Media Links to Woman Bishop Consecrated in England/ Another Major Step Forward for Gender Equality

http://www.christianpost.com/news/catholic-church-to-keep-ban-on-women-priests-despite-church-of-englands-first-female-bishop-says-catholic-co-chair-of-the-anglican-roman-catholic-commission-133208/

Longley said that Lane's ordination will likely be discussed at ARCIC's next meeting in Rome in May, and said that Catholics will have to prepare to work more closely with women bishops due to the new direction.

http://www.gnnliberia.com/articles/2015/01/27/lauding-church-england-1st-female-bishop-hindus-urge-catholics-women-priests

Mirror.co.uk

First female Church of England bishop: But what are women STILL not allowed to do in Britain today?

Mirror.co.uk

It was the first time since the club's founding in 1754 that women were ... The Church of England may have allowed women to become priests, and ...

The Church Of England Consecrates Its First Female Bishop - Huffington Post

Libby Lane, The First Woman Bishop Of The Church Of England, Just Broke The Stained-Glass ... - Bustle

Catholic Church to Keep Ban on Women Priests Despite Church of England's First Female Bishop ... Christian Post A Roman Catholic archbishop said that the Catholic Church will be keeping its ban on allowing women to serve as priests in the wake of the Church of ... Flag as irrelevant
	Belfast Telegraph Traditionalist Anglican Priest Interrupts Ordination of First Woman Bishop Aleteia He instructed the congregation that the law had been changed to allow women bishops in the Church of England. Williamson stood in front of the front ... Relief accompanies jubilation as Libby is installed as first female bishop – Derby Telegraph ... - Derby Telegraph Blackburn Cathedral celebrates consecration of first female bishop with East Lancs links - Lancashire Telegraph Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	The Guardian I'm a bit of a wexter. You probably are too. And yes, that's a bad thing The Guardian This week I noticed a photograph of women priests celebrating the first female bishop, holding their phone screens aloft, like fans at a One Direction ... Flag as irrelevant
	Orlando Weekly At 80 years old, Rita Lucey defies centuries of doctrine and dogma by becoming a Catholic priest Orlando Weekly The Catholic church shuns the very notion of women as priests – it's written into the church's canonical law that only baptized men may become priests ... Flag as irrelevant
	Ecumenical News San Francisco priest bars altar girls, sparks another controversy Religion News Service “If the Catholic Church ordained women, altar girls would make sense, but the Catholic priesthood is a male charism,” he said. “Nothing awakens a ... San Francisco Priest Bans Girls From Being Altar Servers - Christian Post Full Coverage Flag as irrelevant
	Mirror.co.uk Church of England gets 1st female bishop amid protests Arab Times Kuwait English Daily Church of England gets 1st female bishop amid protests Centuries of ... its first female bishop in a ceremony briefly disrupted by a traditionalist priest's ... Flag as irrelevant
	Karkala: Four Bishops along with priests concelebrate the solemn feast mass at St. Lawrence Shrine Bellevision Prior to the solemn mass, the Bishops and priest came in procession ... promotion of consecrated life especially that of the religious men and women.

Liturgy Celebrating St. Brigit of Ireland, Feast Day, Feb. 1st, by Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

The Irish are a people who live warm hospitality and who love to sing and dance.
 So in this spirit we welcome all to a liturgy in honor of St. Brigit of Kildare.  bishop and abbess, whose gracious hospitality to all especially those on the margins, continues to inspire people today.

Left; St. Brigit of Kildare is depicted standing next to apostles on a ancient stone altar at Rock of Cashel in CountyTipperary, Ireland

Welcome

Gathering Song: “We are marching in the light of God” (substitute singing, loving, healing, African chant adapted)

Greeting:

Presider: In the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit our wisdom     ALL:  Amen.

Presider:  God, our joy and delight, You are with us. ALL:  And with all.

Penitential Rite:

(Be seated. Allow a few minutes to become centered. Breathe in deeply the tenderness of God... Breathe out compassion for all living things...)

