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- As bishops’ summit opens, Catholic women say: ‘Let’s be a nuisance!’
- Prelates Come Marching In, Women Sing, Police Strong Arm
- Catholic Women Speak network calls for church reform, focus on women
- For real change, we must get at four roots deeper than church structures
- Women's Ordination Conference asks you to sign petition to show your support for voting rights for women at the Synod
- WOMEN PRIESTS - A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration that only men can be ordained
- If you won't ordain them, don't baptize them. You may give them ideas - For altar girls, a modest proposal
- Racism is more than a sin. It constitutes a heresy that undermines the very identity of the church
- We are called to the Lord's supper because God calls us to be what we already are, love and mercy for each other
- Women must fight clericalism to heal church, Women Church World publication says
- Catholic Women Called - Kathleen Gibbons Schuck
- Vatican
II's reforms to the Mass were right and why the clergy's resistance to
fully implementing the revisions are part of our current crisis
- RCWP
Canada Bishop's Message
- Dancing
My Life, Dancing My God
- Binding
The Strong Man
- Why stay in the Church? A little different nuance
- Comments to the Editor
- Free access to on-line or pdf downloadable books and book-length articles
- Synod on the Youth 2018 series
- Tech Tip
- Francis,
the comic strip
- Links
to related information
RCWP
Canada Bishop's Message
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Jesus
came with a message of God's love and compassion for the poor and the
marginalized and with a call to discipleship that embodies that
loving tenderness. Today's gospel (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Mark
10.17-30)
asks that we check our attitude about the reign of God.
Oscar
Romero was canonized this morning. A few hours ago Pope Francis
named him along with Pope Paul VI and 5 others as among those
recognized by the church for their lives of holiness. I see St.
Oscar Romero as an embodiment of the message of today's gospel.
When
Romero was named archbishop for San
Salvador he was considered a “safe” bishop who would protect the
church in a country experiencing political unrest. He had friends in
high places in the government of the day. However, the people were
being exploited, land being taken from them by the government, some
were even being killed if they resisted or opposed the injustice.
Some peasants challenged Romero's cozy association with government
officials -- drinking brandy with them -- while ignoring the plight
of the people.
It
was the murder of one of his priests, a friend who stood in
solidarity with those being exploited, that disturbed Romero and
compelled him to check his attitude about what was happening to God's
people. He began to speak out against the injustices and atrocities
being committed against the poor. He implored the government to stop
the killing. This change in him gave hope to the people but it
angered those in power. After awhile, he became aware that each time
he spoke out he might be the target of the next bullet. On March 24,
1980, while celebrating mass in a hospital chapel, they came for him.
After his homily, again pleading for justice, while standing at the
altar, he was shot to death.
In
his gospel, Mark tells his community that attitude is everything. A
rich man thinks that he can get a piece of the kingdom Jesus promises
with a little buy-in – flattering Jesus, affirming his goodness, as
if the kingdom was like the property the man already held that gave
him status and prestige. It's not that easy, Jesus said. He tells the
man that it is not only keeping the commandments that is required,
especially the ones about envy and covetousness which often underlay
the acquisition of land. Jesus also tells him that being part of the
kingdom comes with a price – he needed to give up his value system
for that of God's value system. His attitude about what was important
in the kingdom had to change. He needed to move out of his comfort
zone.
Romero
came to realize that the
kingdom of God he was to proclaim was not with the powerful or one
that could be obtained by fraudulent means. In fact, the kingdom of
God required the restoration of land taken by force. God's loving
tenderness is for the poor who are the victims of exploitation and
neglect. To God all are important; no one is to be above another.
Squabbling about who is first, and who is greatest are the things
that have to go. Hierarchy and power are non-starters. The community
of believers needs to be concerned about the least among you,
exemplified by the children who had no status in Jewish society.
The
invitation to follow Jesus, to love as he loved, is given to each of
us. As Romero experienced, the two-edged sword of God's word cuts
both ways. It invites and it challenges. It disturbs us and calls us
out of our comfort zones. We must ask, “Like the man, bound in
riches, what binds us from following Jesus? What attitudes of mine
need to be changed?”
We
celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada this past week. As we look at our
blessings and are thankful for them, we may also examine our
attitudes toward the poor and the homeless, many who are the
indigenous people of our country, and the migrants and refugees of
the world.
How
are we the beneficiaries of the patriarchal system that colonized the
Americas and many countries around the world?
What
can we do to restore to wholeness those who have been exploited; to
give back some measure of what was taken from them? Can my
Thanksgiving also be a moment of making amends, of giving with
thanks?
There
are many things we can do that embody God's loving tenderness and
reach out to those who are marginalized today. Here are a few for
your consideration:
A conference
on ending poverty in Regina, SK is being held at Knox Met on
Wednesday. Perhaps
you want attend.
