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Saturday, November 5, 2011

"Priest to Push Women's Ordination at Conference"/Call to Action/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel


Roman Catholic Women Priests
Ree Hudson, Deacon Donna Rougeux,
Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Janice Sevre-Duszysnka
in Rome at Press Conference
http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/priest-to-push-womens-ordination-at-conference-f62tm7t-133280498.html
"In recent years, the 72-year-old Bourgeois has turned his attention to the Catholic Church's ban on women's ordination, calling it a grave injustice and an affront to God.
Bourgeois, who has been threatened by the Vatican with excommunication and now faces dismissal from his religious order for refusing to recant his views, will speak on sexism in the church this weekend in Milwaukee, at the annual gathering of the Catholic reform group Call to Action.
"This for me is rooted in justice. It is a matter of conscience," said Bourgeois, who says he was persuaded by the many gifted and spiritual women he's met in his work as a peace activist.
"We profess that God created women and men of equal worth and dignity," said Bourgeois, who likens the ban to the racism in the Deep South of his youth, where black Catholics sat in the last pews of his church.
"As priests, we say we are called by God and only God. Who are we to say that our call is authentic, and God's call of a woman is not?..."
"...The majority of U.S. Catholics say they would support women's ordination - 62 percent, according to a new study by researchers at Georgetown University and The Catholic University of America."...

Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2011/11/05/1934439/controversial-catholic-priest.html#ixzz1ctQklMUK

Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Celebrate Liturgy in Sarasota, Florida on Nov. 5, 2011/All Are Welcome!



On Nov. 5th, 2011, Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community invited all to a joyous reception at St. Andrew United Church of Christ where we meet weekly during the winter and spring to celebrate liturgy on Sat. evenings at 6:00 PM.
There were warm greetings and hugs as we connected with our faith community. Dad and I are returning snow birds. There is a wonderful year round community who share summer montly liturgies. Here we have women priests and married priests and a vibrant community of equals living Gospel equality together!
Jack, (my Dad) played special requests during the reception. What a joy that he was able to do so after his recent hospitalizations during the summer and early fall. Pastor Phil Garrison, from St. Andrew UCC dropped by to greet us and welcome us back to this beautiful sanctuary for our weekly liturgies.
I gave a brief summary of the highlights of the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. There was time for dialogue and questions and lots to share!
Lee and Carol Ann Breyer, a married priest couple, designed the liturgy which Lee led with the participation of 9 leaders who had special roles. The theme of our gathering was a thought-provoking reflection on "priestly people" utilizing the resources of Vatican II and Future Church. In our dialogue homily, many in the assembly offered rich insights on this topic including that we could summarize the call of priestly people as rooted in our baptism and a call to service, justice and compassion in our world today. We then gathered around the altar to pray the Eucharistic Prayer together as is our custom in our MMOJ community.
As Dad, Marcia, our friend and I drove home, we gave thanks to belong to such a caring, energized and dynamic community on the margins of the Catholic Church, which is a very liberating and blessed place to be in today's church!
May everyone who joins us for future worship feel welcome and at home in the Heart of our God and in each others hearts as together we serve God's beloved people especially those who are alienated and hurt and in need of healing and acceptance.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
sofiabmm@aol.com

Friday, November 4, 2011

"My Episcopal Ordination" by Marie Bouclin, first Roman Catholic Woman Bishop in Canada


Bishop Patricia Fresen ordains

Marie Bouclin, first bishop of Canada


Bishops:

Marie Bouclin and Patricia Fresen

"Deacon Roberta Fuller says it well: “There were so many bishops in traditional red robes that (the chapel) looked ablaze like an autumn hillside.” The presiding bishop was Dr. Patricia Fresen, a theologian from South Africa now living in Germany and two German women bishops, Ida Raming and Gisela Forster. Ida and Gisela were among the first seven women to be ordained Roman Catholic priests on the Danube in 2002. Three other American women bishops, Andrea Johnson, Joan Houk, and Regina Nicolosi also co-presided. Michele Birch Conery and Rose Mewhort represented RCWP Canada; Dr. Dorothy Irvin, priest Janice Sevré-D. and deacon Donna Rougeux from the US attended on their way to the Roy Bourgeois event in Rome. Several friends travelled from Canada, Scotland, and other parts of Germany. My husband stood by me the whole time, joined by our children: Robert and his wife Chantal, Dan, and Suzanne who also served as official photographer. My dear friends Danielle and Woilford Whissell served as MC and cantor, respectively. Danielle can also take credit for much of the pre-ordination organization, along with Patricia, of course, and her good friends Christel Hildebrand (whom some of you know from the WOW Steering Committee) and Elsbeth Franck. To all of them, and to all who came and can’t be named, meinen herzlichen Dank.