General Absolution by Community: (All raise hands extended in prayer and recite together.)

God, the Father and Mother of mercies, through his living, dying and rising, Jesus has revealed that nothing can separate us from the infinite love of God.  May God give us pardon and peace, and may we forgive each other our failures to care for one another and for our earth in the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit our wisdom. Amen.

ALL:  Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth. Creator God, we give you thanks. We praise you for your glory. O Jesus Christ, Holy Child of our God, you reveal the love of God that permeates our universe. You, who are one in spirit with our God, receive our prayer. For you are the Cosmic Christ, one with the Holy Spirit, forever .Amen.

Opening Prayer:

Presider: O God of compassion and healing. You gave holy Brigit to us as a sign of your love. You caress us with the warmth of the sun.  You encircle us in love’s embrace. You are behind us and before us. You are above us and beneath us. We consecrate all that we are to you. ALL:  Amen

Liturgy of the Word:

A Reading Dt:18: 15-20

Response: “We let the love wash over us. We let, we let, it be “ All sing as chant led by Mindy Simmons

Second Reading: St. Brigit of Kildare (A Reading from the Life of St. Brigit from Praying with Celtic Holy Women by Bridget Mary Meehan)

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia (sung)

A Reading from the Gospel of Mark1:21-28

Response: Alleluia (sung)

Homily

Profession of Faith:  ALL: We believe in God, the Fountain of Life, flowing through every being. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who reflects the face of God and the fullness of humanity. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God in the cosmos, who calls us to love and serve. We believe in our global oneness with all in the circle of life. 

General Intercessions

Presider: God of Abundance, we share these prayers as a community united in compassion.

Our response to each prayer is Yes!

That we may give as gift, the gifts we have received

That we, like St. Brigit, may be reflections of compassion and abundance.

That we may care for earth’s creatures.

That we may, like St. Brigit, serve those in need. (Additional spontaneous petitions)

Presider: God of healing, may be reflections of your liberating, healing compassionate love as we live our lives in love with you and with others. United in the power of your Spirit, we pray. Amen.

Preparation of the Gifts:

Collection and procession with gifts: instrumental music

Presiders (raise bread and wine):  Ever gentle God, as co-creators of our planet, we offer you the gifts of bread, wine and our lives.  We celebrate our oneness in the family of God.  In Christ Sophia, the Wisdom of God, we pray.  Amen

All are welcome to join us around the altar and pray the Eucharistic Prayer

Eucharistic Prayer:

Presider: Holy One, You dwell in us.

ALL: And in every living being.

Presider: Lift up your hearts.

ALL:  We lift them up to our Creator in whom all are one.

Presider: Let us give thanks for the gift of life.

ALL: It is right to give the God of Glory present everywhere and in everything, thanks and praise.

ALL sing: We are holy (x3), You are holy (x3), I am holy (x3), we are holy (x3) (Karen Drucker)

Voice One: Holy One, we bring you these gifts that they may become the Christ Presence as we share this sacred banquet.

\

(All Extend Hands) 

All: We celebrate the outpouring of your Spirit on these gifts as we remember.

 On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat.This is my Body. Do this in memory of me.”  (Pause)  

All: In the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He said the blessing, gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink. This is my Blood. Do this in memory of me.” 

Presider: The Mystery of Faith: 

ALL: This bread is you, this bread is me. We are one body in Christ.

Voice Two: Holy One, You fill our lives with your Spirit as we celebrate our oneness with all in the Heart of Love.

Voice Three: Holy One, we remember all who are working for equality, human rights and justice. (pause as community remembers and names specific people)

Voice Four : Holy One, we remember Mary, mother of Jesus, faithful disciple, St. Brigit, and all the holy women and men who have passed into Your eternal embrace. May we praise you in union with them and live your compassion and justice each day.

Great Amen:

ALL:  Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, all glory, honor and praise to you, loving God forever and ever.

