Homily of Janice Sevre-Duszynska: Walking with Mary in Prophetic Obedience

Janice Sevre-Duszynska conversing with Fr. Roy Bourgeois who co-celebrated ordination of Janice as a Roman Catholic Womanpriest in Lexington, Kentucky on Aug. 9, 2008
This photo was taken at SOA Watch in Ft. Benning, GA. (above)

Liturgy SOA Watch: Janice Servre-Duszynska gave homily and presided. (photos below)

Homily for the Friday Night Mass at Ft. Benning (Progressive Catholic Coaltion): November 21, 2008

...And Fr. Roy accepted my invitation to participate in my ordination ceremony as a Roman Catholic woman priest.

Join with me: How sweet to my taste is your promise! How sweet to my taste is your promise!

We the people of God welcomed Fr, Roy to the Unitarian Universalist Church in Lexington, KY, where he co-celebrated my Ordination Mass with women priests and the non-ordained. He laid his hands on me in blessing after woman Bishop Dana Reynolds ordained me the 33rd Roman Catholic Womenpriest in the United States. (tambourine)

Then in a homily that shook the Earth all the way to the Vatican -- which will never be the same -- he proclaimed: "We need the wisdom, sensitivity, experiences, compassion and courage of women in the priesthood if our church is to be healthy and complete."

It is written: "As many of you as were baptized into Christ, you have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Paul in his letter to the Galatians 3: 27-28. (tambourine)

And every day Fr. Roy was teaching about women priests. And whenever and wherever he spoke about the School of the Americas, the people of God grew excited and were full of joy (tambourine) as they clapped for his courage to walk alongside women . And with tears of joy in their eyes they asked him questions about his participation in my ordination -- his solidarity with women priests and, truly, women everywhere... (tambourine)

And everyday he has also been teaching his fellow priests who live in fear of the Vatican, (while Christ calls us to liberation, not fear) asking that "we break our silence and address this issue of the ordination of women in our homilies, in our clergy meetings and with our bishops." "Silence is the voice of complicity," says Fr. Roy.

Many of the chief priests, bishops, cardinals and the pope, meanwhile, were seeking to muzzle him through excommunication, but they could find no way to keep him quiet because all the people were hanging on his words and rising up (tambourine) ...rising up (tambourine)...rising up (tambourine).

Fr. Roy -- who has ears which hear the Living God -- will not recant what his conscience tells him Jesus would do.

For after witnessing the atrocities of the war in Vietnam, Fr. Roy had taken the scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and land. Yes, he took it and swallowed it and ....hmmmm (tambourine) hmmmm....it tasted as sweet as honey...the vision of a just and peaceful world where human beings live into the fullness and richess of God's glory....
(tambourine)

But, when he had eaten it, what? His stomach did turn sour and churned with the chaos of the injustices, the inequalities, the sufferings of the poor, the exploited, the killings, the lack of peace...the crucified Living Christ , the Living Christ crucified...especially in Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Columbia, Iraq...within the United States Government, within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and, yes, within the Vatican.

Now as then, the voice from heaven continues saying to him: "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings"...even those who sit on the throne in Vatican City. (sound of The Wind).

So Fr. Roy goes up to the angel. You know our Fr. Roy. He tells the angel, Okay, give me that small scroll." (The Wind) . He swallows it...(tambourine)

-----

Today is a day of much meaning for justice and peacemakers. Today the Church celebrates the feast day of The Presentation of Mary in the Temple of Jerusalem. Some Jewish parents, not content with the general conscecration of their children to God, brought them to the temple at three years old. Joachim and Anna took Mary to live in the Temple for the next nine years of her life. (Introduce archaeolgist/theologian Dorothy Irvin's calendar on Women's Leadership in Early Christianity and show pictures). Here these girls and boys were dedicated to divine service and learned how to prophesy...through song and dance as well as with the harp, tambourine and lyre...

Let's make a noise unto our God now as we prophesy as justice and peacemakers this weekend. (Feel free to stamp your feet, shout out, sing out...)

In the first centuries, in both the eastern and western churches, Mary was considered a priest in addition to a prophet.

We remember her also today for a poignant prayer for the oppressed throughout the ages that came to her through the prophetesses Hannah and Anna. I think I'm going to rename The Magnificat -- "Dominican Sister Marge Tuite's Prayer." Like she taught me in the early 80s, it makes the connections between sexism and racism, sexism and militarism, sexism and imperialism...

This prayer has taken on even more meaning since Fr. Roy's prophetic action for me as a woman priest and all women called to ordination, for our Roman Catholic Church and the discipleship of equals to which Jesus calls us.

Today I ask you -- prophets of justice and peace -- to pray with me, this modern version. I prayed it daily in federal prison for crossing the line at Ft. Benning...

The text is from Margaret Cessna of the Sisters of the Hearts of Mary.
It is based on the prayer of Mary, woman of all women. Let us join our hearts and spirits with hers as we sing a new song to celebrate the women of all times and places. (tambourine)

Let us begin:

My soul magnifies the Word...And my spirit rejoices in God who loves me....For this God, Who is, has done great things for me...My heart and my body give breath to the world...My spirit, courageous, gives meaning to hope...The God Who Is tender lives deep in my heart, holds close the children, my gift to creation...Fills friends who hunger with goodness and peace...The God Who Is mercy forgives when I fall...Welcomes my efforts...Heals deepest pain...The God Who Is promise gives life to my word...Gives glory to my life, the life of the world...My name is called blessed on the lips of all ages...Holy is God's gift...Holy is God's name.

Mary, Mother of Jesus House Church Retreat and Liturgy on Dec. 6, 2008

Welcome to Mary, Mother of Jesus, Catholic Community/House Church.

On Sat. Dec. 6th, 2008, members of Mary, Mother of Jesus community,(some of our snowbirds are not in Fl. yet) met for prayer, reflection and discernment. Our prayer and sharing led us to conclude that our ministry in the local church in Sarasota/Venice is to reflect God's love embracing all by living this vision of inclusivity and compassionate care and outreach to our sisters and brothers. We are called to "shepherd"-- to give comfort to God's people now.

We consecrated ourselved to be the hands and feet of Christ in our local communities. One of our prayers is that our brothers, priests, religious and bishops, will embrace Jesus vision of justice for women in the church and work for a renewed priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church as an inclusive, renewed discipleship of equals.

Tomorrow, Dec. 8th is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mary, Mother of Jesus is the role model of our local Sarasota House Church Catholic Community. Our work for justice, equality and a renewed priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church is rooted in the prophetic vision of Jesus which is echoed in Mary's prayer for justice, equality and empowerment. Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat, reflects the prophetic vision of Jesus who rejects domination and injustice and calls us to mutual service and empowerment. Mary prays to the Holy One who has done great things for her and portrays God as the liberator of the marginalized and oppressed. “God raises up the lowly and puts down the mighty from their thrones.” As we know, women continue to be the oppressed of the oppressed in our world to this day.

In praying the Magnificat, we stand with Mary, the simple teenaged, pregnant, but unmarried woman of faith, in her clairvoynat perception of God's relationship with us, through the strong langugage of her prayer. In this prayer, Mary is a symbol of strength, comfort, and power for the disinherited and powerless of the world. She is companion, champion, and change-agent for the righteous poor, who will triumph over oppression and experience the justice promised to them by God. (Praying with Women of the Bible, p.105)

Jesus, Mary's child, called women and men to be disciples. "With Jesus went the Twelve, as well as some women he had healed of evil spirits and sicknesses; Mary of Magdala, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Suzanna; and many others who were contributing to the support of Jesus and the Twelve with their own funds. " (Luke 8:2-3)

It is obvious from the archaelogical evidence that the early Christian community upheld Mary, Mother of Jesus, as mentor of women leaders and office holders in the early church. In St. Priscilla’s catacomb, there is a beautiful frescoe of Mary, dressed in bishops’ robes and seated on a bishop’s chair, present at the ordination of a woman priest. Mary is also depicted in a group portrait with Episcopa Theodora in a mural in St. Praxedis Church in Rome.

