Women Enter ‘Priesthood’ in Defiance of RC Church (media prepping for papal visit alert!)

VOA ^ | April 10, 2008 | Jeff Swicord

[NYer]

As Pope Benedict prepares to travel to the United States [arriving April 15th], he continues to uphold the church's long-standing tradition of not ordaining women as priests.  Since July 2006, more than U.S. 20 women with the organization "Roman Catholic Womenpriests" have considered themselves ordained without church approval.  VOA's Jeff Swicord reports on one woman in Sarasota, Florida, who says it is time for the church to openly accept women into the priesthood. 

Bridget Mary Meehan (r)

Bridget Mary Meehan is one of 24 Roman Catholic women in the United States conducting mass in defiance of church doctrine.

She describes her religious journey, which started as a young girl growing up in Ireland. "We grew up in this beautiful family where prayer was as natural as breathing," she recalls.  "Every evening we prayed the family rosary, and every evening we had such a sense of God."

Meehan entered a convent at the age of 18 and became a Roman Catholic nun with the Sisters of Christian Community.  In July 2006, a woman bishop not recognized by the Vatican ordained Meehan with seven other women. 

Meehan says the Roman Catholic Church needs to be more inclusive. "I think the problem is they don't know how to integrate women into the present clerical hierarchical structure,” she said. “And that is a problem because this hierarchical clerical structure needs to be changed."

Meehan offer mass in her home

Meehan advertises her mass in the local newspaper in the southern coastal community of Sarasota, Florida.  Her home serves as her church.

The local archdiocese declined VOA's request for an on camera interview.  But the archdiocese published a letter in the local newspaper condemning Meehan's actions.

Arne Panula in Washington is a member of Opus Dei, a conservative Catholic organization.  He says there are reasons why women are not ordained as priests.  He says it was a man, Jesus, who stood at the alter, broke bread and said, "This is my body," a ritual that priests recreate during mass.

Arne Panula

"The church teaches that he [the priest] does this in what is called insomnia nomini Christa, that he does this in the name and the person of Jesus," says Panula.  "Jesus was male. Jesus was a man.  And to be able to do that as Jesus did requires that it be a man who does it."

Meehan disagrees. "A priest is suppose to be in personi Christa," she says. "That does not mean taking on male identity. It means breaking the bread and sharing the wine in the memory of Jesus as a Pascal meal."

But Panula says Jesus chose not to ordain women. "Jesus Christ could have ordained women," he says.  "He could have named women to the presbyterate, in which case right now there would be women priests."

Meehan disagrees. She cites passages from the Bible and new scholarly works that retranslate the original Latin records of the Catholic Church's early days. "The ordination of women - we know for the first 1,200 years women were ordained,” she said. “So therefore, the teaching on that does not reflect the practice of the church throughout its history."

Meehan says her congregation is growing. She says some members are disappointed with the direction of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly in the area of gender equality. 

Cathy Kidder was attending Meehan's mass for the first time. "A lot of us have raised their children in the church and saw them learn all those wonderful traditions and heritage and belief in justice attitudes of our church," she says, "and our children have gone to other churches where they feel these things have been put into better practice."

Meehan has conducted mass since 2006.  The local archdiocese has protested her actions, but the Vatican has not sanctioned or excommunicated her.  Two women in St. Louis, Missouri have been excommunicated. 

"I think it is very wise of the Vatican right now to take a wait and see attitude, watch the movement of the spirit in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests rather than condemning us,” Meehan said. “Because, one day they just might have to undo their condemnation and canonize a few of the women in the movement.  At least that is our hope and our prayer."

[NYer]

Roman Catholic Women Priests report / Broadband - Download (WM)
Roman Catholic Women Priests report / Broadband - Watch (WM)
Roman Catholic Women Priests report / Dialup - Download (WM)
Roman Catholic Women Priests report / Dialup - Watch (WM)

[NYer]

There are NO women priests in the Orthodox Church. Why does the media focus strictly on the Catholic Church?!

[techcor]

have considered themselves ordained without church approval

Yeah, right. If so, then I'm the head of the N.A.A.C.P. and N.O.W. and I officially declare an end to their idiotic liberal/progressive racist and sexist policies. All hail me!

[livius]

Actually, there aren’t any in the Catholic Church, either. These women can call themselves whatever they want, but that still doesn’t make them priests. Well, except to the press...

[egginanest]

Do men want to become nuns?

[Ann Archy]

Hey Lesbians.....they are NO Female Catholic priests....not you or anyone else......go start your own church....you’ve been ex-communicated.

[DieHard the Hunter]

Crikey! Next thing you know, women will want to join the Freemasons!

[maryz]

"The church teaches that he [the priest] does this in what is called insomnia nomini Christa, that he does this in the name and the person of Jesus,"

Insomnia? Does the reporter intend to imply the Pope just doesn't get enough sleep and that's why he doesn't see the "rightness" of women priests? LOL! And who's "Christa"?

[Polybius]

Actually, there aren’t any in the Catholic Church, either. These women can call themselves whatever they want, but that still doesn’t make them priests. Well, except to the press...

What do you call women who enter the ‘Priesthood’ in defiance of the Roman Catholic Church?

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Protestants.

[wideawake]

"The church teaches that he [the priest] does this in what is called insomnia nomini Christa, that he does this in the name and the person of Jesus," says Panula.

Huh?

insomnia nomini Christa !?!

Quality transcription by this gifted journalist.

How about in persona et nomini Christi instead.

[wideawake]

Meehan disagrees. "A priest is suppose to be in personi Christa," she says. "That does not mean taking on male identity. It means breaking the bread and sharing the wine in the memory of Jesus as a Pascal meal."

In addition to even more painfully construed faux-latin, this statement is a clear admission by Meehan that she does not believe in the Real Presence.

So not only is she objectively incapable of saying the Mass, she even admits that she is not saying a Mass but that her rites are some kind of Protestant liturgy.

[NYer]

Good catch! Obviously did not properly research information before publishing this story.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

have considered themselves ordained without church approval.

You can not be a ordained Roman Catholic priest without the RCC approval.

You can not join any group unless they are inclined to let you. Why does this concept seem so difficult for some people to grasp?

[al_c]

What's next ... are they going to claim they are also Knights of Columbus?

Y'know ... David Koresh believed he was Jesus ... that didn't make it so.

[NonValueAdded]

So who died and made her pope? Whoop-te-doo, she disagrees. It’s not her right to do so and still remain within the church. She can nail her objections to the door and go from there, just as did those who came before.

[Iscool]

What do you call women who enter the ‘Priesthood’ in defiance of the Roman Catholic Church?

Protestants.

What does Jesus call phony priests who claim they are the Christ???

"The church teaches that he [the priest] does this in what is called insomnia nomini Christa, that he does this in the name and the person of Jesus,"

Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Jesus knew about your crowd way ahead of your arrival...

Mar 13:6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

No one comes in Jesus Christ's name and person but, Jesus Christ...

God says you have been deceived... .

[Salvation]

These women will soon find themselves excommunicated.

Actually they have excommunicated themselves.

[Salvation]

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.

 

[Salvation]

Fixing that link:

Some additional authors and speakers supporting "Women Priests"

[workerbee]

She describes her religious journey, which started as a young girl growing up in Ireland. "We grew up in this beautiful family where prayer was as natural as breathing," she recalls. "Every evening we prayed the family rosary, and every evening we had such a sense of God."

Meehan entered a convent at the age of 18 and became a Roman Catholic nun with the Sisters of Christian Community. In July 2006, a woman bishop not recognized by the Vatican ordained Meehan with seven other women.

That's it? That's the whole story of this woman's "religious journey"? Where's the beef? Something happened between the time of her upbringing in what was (presumably) a faithful Catholic family to her phony "ordination" by a heretic.