The readings we heard were Wisdom 9:9-12 in which the writer asks God to send forth wisdom, for “she knows and understands all things, and she will guide me wisely in my actions...”; we then sang the responsorial psalm of thanksgiving (Ps 116), and listened to 2 Timothy 1: 6-13. Both were recommended by a liturgist friend because they are often read at the ordination of bishops, with good reason! Bishops Andrea and Patricia preached about the need of a bishop to be first a person of deep prayer, then a fearless preacher. From the Gospel reading (John 15: 12-17) they elaborated on the spirit that should animate both our model of priestly ministry and our communities: friendship. We are to be welcoming and inclusive, treating people as friends the way Jesus did. That is what I retained.

A lighter moment was during the anointing when Patricia was so generous with the oil that it actually ran down into my glasses (and my hair was greasy for a week!). Bishop Regina handed me the book of the Gospels, one that has been signed by all the women bishops of RCWP; Bishop Ida placed the bishop’s ring on my finger, a gold ring made from my elder son’s baptism chain and medal (far too delicate for a boy...); Bishop Joan presented me with my bishop’s cross that was hand-made by my husband’s oldest friend, Stan Snider; Bishop Gisela lent me the staff that she had made for her own ordination because carrying one home would have been a bit of a challenge.

The service was bilingual to honour my bi-cultural roots. We sang in French, English and also Latin. We opened with “All our welcome…” to indicate ours was indeed an open table, and it was indeed a joy to see our Lutheran friends come up for communion. It was also amazing to hear a group of about 35 people sing the Veni Creator almost faultlessly all these years after the reform of the liturgy, but then most of us are old enough to remember the pre-Vatican II days...

The reason for traveling to Germany was to return to the birthplace of our movement, and be ordained at the hands of our first women bishops. Afterwards, my husband and I went on a pilgrimage of sorts to Eastern Europe because it was in the “iron curtain” countries that the first women were ordained in the modern era. It’s important for people to know that there were bishops who were authorized to secretly ordain married men and also women to ensure the survival of the Church in communist countries. Later these people, who had risked their jobs and in some cases even their lives, were asked to renounce their ordination. As many of you know, one woman who refused to do so was Ludmila Javorova, who still lives in the Czech Republic. Traveling there gave me the opportunity to tell people on our tour that we in the West are indebted to these heroic people for reinstating the ordination of women, and that while it is subject to sanctions by the hierarchy in the Roman Catholic Church, it is not a new phenomenon - it dates back to the 1970`s. "

Thursday, November 3, 2011

"Ireland To Close Vatican Embassy Following Child Abuse Row"/Time for Catholics to Speak Truth to Power to Reform Church