Mary, Mother of Jesus, may we live your prophetic call as witnesses to justice, equality, mutual service and empowerment.

Women's Ordination on the Docket Again

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/28-0
Published on Friday, November 28, 2008 by CommonDreams.org
Women's Ordination on the Docket Againby Olga Bonfiglio
The Vatican recently threatened to excommunicate Father Roy Bourgeois for his position that women be ordained priests.

This article is published below with permission of Olga Bonfiglio and is taken from Common Dreams

Published on Friday, November 28, 2008 by CommonDreams.org
Women's Ordination on the Docket Again
by Olga Bonfiglio
The Vatican recently threatened to excommunicate Father Roy Bourgeois for his position that women be ordained priests. This out-of-the-blue, extreme measure against a prominent social justice advocate seems strange and ill-conceived. On the other hand, it serves as an opportunity to re-visit the issue since Pope John Paul II suspended all talk on it in 1994.
Father Bourgeois, 70, who began his 36-year ministry as a Maryknoll priest in Bolivia, has been an outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America since 1980 after a Salvadoran death squad raped and killed four American churchwomen. In 1990 he founded the School of the Americas Watch (http://www.soaw.org), which has been holding weekend vigils annually at Fort Benning, Ga., to demand closure of the U.S. Army's combat training school for Latin American soldiers. The School of the Americas (renamed "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation" in 2001) "has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics," according to the SOAW (http://www.soaw.org/type.php?type=8).
What led to the altercation between the Vatican and Father Bourgeois was the fact that he showed his support for women's ordination by delivering a homily at the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska, 58, on August 9 in Lexington, Ky. She was the sixth woman ordained this year in the United States, according to the National Catholic Reporter (http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1568).
Actually, Sevre-Duszynska is among 60 other women who have been ordained since June 29, 2002, when the first seven women stepped forward, according to the Women's Ordination Conference (www.womensordination.org/content/view/229/104/). Four of these women priests have become bishops and nearly 100 more are in preparation programs sponsored by the Roman Catholic Women Priests (www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org).
It is no small matter that these women seek ordination. As priests they are demanding that women be seen as equals to men in the eyes of the Church. Women's ordination reflects secular society's movement toward gender equality that sprouted in the late 1960s and which we largely take for granted today. During this time women all over the world have made bold strides in taking on various roles to show that they ARE equal to men. One who was well-schooled in that idea almost made it to the White House!
However, the process for change in the Church is long and difficult because theology and tradition hold a lot of sway. For example, the Church's case that the priesthood remain male is summed up this way: Jesus was a man, his 12 apostles were all men and the Church has never had women priests. Many theologians and Church historians have differed on this judgment and on Thanksgiving weekend 1975, hundreds of people met for the first Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) in Detroit to hear them respectfully and logically make the case that women be ordained.
The work of the WOC has continued since then and the idea of women priests is no longer an aberration. According to a September 2005 Gallup Organization survey, 63 percent of U.S. Catholics said they supported ordaining women and only 29 percent indicated that an exclusive male, celibate clergy was "very important." The Associated Press-Ipsos poll taken in April 2005 found the same result.
The Episcopalian Church can probably be thanked for much of this attitude change. On July 29, 1974, eleven women forced the issue by finding three bishops willing to ordain them. Although the Church immediately and vociferously declared the ordinations invalid, two years later, the 72nd General Convention in Philadelphia passed a resolution declaring that "no one shall be denied access" to ordination on the basis of their sex. In 2006 the American Episcopalians elected their first woman presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori.
The Vatican is undoubtedly fearful that women's ordination will further divide the Church. The dissension suffered since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) has been enormous and no one is in the mood for much more. Back then Catholics left the Church in droves. Priests and nuns quit. Vocations plummeted. Recently, the priest shortage has precipitated numerous and heart-wrenching parish closings and mergers in most dioceses and, of course, the pedophilia scandals have caused much mistrust and anger among regular parishioners.
The most revealing statistics from all of this fallout is the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which reported last February that 28 percent of adults have left the faith of their youth with Catholics coming out as the largest group-about 10 percent out of a population of 305 million Americans.
Admittedly, it's difficult for an institution to change, especially one as huge, as old and as steeped in tradition as the Catholic Church. But traditions are man-made, not God-made. And one might conclude that this confluence of events in both secular and religious society signals God's call for the Church to change.
The Church has endured difficulties in the past and it has adjusted. Quite frankly, today's problems are so great, we need every leader we can get. To eliminate half of the population from priestly ministry is to see the world with only one eye or to fix it with only one arm.
Gender shouldn't determine whether or not a person is fit to be a priest. Neither should class, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation for that matter. The priesthood should be open to men and women who are called to it. We need to concentrate our energies on the things that matter!
Olga Bonfiglio, a professor at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan and the author of Heroes of a Different Stripe: How One Town Responded to the War in Iraq, writes on the subjects of social justice and religion. While she was a nun, she attended the 1975 Women's Ordination Conference in Detroit and the 1978 Conference in Baltimore. Her website is www.OlgaBonfiglio.com. Contact her at olgabonfiglio@yahoo.com.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Breaking Barriers in the Catholic Church

WomenPriests: Breaking Barriers in the Catholic Church

Interview with Jane Via and Jean Marchant on
The Today Show/NBC/Nov.27,2008
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/27942799#27942799

Roman Catholic Womanpriest Janice Sevre-Duszynska-Mass and SOA Vigil Watch

(photos courtesy of Bob Pohowsky)

Roman Catholic Womenpriest Janice Sevre Duszynska celebrated Mass in Columbus, GA. on Nov. 21, 2008. On this date, Fr. Roy Bourgeois was excommunicated by the Vatican because he co-celebrated Mass at her ordination in Lexington, KY. on Aug. 9th, 2008.

Also in photos are activists from Women's Ordination Conference Aisha Taylor, Erin Hanna and SOA vigil participants.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: More articles on excommunication of Fr. Roy Bourgeois

Pope Benedict XVI, E-mail: benedictxvi@vatican.va
Please send your letters of support for Roman Catholic Womenpriests and for Fr. Roy Bourgeois to Pope Benedict.

Rome looks bad in bout with Borugeois
http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2661

Bourgeois awaits word on excommunication
by Tom Roberts
http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2697

Voices Carry -- Lay Catholics, Priests Challenge Bishops on Abortion, Ordination
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/angela-bonavoglia/voices-carry----lay-catho_b_144999.html

Q&A: Priest faces excommunication for stance on women priests
By Rosalind Bentley
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, November 23, 2008
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/11/23/women_priests_excommunication.html

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Response to Excommunication by Vatican

(Photo courtesy of Bob Watkins)











Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Response to Vatican Excommunication and Invitation to Church Leaders to Renew the Roman Catholic Church
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7a3uf_wU00

Support, criticism swirl around Roy Bourgeois
By Tom Roberts
http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2600
Published: November 20, 2008
Maryknoll Fr. Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOA Watch, outside a congressional office building in Washington in 2007 (CNS photo/Paul Haring)Letters, petitions go to Rome about priest threatened with excommunication
The news that peace activist Fr. Roy Bourgeois was threatened with excommunication for his support of women’s ordination unleashed a storm of commentary and reaction from various Catholic interest groups and around the blogosphere.


Focus is on Bourgeois as SOA weekend opens
By PATRICK O’NEILL http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2684

Rome looks bad in bout with Bourgeois
National Catholic Reporter Editoria
http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2661

Interview with Fr Roy on Excommunication/Democracy Now
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/11/20/vatican_threatens_to_excommunicate_catholic_priest

SIGN NEW PETITION TO SUPPORT FR. ROY
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/breakthesilence/

Rabbi Michael Lerner's Commentary on Maryknoll priest, Roy Bourgeois' Excommunication by the Vatican
The Network of Spiritual Progressives wishes to be a place in which progressives from various religious communities (as well as "spiritual but not religious" people) can feel safe in coming together to work for a New Bottom Line to replace the materialism and selfishness in the world with an ethos of love, kindness, generosity,caring for others, ethical and ecological sensitivity,and awe and wonder at the grandeur of the universe. But what do we do if one of our religious communities is directly involved in racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic or attacking "the Stranger" (whoever the demeaned Other of any given society happens to be at a particular historical moment, when the Bible actually commands us not only to love our neighbor, but specifically and unequivocally to "love the Other" (the stranger, in Hebrew: ger). This has come into particular highlight this very week, because the Inquisition office (now renamed the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith) has sent a letter to Father Roy Bourgeois threatening him with ex-communication (which effectively means an end to his income and to his teachings inside the church) for daring to publicly support the ordination of women and to offer remarks in a ceremony ordaining a woman as priest. Roy Bourgeois isn't just any priest. He is, along with John Dear and Sister Joan Chittister, one of the most courageous Catholic voices for peace and non-violence and the founder and leader of the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW). The ultimatum and ex-communication would be effective the day before the annual demonstration of the SOAW at Fort Bennings where the School of the Americas is housed and where it trains South and Central American police forces in the techniques of torture, repression, and counter-insurgency. We at the Network of Spiritual Progressives have been calling for support for this demonstration which begins on Friday and goes till Sunday (if you happen to be coming to the demonstration and would help us distribute information or sit at our table to help us get the word out about our Global Marshall Plan campaign, please let us know by email). So the Inquisition will now in one fell swoop be able to rid itself of the progressive Catholic who has created the most important spiritual progressive demonstration taking place anywhere in the country for peace and against torture, and simultaneously terrify other priests into not daring to question the Church's doctrines of women. It should be noted that the very progressive teachings of the Church against war and poverty have not served as a basis for the excommunication of any priest or other church officials who have publicly supported the US war in Iraq or Afghanistan or supported the notion of a violent war against terror. The Inquisition answers to no one,and so its arbitrary power is used against those who support progressive causes, but not against those who support authoritarian and reactionary and violent causes. We urge all those who feel strongly opposed to this attempt to silence dissent within the Church and to oust its most celebrated peace-priest to take the following steps:

1. Write to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, Rome, Italy and protest.
2. Write to your local newspapers and protest.
3. Write to your local Catholic church and priests and protest.
4. Write to the National Catholic Reporter, Commonweal, and to national news sources like the NY Times and Washington Post and CNN and NPR and let them know that the NSP is protesting this move against Father Bourgeois and re-affirming our commitment to equal rights for women plus our commitment to strengthen the demonstrations in Fort Benning until the training of this sort is stopped and made illegal in the U.S.

Now here's the key: we want to communicate this message in a respectful way to the Catholic world. We are not anti-Catholic. Our organization contains many faithful Catholics and is co-chaired by Sister Joan Chittister (Benedictine Sister). We seek to recruit faithful Catholics into the NSP, and we do not wish to give them the impression that we are challenging their entire faith. Moreover, at the SOAW demonstration this weekend you'll be able to meet many Catholics who have anti-war, anti-violence and pro-peace and generosity perspectives--and they represent a major part of American Catholicism.So please help us communicate our outrage at the attempt to silence or excommunicate Father Roy Bourgeois without doing so in a way that indicates respect and genuine caring connection to the many Catholics who remain committed to peace and social justice but who may be afraid to speak out on this issue for fear of losing their connection with the Church (including many many Jesuits, for example, who share our progressive peace-oriented and social-justice oriented perspectives and would be part of the NSP, but are fearful that they too would be thrown out of their livelihood should they speak out clearly on these topics).
Please read the materials below so that you can see more documentation of the issues discussed here.
Love and blessings,
Rabbi Michael Lerner
The (following) letter was written by Bourgeois and addressed to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. It was distributed via e-mail by Bill Quigley, a New Orleans lawyer who represents Bourgeois.According to Bourgeois' letter, which is dated Nov. 7, the congregation has given him 30 days to recant his "belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or (he) will be excommunicated."The letter indicates that Bourgeois received notification from the congregation Oct. 21.Bourgeois, a priest for 36 years, attended the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Lexingon, Ky., Aug. 9 and preached a homily.If Bourgeois is excommunicated at the end of 30 days, it would come just before the mass rally and protest against the U.S. Army's School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., that Bourgeois has organized for 19 years. In recent years, more than 15,000 people, many of them Catholic university students, have joined the three daylong rally and demonstration.Bourgeois was not immediately available for comment.

The text of Bourgeois' letter follows:
Rev. Roy Bourgeois, M.M.PO Box 3330, Columbus, GA 31903November 7, 2008

TO THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, THE VATICAN

"I was very saddened by your letter dated October 21, 2008, giving me 30 days to recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or I will be excommunicated.I have been a Catholic priest for 36 years and have a deep love for my Church and ministry.When I was a young man in the military, I felt God was calling me to the priesthood. I entered Maryknoll and was ordained in 1972.Over the years I have met a number of women in our Church who, like me, feel called by God to the priesthood. You, our Church leaders at the Vatican, tell us that women cannot be ordained.With all due respect, I believe our Catholic Church's teaching on this issue is wrong and does not stand up to scrutiny. A 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission supports the research of Scripture scholars, canon lawyers and many faithful Catholics who have studied and pondered the Scriptures and have concluded that there is no justification in the Bible for excluding women from the priesthood.As people of faith, we profess that the invitation to the ministry of priesthood comes from God. We profess that God is the Source of life and created men and women of equal stature and dignity. The current Catholic Church doctrine on the ordination of women implies our loving and all-powerful God, Creator of heaven and earth, somehow cannot empower a woman to be a priest.Women in our Church are telling us that God is calling them to the priesthood. Who are we, as men, to say to women, "Our call is valid, but yours is not." Who are we to tamper with God's call?Sexism, like racism, is a sin. And no matter how hard or how long we may try to justify discrimination, in the end, it is always immoral.Hundreds of Catholic churches in the U.S. are closing because of a shortage of priests. Yet there are hundreds of committed and prophetic women telling us that God is calling them to serve our Church as priests.If we are to have a vibrant, healthy Church rooted in the teachings of our Savior, we need the faith, wisdom, experience, compassion and courage of women in the priesthood.Conscience is very sacred. Conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do the right thing. Conscience is what compelled Franz Jagerstatter, a humble Austrian farmer, husband and father of four young children, to refuse to join Hitler's army, which led to his execution. Conscience is what compelled Rosa Parks to say she could no longer sit in the back of the bus. Conscience is what compels women in our Church to say they cannot be silent and deny their call from God to the priesthood. Conscience is what compelled my dear mother and father, now 95, to always strive to do the right things as faithful Catholics raising four children. And after much prayer, reflection and discernment, it is my conscience that compels me to do the right thing. I cannot recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church.Working and struggling for peace and justice are an integral part of our faith. For this reason, I speak out against the war in Iraq. And for the last eighteen years, I have been speaking out against the atrocities and suffering caused by the School of the Americas (SOA). Eight years ago, while in Rome for a conference on peace and justice, I was invited to speak about the SOA on Vatican Radio. During the interview, I stated that I could not address the injustice of the SOA and remain silent about injustice in my Church. I ended the interview by saying, "There will never be justice in the Catholic Church until women can be ordained." I remain committed to this belief today.Having an all male clergy implies that men are worthy to be Catholic priests, but women are not.According to USA TODAY (Feb. 28, 2008) in the United States alone, nearly 5,000 Catholic priests have sexually abused more than 12,000 children. Many bishops, aware of the abuse, remained silent. These priests and bishops were not excommunicated. Yet the women in our Church who are called by God and are ordained to serve God's people, and the priests and bishops who support them, are excommunicated.Silence is the voice of complicity. Therefore, I call on all Catholics, fellow priests, bishops, Pope Benedict XVI and all Church leaders at the Vatican, to speak loudly on this grave injustice of excluding women from the priesthood.Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated because of his defense of the oppressed. He said, "Let those who have a voice, speak out for the voiceless."Our loving God has given us a voice. Let us speak clearly and boldly and walk in solidarity as Jesus would, with the women in our Church who are being called by God to the priesthood"
.In Peace and Justice,
Rev. Roy Bourgeois, M.M.PO Box 3330, Columbus, GA 31903

