you doing?” A sense of humor, a joke that can break the tension or make people laugh in the midst of their tears.

 

The divine spark within us sometimes becomes a flame a light. You are the light of the world. That light casts out the shadows,the darkness and suddenly we see things differently.

 

This call to the priesthood has been around for a long, long time.  It was very specific about 35 years ago during evening prayer.  And I answered Jesus saying, “I can’t do that.  I’m catholic and a woman.  I can’t do it.”  Nevertheless, the next morning I called the catholic seminaries at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the following August, I began classes at the Franciscan School of Theology. I loved it.  After graduation was Pastoral Associate in a parish and I loved it!

 

Some years after I left the parish, I was going into the bakery one day, and a man held the door for me.  I turned to say “thank-you” and he said, “I remember you, you’re that priest at St. Stephens.”  “Oh no, not me, I’m not a priest. I’m a woman.”

“Humph,” he said, “well I remember you.”

 

About that time, I started going to St. Agnes. Rosemary Robinson was the first person to welcome me. Salt of the earth. Just a pinch and I felt welcomed. I watched Rosemary as sheresponded to God’s call to ordination with such courage, a prophetic voice in our church. Rosemary shed the Christ light that made my impossibility not only possible but a reality.  Thank you, Rosemary.

 

After Rosemary’s ordination, as she was gathering a little community, there were all these questions. When, Where, How? We were introduced to John Kirkley, Rector of St. James.  He has been a constant source of support. And the community of St. James, always welcoming, and loving!  Thank you. Here we grew into Mary of Pentecost.

 

Everything I have done in this life has prepared me for this moment and the future: daughter, sister, wife, mother, 5 sons,mother-in-law, grandmother, College Players, the theatre world,CPA, the business world, church lady, church mom. But I had to let go of one very basic premise. The hierarchy cannot define me. It can no longer minimize or exclude me the way it does LGBTQ, black, brown, divorced, remarried.  Because the God who created us, perfectly, imperfect loves us just as we are.

 

In being ordained in this priesthood I join a priesthood and a community that echoes Jesus’ radical way of love—welcoming every person—regardless.

 

You have all been part of my journey, blessing me along the way.  Thank you for coming today.  Thank you for celebrating with me.  And I look forward to praying with you at Mary of Pentecost community.