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jJA5EzNl5STR-CfU-k2dzr_dWWOw?docId=CNG.05ef6098d03ca3f6ae535c992af6d23d.691
(AFP) – 3 hours ago
DUBLIN — "Ireland said Thursday it would close its embassy to the Vatican as part of a shake-up of its missions abroad following a row with the Holy See earlier this year over a child sex abuse scandal.
"It is with the greatest regret and reluctance that the government has decided to close Ireland's (embassy) to the Holy See," said a statement from the foreign ministry.
Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore said the move was not connected to the row with the Vatican which was sparked by a July report into a long-running abuse scandal in the diocese of Cloyne, insisting it was aimed at saving money.
"I very much regret that due to the financial constraints that this country is under at the moment that we have to reduce the number of missions that we have abroad, including the mission that we have at the Vatican," he told RTE state radio.
The foreign ministry added in a statement that "the government believes that Ireland's interests with the Holy See can be sufficiently represented by a non-resident ambassador."
Cardinal Sean Brady, the ecclesiastical head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, expressed his "profound disappointment" at the decision, which was relayed to him by Gilmore in a telephone conversation earlier Thursday.
"This decision seems to show little regard for the important role played by the Holy See in international relations and of the historic ties between the Irish people and the Holy See over many centuries," said Brady in a statement.
"I hope that today's decision will be revisited as soon as possible," he added.
The Vatican took note of Ireland's decision and stressed in a statement: "What is important are diplomatic relations between the Holy See and other states, and in the case of Ireland they are not brought into question."
The Irish ministry also announced the closure of the embassy in Iran and a representative office in East Timor as part of the overhaul, which it also insisted were aimed at saving money in the wake of the financial crisis.
Predominantly Catholic Ireland has traditionally had close links with the Vatican and the embassy was opened in 1929 but Dublin and the Holy See fell out dramatically earlier this year.
The July report into more than a decade of abuse by priests in the diocese of Cloyne condemned the Church's handling of abuse claims against clerics as inadequate.
The report sparked outrage in the Irish government and triggered an unprecedented attack by Prime Minister Enda Kenny who called the Roman Catholic Church's behaviour "absolutely disgraceful".
The Vatican subsequently recalled its envoy to Ireland in order to formulate an official response.
The decision to close the missions followed a 2009 report on public expenditure savings choices for the government which said Ireland had 76 embassies and consulates compared to 40 in 1989.
The report recommended reducing the number of embassies and consulates to 55.
Thursday's foreign ministry statement insisted the closures were aimed at saving money and made no mention of the child sex abuse row.
"In order to meet its targets under the EU/IMF programme and to restore public expenditure to sustainable levels, the government has been obliged to implement cuts across a wide range of public services," it said..."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Be assured that this closure represents more than a break in diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Vatican. It is a seismic shift in consciousness that indicates that the people of Ireland will no longer tolerate a corrupt dysfunctional Vatican whose disgraceful handling of child sex abuse contradicts not only civil law in Ireland, but also, the values of Jesus in the Gospels. The Irish Association of Priests has recently come out for an end to mandatory celibacy and for women priests. Kudos to the women and men of Ireland, the land of my birth, who are no longer afraid of the crack of a crozier! It is time for faithful Catholics worldwide to speak truth to power and demand reform. It is time to follow the example of the Isle of Saints and Scholars.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
sofiabmm@aol.com
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests

"Maryrose's Cantcle" to Sophia, Holy Wisdom"

All praise and glory to you oh Sophia Wisdom.
You have removed the scales from my eyes
You opened my ears, my mind, and my heart

You formed me to be a companion to all who seek you
You stripped me of my prejudice.
You opened my mind and heart to all traditions

All praise and glory to you oh Sophia Wisdom.
You have removed the scales from my eyes
You opened my ears, my mind, and my heart

You introduced me to outrageous and courageous women
You stripped me of patriarchal views
You opened me to the potential for equity, inclusivity, and unity.

All praise and glory to you oh Sophia Wisdom.
You have removed the scales from my eyes
You opened my ears, my mind, and my heart

You gave me a welcoming community to worship with
You stripped me from the routine of liturgy
You opened me to the community’s wisdom

All praise and glory to you oh Sophia Wisdom.
You have removed the scales from my eyes
You opened my ears, my mind, and my heart
You revealed to me the need for all to celebrate/ritualize your work within us and our life-cycle moments
You stripped away my doubt, confusion and feelings of inadequacy
You opened my heart to new beginnings

All praise and glory to you oh Sophia Wisdom.
You have removed the scales from my eyes
You opened my ears, my mind, and my heart

I now stand naked before you oh Sophia
And I am ready for you to show me the path

All praise and glory to you oh Sophia Wisdom.
You have removed the scales from my eyes
You opened my ears, my mind, and my heart

©Maryrose Petrizzo 30 Oct. 2010


Maryrose Petrizzo, MS, Spiritual Director and Certified Life-Cycle

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

16-Year-Old Latin Whiz Finds New Liturgy Language Lacking/NCR Today Online by Robert McClory

http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/16-year-old-latin-whiz-finds-new-liturgy-language-lacking

16-year-old Latin whiz finds new liturgy language lacking
By Robert McClory
Created Nov 02, 2011
by
Robert McClory [1] on Nov. 02, 2011
[2]
Erik Baker is a 16-year-old high school student who has been studying Latin since 6th grade. Now as a senior at Evanston Township High School near Chicago, he has completed all the Latin classes available at his school, including the Advanced Placement courses. He is pursuing his ongoing interest through Latin classes at nearby Northwestern University.
"Erik has been raised as a Catholic and attends Mass with his family at the Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern. Recently, when materials were distributed explaining the new liturgical changes based on the original Latin text, he studied them with special interest."


