New:
Sisters, Carry On: Roman Catholic Women Ordained Deacons
and Priests by Women Bishops"
Like Rosa Parks whose refusal to sit in the back of the bus ignited the civil
rights movement, Roman Catholic women priests are redefining priesthood and
claiming full equality for women in the church.
On July 25, 2005, nine Roman Catholic women were ordained deacons and priests
by three women bishops. Sailing down the sparkling international waters of
the St. Lawrence Seaway, the boat symbolized the church floating in the waters
of divine love, calling forth the gifts of women to equal ministry.
Roman
Catholic WomenPriests Ordinations on July 25, 2005 on the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Video
Clip 1 - "Let the Women Be There": In this mini-clip
candidates for priestly ministry express their commitment to serve God in
ordination ceremony on St. Lawrence Seaway on July 25, 2005.
Video
Clip 2 - In this clip, Bishop Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger explains that
the women bishops were secretly ordained by Roman Catholic male bishops in
good standing with Rome. This clip shows the laying on of hands in the ordination
ceremony that took place on July 25, 2005 on St. Lawrence River.
Highlights of Historic Ordinations are available on DVD-R or VHS. Click Here
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"Sisters,
Carry On: Roman Catholic Women Ordained Deacons and Priests by Women Bishops"
On July 25, 2005, nine Roman Catholic women were ordained deacons and priests
by three women bishops. Sailing down the sparkling international waters of
the St. Lawrence Seaway, the boat symbolized the church floating in the waters
of divine love, calling forth the gifts of women to equal ministry.
These courageous women defied an unjust law banning women from priestly ministry.
The three women bishops, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Gisela Forster, and
Patricia Fresen, who presided at the ordinations, were ordained by Roman Catholic
male bishops in a secret ceremony to avoid Vatican reprisal.
Women deacons, priests, and bishops are part of the ancient heritage of the
Roman Catholic church. The image on the ordination program depicts Episcopa
Theodora, a women bishop in the early church. The original mosaic appears
in a side chapel in the Church of St. Praxedis in Rome. Likewise, there is
a fresco depicting a woman deacon and a bishop ordaining a woman priest in
St. Priscilla’s catacomb in Rome.
A Native American woman, from the Algonquin tribe led the opening ceremony
with drumming and chanting of "The Strong Women." The readings from
the Bible affirmed women's equality in the church. The letter from St. Paul
proclaimed that we are all one in Christ. "there is no Greek or Jew,
slave or free, male or female." The Gospel encounter between Mary Magdala
and the Risen Christ was read.
The three women bishops presented a down-to-earth dialogue homily that roused
the community to laughter several times. "The Vatican hierarchy has been
at anchor for many centuries. We are saying in a friendly way the Vatican
sailors must be reawakened," Bishop Gisela Forster said, "thousands
of people are yearning for an understanding church, they are looking for reforms."
Family and close friends, shared touching anecdotes about their relationships
with ordinands over the years as they called them to priestly ministry. The
bishops and the community laid their hands on the heads of the ordinands,
praying in silence over them. The liturgy utilized inclusive language. Prayers
were directed to "Mother and Father God." The entire community prayed
the prayers of consecration. After the blessing we closed with a rousing rendition
of the hymn: "Sister, Carry On". As we sang, "let the women,
be there," there was a palpable sense of joy that women were taking their
rightful place at last, as partners and equals in a church modeled on Gospel
equality. As they processed out carrying waters from the rivers of the world,
the newly-ordained women walked into history, leading the Catholic church
into a new age in which the identity of priest will reflect the experiences
of women, as representatives of the sacred. Women priests remind us that woman
are equal symbols of the holy. Patriarchy's dark lie that women are more responsible
for the fall has been smashed as women in priestly ministry defy an unjust
law that keeps women subordinate in the Catholic church. Viva Roman Catholic
women priests, may you step out of the boat and walk on water, keeping your
eyes on God through the rough waters ahead!
Here are a few "news briefs" that I heard on the boat:
---One nun reported that a priestless parish was seeking g a woman priest
to staff a church in US
--Several nuns from religious orders who were guests at the ordination said
that they are going to raise the issue of supporting women in their religious
orders who are called to the Roman Catholic priesthood.
--A woman who was ordained in France in July 2005, was approached for confession
by a woman who had been out of the church for 30 years, and a priest in her
area invited her to concelebrate Mass with him in a private home.
--In California one of the newly ordained women priests was invited to celebrate
Mass with a local community.
There were 57 media outlets that reported on the ordinations. This resulted
in widespread coverage of the ordinations on TV and newspapers. To read news
stories on women priests, go to a search engine such as Yahoo news, type in
women priests ordained in Canada and you will get around 200 news wire articles.
On Google there are thousands of articles on this topic.
Here is a link to a BBC article with a great photo of the ”laying on
of hands” in the ordination ceremony..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4717277.stm
For photos of ordination, visit www.corpus.smugmug.com
To find out more information on the Roman Catholic Women Priest Movement,
visit www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Bridget Mary Meehan, sfcc , Co-Coordinator of Women-Church Convergence
