On the Home Page --
October, 2017
- Water
and Bread are symbols of Baptism and Eucharist: The signs of
incorporation into the community of believers and the bread by which
they are nourished
- October
1st Catholics around the world will honor the feast day of St. Therese
of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, and for many, the patron saint of
women's ordination.
- A prophet is one
who keeps God free for people and who keeps people free for God
- Ordain married men
- NCR Editorial:
Fling open door for women
- Dismantling the
Patriarchal Gender Binary in Society
- Priest archetype
is simply this: A midwife of grace
- Envisioning the
Church Women Want
- 95
percent of church-going women report they have never heard a sermon on
domestic violence preached from the pulpit of their church
- Pope
Francis decentralizes most authority for liturgical translations to
local bishops; Instruction major reversal of worship
congregation's original postconciliar translation rules
- Catholic women's
history in Catholic women's hands
- Catholic Church’s
idea of gender equality may be too little, too late
- Comments to the
Editor
- New way to donate
to RCWP
Canada -- via PayPal
- 195 Reasons why
women should be ordained
- Continuing
Features
- Francis, the
comic strip
- Top and bottom of
the page menu
Pope Francis
decentralizes most authority for liturgical translations to local
bishops
Instruction
major reversal of worship congregation's original
postconciliar translation rules
Joshua
J. McElwee, NCR | Sep
9, 2017
Pope Francis has decentralized authority over how the texts used in the
Catholic Church's liturgies are translated from Latin into local
languages, moving most responsibility for the matter from the Vatican
to national bishops' conferences.
In a motu proprio issued Sept. 9, the pontiff says he is making a
change to the church's Code of Canon Law so that the Second Vatican
Council's call to make the liturgy more understandable to people is
"more clearly reaffirmed and put into practice."
The motu proprio, given the title Magnum Principium, modifies two
clauses of Canon 838. The rewritten clauses say simply that the Vatican
is to "recognize" adaptations of Latin liturgical texts approved by
national bishops' conferences.
Read More
Catholic women's history in Catholic
women's hands
Mary E. Hunt People, NCR | Sep 20, 2017
Catholic women's history fades as fast as we make it because few people
write about it. Donna Quinn in Chicago Catholic Women: Its Role in
Founding the Catholic Women's Movement and Marian Ronan and Mary
O'Brien in Women of Vision: Sixteen Founders of the International Grail
Movement reverse the tide in volumes that provide rich data for future
scholars to analyze. They provide details of people, places, events and
trends that shape an ever so slightly more inclusive, if still quite
exclusive, church.
Chicago Catholic Women spent 25 years, from 1974 to 1999, being a
vibrant source of action and inspiration on issues related to women's
equality and anti-racism. The group was source of exasperation and
challenge for kyriarchal clerics who cowered in the face of strong
women. In the early years, bishops still met and spoke with Catholic
feminists, a practice that has long since gone out of vogue as the men
became increasingly terrified and embarrassed by the reactions to their
outrageous oppression of women.
Read More
Catholic
Church’s idea of gender equality may be too little, too late
Patsy McGarry, Irish Times | Aug 21, 2017
As the clamour demanding full equality for women in the Catholic Church
grows ever louder indications are that it is beginning to make an
impact at the very highest level.
Just this summer Sweden’s first Cardinal Anders Arborelius proposed
that Pope Francis create a special advisory body of women similar to
the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Arborelius was himself admitted to
the college in Rome last June.
“It’s very important to find a broader way of involving women at
various levels in the church. The role of women is very, very important
in society, in economics, but in the church sometimes we are a bit
behind,” he told media in Rome.
Similarly German cardinal Reinhard Marx, a member of the council of
nine cardinals which advise Pope Francis, has called on the church to
admit a greater percentage of women to its upper echelons.
“We would be mad not to use women’s talents. In fact, it would be
downright foolish,” he said. The fact that only men can be ordained
Catholic priests was “certainly not helping the church come across as a
pioneer of equal rights”.
The church’s message must be inclusive, he continued, and “that is why
I want to emphasise that positions of responsibility and executive
positions in the church that are open to lay people must be shared by
both men and women”.
Whereas admission to equality in church administration might be
welcomed by some women, their glaring absence from clergy, whether as
deacons, priests, or bishops, remains for most the true indicator of
their second-class status as members.
Read More
I
am most encouraged to read the article Pope Francis decentralizes most
authority for liturgical translations to local bishops.
I wonder what the CCCB response will be. I have been unable to attend
mass very often since the changes and English translation of the Roman
Missal several years ago.
I
find it offensive and heretical when at the introduction of the
Mass the priest says, "The Lord be with you" and we are to
respond "And with your spirit". I thought we stopped splitting our
physical humanity from our spirituality long ago, and this just seems
so counter to that. This is but one example of some of the
language changes that I find offensive and, truth be told, somewhat
meaningless in the context of the time in which we live.
I
loved the language of the liturgy before the recent changes; it was
more loving and real in terms of the time we live in and the lives we
live. I am hopeful that the CCCB will get right on this and review the
changes that were made with a resulting appropriate outcome for the
people of God.
Kathy
Cameron, Regina, SK
[A
version of this message was sent to the CCCB]
I've
printed off the article about the Pope's "magisterial authority" re
"irreversible" liturgical changes in order to ponder the difference
between the current RC Liturgy and our never-ever-changing Orthodox one
(except when it comes to reverting to gender-exclusive language in new
English translations). It is to weep.
Myrna
Kostash, Edmonton, AB, is an ObOSB of St Peter's Abbey in Muenster,
Saskatchewan.
Continuing Features:
With appologies to Martin Luther
Click here for book-length pdf
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195 Reasons
My Journey From Silence to Solidarity
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Water
and Bread are symbols of Baptism and Eucharist: The signs of
incorporation into the community of believers and the bread by which
they are nourished
|
|
Jane Kryzanowski | September 22, 2017
The Gospel story about Jesus walking on water from Matthew 14, 22-33,
is one with which we are all familiar. We all know the jokes
about Jesus knowing where the stones were to get to the boat.
Peter didn't have a clue about that.
To obtain a deeper understanding of the message in that Gospel story we
do well to ask: Who is the audience the Gospel writer we know as
'Matthew' is writing for around 90 C.E.? They are a tattered
remnant of mostly Jewish converts struggling to hang on, to be
'faithful' or loyal to Jesus' message, the Jesus Way. They
have
been persecuted on every side: by the Romans who are ruling them – the
temple has long been destroyed, Peter and Paul have been crucified;
fellow Jews consider them fools and are ostracizing them, and even
community strife and personal struggles assail them. No
wonder
they could be considered as being of “little faith.” The
questions is how to survive in such a hostile world, If there is such a
way.
As we know, the parables and stories of the Bible are not necessarily
“true stories”. They are, nonetheless, stories that tell
truth
when we go beneath the surface. Through symbolism, allegory
and
metaphor we can learn so much more than what we hear.
John Shelby Spong (Biblical Literalism, A Gentile Heresy) posits that
the Gospel of Matthew uses the structure of the Jewish Liturgical Year
for his teaching because it was an understandable framework for his
community who were mostly Jews. In the time between the
Jewish
festivals of Sukkoth (Harvest) and Hanukkah (Light) the Torah read in
the Synagogue was from the book of Exodus relating accounts of escape
from Egypt, the years of wandering in the wilderness and the discontent
of the people because of a lack of food and water. Through
Moses'
intercession, they read, the Red Sea split in two, providing safe
passage from slavery in Egypt. In the wilderness, through
Moses'
intercession, God provided manna and quail for food, and water from the
rock.
In the Gospel story, the disciples were sent out to sea to cross to the
other side while Jesus dismisses the crowd and then goes up the
mountain to pray. Meanwhile, a storm comes up that threatens
the
disciples' survival until Jesus comes walking on the water to meet
them. Spong sees a parallel story in the feeding of the five
thousand men, plus women and children, to the Jewish wilderness
story. Both the feeding of the multitudes and the command
over
the water are meant to show Matthew's community that Jesus is the new
Moses who delivers God's people and feeds them. Under Moses'
guidance, the Hebrew people crossed to the other side of the Red Sea
and crossed the wilderness to the Land of Promise. These are
richly symbolic stories that Matthew's audience would
understand.
Matthew is reassuring his struggling community that Jesus is their
advocate with God and companion on their journey from fear of
persecution, and encouraging them to go on to serve those on the
outside. Jesus takes time for prayer to regroup and
reenergize
himself for his mission.
A passage from 1 Kings 19, resonates with this theme. Elijah
is
trying to escape the persecution of Jezebel and after a long wilderness
journey, during which he had been strengthened by food from God under
the broom tree. He eventually arrives and Mout Horeb and
seeks
refuge in a cliff crevice. “Why are you here?” God
asks.
Then God proceeds to reveal the Divine self, not in tornado or
hurricane or wild fire, but a gentle breeze and calls him back to his
mission. Again God asks, “Why are you here?” The
time of
refuge on the mountain was the the necessary retreat to be able to
return to the prophetic mission given by God to Elijah.
In Romans 9, 1-5, Paul laments that some of the Jewish people have not
recognized or accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Paul would give
his
life if it meant that they would come to know Jesus and accept his
way. Paul's mission is challenging but he is strongly
committed
to it.
There are multiple messages from these three scripture passages:
Elijah was trying to escape persecution and seeks refuge in a cliff
crevice. God calls him back to his mission.
Matthew's community is struggling and fearful of persecution.
In
the Gospel, the disciples were struggling. They are being
sent to
Gentile territory. Their boat was in danger. They
were
filled with fear. They did not recognize the
presence.
Prayer is foundation of mission. Jesus, like Elijah sought to
be
alone and encounter God. So must we take time and listen for the
silence where God makes the God-self known to us.
For our mission: Where are we called to go? What is our
mission? How do we deal with our fears and anxieties?
Our journey is one of faithfulness, more than faith; trusting in the
person of Jesus more than the idea of him.
We can be reassured that God is with us wherever we are. We
do
not need to fear the hardships of life. Paul reminds us that
we
are people of covenant with God. God's gentle voice calls us
as
it did Elijah, God's hand is there to save us as Jesus was there for
Peter. Water and Bread - Baptism and Eucharist, are provided
for
our sustenance. Our journey with Jesus will eventually bring
us
to the other side – whatever our trial may be. We need not
fear
even in our times of darkness and turblence but refocus our vision and
become aware of the Divine presence with us. Our doubts, our
ifs
– if it is you – will be relieved and we can return to the mission
entrusted to us.
[Jane
Kryzanowski is servant leader of Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic
Community, Regina]
October 1st Catholics around the world will honor the feast day of St.
Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, and for many, the patron
saint of women's ordination.
St. Therese's fierce sense of faith, vocation, and her powerful "Little
Way" both inspire and challenge us to call for true equality in our
Church so that all who are called to serve in ordained ministries may
answer wholeheartedly, knowing their gifts will be welcomed and
celebrated.
We believe true transformation in our Church will come from empowered
Catholics on the ground: the (not so) "Little Flowers" of the
grassroots. To honor St. Therese and all women called to ordained
ministry please join us in taking action this October 1st:
- Drop
or hold a banner: Print our custom banner or make your own signs and
join members around the world in witnessing for women's ordination in
the Catholic Church.Click
here
- Plant
Little Flowers: St. Therese's symbol of a white rose is a perfect
opportunity to hand out (paper, real, synthetic) flowers outside Mass.
Or send flowers of support to a woman you know called to priesthood.
- Funny
Money: drop an "Equal Justice Reserve Note" in the collection basket to
inform the institutional Church that you are withholding your funds
until women have equal rites and rights. Click
here
- Pray: Use or adapt our
prayer for St. Therese of Lisieux at home or in your community.
Prayer
for the Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, our patron saint of women’s
ordination
Holy One, Source of all that has been, all that is, and all that will
be, we call upon Your name today, on the Feast of St. Thérèse of
Lisieux, our patron saint of women’s ordination, to pray for all your
people. Bless all those whom you call to priestly service – women and
men of all races and ethnicities, married and single, heterosexual and
homosexual – those for whom St. Therese’s words ring true: “I feel in
me the vocation of PRIEST. With what love, O Jesus, I would carry you
in my hands when, at my voice, You would come down from heaven. And
with what love would I give you to souls!”
Rekindle in our souls the strength, courage and compassionate love of
Jesus. Bless us that we might pursue the work of justice as our heart’s
desire. We offer our lives to you.
We thank you, Blessed One, for accepting us — strong and weak, firm and
faltering, wise and foolish. Guide and teach us to serve through both
love and service in the reformation and resurrection of the Catholic
Church we love. Lead us in the path you envision for us, to minister
through education and advocacy so that all those you call to priestly
ministry may respond and serve your people as you have chosen.
Beloved and Holy God, thank you for St. Therese’s strength and love.
May we honor her and you through our prayers and our love as we move
forward to work for church renewal. Empower us with new life, a life of
service to the People of God. We entrust ourselves and our church to
your love as we enroll others, by making them feel touched, moved and
inspired. We make this prayer in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Blessed be. Amen.
A
prophet is one who keeps God free for people and who keeps people free
for God
Richard
Rohr, CAC | September
13, 2017
A
prophet is one who keeps God free for people and who keeps people free
for God. Both of these are much needed and vital tasks. God has been
imprisoned and made inaccessible, and far too many people have been
shamed and taught guilt to keep us clergy in business. Our job became
“sin management.” Sadly the laity bought into this negative story line.
That is what happens when priests are not informed by prophets.
Read
More
Ordain married men
Peter Feuerherd, NCR | Sep 7, 2017
Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese wrote in March that Pope Francis was ready to
reconsider obligatory priestly celibacy. Reese wrote the pope was only
waiting to be asked by bishops.
"If the people of God want married priests, they need to let their
bishops know. The pope is waiting for the bishops to ask," wrote Reese.