By Erik Baker
"...Let's start at the beginning. The first major change is to the Confiteor, the prayer used in most forms of the Penitential Rite. The new translation translates the adverb "nimis" as "greatly", so that it now reads "I have greatly sinned." It's certainly a dramatic change, but one that's grounded in the Latin. In fact, the word "nimis" means something more than "greatly"; it actually connotes the idea of "excessiveness". The other change is that the Latin "mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" is now translated "through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." This is pretty much a literal translation. So the Latin is solid.
The problem, though, is that the Latin itself seems to be hyperbolically critical of humanity. It might aim to promote humility, but inevitably it fosters guilt instead. It promotes a vision of human nature as overwhelmingly and inexorably sinful-- a vision more in line with the heretical Janesenist doctrine of centuries past than Catholic dogma.
An apologist of the translation reminds us that "the guiding principle of the new translation is a closer adherence to the Latin--not a sharper critique of our virtue." But this makes absolutely no sense. Who cares what the "guiding principle" was? The end result is that the Latin is more condemnatory for no discernible reason. And there is no scriptural grounding for this “sharper critique” either-- the first appearance of the prayer is in 1100 AD, over a millennium after Christ.
The next major change is to the Gloria. Most of the changes are innocuous enough, but there's one at the beginning of the prayer that seems bizarre to me. The familiar "and peace to his people on earth" is changed to "on earth peace to people of good will." Not only is the latter far more awkward in English, but there's also a problematic sentiment implicit in the new phrase. Why are we only praying that people "of good will" receive peace? This seems to say that people who are without "good will" are not deserving of peace.
But what is "good will"? It seems to me that it could either mean "good" in the virtuous sense of the word, or, more specifically, Catholic. In either case, it expresses a profoundly anti-Christian sentiment. The notion that only moral or Christian people deserve peace and our prayers is anathema to everything Jesus ever taught. There is simply no sound reason for abandoning "love your enemies" simply because it’s closer to the Latin. The original Greek text recognizes this, and expresses "goodwill to all people." Ironically, the Latin is then actually a mistranslation of the Greek. This just highlights the fact that the possibility of human error doesn’t disappear when writing church texts. It’s hard to see what inherent reason we have for respecting this highly fallible process.
Finally, I think the changes to the Nicene Creed merit some discussion. As before, all of them have good grounding in the Latin, but it's the Latin that's problematic. The first is the fact that all of the "believe"s are in the first person. This destroys the sense of communal vision found in the "we believe" of the previous translation. Faith becomes something of the individual, by the individual, for the individual -- ironically, a very Protestant idea. Catholicism is supposed to value unity and togetherness.
Furthermore, there are two bizarre translations of particular words in the Latin that sound awkward and even obscure: "consubstantial" and "was incarnate." The former is a translation of the word "consubstantialem" in the Latin, so it certainly resembles the Latin the most. But does that make it a better translation?Surely not. The first rule that every Latin translator learns is that often Latin words may look like certain long, rare English words -- but comprehensibility matters more. The same applies to "was incarnate." The whole reason why an English translation is used in the first place is so people can actually understand the Mass. For the average churchgoer "consubstantial" is no more comprehensible than "consubstantialem.” Ridiculous words defeat the point of a translation in the first place.
Ultimately, the whole affair just begs the question of why the Latin Mass has any particular spiritual significance. It's certainly not Scripture, and it's often just an amalgamation of various communal prayers used throughout Europe for several centuries. In fact, many early bishops would write their own Masses or translations to best fit their community's needs..."

"Group of women Defy Vatican, Join Priesthood" CBS TV Story

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/10/20/group-of-women-defy-vatican-join-priesthood/

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — "Although the Vatican does not recognize female priests, a group of women have still found a way to become ordained priests — with the hope that one day women will be welcomed into the ministry.
In the Roman Catholic Church, faith and tradition meet every Sunday. However, at Compassion of Christ Catholic Community in Minneapolis there is a new approach to the weekly teachings. Women serve as priests, a practice not allowed within the Catholic Church.
“I had to work through a lot of fear before I was ready to say, I was ready to be ordained,” said Rev. Monique Venne, a co-pastor at Compassion of Christ.
Venne is among 90 women around the world who have gone against canon law to follow a calling. Her step into the catholic ministry took place last year."

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Deacon Donna Rougeux-My Journey to Rome With Women's Ordination Activists and Fr. Roy Bourgeois


Left to right:
Priest Ree Hudson,
Deacon Donna Rougeux,
Fr. Roy Bourgeois,
Priest Janice Sevre-Duszynska

It was a sunny warm day in Rome Italy and I was surrounded by progressive thinkers of the Catholic Church. We went to a small theatre in Rome and showed Pink Smoke Over the Vatican with Italian subtitles. This was followed up with a press conference. I was very proud of the statements that were made during the press conference by Fr. Roy, Erin Hanna, Janice Sevre-Duszynska and Dorothy Irvin. Janice and Roy were interviewed individually by Associated Press after the press conference. We were surprised that the news people followed us when we marched to St. Peter's Square.