Sing: Amen, Amen, Amen

ALL sing: Prayer of Jesus (“Our Father and Mother”)

Sign of Peace: (Peace, is flowing like a river)

Litany for the Breaking of the Bread:

All:  God of love in you, with you and through you, we will love. God of service, in you, with you, and through you, we will serve. God of justice, in you, with you and through you, we will do justice.

Communion:

Presider: Adapted from St. Brigit’s Table Blessing in Praying with Celtic Holy Women

“We welcome the poor to the feast, for they are God’s children, We welcome the sick to the feast for they are God’s joy. Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place and the sick dance with the angels.”

ALL: We are the Body of Christ. All are welcome at this feast.

Communion Song: “You are the face of God. I hold you in my heart. You are my family, You are the face of God.” (Chant by Karen Drucker
 Meditation: One World by Mindy Simmons

                Concluding Rite:

Presider:  God of Compassion, you are with us

ALL: And You love through us.

Blessing: Ancient St. Brigit Blessing (with hands extended in prayer)

ALL: May St. Brigit bless the house wherein you dwell. Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof. Bless ever hand that toils to bring it joy. Bless every foot that walks its portals through. May St. Brigit bless the house that shelters you.

Recessional: “We are marching in light of God”

ALL sing &; dance: “We are marching in the light of God” (Substitute: We are dancing, we are living, we are serving in the light of God: South African chant adapted)

Liturgy by Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP

Association of Roman Catholic Woman Priests

                 http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/

www.arcwp.org
www.marymotherofjesus.org

Homily at Holy Spirit Catholic Community, 4th Sunday of OT, by Beverly Bingle, RCWP