As
usual in October, the Regina Food Bank is looking for donations for
the winter months. You can double the value of your donation by
making it before Oct. 31.
Click
here
The
Development
and Peace Fall Campaign focuses on the forced displacement of
refugees. Learn about the suffering of millions of our sisters and
brothers who are displaced by war and famine. Sign the Action Card.
Participate in a Walk that we expect will be organized in the Spring.
Click
here
Sign
the petition for at least two women observers at the Synod on Youth
to be allowed to vote along with the two non-ordained men already
given a vote. The
petition will be hand delivered to bishops, cardinals, and all voting
members attending the Synod in Rome, as well as to Cardinal Lorenzo
Baldisseri, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops beginning
October 18, 2018.
Click
here.
Jesus
came with a message of God's love and compassion for the poor and the
marginalized and with a call to discipleship that embodies that
loving tenderness. To live our call we seek Wisdom – Wisdom to see
and to understand what we can do, be it great or small, to create a
world of right relationships, harmony and peace.
+Jane
[Jane
Kryzanowski, Regina, SK, is bishop for RCWP Canada.]
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Judith
Pellerin's Dancing My
Life, Dancing My God uses the metaphor of dance to
describe how life can be lived joyously and with fulfillment.
The concept of dance as prayer, as communication between self and God,
is introduced in an engaging and accepting way for those seeking to
discover deeper meaning in their communion with the Divine. |
Balanceing
information on the history of dance as Spirit-led
communication with more personal anecdotes of the meaning of dance for
people today, Dancing
My Life, Dancing My God offers a starting place for
discussion and discovery of dancing a Spirit-filled life.
[Judith
Pellerin, Regina, SK. has given permission to serialize her book.
Click
here to read up to and including the Conclusion, Appendix, Acknowledgments and authors bio.]
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Binding
The
Strong
Man |
Radical
Discipleship, radicaldiscipleship.net | Ordinary
Time, 2018, Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary
As
we transition into the summer months of Ordinary Time, we are
celebrating the 30th anniversary of Binding The Strong Man,
Ched Myers’ extraordinary
political reading of Mark’s Gospel.
[For
each Sunday of Ordinary Time, RCWP
Canada semi-Monthly Review posts links
to Myers' comments.]
Why stay in the Church? A little different nuance
Emil Kutarna, Special to The Review | October 15, 2015
Matt Malone, SJ’s article in America Magazine,
September 5, 2018, is a professional, well thought out answer to why
stay in the Church. I propose a little different nuance than just
either in or out.
My credentials are meager. I studied Theology and was ordained in 1955.
The Vatican Council and a lot of theology has been written since then.
And I believe that I have read extensively enough that I think I have a
fair grasp of the current trends in that field. I offer that grain of
salt to take with my thoughts on staying in or leaving the church.
Suppose we say the Church is like the car you’ve had for many years;
sure, a Cadillac if you like. It is quite old, but still beautiful to
look at. The trimmings and upholstery are works of art. But it has been
giving you trouble lately. Something has happened to the GPS system. It
has taken you off course so far sometimes that you wonder why you keep
it.
But it is hard to part with it. It has been in your family for years.
This car was your wedding car. This car was part of so many
celebrations, baptisms, First Communions, graduations, and even
funerals. How beautiful it was to drive to Midnight Mass or Easter
Sunrise and other parish gatherings. You can’t just abandon this car.
It’s like a part of the family.
On the other hand, hey, let’s face hard facts – it’s only a car. It’s
falling apart. It has caused you grief too often. Even the mechanics
say it might not be repairable. It’s costing you a bundle now just to
keep it in the garage. Nice antique, but you really wonder if it is
more trouble than it’s worth.
So you’re making a decision, keep it or scrap it. But hey, you know
what? You’re not limited to either/or. You have several choices:
One - you can keep it as an old faithful, a reminder of better days;
take it out for a spin now and then, like Christmas and Easter, other
celebrations and funerals.
Two - if you need to get somewhere more reliably, with less grief, you
can keep the Caddy, but get a second, more comfortable car with a new
GPS that will get you to where you want to go.
Three – if you are totally discouraged with the original Caddy, just let the old car go.
Conclusion: God will not send you to hell if you leave the Catholic Church (or get rid of the old Caddy).
[Emil Kutarna, Regina, SK]
Jane - loved your piece on the Gospel of John! (The Review, October 1, 2018) Plenty of food for thought.... (no pun intended) Making the scripture come alive in our present experience!
[Craig Van Parys, Regina, SK]
Feature Series ›
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As bishops’ summit opens, Catholic women say: ‘Let’s be a nuisance!’
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Claire Giangravè, cruxnow.com | October 2, 2018
As women around the world attempt to shatter glass ceilings, fueled by
the #Metoo movement, some Catholic women - tired of not being heard -
would just be happy entering the Holy Door.