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Petition Signed by 3700 Catholics in solidarity with Fr. Roy Bourgeois

( Photo: courtesy of Bob Watkins)

Press Contacts:
Call To Action/USA, Nicole Sotelo, 773.404.0004 x285 (office), 857.928.4112 (cell)
Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Janice Sevre-Duszynska, 859.684.4247 (cell)
Women’s Ordination Conference, Aisha Taylor, 202.422.2235 (cell)
We are able to refer you to chapter leaders in every state for local quotes.

November 20, 2008
For Immediate Release

Grace period ends for priest threatened with excommunication
for supporting women’s ordination; 3,700 Catholics stand in solidarity

A Roman Catholic priest faces excommunication for his public support of women’s ordination through the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. But he is not just any priest. Fr. Roy Bourgeois, founder of the School of the Americas (SOA) Watch, is internationally known for his work to end U.S. government-funded combat training of Latin American militaries. This month he has decided to risk his 36 years of priesthood to end sexism in the Church.

In late October, the Vatican sent a letter to Fr. Roy Bourgeois’ superiors, saying he had 30 days to recant his position on women’s ordination or be excommunicated. The 30 days, counted from the day posted on the letter, ends today. Tomorrow, the biggest annual weekend event for the SOA Watch organization begins as they launch their vigil in Fort Benning, Georgia, to close the institution formerly called the School of the Americas (in 2001, renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation). Up to 20,000 Catholics and other supporters are expected to converge for the vigil.

An online petition, initiated by the Women’s Ordination Conference, and supported by Fr. Bourgeois and coalition partners Call To Action/USA and Roman Catholic Womenpriests garnered over 3,700 signatures of Catholics across the country. Thousands more are expected to sign it this weekend at the SOA Watch vigil. The petition, “Break the Silence on Women’s Ordination. Shatter the Stained Glass Ceiling,” can be found at www.womensordination.org.

Fr. Bourgeois wrote in his response to the Vatican that he would not recant his support for women’s ordination. He said, “Conscience is very sacred….it is my conscience that compels me to do the right thing. I cannot recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church.”
The Vatican issued its threat of excommunication due to Fr. Bourgeois’ participation in the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Lexington, KY on August 9, 2008. Fr. Bourgeois gave the homily during which he said “Sexism is a sin” and went on to say, “The hierarchy will say, ‘It is the tradition of the church not to ordain women.’ I grew up in a small town in Louisiana and often heard, ‘It is the tradition of the South to have segregated schools.’ It was also ‘the tradition’ in our Catholic church to have the Black members seated in the last five pews of the church. No matter how hard we may try to justify discrimination, in the end, it is always wrong and immoral.”
Thirty-five Catholic women have been ordained as priests in the United States in the last three years through the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement.
To read Fr. Bourgeois’ letter to the Vatican and his letter to fellow priests, visit http://www.womensordination.org/.



Related Events at the SOA Watch Vigil:

November 21: Inclusive Catholic Liturgy, 6PM, Howard Johnson Inn and Suits, 1011 Veteran’s Parkway, Columbus, GA 31901, Carter Room

November 21: Women’s Ordination Matters: Gender, the Gospel and Global Justice workshop, 8PM, same location as liturgy

November 22: Aisha Taylor, Executive Director of WOC to speak on main stage, 11:45AM

November 23: Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Roman Catholic Womanpriest, to speak on main stage, 12:30PM

Founded in 1975, the Women’s Ordination Conference is the oldest and largest national organization that works to ordain women as priests, deacons and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic church. WOC represents the 63-70 percent of U.S. Catholics that support women’s ordination. WOC also promotes perspectives on ordination that call for more accountability and less separation between the clergy and laity. For more information, visit www.womensordination.org.

Call To Action (CTA) is a Catholic movement working for equality and justice in the Church and society. An independent national organization of over 25,000 people and 53 local chapters, CTA believes that the Spirit of God is at work in the whole church, not just in its appointed leaders. For more information, visit www.cta-usa.org

The mission of Roman Catholic Womenpriests North America is to spiritually prepare, ordain, and support women and men from all states of life, who are theologically qualified, who are committed to an inclusive model of Church, and who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to minister. For more information, visit www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: More Media Coverage on Fr. Roy Bourgeois' excommunication

(Courtesy of Bob Watkins)

Vatican Threatens to Excommunicate Catholic Priest For Supporting ...

Democracy Now - New York,NY,USA

He took part in a ceremony this summer to ordain a member of the group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests. For the past two decades, he has organized the ...

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/11/20/vatican_threatens_to_excommunicate_catholic_priest

Radical Catholic priest and peace activist faces excommunication

Ekklesia - UK... by the Vatican for participating in a ceremony in which Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a member of a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, was ordained. ...

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/8005

No fear: Activist Priest unbowed by excommunication threat

Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA

Sevre-Duszynska was ordained as part of a movement known as Roman Catholic Womenpriests, in which dissident Catholics have held ordination liturgies for ..

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081119/NEWS01/811190663/1008

Two weeks ago, the Rev. Roy Bourgeois made a quick stop to a Columbus post office before driving seven hours to his childhood home in Lutcher, La.
He was dropping off a letter bound for Vatican City.

Ledger-Enquirer.com 11/20/2008 SOA Watch protest founder faces Catholic excommunication

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/515642.html

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: More media coverage on Fr. Roy Bourgeois' excommunication by Vatican

Voices Carry: The Fight for Women’s Rights in the Catholic Church by Angela Bonavoglia
November 19, 2008
For a long time now, long enough for the Catholic Church to shrink more than any other denomination in the United States, the targets of its greatest condemnation have been women and the men who support them. While losing 30 million followers in recent years, the church has saved its most incendiary rhetoric and most extreme acts of censure for those who are pro-choice or pro-ordination.
http://www.womensmediacenter.com/ex/111908.html

Can the Catholic Church enforce excommunication?By Christopher Beam
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008
The Vatican plans to excommunicate the Rev. Roy Bourgeois next week for ordaining a woman as a priest. Excommunicated priests must stop performing their clerical duties and can no longer take communion (although they can still attend Mass). But does the Catholic Church have any way of enforcing this punishment?
http://www.slate.com/id/2204585/

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Fr. Roy Bourgeois will be excommunicated on November 21, 2008 for his support of women's ordination

“I know you know what you’re doing,” Janice Sevre-Duszynska told Father Roy Bourgeois when he agreed to co-preside and give the homily at her ordination Mass, “but do you know what you’re doing?”