There I was walking toward the Vatican for the very first time in my life and I was dressed in an alb and a deacon stole holding on to the WOC banner that said "Ordain Catholic Women." I would have never predicted that my first trip to Europe would have been as an activist in a movement for women's ordination in the church! I am so new to the movement but have been on an unbelievable and exciting, life-giving journey empowered by the Holy Spirit from the first moment of stepping foot into the preparation program to become a Roman Catholic Woman Priest. I went to Rome with the "Rosa Parks" of our movement-Janice Sevre-Duszynska. I was in Rome to support the Prophet of our movement-Fr. Roy. Dorothy Irvin, theologian,archeologist accompanied us on the trip educating us and taking us to important historical spots. I was surrounded by great people from CTA, WOC, and
womenpriest.org. This was more than I could ever dream of. I had many moments on this trip when my emotions stirred within me and I was overcome with thankfulness for the experiences I was encountering as they unfolded. This was a trip of a lifetime. And there are pictures in many newspapers of the events I participated in-just in case I forgot my camera.

As I sit here at home reflecting on my trip I hear Bridget Mary's encouraging words in my head: "You and Janice are participating in historical events." I think Bridget Mary is right and it is such an honor and a privilege to be part of this movement that is influencing the Church and moving it to a better place. This better place supports women and men who answer God's call to the priesthood and the people of God are empowered to follow their baptismal calls to fully participate in the liturgy and the work of the church. This is a place where all are welcome at the table and inclusive language is used. A community of equals are encouraged to love and serve God in the church and the community in this place.

The week in Rome also included going to the Basilica di Santa Prassede and seeing a mosaic of Bishop Theodora. I had seen Dorothy Irvin's slides before coming to Rome so as soon as I spotted the mosaic I recognized it and was filled with joy to personally see this indisputable evidence of the presence of women as priests and bishops in the early church. The same thing happened inside of me when I was in the catacomb of Priscilla and saw the fresco of women celebrating the Eucharist. We also visited a church that has part of the tombstone of St. Monica, Augustine's mother. The most memorable new knowledge that I gained from Dorothy Irvin had to do with St. Monica and made this visit to the church with her tombstone quite important to me.

Dorothy asked me if I had read The Confessions by Augustine. When I told her yes, she asked if I remembered the part where Augustine talked about Monica being a priest. When I told her with surprise that I did not remember anything like that in the book, she told me that book six talked about Monica giving people communion. Luckily I found a copy of the book online and just as Dorothy said, Augustine talked about his mother giving people communion! "In accordance with my mother's custom in Africa, she had taken to the memorial shrines of saints cakes and bread and wine, and was forbidden by the janitor. When she knew that the bishop was responsible for the prohibition, she accepted it in so devout and docile a manner that I myself was amazed how easy it was for her to find fault with her own custom rather than dispute his ban." Can you guess which bishop was forbidding Monica from continuing with her custom? It was Augustine's teacher, Ambrose. Monica gives Ambrose all the credit for converting Augustine to Christianity so it seems she thinks Ambrose can do no wrong. "When she learnt that the famous preacher and religious leader had ordered that no such offerings were to be made,... she happily abstained. ...Yet it seems to me, Lord my God-and this is the conviction of my heart in your sight-that she would not have yielded easily on the prohibition of this custom if the ban had come from another whom she did not love like Ambrose. For the sake of my salvation she was wholly devoted to him, and he loved her for her deeply religious pattern of life." Monica was a priest! Dorothy Irvin says she has read things that lead her to believe that Monica was a bishop! How bittersweet it is to think of Monica abstaining from her custom because of her high regard of the man who led her son to Christianity.
One of my favorite songs is Requiem and is sung by Eliza Gilkyson. The song came to my attention when I heard it being sung in a very moving part of Pink Smoke Over the Vatican. A beautiful phrase in the song has the following words: "Mary fill the glass to overflowing, illuminate the path where we are going." These words express my sentiments about my first trip to Rome. Mary filled my glass to overflowing and illuminated the path where we were going. I am filled with thanksgiving to God that I have been called to step into this movement at such an exciting time and I am filled with respect and gratitude for the women who have blazed the trail and have given their lives in working toward women's ordination. I stand on their shoulders as I accept the torch that they pass to me and pray that I can continue this good work with dignity and grace doing all that I can to work for reform in this church that we love too much to let it be destroyed and distorted. This trip has blessed me with great inspiration and hope for the work ahead.