NCR reader James Stubenrauch took up Reese's challenge. And he brought
along 52 other friends who reside with him at Dominican Village, a
retirement community on the grounds of the Dominican Sisters
Motherhouse here on Long Island.
A petition composed by Stubenrauch asked Rockville Centre Bishop John
Barres, the local ordinary, for the church to "move without delay" in
allowing ordination of married men to the priesthood and asked Barres
to "make every effort to advance this important proposal."
Read More
NCR Editorial: Fling
open door for women
NCR Editorial Staff | Sep 6, 2017
Irish parish priest Fr. Roy Donovan picks up on the door image to
describe the state of the church: The grain stores are full of food but
locked away behind "guarded" doors while the people outside starve. We
have the solutions. The grain is there but the people are not fed. We
are starving people of the richness and nourishment that women can
bring. We prefer an exclusive priesthood which is dying out due to a
lack of numbers. Women will not harm the church and yet we are
unwilling to let them in. Why are men not willing to share the
priesthood? Why do men believe women are not worthy of this?
. . .
By contrast, Tina Beattie pointed out, with regards to the ordination
of women, Francis says, "The church has spoken and says no. … That door
is closed."
That "no" is not acceptable to Donovan, to Women's Ordination
Worldwide, and to countless hosts of other faithful Catholics. They are
standing at the door, rapping, waiting to take possession of their
church, praying for an angel to break the locks and fling open that
door.
Read More
Dismantling
the Patriarchal Gender Binary in Society
Luis T. Gutierrez, Mother
Pelican | September 21, 2017
Read
More
Priest
archetype is simply this: A midwife of grace
Matthew
Fox, John Shelby Spong website | August 24, 2017
My
definition of the priest archetype is simply this: A midwife of grace.
For me this works, it honors many versions of ministry and priesthood
at the same time that it also opens up many interesting possibilities
for the new generation who are listening deeply (at least many are) for
their calling, their vocation, “How can I best serve this wounded and
rapidly endangered world?” This in a time of climate change, out of
control reptilian brain, war-mongering budgets and threats, patriarchy
in backlash, obscene gaps between haves and have nots and all the rest.
Read
More
Envisioning the
Church Women Want
Editor, RCWP Canada Website | September 21, 2017
In her book Abounding in Kindness, Elizabeth Johnson writes about
Coming in from the Cold; Women Envision the Church.
In the introduction to Chapter 18, she relates this story: At
one
point in her life, the Caribbean American poet Audre Lorde switched
from wearing eyeglasses to using contact lenses. Her poem reflecting on
the experience has a poignant closing line. Once she lived behind thick
walls of glass without much peripheral vision. Now her eyes are more
exposed, risky, open: “I see much/ better now/ and my eyes hurt.”
Metaphorically speaking, multitudes of women in the church have traded
in their eyeglasses for contact lenses. They see much better now where
problems in the church's teaching and praxis regarding women lie, and
their eyes hurt. They don't stop there, however, but also see what the
church could be in a more just time to come. After first identifying
what gives women the right to dream in this way, this article (Chapter
18) highlights three sets of ambiguities that bedevil teaching about
women's equality in the following of Christ. Grasping the measure of
these equivocations makes it clear that envisioning the church women
want is a courageous work of hope.
Chapter 18 is in Johnson, Elizabeth A.. Abounding In Kindness: Writings
for the People of God (p. 231). Orbis Books, Print Edition or Kindle
Edition.
Chapter 18 also forms the basis of the following 54-minute YouTube
video, a lecture by Elizabeth Johnson, Envisioning the Church Women Want
95
percent of church-going women report they have never heard a sermon on
domestic violence preached from the pulpit of their church
Sojourners
Magazine | September 23, 2017
This Domestic Violence Awareness
Month (October) we are partnering with We Will Speak Out for Speak Out
Sabbath 2017. One in three women experience intimate partner violence
in their lives, yet 95 percent of church-going women report they have
never heard a sermon on abuse preached from the pulpit of their church.
From October 13th to 15th, we are inviting faith leaders from every
tradition to commit to speaking out against this violence from within
the walls of their houses of worship.
Urge
the leadership of your house of worship to participate in Speak Out
Sabbath.
Houses of worship should
be places of refuge for survivors of violence. But how can the
survivors know they are safe if their faith leaders never denounce the
violence from the pulpit or open their office doors for healing
pastoral care? An overwhelming majority of the faith leaders (74
percent) underestimate the level of sexual and domestic violence
experienced within their congregations, leading to infrequent
discussions of the issue from the pulpit as well as a lack of
appropriate support for victims. Let’s put an end to that this October.
Ask
your pastor, imam, rabbi, or other faith leader to speak out for
survivors this Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
We know people of faith believe in
the sacred worth of women—let's make that extra clear this October.
Invite
the leader of your house of worship to take a stand for survivors of
violence.
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