Read full article on Sojourners
http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3915

Janice, a former SOA Watch Prisoner of Conscience and RCWP, will celebrate Eucharist on Friday, November 21st at 6 p.m. in the Carter Room at the Howard Johnson Motel, 1011 Veterans Parkway in Columbus, GA.

View Fr. Roy's Homily on google
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8981028910855872604

Roman Catholic Womenpriests New Television/Internet Program: Overview 2002-2008 including homily by Maryknoll priest Fr. Roy Bourgeois
(photo courtesy of Bob Watkins)http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8317430528624416961

For inquiries contact Bridget Mary Meehan at 703-505-0004 or sofiabmm@aol.com.

Roman Catholic Womanpriest Janice Sevre-Duszynska will celebrate Mass at SOA Watch on Nov. 21st, 2008

Father’s blessing brings peace to Roy Bourgeois
By THOMAS ROBERTS
Published: November 17, 2008 http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2571

An Invitation from Roman Catholic Womanpriest: Janice Sevre-Duszynska:

All are welcome to attend a Catholic Mass on the day that Fr. Roy Bourgeois' excommunication takes effect.

We will pray

for all our prophets who stand for justice and equality in our church and our world including Fr. Roy.

for the innocent ones in Latin America tortured, killed and disappeared by SOA-trained soldiers
for the SOA soldiers that they may learn the nonviolence that Jesus taught us
for our government's foreign policies that they be grounded in nonviolence, human dignity and diplomacy rather than guns and greed
for an end to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan
for those who are suffering from the chaos of war


On November 21st -23rd Human Rights Defenders from across the Americas will gather at the gates of FORT BENNING, Georgia to speak out for justice, dignity and reconciliation and to close the School of the Americas. Make the School of the Americas History. Join together with thousands of human rights advocates, students, union workers, nuns, artists, teachers, grandmothers, community organizers, immigrants, people of faith, indigenous people and peace activists. Take a stand for the closure of the School of the Americas and for an end to oppressive policies that cause death and violence throughout the world. Be part of a revolution of values. For more information go to soaw.org

Fr. Roy Bourgeois is the founder of the School of the Americas Watch.

Janice, a former SOA Watch Prisoner of Conscience and RCWP, will celebrate Eucharist on Friday, November 21st at 6 p.m. in the Carter Room at the Howard Johnson Motel, 1011 Veterans Parkway in Columbus, GA. The celebration and call to justice is sponsored by the Progressive Catholic Coalition and includes Call to Action, CITI-rent-a-priest, CORPUS-usa, Federation of Christian Ministries, New Ways Ministry, Roll Away the Stone, Women's Ordination Conference and Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Music will be provided by Charlie King and Karen Brandow.

On the feast day of the Presentation of Mary, Janice's homily will focus on the gift of prophecy.

Fr. Roy firm on supporting Roman Catholic Women Priests

Priest facing excommunication will fly to Rome to make his case .
Here's the Associated Press story

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805758.htm

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2545

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/us/14priest.html

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_WOMEN_PRIESTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/122647088723920.xml&coll=1

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_WOMEN_PRIESTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-11-14-16-21-11

http://society.maryknoll.org/modules/MKArticles/pntemplates/static/society/pressroom/newsreleases/pr-111208_bourgeois.pdf

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/11/14/georgia_priest_excommunication.html

http://rentapriest.blogspot.com/2008/11/roy-bourgeois-threatened-with.html

http://thechristianradical.blogspot.com/2008/08/roy-bourgeois-ordination-of-janice.html

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_WOMEN_PRIESTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?id=8D6AFB39-1321-AEAA-D3254ED9D1956F8F

http://addictedtowar.blogsome.com/2008/11/13/stand-with-father-roy-bourgeois-sign-the-petition-to-break-the-silence-on-womens-ordination-father-roy-facing-excommunication-over-support-for-women-priests/

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805758.htm

Roman Catholic Womenpriests New Television/Internet Program: Overview 2002-2008 including homily by Maryknoll priest Fr. Roy Bourgeois

(photo courtesy of Bob Watkins)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8317430528624416961
Enjoy. Feel free to download this video on Roman Catholic Womenpriests Overview 2002-2008 which includes Fr. Roy Bourgeois' homily at Janice Sevre-Duszynska's ordination as a Roman Catholic Womanpriest in Lexington, Kentucky. Link to it as you wish, download as you wish.
If you want a copy of the studio quality dvd, contact me, (Bridget Mary Meehan) at
sofiabmm@aol.com

Shorter Clips of the Overview Program on youtube for faster download:
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit2

Our GodTalk non-profit just produced and edited for television and the internet Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Overview 2002-2008 which will air In N.Virginia on our public tv station in Dec. 2008.

In this program, we present an overview of our history, (including the fact that our womenbishops were ordained by male bishops in good standing with the pope) the growth of the movement especially in the United States, Fr. Roy' Bourgeois's homily supporting women priests and a commentary on excommunication in the light of St.J oan of Arc, Mary Ward, St. Mother Theodore Guerin and Blessed Mother Mary Killop, all canonized in later centuries after having suffered condemnation and /or excommunication by the hierarchy. Very timely in light of the events that are now breaking with our Maryknoll supporter, Fr. Roy Bourgeois!


It is available as a resource on dvd. If you are interested, contact me by email at sofiabmm@aol.com .


It could be used with groups and people who are new to Roman Catholic Womenpriests and want some historical background as well as to see photos of some of the women and (men) who are serving the Roman Catholic Church and creating a renewed Roman Catholic Church right now in our midst in grassroots communities with the enthusiastic support of the people.

It is available to everyone anywhere on google! Here is the link. Please share it with your communities.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8317430528624416961
Enjoy. Feel free to download it and link it anywhere you wish.
If you want a copy of the studio quality dvd, contact me at
sofiabmm@aol.com

Bridget Mary Meehan
Roman Catholic Womenpriests share an overview of their history, phenomenal growth, response to Vatican excommunication, affirmation of Fr. Roy Bourgeois for his prophetic support of Roman Catholic Womenpriests and their vision for renewal of the Roman Catholic Church as devoted members of the Catholic faithful in the 21st century. www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Fr. Roy Bourgeois's letter to the CDF/Roman Catholic Church Officials in the Vatican Stating Support for RC womenpriests

Rev. Roy Bourgeois, M.M.
PO Box 3330, Columbus, GA 31903
November 7, 2008

TO THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, THE VATICAN

I was very saddened by your letter dated October 21, 2008, giving me 30 days to recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church, or I will be excommunicated.

I have been a Catholic priest for 36 years and have a deep love for my Church and ministry.

When I was a young man in the military, I felt God was calling me to the priesthood. I entered Maryknoll and was ordained in 1972.

Over the years I have met a number of women in our Church who, like me, feel called by God to the priesthood. You, our Church leaders at the Vatican, tell us that women cannot be ordained.

With all due respect, I believe our Catholic Church’s teaching on this issue is wrong and does not stand up to scrutiny. A 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission supports the research of Scripture scholars, canon lawyers and many faithful Catholics who have studied and pondered the Scriptures and have concluded that there is no justification in the Bible for excluding women from the priesthood.

As people of faith, we profess that the invitation to the ministry of priesthood comes from God. We profess that God is the Source of life and created men and women of equal stature and dignity. The current Catholic Church doctrine on the ordination of women implies our loving and all-powerful God, Creator of heaven and earth, somehow cannot empower a woman to be a priest.

Women in our Church are telling us that God is calling them to the priesthood. Who are we, as men, to say to women, “Our call is valid, but yours is not.” Who are we to tamper with God’s call?

Sexism, like racism, is a sin. And no matter how hard or how long we may try to justify discrimination, in the end, it is always immoral.