If you google “best kept secret” and “Catholic Church,”
you’ll get over two million results in a couple of seconds.
And they’re not about pedophilia.
Or corruption.
Or the inquisition.
Nope.
More startling than that!
Our church’s best-kept secret is our Social Teaching.
_____________________________________
It all started with Jesus.
Today’s Gospel tells us
that people were astonished with Jesus’ teaching
because he taught them on his own authority.
And nothing has changed.
It doesn’t matter what our lifestyle is,
as Paul tells the Corinthians.
No matter where or how we live,
we are to be free from anxieties
and give our undivided attention to God.
When we do that,
we find ourselves practicing these principles
that we now call Catholic Social Teaching.
_____________________________________
Those principles come from Jesus’ vision of peace and justice:
Love God.
Love your neighbor.
So we speak of the rights and dignity of the human person:
that all people are sacred
and have a right to be free of war and oppression,
discrimination and bigotry.
We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,
as our U.S. Constitution tells us.
Jesus preached it two millennia before we even had a country.
So no war, no capital punishment,
and no discrimination
on the basis of race, gender, color, nationality.
When we walk the walk, it means we choose peace.
We smile at strangers.
We socialize with people who are different from us.
We speak out when we see injustice.
_____________________________________
We hear the call to family, community, and participation:
that people have a right and a duty to participate in society,
seeking together the common good and well-being of all,
especially the poor and vulnerable.
So we study the candidates and issues on the ballot,
and we vote our conscience.
We keep an eye out for injustice
and call it to the attention
of people who have the power to change it.
We write letters to the editor and letters to our council reps,
and we send thanks to officeholders who do the right thing,
especially on issues that affect the poor.
_____________________________________
Our Catholic tradition calls for rights and responsibilities,
that every person has a fundamental right
to life and to those things required for human decency,
with corresponding duties and responsibilities to one another,
to our families,
and to the larger society.
_____________________________________
For us, a basic moral test
is how our most vulnerable members are doing.
Catholic Social Teaching requires
a “preferential option” for the poor and vulnerable.
We cannot rest in comfort
if the poor are deprived of their basic needs.
So we donate to soup kitchens.
We tutor in the inner city.
We take part in the Compassionate Community Challenge.
We send a bit of cash to Haiti or New Orleans.
We cut back on our wants
so that we have more to give for someone else’s needs.
_____________________________________
And for us Catholics there can be no argument about worker rights.
We believe that the dignity of work is a God-given right,
so people have basic rights to productive work,
to decent and fair wages,
to organize and join unions,
to collective bargaining,
and to private property.
So we don’t shop at stores that pay substandard wages.
We tell our legislators we want a fair minimum wage.
We buy Fair Trade coffee and tea.
We boycott with FLOC for better working conditions.
_____________________________________
Our scriptures tell us,
right from the get-go with Cain and Abel in Genesis,
that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers.
We are one human family,
required to practice the virtue of solidarity
no matter what national, racial, ethnic, economic,
and ideological differences we may have.
We must love one another, even our obstreperous families.
So we get in a Dialogue-to-Change group
and have honest conversations with people of another race
so we can learn how to get along better.
We work at carrying on a civil conversation
with Great Aunt Millie
even though she’s a right-wing fundamentalist
or a left-wing whacko.
We learn about the minorities in our city
and go out of our way
to see that they are welcomed and treated equally.
If we’re in the minority,
we let the majority know
when they stray from their responsibility
to be in solidarity with us.
We get to know our neighbors,
and if our neighbors all look like us,
we consciously go out of our way
to make friends with people who are different.
_____________________________________
Finally, care for our planet,
as we are doing at Holy Spirit with our Tree Toledo project,
is a requirement of our being Catholic.
It’s not just an Earth Day slogan;
it is a requirement of our faith.
As Catholics, we know that we cannot ignore
the fundamental moral and ethical dimensions
of the environmental challenge we face.
_____________________________
Catholic Social Teaching insists that we have the right,
and also the responsibility,
to speak to issues that affect the right to life
and that assure that all persons live with dignity.
These principles are so powerful, challenging, and relevant
that if we shared this “best-kept secret,”
if we practiced what we preach,
we would turn society upside-down
and change—transform—the world.
But we find, as Jesus did,
that some people don’t want the world to change.
Love of neighbor is a dangerous teaching.
__________________________________
When we decided to read and discuss Diarmuid O’Murchu’s book,
Christianity’s Dangerous Memory,
we found that one of the local Catholic bookstores
would not stock it on their shelves—
a symptom of their fear of what happens
when people look at reality
and embrace the message and vision of Jesus.
Looking at the world around him,
speaking the truth about it,
and preaching love
is what got Jesus killed.
__________________________________
We claim to be Christians—followers of Christ.
We share in Christ’s role as prophets, by our baptism.
So we must—all of us, not just priests—
we all must preach the good news—
and our first reading today
clearly tells us
that we must practice what we preach.
_____________________________________
Our Gospel tells us that Jesus taught with authority.
As Jesus’ followers,
as prophets called by baptism,
we are called to teach with authority;
to preach the vision;
and to practice what we preach.
The secret is out.
Let’s do it!

--
Holy Spirit Catholic Community
at 3535 Executive Parkway (Unity of Toledo)
Saturdays at 4:30 p.m.
Sundays at 5:30 p.m.
www.holyspirittoledo.org

Rev. Dr. Bev Bingle, Pastor
419-727-1774

"Women and the Church", by Bridget Mary Meehan Letter to the Editor, Sarasota Herald Tribune on Jan. 15, 2015

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150125/ARCHIVES/501251018/-1/search10?p=2&tc=pg

In response to the column "Did Pope Francis open a door -- or minds -- for women?":

I believe that there is a sliver of light, and a positive change in tone.

Yes, I agree with Pope Francis that "women have much to tell us and are able to ask questions men cannot understand" -- if the hierarchy will listen.

However, in order to achieve gender equality in the Catholic Church, the pope must affirm women priests as sacramental ministers and listen to women's experiences on issues such as birth control, marriage equality, divorce and remarriage.