“We women have also [been guilty of] the sin of clericalism. We also
have entered into the Church mentality,” said Lucetta Scaraffia, Chief
Editor of Donna Chiesa Mondo, a magazine focusing on women’s issues and
attached to the Vatican news outlet L’Osservatore Romano.
“We have placed ourselves outside a door that excluded us and asked for it to be opened,” she added.
Read More
Prelates Come Marching In, Women Sing, Police Strong Arm
FutureChurch, futurechurch.org | October 2018
This
afternoon about 20 women and men met to practice our singing and
chanting for a planned protest at the Synod gates. Organized by
the ever creative Kate McElwee of Women’s Ordination Conference, we
wanted to send a clear message that women should be voting members of
the Synod, part of the “Votes for Catholic Women” campaign. Women
from Voices of Faith, Catholic Women Speak, Womens Ordination
Worldwide, a group of Catholic women from Poland and the Czech
Republic, We Are Church Ireland, and FutureChurch were there.
Read More
Daily Reports from the Synod (XV
Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (Oct 3 – 28)
officially titled “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”
)
Catholic Women Speak network calls for church reform, focus on women
Jamie Manson, ncronline.org | Oct 3, 2018
Catholic
Women Speak network gathered at the Pontifical University Antonianum
Oct. 1, about 4 miles from where more than 300 Catholic bishops opening
the Synod 2018 on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment on
Oct. 3.
The
delegates gathering for the month-long synod of bishops will hear few,
if any, women's voices inside their Vatican meeting hall. That's a
situation that theologian Tina Beattie wants to remedy, even if it's
from the other side of town.
Read More
For real change, we must get at four roots deeper than church structures
Joan Chittister, ncronline.org | September 20, 2018
In the midst of the angst that has accompanied the revelation of
unparalleled amounts of sexual abuse of children in the Catholic
Church, the cry for reform gets louder by the day.
For some, it's a call for the elimination of celibacy as an unnatural
and therefore impossible way of life. For others, it's about barring
homosexuals from the priesthood, as if homosexuality was in essence a
model of immorality rather than simply another state of nature — just
like heterosexuality with its own immoral aberrations. For many, it's
about a lack of psychosocial development in seminaries; for others,
it's about the liberalization of the church since the Second Vatican
Council, no matter that the bulk of assaults happened, apparently,
before the end of the council.
Indeed, there are as many explanations for this crisis in morals,
spirituality, church and trust as there are people, dioceses, parents,
priests, lawyers, whomever. But there is one element on which everyone
seems to agree: There must be repentance. There must be accountability.
There must be reform.
Good. And that looks like what?
Read More
Women's Ordination Conference asks you to sign petition to show your support for voting rights for women at the Synod
Kate McElwee, Women's Ordination Conference | October 12, 2018
As
the Synod of Bishops continues throughout the month of October, the
lack of voting rights for women participating continues to be an
elephant in the room.
Even
as the new guidelines for the Synod allow for two non-ordained
religious brothers to vote, the religious sisters present are denied
the same right. These qualified women are excluded simply on the basis of biological sex.
We will hand deliver the petition to bishops,
cardinals, and all voting members attending the Synod in Rome, as well
as to Cardinal Baldisseri, the Secretary General of the Synod of
Bishops, beginning October 18th.
Read More
WOMEN PRIESTS - A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration that only men can be ordained
Leonard Swidler and Arlene Swidler, editors, Paulist Press | 1977
Women Priests - A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration is an
on-line book of 48 essays by Catholic theologians, republished on
womenpriests.org website with the necessary permissions. Free
access to the book of essays is available here: http://www.womenpriests.org/classic/wp_cont.asp
If you won't ordain them, don't baptize them. You may give them ideas - For altar girls, a modest proposal
Kate Childs Graham, ncronline.org | September 22, 2011
From the very second I was old enough, I was an altar server. I
couldn’t wait to don the garb, light the candles, ring the bells, wash
the hands.
I performed my duties with the most piety any 9-year-old could muster,
crossing my thumbs for perfect prayer hands, kneeling as straight as
possible, hanging off every word that Fr. Jerry uttered -- all the
while shooting telling glares to my fellow altar servers that were
chewing gum, wearing sneakers, yawning or, heaven forbid, refusing to
sing aloud.
I silently mouthed every word of the Eucharistic prayer. And when I
went home, I re-imagined the mass for my friends, from “In the name of
the Father...” to “...go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” I adored
my church, my faith, my God.
As an altar server, the Catholic hierarchy was -- in spite of itself -- developing a leader, fostering a vocation in me, a girl.
I understand, then, why certain priests like Fr. John Lankeit of Ss.
Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, Ariz., and Fr. Michael Taylor of
Corpus Christi Catholic Mission in South Riding, Va., (a hop and a skip
away from my own parish) are prohibiting girls from becoming altar
servers.