Hundreds of Catholic churches in the U.S. are closing because of a shortage of priests. Yet there are hundreds of committed and prophetic women telling us that God is calling them to serve our Church as priests.

If we are to have a vibrant, healthy Church rooted in the teachings of our Savior, we need the faith, wisdom, experience, compassion and courage of women in the priesthood.

Conscience is very sacred. Conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do the right thing. Conscience is what compelled Franz Jagerstatter, a humble Austrian farmer, husband and father of four young children, to refuse to join Hitler’s army, which led to his execution. Conscience is what compelled Rosa Parks to say she could no longer sit in the back of the bus. Conscience is what compels women in our Church to say they cannot be silent and deny their call from God to the priesthood. Conscience is what compelled my dear mother and father, now 95, to always strive to do the right things as faithful Catholics raising four children. And after much prayer, reflection and discernment, it is my conscience that compels me to do the right thing. I cannot recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church.

Working and struggling for peace and justice are an integral part of our faith. For this reason, I speak out against the war in Iraq. And for the last eighteen years, I have been speaking out against the atrocities and suffering caused by the School of the Americas (SOA). Eight years ago, while in Rome for a conference on peace and justice, I was invited to speak about the SOA on Vatican Radio. During the interview, I stated that I could not address the injustice of the SOA and remain silent about injustice in my Church. I ended the interview by saying, “There will never be justice in the Catholic Church until women can be ordained.” I remain committed to this belief today.

Having an all male clergy implies that men are worthy to be Catholic priests, but women are not.

According to USA TODAY (Feb. 28, 2008) in the United States alone, nearly 5,000 Catholic priests have sexually abused more than 12,000 children. Many bishops, aware of the abuse, remained silent. These priests and bishops were not excommunicated. Yet the women in our Church who are called by God and are ordained to serve God’s people, and the priests and bishops who support them, are excommunicated.

Silence is the voice of complicity. Therefore, I call on all Catholics, fellow priests, bishops, Pope Benedict XVI and all Church leaders at the Vatican, to speak loudly on this grave injustice of excluding women from the priesthood.

Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated because of his defense of the oppressed. He said, “Let those who have a voice, speak out for the voiceless.”

Our loving God has given us a voice. Let us speak clearly and boldly and walk in solidarity as Jesus would, with the women in our Church who are being called by God to the priesthood.

In Peace and Justice,
Rev. Roy Bourgeois, M.M.
PO Box 3330, Columbus, GA 31903

Roman Catholic Womenpriests:Sign Women's Ordination Conference Petition, Write Letters in support of Fr. Roy Bourgeois and all Excommuniated Women

You can make a difference!


Support Fr. Roy Bourgeois and All Excommunicated Women

Take Action today! Sign the Petition
Join Petition drive coordinated by The Women's Ordination Movement
( link to petition that you can sign below)
write letters to church officials in support of Fr. Roy Bourgeois

Dear Members and Friends,
On October 21, 2008, the Vatican sent a letter to the Maryknoll community stating that Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest of 36 years, has 30 days to recant his statement of public support of women's ordination or he will be automatically excommunicated.

Fr. Bourgeois co-presided and gave the homily during the ordination ceremony of Roman Catholic Womenpriest, Janice Sevre-Duszynska, which took place on August 9 in Lexington, Ky.
The Women's Ordination Conference has initiated a petition, with Roman Catholics Womenpriests and Call to Action as partners, to support Fr. Bourgeois. The petition will be sent to Pope Benedict XVI; the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Pietro Sambi; and Maryknoll Superior General, John Sivalon.
Please forward the petition link to your friends. In addition, we encourage you to send letters to the editor and op eds to your local papers.

Sign the petition now! and read Fr. Roy's letter to the Vatican

* Calling on all women and men religious and priests! * We are asking Roman Catholic women and men religious and priests to join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and hundreds of women called to ordination, as we break the silence and take a prophetic stance on the issue of women's ordination into an inclusive and accountable Catholic Church. Please email Erin Saiz Hanna at ehanna@womensordination.org if you are able to help us break the silence on women's ordination. We must urge Fr. Roy's superiors to stand in solidarity with him -- like Sr. Joan Chittister's order supported her after the Vatican's instruction to not speak at the first Women's Ordination Worldwide conference in Dublin, Ireland in 2001. We must break the pattern of fear and silence to let Catholics around the world, including the Vatican, know that Fr. Roy does not stand alone. If you are unable to give us your name at this time, please consider listing yourself as "anonymous" and including your religious community or diocesan affiliation.Thank you for taking action!Women's Ordination Conference


PLEASE READ AND CIRCULATE Friends:Here is the latest communication, dated November 7, 2008, from Fr. Roy Bourgeois regarding the threat of excommunication by Rome for refusing to stop speaking out in favor of Women Priests in the Catholic Church. I have also enclosed some action items with addresses where people can write. Please take the time to read this and take action. Please feel free to send this to all the justice people you know.Justice and Peace,Bill Quigley


ACTIONS TO SUPPORT - Rev. Roy Bourgeois - 11/08

Some have asked for addresses to write their support of Fr. Roy and to ask that he not be excommunicated. Petitions are also appropriate.

Please write or fax or email to Pope Benedict XVI, and/or the Pope’s Ambassador to the U.S., the Apostolic Nuncio, and/or the Congregation for Doctrine of Faith, the group that is moving toward excommunication of Fr. Roy Bourgeois, and/or The leaders of the Maryknoll Order. Their addresses are below.

Please send a cc of any message or petitions you send to:
Bill Quigley – Attorney for Fr. Roy
7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 902
New Orleans, LA 70118 or
duprestars@yahoo.com

ADDRESSES TO WRITE:

Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio3339 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W, Washington, DC, 20008-3610).

USATelephone: (202) 333-7121Fax: 337-4036

Pope Benedict XVI
00120 Via del Pellegrino
Citta del Vaticano, Europe
The Pope’s email address (for English correspondence) is: benedictxvi@vatican.va
FAX from USA: 011-39-06698-85378

Congregation for Doctrine of Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11, 00193 Roma, Italy
Telephone: 06.69.88.33.57; 06.69.88.34.13
Fax: 06.69.88.34.09

Superior General, John Sivalon at jsivalon@maryknoll.org and to the three-member Maryknoll Council at mklcouncil@maryknoll.org and/or fax to 914-944-3600Write to: Maryknoll Council P.O. Box 303 Maryknoll, NY 10545

Again, please send a cc of your message to
Bill Quigley – Attorney for Fr. Roy
7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 902
New Orleans, LA 70118
duprestars@yahoo.com

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Challenge Vatican on Threat to Excommunicate Fr. Roy Bourgeois

PRESS RELEASE

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Challenge Vatican on Threat to Excommunicate Fr. Roy Bourgeois

Nov.11, 2008
Contacts:
Janice Sevre-Duszynska 859-684-4247 or 859-317-8325
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP Media Spokesperson USA 703-283-2929

Roman Catholic Womenpriests stand in solidarity with Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois who has been threatened by the Vatican for participating in the ordination Mass of Janice Sevre-Duszynska on August 9th in Lexington, KY, and for giving a homily in support of of women priests. We condemn this action by the Vatican as a blatant abuse of power. We thank Rev. Roy Bourgeois for his prophetic action and urge our fellow priests and bishops to follow his lead and to participate in future ordinations of Roman Catholic Womenpriests. We reaffirm that Christ calls us to liberation, not fear of Vatican reprisals. Therefore, at this sacred moment, we ask priests and members of religious communities to end their silence by speaking truth to power in support of Fr. Roy and women priests. Sign the statement/petition that Women's Ordination Conference and Call to Action are circulating.