"Too Little, Too Late" Commonweal Article on Bishops vs. Prominent Theologian Elizabeth Johnson

http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/?p=15712

October 31, 2011, 12:27 pm
Posted by Grant Gallicho
“Nun Has Refused to Meet with Doctrine Committee, Cardinal Wuerl Reveals.” That’s the headline of a Catholic Culture story reporting on a press release put out on Friday by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine. There’s one problem with that headline. None of it is true.
A common criticism of the Committee on Doctrine’s conduct during
l’affaire Johnson is that the bishops failed to engage her in dialogue before slamming her book Quest for the Living God. As the Catholic Theological Society of America board and membership have pointed out, the committee’s refusal to discuss its concerns with Johnson before issuing its critique violates the bishops’ own guidelines for handling such conflicts. Indeed, in her response to the committee’s most recent statement on the controversy, Elizabeth Johnson points out that “both publicly and privately I made clear my willingness to meet with Cardinal Wuerl and the committee to discuss these matters at any time…. No invitation was forthcoming to meet and discuss with the committee in person.”

Bridget Mary Meehan's Reflection
Quest for the Living God by Johnson is a theological masterpiece summarizing the cutting edge of theology. We are witnessing a "revolution" in the theology of God, Dr. Johnson states in her opening chapter.
It is high time that the hierarchy affirm that God is not male, a man in the sky, who has put men in charge of the church! Even Thomas Aquinas realized that " we see the necessity of giving to God many names" (Summa Contra Gentiles 1, 31:4)
All too often in the official prayers of the liturgy, God is named in exclusively male language. The Bible itself presents a variety of expressions for God such as "I am who I am," and diverse images like : father, mother, husband, female beloved, companion, and friend, shepherd, midwife, farmer, laundress, potter, physician, bakerwoman, teacher, artist, homemaker.
In my books, Exploring the Feminine Face of God, Delighting in the Feminine Divine and Heart Talks with Mother God, I introduce readers to feminine images of God for contemplation and discussion.
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests have just released our new Inclusive Worship Aides which uses both inclusive language and imagery for God.
It is available on our web site for a donation to our movement. www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org

Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholcwomenpriests.org

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Huge Numbers of Irish Catholic Priests Call for Reform including Women Priests

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irelands--Associaton-of-Catholic-Priests-call-for-reform-132848863.html?showAll=y
Over 500 priests want celibacy replaced, women priests allowed
By
ANTOINETTE KELLY,
"Ireland's Association of Catholic Priests is pushing for reform in the Catholic Church, calling for the ordination of women and an end to mandatory celibacy at a meeting held in Dublin early this month.The liberal group has only been in existence for one year, but the growth of the association has been rapid with 540 Irish priests op ting for membership. In its first year, the group opposed the new translation of the Roman Missal and appealed to the Irish bishops' conference to delay the introduction of the changes. The hierarchy dismissed the concerns.At the Oct 4-5 meeting, Fr. Kevin Hegarty, a member of the association’s leadership team, said what was needed was a church that would open its doors to "married priests and women priests."According to the
National Catholic Reporter, Hegarty said that church structures were a barrier to conversation and “despite the promise of the Second [Vatican] Council ... the church in Ireland failed to evolve a strategy that could learn from and contribute to the new consciousness.” An authoritarian hierarchical structure “is contemptuous of intellectual challenge and is fearful of leaps of the imagination. The consequences have flowed.”
One priest attending the meeting, Dominican Fr. Wilfrid J. Harrington, said he was motivated to join the association because of “the betrayal of Vatican II over the past 30 years.”“I now know, from our meeting, that Vatican II is not dead. Now I am aware that I belong to a sizable group of priests, diocesan and religious who still believe in Vatican II. And, happily and vitally, not only clergy, but very many lay women and men."

Bridget Mary's Reflection: The Irish Priests Association and the Austrian Priests are leading the way forward for women priests in the Catholic Church. Good news for Roman Catholic Women Priests who stand in solidarity with our courageous brother priests! It is our hope that more of our brother priests will stand up and join the "holy shakeup" leading to the renewal of the Catholic Church.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests