Women in bid to become ordained

The Age ^ | 06/08/05

[murphE]

Nine women, including one Canadian and one American, plan to defy the Vatican and become the first female Roman Catholic priests and deacons ordained in North America.

The ceremony, which is not sanctioned by the Vatican, is to take place July 25 on the St Lawrence River near Gananoque in eastern Canada following a conference on women as priests at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Organisers consider the location for the ceremony international waters between the United States and Canada where no diocese has jurisdiction and thus cannot interfere.

"I only have my faith and my hope and what the global scene says to me that I believe it's time to take this step," said former nun Michele Birch-Conery, 65, who was ordained as a deacon last year in Europe.

She will be the first Canadian woman to be ordained as a priest next month.

"It is an immensely wounding part in our Catholic history to block women's ecclesiastical participation in orders. I think people have been closed to a deeper, fuller expression of their faith by having, in the hierarchy and levels of authority and decision-making, a male-only church," she said.

Fourteen women have already been ordained in similar river ceremonies in Europe in recent years and 65 others are planning to join their ranks soon.

The Vatican has refused to allow women to become priests and reacted by excommunicating the first seven women ordained on the Danube River between Germany and Austria in 2003 after they refused to retract their vows.

But, two of the women, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger of Austria and Gisela Forster of Germany, were later secretly ordained as bishops by their male counterparts in the Roman Catholic church, insists Birch-Conery.

The two women bishops will perform the St Lawrence ordinations.

"This doesn't conform to the Catholic faith. Church teachings are clear: only men can be ordained," said Monseigneur Serge Poitras of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ottawa, noting that the former Pope John Paul II addressed the issue in 1994.

"People can do what they want. We don't have an army. We won't chase after them. All we can do is deplore such challenges to church doctrine and set the record straight," he said.

About 220 people will attend the ceremony and banquet aboard the boat which usually ferries tourists around the picturesque Thousand Islands on the St Lawrence River.

Some of the women are divorced, others married. Celibacy or sexual orientation is not considered, but years of religious study is a prerequisite, Birch-Conery said.

Once ordained, the women will not lead a flock or perform liturgies, but Birch-Conery has already been invited to talk about her faith with several small groups.

"We know we may be discredited. But, levels of faith expression have opened for me that I didn't have before. It's a calling for me," she said.

"We'll just have to see if this leads to change."

[murphE]

These women can no more become priests by this ceremony than chocolate chip cookies can become the Body of Our Lord even if a priest uses the correct words of consecration over them. Invalid matter, no Sacrament. And who the heck are these bishops pretending to ordain them? Why haven't they been excommunicated publicly for crying out loud???

[murphE]

ping

[murphE]

"It is an immensely wounding part in our Catholic history to block women's ecclesiastical participation in orders. I think people have been closed to a deeper, fuller expression of their faith by having, in the hierarchy and levels of authority and decision-making, a male-only church," she said.

Oh, boo hoo. Offer it up, Sister.

[Salvation]

Our Lady's Warriors>Dissent>Organizations & Speakers

Women-Church	Promotes women priests ("priestesses").
Women's Ordination Conference (WOC)	WOC promotes women priests ("priestesses"). WOC is characterized by strong language denouncing "the patriarchal church" and the papacy of John Paul II. WOC leaders have suggested "new" sacraments that mark stages in a woman's life. Example: "Sacrament of Croning" at age fifty to herald the coming of "Wisdom." A recent WOC conference claimed ordination meant subordination; consequently, ordination needs to be Reconstructed. It is not unusual for WOC meetings to begin with an invocation to a pagan goddess, and may feature a pagan ritual meal. Member of Catholic Organizations for Renewal.
Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW)	Promotes women priests ("priestesses").
Women in Church Leadership (WICL)	Promotes women priests ("priestesses").
Women's Alliance for Theology Ethics and Ritual (WATER)	Emphasis is on "inclusiveness," in liturgy and re-interpretation of the Scriptures to the radical feminist view.

 

 

 