For 36 years Fr. Roy, 69, has been a Maryknoll Missionary priest. Members of this community are known worldwide for their work with those who suffer and for identifying root causes of social, economic, structural or systemic injustice. Vietnam veteran, Purple Heart recipient and torture survivor, Fr. Roy is the founder of the School of the Americas Watch, the group which protests the training of Latin American soldiers at the U.S. Army School of the Americas. "The SOA is about men in Latin America who abuse their power in order to control the lives of others," said Fr. Roy in his homily at the ordination Mass in Lexington. "They cause people to suffer and are seen as bullies." Each year in November, the weekend before Thanksgiving, tens of thousands of peacemakers gather at Ft. Benning, Georgia to speak out for justice and to take a stand against the SOA and the foreign policy that this shameful institution represents.

Said Fr. Roy in his homily: "Just as soldiers in Latin America abuse their power and control others, it saddens me to see the hierarchy of our church abusing their power and causing so much suffering among women. Jesus was a healer, a peacemaker, who called everyone into the circle as equals."

Roman Catholic Womenpriests ask the Vatican Curia to examine their consciences:

--Why do you excommunicate women who honor their call to the priesthood, and, in the case of Fr. Roy, the men who support them, but not the priests and bishops who have perpetrated sexual abuse of children?
--Why do you not honor the sensus fidelum -- the voice of the community -- when over 70% of Catholics in the U.S. support women's ordination? (National Catholic Reporter poll)
--Why do you continue to deny the documented archaeological evidence that supports the spiritual leadership of women as deaconesses, priests and bishops for the first 1200 years of Church history?
--Why do you blaspheme Jesus, who treated women as disciples and equals?
--Why do you continue to value Canon Law over the Spirit's sign of the times?
--Why are you afraid to dialogue with us?

Roman Catholic Womenpriests walk in solidarity with Fr. Roy, with Mary of Magdala, the Samaritan woman, Phoebe the deacon, Prisca and Aquila, Priscilla, Bishops Theodora and Brigit and the men and women disiciples of Jesus throughout the ages. Roman Catholic Womenpriests walk in solidarity with Joan of Arc who was executed with the approval of the Church, and centuries later canonized a saint. Roman Catholic Womenpriests walk in solidarity with all who disobey an unjust law. As St. Augustine taught us: “An unjust law is no law at all."

Roman Catholic Womenpriests asks Catholics to:

-- recognize the connections between sexism and violence, sexism and racism, sexism and militarism, and sexism and nationalism.
-- make the connections between lack of feminine images of God and women's suffering in the world.
-- resist the abuse of power by the Vatican by taking a stand for justice (i.e., withdrawing financial support of the Church).
-- empower themselves by organizing to restructure the Church.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests is committed to a grassroots discipleship of equals where all are welcome at the table.
http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Challenge Vatican on Threat to Excommunicate Fr. Roy Bourgeois

PRESS RELEASE

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Challenge Vatican on Threat to Excommunicate Fr. Roy Bourgeois
Nov.11, 2008

Contacts:
Janice Sevre-Duszynska 859-684-4247 or 859-317-8325
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP Media Spokesperson USA 703-283-2929

Roman Catholic Womenpriests stands in solidarity with Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois who has been threatened by the Vatican for participating in the ordination Mass of Janice Sevre-Duszynska on August 9th in Lexington, KY, and for giving a homily in support of of women priests. We condemn this action by the Vatican as a blatant abuse of power. We thank Rev. Roy Bourgeois for his prophetic action and urge our fellow priests and bishops to follow his lead and to participate in future ordinations of Roman Catholic Womenpriests. We reaffirm that Christ calls us to liberation, not fear of Vatican reprisals. Therefore, at this sacred moment, we ask priests and members of religious communities to end their silence by speaking truth to power in support of Fr. Roy and women priests. Sign the statement/petition that Women's Ordination Conference and Call to Action are circulating.

For 36 years Fr. Roy, 69, has been a Maryknoll Missionary priest. Members of this community are known worldwide for their work with those who suffer and for identifying root causes of social, economic, structural or systemic injustice. Vietnam veteran, Purple Heart recipient and torture survivor, Fr. Roy is the founder of the School of the Americas Watch, the group which protests the training of Latin American soldiers at the U.S. Army School of the Americas. "The SOA is about men in Latin America who abuse their power in order to control the lives of others," said Fr. Roy in his homily at the ordination Mass in Lexington. "They cause people to suffer and are seen as bullies." Each year in November, the weekend before Thanksgiving, tens of thousands of peacemakers gather at Ft. Benning, Georgia to speak out for justice and to take a stand against the SOA and the foreign policy that this shameful institution represents.

Said Fr. Roy in his homily: "Just as soldiers in Latin America abuse their power and control others, it saddens me to see the hierarchy of our church abusing their power and causing so much suffering among women. Jesus was a healer, a peacemaker, who called everyone into the circle as equals."

Roman Catholic Womenpriests ask the Vatican Curia to examine their consciences:

--Why do you excommunicate women who honor their call to the priesthood, and, in the case of Fr. Roy, the men who support them, but not the priests and bishops who have perpetrated sexual abuse of children?
--Why do you not honor the sensus fidelum -- the voice of the community -- when over 70% of Catholics in the U.S. support women's ordination? (National Catholic Reporter poll)
--Why do you continue to deny the documented archaeological evidence that supports the spiritual leadership of women as deaconesses, priests and bishops for the first 1200 years of Church history?
--Why do you blaspheme Jesus, who treated women as disciples and equals?
--Why do you continue to value Canon Law over the Spirit's sign of the times?
--Why are you afraid to dialogue with us?

Roman Catholic Womenpriests walk in solidarity with Fr. Roy, with Mary of Magdala, the Samaritan woman, Phoebe the deacon, Prisca and Aquila, Priscilla, Bishops Theodora and Brigit and the men and women disiciples of Jesus throughout the ages. Roman Catholic Womenpriests walk in solidarity with Joan of Arc who was executed with the approval of the Church, and centuries later canonized a saint. Roman Catholic Womenpriests walk in solidarity with all who disobey an unjust law. As St. Augustine taught us: “An unjust law is no law at all."

Roman Catholic Womenpriests asks Catholics to:

-- recognize the connections between sexism and violence, sexism and racism, sexism and militarism, and sexism and nationalism.
-- make the connections between lack of feminine images of God and women's suffering in the world.
-- resist the abuse of power by the Vatican by taking a stand for justice (i.e., withdrawing financial support of the Church).
-- empower themselves by organizing to restructure the Church.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests is committed to a grassroots discipleship of equals where all are welcome at the table.
http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/

Roman Catholic Womanpriest Barbara Zeman: My Ordination Day

Reflection by Barbara Zeman:

My Ordination Day

Everything went by so quickly. I can’t believe it’s over and I am a priest. I have barely had a chance to breath, let alone sort all of it out. Living in the moment of Light and Love takes away all sense of time and place. It already feels like a dream.

But, from the second I heard the drumbeat begin the prelude – “Come to the Living Stone” – I knew it was really happening. As we processed in, the faces of so many friends floated by. This long awaited moment had become a reality and God was drawing me in, welcoming me to the service of all God’s people, showering down graces beyond measure.

I have always been told that the sacrament of Holy Orders carries a profound and indelible mark placed there by the Holy Spirit. But, to experience it first hand is another matter. The witness – oh the powerful witness – became palpable as I felt the hands of those present on my head. The smell of the warm oil on my hands as the bishop anointed them, the robes being placed on my body – robes that fit like a glove – brought with them a new and renewed identity. The table set with the cups and plates I so often washed and placed on the altar as a sacristan, the familiar homemade bread and wine being lifted up in prayerful readying were all actions I had seen time and time again. Then came the moment - the moment of profound humility, love and gratitude all wrapped in the words Jesus speaks to us down through the ages.