Where is the all-male, celibate hierarchy's openness to women's experiences in the following example? The Roman Catholic diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, wants a judge to dismiss a jury's verdict that it discriminated against a former teacher who was fired for trying to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization. According to church teaching on primacy of conscience, all Catholics must follow their consciences in making moral decisions. St. Thomas Aquinas, a medieval theologian, once stated that he'd rather be excommunicated than violate his conscience.

In my view, Pope Francis should have a worldwide gathering, a Synod, in which women share how they see things with different eyes so he can deal with the questions that men can't understand. That is why it is so imperative that we have women priests and that women are decision-makers in the Vatican.

Bridget Mary Meehan

Sarasota

" Women and the Church", Letter to Editor by Bridget Mary Meehan Published in Sarasota Herald Tribune on January, 25, 2015

Dear Editor:

In response to your  Sarasota Herald Tribune article “Did Pope Francis open a door-or minds-for women?”,

I believe that there is a sliver of light, and a  positive change in tone.

Yes, women have much to tell us and are able to ask questions men cannot understand if the hierarchy will listen.

However, in order to achieve gender equality in the Catholic Church, the Pope must affirm women priests as sacramental ministers and listen to women’s experiences on issues such as birth control, marriage equality, divorce and remarriage.

Where is the all-male, celibate hierarchy’ s openness to women’s experiences in the following example?   The Roman Catholic diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Indiana wants a judge to dismiss a jury’s verdict that it discriminated against a former teacher who was fired for trying to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization.  According to church teaching on primacy of conscience, all Catholics must follow their consciences in making moral decisions. St, Thomas Aquinas , a medieval theologian, once stated that he’d rather be excommunicated, than violate his conscience. 

In my view , Pope Francis should have a world- wide gathering , a Synod, in which women share how they see things with different eyes so he can deal with the questions that men can’t understand.  That is why it is so imperative that women be part of the decision-making process in the Vatican.

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP,

Sarasota, Fl. 

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Celebrates Liturgy: Deacon Jim Marsh Shares homily starter/ Bridget Mary Meehan Anoints Members, Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, and Community blesses Jack Duffy on his 80th birthday

Welcome to MMOJ!  Deacon Jim Marsh,ARCWP in photo below

We are an inclusive Catholic community.   Our liturgical style is highly inclusive not only in language but also in our prayer together.  You are invited to pray the Eucharistic prayer – spontaneously pray one of the many voices, and together we shall invoke the Memory of Tradition by saying the words of consecration.  All are welcome to share in our simple Eucharistic meal

Are there any newcomers this week?

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B – January 24-25, 2015

Our Theme is Spokespersons of the Good News
Our question:  How are we heralds of the Good News?
My friends, we are closing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a
 tradition begun in 1908.  The scriptural text for this year’s theme
(chosen by the Vatican) is from John 4:7

“Jesus said to her: ‘give me to drink.’

We are three weeks into our new year according to our Gregorian calendar. 
I am into my first week of this new chapter in my retired life, as
deacon/servant. 

And Chinese communities all over the world are preparing to celebrate a
New Year! The event was once based on a complex lunar calendar that
served as a religious and social guide.  It always falls between Jan 21 and
February 20^th.  The Chinese believe a new year is a time to balance tensions,
polar opposites — the yin yang — necessary for living in harmony with one
 another.  This new year, which officially begins February 19^th, is the year of
 the Goat.  People born under this auspicious sign are considered to be gentle
& mild-mannered, though strong on the inside, sympathetic yet strong-willed
in their opinions and brimming with a strong sense of justice.

So let us listen to what the Spirit (Sophia Wisdom) is saying to us this day in
our readings and shared dialogue.  Let us begin our prayer in song!
See homily below:
Deacon Jim Marsh:

Homily musings - intro……….. jtm  01/24/2015 MMOJ-Sarasota

What did you hear?

Today’s Gospel follows on the heels of last week when we heard about John the Baptizers movement that stressed conversion, and their catching sight of Jesus, whom they called the Messiah, the Annointed One.  We heard Jesus ask “What are you looking for?” and his response “come and see.”