Women Priests
Sr. Lavinia Byrne	Book titled Women at the Altar (condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith)
Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB	A supporter of Call to Action who promotes women priests.
Paul Collins, ex-priest	Author of the books "Papal Power" and "Mixed Blessings," who was under investigation by the Vatican claims since 1998, claims that it is ìfar too earlyî for definitive closure on the issue of womenís ordination.
Sr. Fran Ferder	Quixote Center book titled Called to Break Bread? A Psychological Investigation of 100 Women Who Feel Called to the Priesthood in the Catholic Church. As co-author of a National Catholic Reporter article dated 5/12/02 she states "Central to a more inclusive, open system, is, of course, the need to welcome sacramental ministers from all lifestyles and both genders."
Barbara Fiand	Theologian teaching that women should be priests.
Maureen Fiedler	Interim Co-Coordinator of Women's Ordination Conference.
Ruth Fitzpatrick	Women's Ordination Conference.
Fr. John Heagle	As co-author of an article printed in the National Catholic Reporter dated 5/12/02 he states "Central to a more inclusive, open system, is, of course, the need to welcome sacramental ministers from all lifestyles and both genders."
Andrea M. Johnson	Women's Ordination Conference National Coordinator and support of Catholic Organizations for Renewal.
Sr. Elizabeth Johnson	Promotes Women priests.
Sr. Theresa Kane, R.S.M	Promotes Women priests.
Fr. Richard McBrien	Claims that a future Pope must overturn the infallible document disallowing women "priests" (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis).
Sr. Ruth Sch”fer	Organized "Action Purple Stole," a womens' ordination protest.
Christine Schenk	FutureChurch, Women in Church Leadership (WICL).
Sandra Schneiders (cited in Renew 2000)	Speaker at Call to Action conferences.
Karen Schwarz	Coordinates San Francisco Women's Ordination Conference/WomenChurch.
Bishop "Willie" Walsh	Bishop of Killaloe Ireland said that he would happily ordain women and that the Church "missed out" by not doing so.
Fr. John Wijngaards	Author of "Did Christ rule out women priests?"
(ex-Bishop) Romulo Antonio Braschi: Christine Mayr- Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris Muller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner, Angela White	Seven women who went through a mock ordination ceremony  held by a schismatic ex-bishop Antonio Braschi. See their  warning and subsequent formal excommunication notice here.

[kidd]

I agree with you.

These women are participating in an "In-Your-Face" ceremony.

But it is not a Catholic ordination.

[Salvation]

These women are Catholics in Name Only!

[ladtx]

Nine women, including one Canadian and one American, plan to defy the Vatican and become the first female Roman Catholic priests ...

No they're not. This is called playing at becoming a priest. Much as my kids played at being cowboys and indians.

[irishtenor]

***And who the heck are these bishops pretending to ordain them? Why haven't they been excommunicated publicly for crying out loud???***

Read closer, they are women Bishops, secretly ordained... although that has no bearing either.

[madprof98]

Some of the women are divorced, others married. Celibacy or sexual orientation is not considered, but years of religious study is a prerequisite, Birch-Conery said.

Why have any prerequisites at all? This is much too strict! It's truly pre-Vatican2!

[End Times Sentinel]

Nine women, including one Canadian and one American, plan to defy the Vatican and become the first female Roman Catholic priests and deacons ordained in North America.

Good luck, b#tches.  That'll have as much authenticity and authority as when I ordained myself Pope.

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[murphE]

This is what I was referring to

But, two of the women, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger of Austria and Gisela Forster of Germany, were later secretly ordained as bishops by their male counterparts in the Roman Catholic church, insists Birch-Conery.

[Tantumergo]

As one C of E vicar put it when the Anglicans started to "ordain" wimmin:

"This is ridiculous. You can no more ordain a woman than you can a pork pie!"

[OpusatFR]

Ordained as what? In what?

It came to me last night that I really need to be praying a lot more.

[murphE]

It came to me last night that I really need to be praying a lot more.

Don't we all!

[te lucis]

Oh, boo hoo. Offer it up, Sister.

...and make me a sandwich, after you change into a skirt.

[NYer]

Interesting that you should post this today. Just ran across a story that ran in May at CWNews.

Austrian bishop resigns after liturgical-abuse complaints

This is the same bishop from whose diocese 10 catholic women were ordained back in 2002. Back then, the bishop goaded them on ....

"Bishop Maximilian Aichern of Linz, from whose diocese most of the women come, said that while they could not receive the sacrament of ordination in the Catholic Church, the world conference of Catholic theologians was discussing the possibility of giving women a “temporary assignment” to act as priests."

As we all know, the women were subsequently excommunicated from the Church, as will these women. They should take their circus act to the Episcopal, Lutheran or Old Catholic Church, which is how Mary Ramerman was ordained to the priesthood.

[JustMytwocents70]

All baby boomer feminazis I bet too. this is why I left the protestant church. too many feminists in the pulpit talking liberal politics instead of God.

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

"Karen Schwarz Coordinates San Francisco Women's Ordination Conference/WomenChurch."

The fact that she is part of a progressive organization from San Francisco tells me that she is part of an evil group trying to distort the true word.

[Pyro7480]

Every time I see that picture, I just shudder.

[wagglebee]

The ceremony, which is not sanctioned by the Vatican

This means they WILL NOT be priests, delusional heretics perhaps, but not priests.

Why don't they just become Episcopalians? Then they can become lesbian married priestesses.