Nothing, nothing can be more profound or palpable than witnessing the presence of Christ's Love in our midst as we gather around the sacred table to celebrate the holy meal. Every human being reflects God's image, radiates divinity in our midst. As womepriests we remind the church that, all are sacred images of the Holy One, all are one in Christ. We are now living our dream of inclusiviity through a renewed priestly ministry in our beloved church.

As the lovely “Panis Angelicus” was sung my sense of time and space completely left. When it was over I could hardly figure out how to stand. But, some how I did and we all danced down the aisle singing and hugging, kissing and embracing and praising in the Light of God.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Article on Bishop Dana Reynolds in California Catholic Daily-- Newspaper

Bishop Dana Reynolds, Roman Catholic Womanbishop, is the first U.S. bishop for Roman Catholic Womenpriests in the United States.

She officiated at the most recent ordinations in Chicago on Nov. 1, 2008. See photos in blog below of these historic ordinations.

"How many times can you be excommunicated?"

http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=b12bb417-a78e-4c2c-8dd3-7f7fe390c227

This article that appeared in a Catholic newspaper, communicates a positive message. In spite of the excommunications, the people of God are affirming Roman Catholic Womenpriests as we lead the way to a renewed Roman Catholic Church in which women take their rightful place as servant leaders. Bishop Dana Reynolds is the first U.S. bishop elected by the western region of the U.S. She serves as a spiritual director and volunteer hospice chaplain. She has presided at 7 of the 8 ordinations in the United States in 2008.

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Historic Ordinations in Chicago on Nov.1, 2008: Pictures of Celebration

In the first Roman Catholic Womanpriest (RCWP) ordination in Chicago, Barbara Zeman (Chicago) was ordained a priest, and Alta Jacko (Chicago), Linda Wilcox (Afton, MN), and Mary Styne (Milwaukee, WI) were ordained deacons by Bishop Dana Reynolds of California in St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.

Movies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITuGMIkY4V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ifFLNIA4WM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdl1cFL2MZE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCwPVWcthkY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWgB3TRkpvM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXmQjd1CtQg

Radio Program

Female Priest Challenges Church LawProduced by Michael DeBonis on Monday, November 24, 2008 http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=30379

Articles and Pictures: http://www.cleveland.com/living/index.ssf/2008/10/activist_group_to_ordain_cleve.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-women-priests-31-oct31,0,7531079.story

Roman Catholic Womenpriests: Four Women Ordained in Historic Ceremony in Chicago

In the first Roman Catholic Womanpriest (RCWP) ordination in Chicago, Barbara Zeman (Chicago) was ordained a priest, and Alta Jacko (Chicago), Linda Wilcox (Afton, MN), and Mary Styne (Milwaukee, WI) were ordained deacons by Bishop Dana Reynolds of California in St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.
Articles and Pictures:
http://www.cleveland.com/living/index.ssf/2008/10/activist_group_to_ordain_cleve.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-women-priests-31-oct31,0,7531079.story

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordinations in Chicago on Nov. 1st.

On Nov. 1st, 4 women will be ordained, 1 priest and 3 deacons in the ninth ordination ceremony of Roman Catholic Womenpriests in 2008. This brings our numbers in North America to 66 (includes priests, deacons and candidates for ordination.) Picture is of Midwestern region. Barbara Zeman (on the far left in the picture )will be ordained a priest in Chicago on Nov. 1st.Alta Jacko, Mary Styne and Linda Wilcox will be ordained deacons. Bishop Dana Reynolds will be the presiding bishop. Dana is the first U.S. bishop elected by the Western region of Roman Catholic Womenpriests.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-women-priests-31-oct31,0,7531079.story

Article in Chicago Tribune:

Woman hears call to priesthood
But in Catholic Church, price is excommunication
By Margaret Ramirez Tribune reporter
11:03 PM CDT, October 30, 2008
"... After ordination, she plans to become a hospital chaplain and is considering starting a congregation for disenfranchised Catholics that would include gays, lesbians and clergy who have left priesthood to marry."I don't like the thought of what might happen," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'm not doing this unaware of the consequences. I'm aware. I just think that the goal and the change are far greater than the consequences."

Roman Catholic Womenpriests will ordain 4 women in Chicago

MEDIA RELEASE
Release date: October 30, 2008

Contact: Laura Singer, 773-550-0847 (cell) or (773) 736-2562, LTS72@aol.com, www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org and www.womensordination.org

Chicago Chaplain to be ordained a Roman Catholic Womanpriest

Chicago, IL. On November 1, 2008, a Chicago woman will be ordained a Roman Catholic priest and three women will be ordained as Roman Catholic deacons in preparation for the priesthood at 1:00 p.m. at St. Pauls United Church of Christ, 2335 N. Orchard (Fullerton and Orchard). In the first Roman Catholic Womanpriest (RCWP) ordination in Chicago, Barbara Zeman (Chicago) will be ordained a priest, and Alta Jacko (Chicago), Linda Wilcox (Afton, MN), and Mary Styne (Milwaukee, WI) will be ordained deacons by Bishop Dana Reynolds of California.

"My ordination is a conscious response to and an affirmation of a call from God that has been present in me for many years,” stated Zeman. “I am not doing this for myself, but for previous generations of women who have served the church tirelessly, without recognition; for current generations who seek a more inclusive church where the dignity of each individual is realized; and, for future generations so that they do not have to suffer the inequities that others have." As a working priest in Chicago, Zeman will integrate her professional and spiritual life in hospital chaplaincy. She has already begun to build a faith community in her neighborhood and will continue to work with ministers in other faith traditions to keep alive Cardinal Bernardin’s vision of Common Ground – to create a climate in which people get along with each other and where the dignity of each human being is respected.

The ordinations will be conducted by RCWP, a movement which is building a reclaimed model of priesthood for a renewed Roman Catholic Church. Its goal is to achieve full equality of women and men in the Roman Catholic Church, and to live with inclusiveness, respect and justice for all in a community of open and affirming equals.

“I want to be ordained to help make a path for the other women who have the gifts and this same desire to serve in the Church,” said Wilcox. “I’m following my conscience, which I have learned in my Catholic teaching, is my obligation to do, even if it means going against authority. My ordination presents a public challenge to the Catholic Church’s ban on women priests and deacons that cannot be ignored.”

In 2008, RCWP are celebrating ordinations in eight locations in the United States and Canada. As of November 1, 2008 in the U.S., there will be 35 priests, 8 deacons, 16 candidates, 1 bishop and many applicants.

“These ordinations bring to light the service and commitment of Catholic women doing the work of priests,” said Laura Singer, Chicago area Catholic and Board President of the Women’s Ordination Conference. “These women are following the example of Jesus and challenging the unjust and sexist practices of the Catholic Church through direct action.” Many advocates of women’s ordination support these ordinations as one way to move toward full equality for women in the Catholic Church.

Media are welcome to cover the ordination ceremony. Media must register with contact person prior to the event for guidelines. Doors open at 12:15 p.m. Please be respectful; this is a sacred event. Ordination candidates and other RCWP and WOC representatives will be available for interviews after the ceremony, but not before. ###
Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) is an international initiative within the Roman Catholic Church that advocates for a new model of priestly ministry united with the people with whom they serve. The movement is an initiative within the Church that began with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River in 2002. Women bishops ordained in full apostolic succession continue to carry on the work of ordaining others in the Roman Catholic Church.

Founded in 1975 and based in Washington, D.C., the Women's Ordination Conference is the oldest and largest national organization working solely for the ordination of women as priests, deacons, and bishops into an inclusive Catholic Church. WOC also promotes new perspectives on ordination that call for more accountability and less separation between the clergy and laity.