Woman Ordained As Priest Denied Catholic Burial

cbs ^ | May 19, 2010

[NYer]

Janine Denomme

There are tough questions for the Archdiocese of Chicago after it denied a lifelong Roman Catholic a church funeral. CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports with the story of a battle a cancer victim fought until her dying breath.

The priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church is the world's oldest all-boys club. Women need not apply. No debate. No appeal. Protest at your own risk. Which is exactly what Janine Denomme did.

Janine was 45 when she died, after a year-long battle with cancer, on Monday. She was a devoted parishioner at St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's North Side, attended by many members of the gay and lesbian community.

CBS 2 talked to her last fall, about a new book Cardinal George had written, and his comments about sexual orientation.

"Using sexual orientation in the same line as moral failings does not make me feel welcome," said Denomme back then.

Though it wasn't the debate over sexual preference, but her campaign for women in the priesthood, that was the final straw.

Last month, Janine was ordained in a simulation, according to the Archdiocese, which carries an automatic penalty.

"Any woman who seeks ordination incurs excommunication," said Fr. Daniel Smilanic.

Archdiocese Canon lawyer Smilanic said the Cardinal had no choice. Janine knew that when she took her vows a month before she died.

Her longtime partner, Nancy Katz, said that Janine was also aware that she risked being denied a formal church funeral.

"I don't think she believed the church would lack a pastoral sensibility," said Katz. "And what she said to me as we talked about her funeral wishes, 'I can't imagine having my funeral anywhere but my parish.' And yet she knew that there was a risk involved with heeding her call for ordination."

How does it hurt the church to say, she made a mistake, but she was our lifelong daughter, let her be buried in the church as she wanted?

"We have to understand what the theology is," Smilanic said. "The Holy See has said that if people do this, they are automatically excommunicated. And the excommunication is reserved to the Holy See."

Translation: orders from Rome. Instant excommunication. Decreed by the same authority which takes years to excommunicate priests who abuse children.

Janine's funeral mass will be held Saturday at a Methodist church in Evanston; though many of St. Gertrude's parishioners, perhaps even its priests, are expected to attend.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Reserved to the Holy See" means that for this gravity of offense, only the Pope or someone designated by the Pope can lift the excommunication.

She abused a Sacrament; she knew it; the excommunication could have ben lifted by confession, if the Pope so authorized. Only God knows whether in hr final moments she repented; so all we can do is pray for her soul, poor woman.

In my opinion (and only my opinion, dearies) every single Bishop who refuses to carry out Canon 915, should be excommunicated for sacrilege against the Eucharist. That's the Canon that says unrepentant people guilty of manifest grave sin (e.g. Catholic politicians voting for abortion or target=city bombing or gay marriage or torture or the like) MUST (the law says "must") be denied Holy Communion.

But the bishops themselves are openly disobedient.

[NYer]

I’m not a proponent of female ordination, but Jewish society at the time wouldn’t have been able to handle female rabbis, which was what Jesus’ Apostles were somewhat akin to.

Yet the times have often favored a female priesthood and never more so than when Christ ordained his first priests, nearly 2,000 years ago. Virtually all the pagan religions of his day had priestesses, and it would have been entirely normal and natural for him to choose women for this task. He had, moreover, a number of excellent potential candidates, from his own Mother, who accompanied him at his first miracle and stood with him as he suffered on the cross, to Mary Magdalene or the women of Bethany. Instead, he chose only men, and he remained immovable on this, continuing right to the end to exhort and train them all, leaving thus a Church which turned out to be safely founded on a rock. From those twelve men a direct line of apostolic succession has given the Catholic Church the bishops and priests it has today.
WOMEN PRIESTS: NO CHANCE

[rwfromkansas]

Dang, is this is a column....very biased reporting if supposed to be a straight news story.

This story screams “sweeps month” ratings grabber.

I’m not Catholic and don’t exactly agree with much of the theology, but this is ridiculous. She was not lawfully ordained and therefore does not deserve a Catholic burial. If this results in automatic excommunication (unfortunately it doesn’t in Protestant churches...), she is no longer Christian and therefore should not get treated as such.

[rwfromkansas]

There’s a heck of a lot of things Jews weren’t comfortable with, such as eating “unclean” meat etc.

This is one reason why I do not buy the “cultural” argument when it comes to female ordination to pastorship.

Christ upsets the apple cart of the Jews throughout Scripture in very fundamental ways. He wasn’t exactly afraid to do so and would have done so if he believed women could be ordained as pastors.

Christ did respect the women in his church very much. He chose women to tell the news of his Resurrection. I used to attend the Reformed Presbyterian Church, a very conservative denomination that is one of the few smaller branches of Presbyterianism that has women deacons. I have come to the conclusion that deaconesses are Biblical.

Now, I am in the Presbyterian Church in America, which doesn’t because honestly I think they are scared of trending toward the mainline PCUSA that is having the fights over gay ministers and already ordain women as pastors. However, the PCA did study it recently and decided to keep things the way they are now with only men deacons. I disagree, but they did a solid Biblical study and tried to look at the issue.

Anyway, the point is....I do think women can be deacons in the sense of Biblical deacons....those that help the sick, comfort and do those sorts of ministry actions. NOT the “deacons” of the Baptist church that really are elders in the Biblical sense.

[NYer]

I do think women can be deacons in the sense of Biblical deacons....those that help the sick, comfort and do those sorts of ministry actions

That service has traditionally been served by religius women who are trained as nurses, health care aides, hospice workers, teachers, etc.

[Mrs. Don-o]

You learned the wrong lesson, my brother.

Mortal sin (gravely wrong action, freely and knowingly done) is not the same as excommunication. Homosexual acts are mortal sins, as is, for instance, "rash judgment." If unrepented, acts of distorted sex, acts of distorted judgment, and any other grave sin, can lead to the soul's eternal woe.

But there are seven actions which result in automatic excommunication (latae sentenciae) under the present Canon Law --- which does not, as I say, mean simply mortal sin. Those actions are:

• Apostasy, Heresy, or Schism
• Desecration of the Eucharist
• Physical force against the Pontiff
• One who procures an abortion and all accomplices
• Priest who absolves a partner in a sexual sin
• Priest who directly violates the sacramental seal of confession
• Both parties to the consecration of a bishop without a pontifical mandate

Why are these automatically excommunicatable? Not because they are "uniquely" sinful, but usually because the person who commits them is deemed to need an especially solemn warning about the gravity of what they've done. Typically because in these sins the person is seriously self-deluded and urgently needs good spiritual counsel.

So excommunication is what's known as a "medicinal" penalty. The point of such penalties is to move the sinner to repentance. It does not mean you are damned. There are several canonized saint (the two that come to mind are St. Joan of Arc and St. Hildegard of Bingen) who was under an unjust sentence of excommunication when they died--obviously the matter was review after their deaths, and they were found not only "not guilty," but very virtuous.

[murron]

Looking at her picture told me all I needed to know about her sexual lifestyle.

[Mrs. Don-o]

This is the note I wrote to author ("reporter") Jay Levine:

I was frankly surprised, Mr. Levine, upon RE-reading the sad article about the death of Janine Denomme, that you designate yourself a "reporter" on this one. You ought to have called this an Op/Ed. and yourself a "commentator."

From the very headline --- "Woman Ordained as Priest" --- you are not reporting straight facts. Janine Denomme was not ordained. She set herself up for an attempted ordination, or a simulated ordination, or an enactment of an ordination, but she was not "ordained," any more than I could have my friends give me a great statuette of a football player and then call myself a Heisman Trophy winner.

And from your first line --- "There are tough questions for the Archdioces of Chicago" --- you are communicating opinion here, and not facts.

That ought to have been clarified, Mr. Levine.

I feel sorry for this woman, who must have had many attractive qualities. I have prayed for her, because there was apparently a lot she didn't understand.

This applies to you as well. As it does to us all, limited as we are: but God alone knows everything, and is merciful.

[Alex Murphy]

In my opinion (and only my opinion, dearies) every single Bishop who refuses to carry out Canon 915, should be excommunicated for sacrilege against the Eucharist. That's the Canon that says unrepentant people guilty of manifest grave sin (e.g. Catholic politicians voting for abortion or target=city bombing or gay marriage or torture or the like) MUST (the law says "must") be denied Holy Communion.

But the bishops themselves are openly disobedient.

You're not alone - I share your opinion.

Canon 915 - Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion.