Read More
Racism is more than a sin. It constitutes a heresy that undermines the very identity of the church
Joseph S. Flipper, commonwealmagazine.org | September 24, 2018
Theologically understood, racism is more than a sin. It constitutes a
heresy that undermines the very identity of the church. Taking form in
ideology and systemic exclusion, racism threatens to co-opt
Christianity because it offers a powerful anti-Christian narrative
about who we are as human beings while invoking Europe’s “Christian
heritage.” We should be alarmed not only at the physical violence
racism provokes, but also at the signs of the re-animated gods of
nation and blood. As Henri De Lubac
recognized in the 1940s, unless the church embodies visibly what its
doctrine proclaims it to be—the visible site of the reunification of a
humanity divided by sin—it fails to be authentically catholic.
Read More
We are called to the Lord's supper because God calls us to be what we already are, love and mercy for each other
Mark Etling, ncronline.org | July 10, 2018
I love and need the celebration of the Eucharist. It brings me into
communion with the universal church and the church of my fellow
parishioners. It consoles and challenges me in the proclamation and
application of the word of God, and it feeds me when I receive the body
and blood of Christ. The Mass is a positive and important experience
for me.
But there's a little phrase in the liturgy that bothers me a lot. It's
this: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof." Every
time I hear those words, a voice within me shouts, "Lord, why am I not
worthy?"
With all respect, I cannot help but challenge the assumption that I or anyone is unworthy to approach the table of the Lord.
Read More
Women must fight clericalism to heal church, Women Church World publication says
Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service | October 2, 2018
In response to current scandals, clericalism and the need for reform,
Catholic women must take the initiative and make their voices be heard,
according to a series of articles in a Vatican magazine.
The October edition of Women Church World, published Oct. 1 in
conjunction with the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, dedicated
its monthly issue to “Women Confronting the Crisis of the Church.”
Read More of the article above which summarizes the articles below
Articles in Women Church World, October 1, 2018 issue in English
Articles in Women Church World, October 1, 2018 issue in French
Catholic Women Called - Kathleen Gibbons Schuck
Catholic Women Called, Youtube video
Vatican
II's reforms to the Mass were right and why the clergy's resistance to
fully implementing the revisions are part of our current crisis
Steven Lanoux, Special to The Review | September 29, 2018
We're
currently attending the Fullness of Truth conference in Austin.
Mass today was to honor the Feast of the Archangels.
It
was more than merely an "Extraordinary" Mass in Latin. It was a full-on
formal St. Michaelmas High Mass as celebrated between the fifth and
eighteenth centuries. We had seminarians helping with the
Gregorian-chanted portions, multiple altar boys (no girls, of course),
Deacons kneeling on the stone floor but not assisting in the ceremony,
and naturally the Priest with his back to the congregation doing things
no one but an altar boy could see and saying things only that boy could
hear. Even the Epistle and Gospel were sung in Latin. One
had to kneel up front for Communion--on the tongue only, mumbled phrase
in Latin to go with it.
Six
candles, incense by the ritualistic hierarchy (altar and cross get
three sets of two thurible waves, priest gets one set of three waves,
deacons each get one set of two waves, each altar server gets a single
wave, and entire congregation gets one wave center, one left and one
right), and, naturally, a collection. Pure old school Catholicism.
And
it really showed why Vatican II's reforms to the Mass were right and
why the clergy's resistance to fully implementing the revisions are
part of our current crisis. Even a part of the Mass was called
the "Secret" if you recall. I think the mystery of the Mass is
related to God's participation, not what the priest is doing at the
altar. But it exhibited the priest's power and how things are not
to be shared with us commoners.
It
was offensive, not beautiful. It was exclusive, not for us or
with us, and it showed that ONLY the priest talks to God. Baloney!
The
Latin Mass needs to go away. It is part of the abusive system,
focuses on the power of the priest, is male-exclusive, and highlights a
language that means nothing to most. It was a way to weaken
Vatican II by re-authorizing exclusive power by the Church and
emphasizing the separation of the clergy from the laity.
Oh,
and the celebrant was from the Holy Cross Order, the Crossiers, who
went bankrupt in the US after paying off scandals from child abuse by
priests and are now based out of Brazil.
Small wonder that the "old way" was being espoused.
But
then there was God's sense of humor to offset the darkness. The
proper Gospel for the Michaelmas is Matthew 18:1-10. So the
Crossier priest had to elaborate on Matthew 18:6, "...he that shall
scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better
for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck and that he
should be drowned in the depth of the sea." He called on the
archangel to destroy the demons that had possessed the church and
caused the current crisis.
He failed to note that the demons are wearing Roman collars.
[Steven Lanoux is a member of Call To Action - Rio Grande Valley and lives in Brownsville, TX]
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