Today’s Gospel is certainly about being called ----- we hear the call of Simon, Andrew, James and John.  Jesus says God’s kin-dom is here among us --- and they become conscious, aware (perhaps for the first time) that they are in the presence of God and have a role in making this kin-dom happen. 

So I ask you, did you hear your names??????  Katy, Terry, Mary Al, Mindy, Kevin ….

Did you hear the voice of Jesus, the Shepherd, calling not only the sheep but the goats, as well, whether we were born under that “Chinese’ sign or not?  Indeed, we are called to be “good news!” 

And what is this good news?  Simply, that God loves you and me beyond all measure, and even those who seem unlovable given our own fears and prejudices.  As our own beloved bishop, Bridget Mary, just shared with us, we are all held in the passionate, tender embrace of our God who is in and

all around us.  We are called to be and do something beyond our imaginings: to make the kin-dom a reality in our time, each of us by our unique giftedness.

And there’s our first reading from Jonah in the great city of Nineveh.  We’re told that this is the second time that the word of YHWH came to Jonah.  Did he not hear it the first time?  Did he ignore it or even argue that it was not his job or responsibility to speak out, to advocate for a new way of relating to

each other? 

Was it really God who was out to destroy this great city or was it the result of it’s citizens who followed other voices that created brokenness, corruption, and all manner of living, not in “right relation to each other?”  I believe the imminent destruction was of their making? 

Are we as guilty (destroying our world rather than creating), with our wars and war-making, our drones that kill innocent women and children daily, our ever-increasing gap between those who have and those who have not?  This week we learned that the richest 1 percent in the world are likely to control more than half the globe’s wealth by 2016.  Eighty (80) of the wealthiest folks already own $1.9 trillion which is the same amount that is shared by 3.5 billion of  our sisters and brothers who occupy the bottom half of the income scale.  It’s just staggering …………..   To quote the author, “Do we really ant to live in a world where the 1 percent own more than the rest of us combined?”

And then there’s our second reading – Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth.  While much of it is ‘scary’ to me, the part that resonates is “the world, as we know it, is passing away.”  The old order is to be replaced/recreated by us.

If you’re ever at a loss for what to pray for and about, just open the newspaper.  My friends, we are called to be people of prayer and action.  But prayer is a dangerous activity!  Just look at the life of Jesus, the Christ.  God invites us to be co-creators and re-creators of the world.  The kin-dom is

here, it’s among us.  We have much work to do! Let us recognize the face of God in all we meet, and act accordingly! 

May God be praised in our living and loving this week!

So what did you hear, and how are you heralds of this “Good News?”

Jim Marsh and Lee Breyer

Over 60 in MMOJ Community gathers around the altar to pray Eucharistic Prayer

Bridget Mary Meehan anoints those who requested Sacrament of the Sick

MMOJ Community blesses Jack Duffy, accompanied by his daughter Bridget and her husband David, on his 80th birthday

Bridget Mary anoints Jack Duffy

Over 60 people attended our MMOJ liturgy on Jan. 24th

Bridget Mary, Jack Duffy, with David and Mary Bridget Duffy

Dotty Shugrue with her sisters from the Sisterhood of Chrysalis

Some visitors to MMOJ were ARCWP priests and friend Guila from left to right back row, photojournalist,  Guila Bianchi, ARCWP priests: Mary Collingwoood,
front left to right, Bridget Mary Meehan, Janice, Sevre-Duszynska and Dotty Shugrue

Mary Collingwood, Guila Bianchi, and Bridget Mary Meehan

Bridget Mary Meehan and Jack Duffy

back row: Michael Rigdon, Jack Duffy, Mary Collingwood, Guila Bianchi, Dotty Shurgrue, Katy Zatsick,
Imogene Rigdon, Janice Sevre Duszynska, Bridget Mary Meehan, Dotty Shugrue