Sadly, Archbishop Chaput has indicated that it is the responsibility of the communicant to stay away from the Communion Rail. This is not correct. Rather, it is the responsibility of the Minister of the Eucharist to deny Holy Communion. This is a huge difference that goes against the Church's teachings regarding canon 915 as well as recent statements from the Vatican stating that the manifest pro-abortion politicians must be denied, and the burden IS upon the Minister to deny, NOT upon the communicant to stay away
. -- from the thread Will Denver Catholic Archbishop finally enforce Canon 915?

"An archbishop who says nothing about these sacrilegious Communions is teaching his diocese that being pro-abortion is not sinful. By flouting Canon 915, he is also teaching his diocese that obedience to Canon Law is optional."
-- FReeper Arthur McGowan, September 17, 2009

A reflection on canon 915
Will Denver Catholic Archbishop finally enforce Canon 915?
Columnist Reflects on Kennedy Funeral, Recalls 2004 Letter from Card. Ratzinger to Card. McCarrick

[PzLdr]

“Tough questions”? Let’s see self proclaimed woman priest. Apparent active lesbian. What ‘tough questions’? It’s the Roman Catholic Church., not the Episcopalians. She excommunicated herself by her ‘ordination’. She did not repent. She cast herself out.

[murron]

I totally endorse the Church and its actions. Now if they would be just as vocal in not allowing politicians who are pro abortion from having Catholic burials (Ted Kennedy pops into my mind)then I will have tons more respect for their decision.

[Salvation]

spine!

[Salvation]

Kennedy and other politicians of like mind and heart excommunicate themselves by their actions.

[lastchance]

I think this needs to be upgraded from barf alert to steaming pile warning.

That being said I do hope the woman repented of her sins and was reconciled to Christ.

[SuziQ]

"I don't think she believed the church would lack a pastoral sensibility," said Katz. "And what she said to me as we talked about her funeral wishes, 'I can't imagine having my funeral anywhere but my parish.' And yet she knew that there was a risk involved with heeding her call for ordination."

In other words, she was counting on there being a soft-hearted priest somewhere who would go against Catholic teaching, and give her a Catholic burial, even after she'd been excommunicated.

She was making her own rules, in the church she'd created in her mind, as the one SHE thought would be 'just'. Too bad she didn't consider sinfulness and pride when she was considering 'justice'. Those are the things that she used to reject the Church with regards to ordination, and God's natural law with regards to her choice of sexual orientation.

[SuziQ]

We know that at the very least there were female deacons.

The women who were 'deacons' in the early Church didn't perform the same ministerial roles that either Permanent or Transitional Deacons perform nowadays.

These days, women are heavily involved in their Parishes in activities such as religious education, nursing, hospitality, bereavement, etc. These are the same functions those women who served as 'deacons' in early Church performed, and those in which women have been involved throughout the history of the Church.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Tremendous, Alex!

You, me, and Arthur --- The Canonical Gang of Three! Let's take as our Patron Saint my favorite missionary Archbishop, Inquisitor, and scourge of the corrupt clergy, Abp. Toribio (also called St. Turibius of Mongrovejo.)

Think I'm kidding?

[trisham]

Her longtime partner, Nancy Katz, said that Janine was also aware that she risked being denied a formal church funeral.

*********************

In what way was this woman a Catholic?

[BunnySlippers]

Boy, the article is really biased!

[Mrs. Don-o]

• All of the Jews' neighbors had not only priestesses, but goddesses.

• It's hardly appropriate to make the assumption that Jesus had no females among his twelve Apostles, and His church had no female priests, because of cowardice in the face of public reaction. After all the Catholic Church, in the Acts of the Apostles, is recorded as having set aside the circumcision and kosher rules, which would have been just as big a deal, or bigger, in historic context.

• Speaking of controversy: Jesus said "Eat my Body and drink my Blood." When people turned away, he said to his Apostles, "Heh, just kidding,folks, it's just a metaphor" "Do you want to leave, too?" Christ Almighty, this was not a man afraid of controversy.

• The Church sees the priesthood as, among other things, a representation of Christ the Bridegroom. A woman can represent Christ in many ways (as healer, as preacher, even as 'good shepherdess,' if you want to get into the whole series of similes) but cannot 'bodily' represent Christ as the Bridegroom who lays down his life for his Bride, the Church .

There's a lot to the priesthood. More than we know.