Defying church, 12 Catholic women to be ordained here(Pittsburgh)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06166/698388-85.stm

On July 31, a dozen well-educated, experienced Roman Catholic women will pass into uncharted spiritual waters on a boat cruising Pittsburgh's rivers.

On that afternoon, three women in vestments will lay their hands on the heads of the 12 women and anoint their hands with oil during an ordination ceremony that will be the first of its kind in the United States.

Among the participants is Joan Clark Houk, 65, of McCandless, who with seven other women are answering a call to be priests; the other four are candidates to be deacons.

It will be the fourth such ceremony in the world since 2002, all unrecognized by the Vatican. The women are part of a growing international movement to push for women's ordination.

I'd laugh my ass off if they all got excommunicated.

"Presiding at the ceremony will be Patricia Fresen, Gisela Forster and Ida Raming, who live in Germany and are bishops in Roman Catholic Womenpriests, an international group of Catholics who support women's ordination.

The women claim they are part of the church's valid apostolic succession because Roman Catholic bishops in good standing ordained them secretly. The women refuse to name those bishops to protect them from reprisals by Vatican authorities in Rome."

The Church doesn't like to acknowledge that part of it's history, but they did exist and they were allowed. I completely support those women. They should be allowed into the priesthood.

Bishop Wuerl just became an Archbishop and packed up for DC. Don't know if he's been replaced yet.

Is it loose?

Like your lips?

These women have spent most of their lives dedicated to the one thing that they want to be fully incorporated into. My mother does not want to be separated from the church and her community. I think if you asked someone at the beginning of the civil rights movement you would have had similar responses. I am sure that someone thought on the day that Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting on a bus some thought it was funny that she was being arrested. My mother want to change the church and has been working toward that goal for 40 years now. She is now using civil disobedience as a tool to make people recognize this needs to change.

...so maybe she's available!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2344588

who gives some human a right to have another human excommunicated? to say, you have no right in believing in God. That's just ridiculous in any religion.

The Church is a Church of human beings. While informed by God, the Church is a material organization on Earth. If a person is a member of a community and the community determines that the person and their beliefs are a danger to that community they have no right to remove them from the community?

The Church has every right to say to their members that they are not acting in a Catholic manner and their beliefs and actions are actually dangerous to the spiritual life of fellow Catholics. If these persons persist in their teaching and beliefs the Church has no choice but to excommunicate them.

I know if the Roman Church is to change, the change must come from within. I have friends who have given up on the Church and who have gone to other Catholic Churces which allow ordination of women and of married people.

If Benedict decides to excommunicate them, he is hurting only himself.

The church needs its women if it is to restore its internal balance. The church has lost its way, IMHO, because it has excluded women from playing any role. Hopefully, when the church's people see the tremendous value these women will brng to their souls they'll demand that their priests represent them all.

I hope the people, religious and non-religious both,will be inspired by these women to demand that our political representatives bring a similarly authentic spirit to our government.

I know he will.

You go Pittsburgh!!!

Most Catholics are with you - even most priests are.


Joe

Just do it. Best of luck to them.

You can get all the Mary you want and get married, too! You don't even have to worry about anyone questioning your ordaining bishops' apostolic credential! (Even though the Romans try to make a pissy "procedure being irregular" argument, odd that doesn't invalidate any of the Eastern Rites rites of consecration, isn't it?)

Rome came over and took these rights away. It is so good to hear that the women in my church are creating this much needed change. Bless you women and thank you. God is on your side, and she is watching with a smile.

I wrote a big paper on this for an honors Sociology of Religion class when I was in college. I find the subject really fascinating, even though I don't believe in organized religion. Women were honored in the Celtic world and originally women were able to be ordained in the Church for the first few hundred years...even with Rome's approval. A lot of that has been ignored or denied, although many theological scholars support it.

Do you think the Vatican cares about 12 rebellious women in a country that's only a quarter Roman Catholic? Doubtful.

they probably don't care. That being said...

The pope barely cares about the millions of followers who are truly in need.

Every step leads to the journey's end.

Good for them, says this ex-RC (who originally left because of the way women were treated in the Church)

And yeah, I actually think the Vactican does care about this... alot.

The church needs to go through a revolution that doesn't split the church but brings it back together. John Paul believed in the reconciliation of the church with other major religions while tearing the internal church a part through exclusion. I am hopeful in the future that will change.

> Do you think the Vatican cares about 12 rebellious women in a
> country that's only a quarter Roman Catholic? Doubtful.

Do you think the Romans really cared about 12 reject groupies following
a long-haired, dirt-poor hippie?

Tesha

woman publicly rejecting the doctrine that they tried to "bind" all Catholics to. There will be repercussions, and it won't take long.

Welcome to DU, ZanyPelbeian.

The times I have posted about being a Catholic and a Lesbian, I have said that The Vatican was out of step on what was really happening. I'm happy for these women and I hope more become Priest. If The Church tries to stop this, they know that there can be a big split in The Church. More power to these women for standing in what they believe in.:)


HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS AND GRANDFATHERS HERE IN DU.

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VERY tenaciously (a lot like other Conservative Mid-America areas) holds onto "tradition" and the past. And is a PARTICULARLY MALE-ruled and valued environment.

Having grown up as a female in an all male family, and having plenty of Male dominated thoughts in the "Mill-bred" environment (which is STILL in the "genes" of generations of Mill workers there...whether or not the mills are closed now)...this appointment of Female Priests is posivitiely ground-breaking.

Kudos to the "Burgh! My hometown. (And adopted hometown of Teresa & JK!)

Kudos to these women for shaking up the status quo!

is what the first women Epsicopal priests did--find a legitimate male bishop who will ordain them in a public mass. That forced the hand of the Episcopal hierarchy, and would do the same thing to the RCC.

And they ordain anyone and everyone, regardless of gender or sexual bias. The only thing they ask is tolerance (from BOTH sides) and acceptance that each person be respected for their particular level of their spiritual development. Very interesting.

I know the Byzantine Catholic Rite ordains married priests as a good friend's brother was ordained 3 months ago and he's been married for almost 20 years and has a couple of children.

Paula

Do you have a URL for the LIberal Catholic Church? I've given up on the Catholics entirely, but my husband hasn't. Thanks in advance!

Or so their website says.

...also has its roots in Theosophy and, if I recall correct, split into two factions: one that says you must be a practicing Theosophist to be ordained and another that says you don't.

Catholics like this don't need that bigoted fuck Ratzinger anyway.

I'm a catholic, and I was just stricken when that fucking ass was elected pope.

Shake it up ladies!!

This is so exciting -- our humble city is honored to have been chosen for this blessed event. Gee -- it would be fun to see the Clipper off from the dock and cheer them on.

So intriguing too regarding the details about secret ceremonies by bishops who would suffer consequences from the Vatican.

Ratzinger -- Give these divinely inspired women the chance to serve God and their community!!

...is very likely to be female -- in the form of a lay parish administrator, rather than a male priest, as described in this article:

http://www.projo.com/religion/content/projo_20060610_ristaff10.2cc2352.html