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Woman ordained as Catholic priest to celebrate Mass in Syracuse suburb
Syracuse NY Post Standard ^ | Friday May 01, 2009, 7:23 PM | by Renee K. Gadoua

Posted on 05/02/2009 7:10:09 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines

A woman ordained in July at a ceremony the Roman Catholic Church considers invalid will celebrate a Mass Saturday at a conference in Liverpool.

The Rev. Gabriella Velardi-Ward, a member of RC Womenpriests, an international group of Catholics who advocate women's ordination, will lead a 2:30 p.m. liturgy at the Upstate New York Call to Action conference at Le Moyne Manor in Liverpool.

The conference will also include presentations by the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, who has been criticized by the Vatican for participating at a Womenpriest ordination; and Mary Hunt, a native of Syracuse and a feminist theologian who is co-founder and co-director of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual.

The event is Call to Action's sixth statewide conference. The theme is "It's a Question of Conscience -- Re-examining Conscience and the Doctrine of Reception."

The Catholic Church has consistently taught that only men can be ordained as priests, and church officials have typically said that women participating in what the group calls ordinations automatically excommunicate themselves from the church.

Danielle Cummings, assistant chancellor and director of communications for the Syracuse Diocese, said the ceremony Velardi-Ward will lead is not a Mass since it is not celebrated by an ordained Roman Catholic priest -- a baptized male who has received the ordination validly.

"If Mass is being celebrated by a non-ordained individual, the Mass would not fulfill the Sunday obligation of Mass for Catholics," Cummings said.

Womenpriests and its supports say its ordinations are legitimate because Catholic bishops in good standing ordained their first members to become female priests and bishops.

Bob Dugan of Liverpool, a leader of the local Call to Action chapter, said the church should begin ordaining women. "They are shutting down parishes all over the country, not just in the Syracuse Diocese," said Dugan, a member of St. Lucy Church in Syracuse.

"The reason they are shutting down churches is there are not enough priests to go around," he said. "Every member of the church has been called to priestly ministry by virtue of their baptism."

Bourgeois, who has spoken in Syracuse several times, is a Maryknoll priest and the founder of the School of the Americas Watch, which hopes to close the military training school renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

Bourgeois was to talk about the School of the Americas on Friday and his support for women's ordination today.

After he preached the homily at an Aug. 9 Womenpriest ordination, the Vatican gave him 30 days to recant or be excommunicated. Bourgeois has continued to speak publicly about his support for ordaining women.

"Sexism, like racism, is a sin," he said in a letter to the Vatican. "And no matter how hard or how long we may try to justify discrimination, in the end, it is always immoral."

Dugan said Call to Action planned the woman-led service to show its support for women's ordination.

"We're not trying to provoke anything," he said. "We're trying to recognize that women are called to priesthood."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: New York
KEYWORDS: catholic; heretics; liberalcatholics; priestesses
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To: Owl_Eagle

What station? Will it be downloadable in mpeg format?


21 posted on 05/02/2009 7:39:11 AM PDT by abishai
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Again, the MSM does not get it when it comes to religion. This woman is not a Catholic priest. The headlines are totally misleading. It would be like me ordaining a dog. It is not a valid ordination anymore than same-sex marriage is a valid marriage before God.
22 posted on 05/02/2009 7:39:12 AM PDT by Nosterrex
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To: G Larry

You’ve hit it right on the head. This article, like many others in the lib press, improperly labels former Catholic dissidents as “Catholic”. If I call myself Chinese, that doesn’t make it so. She is completely out of communion with the Catholic Church and is no more Catholic than Osama Bin Laden. Yet, leave it to this rag to mislead the public. This is a non-story if it were written properly - “Former Catholic women ordained as a Minister in some other Christian sect leads a Religious sermon” - Big Deal!


23 posted on 05/02/2009 7:41:30 AM PDT by Nicojones
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

God looks upon the heart; I’ll defer that judgement to Him.


24 posted on 05/02/2009 7:41:38 AM PDT by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?" TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!)
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To: Nosterrex

You made my point while I was typing. Better said as well!


25 posted on 05/02/2009 7:42:24 AM PDT by Nicojones
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To: TurtleUp

I am not a Roman Catholic, but I am totally against the ordination of women into the Holy Ministry/Priesthood. Look at the denominations that have female clergy. As the late Pope John Paul said, the church does not have the authority to ordain women to the priesthood. He gave three main reasons: Jesus is male and the priest represents Jesus. The teachings of St. Paul forbid women priests. The tradition of the church (the entire history of the Hebrews) in which Jesus only called MEN to be apostles.


26 posted on 05/02/2009 7:47:04 AM PDT by Nosterrex
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To: nina0113

Way to go! Our little parish is much the same.

If you present Jesus Christ as He is, without compromise or shame, people who are genuinely seeking the Truth will respond.

Better a real mass held in a tent with two people than 10,000 in a palace with no Body and no Blood.


27 posted on 05/02/2009 7:48:43 AM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: SumProVita

If these people dont not want to follow the rules of the Roman Catholic church, then why do they insist on still being members of it?
The Pope says no women priests, then there are no women priests. Period. No Discussion. If they dont like it, they can leave the church and start thier own religion.
I dont understand. Can anyone explain it?


28 posted on 05/02/2009 7:50:31 AM PDT by Yorlik803 ( If this be treason, then lets make the best of it.)
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To: TurtleUp
I’m not a Catholic, but I believe it is time for the Catholic Church to ordain women.

Therefore your opinion is irrelevant and regardless of what it is, the Holy See has already definitively addressed the issue. Women cannot and thus will never be ordained.

In addition Bourgeois has been excommunicated and is no longer a Priest.

Fr. Roy Bourgeois has been excommunicated [Ecumenical]

APOSTOLIC LETTER
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOPS
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ON RESERVING PRIESTLY ORDINATION
TO MEN ALONE

Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,

1. Priestly ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches.

When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."(1)

But since the question had also become the subject of debate among theologians and in certain Catholic circles, Paul VI directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to set forth and expound the teaching of the Church on this matter. This was done through the Declaration Inter Insigniores, which the Supreme Pontiff approved and ordered to be published.(2)

2. The Declaration recalls and explains the fundamental reasons for this teaching, reasons expounded by Paul VI, and concludes that the Church "does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination."(3) To these fundamental reasons the document adds other theological reasons which illustrate the appropriateness of the divine provision, and it also shows clearly that Christ's way of acting did not proceed from sociological or cultural motives peculiar to his time. As Paul VI later explained: "The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology-thereafter always followed by the Church's Tradition- Christ established things in this way."(4)

In the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, I myself wrote in this regard: "In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with which, in all his behavior, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time."(5)

In fact the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles attest that this call was made in accordance with God's eternal plan; Christ chose those whom he willed (cf. Mk 3:13-14; Jn 6:70), and he did so in union with the Father, "through the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:2), after having spent the night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12). Therefore, in granting admission to the ministerial priesthood,(6) the Church has always acknowledged as a perennial norm her Lord's way of acting in choosing the twelve men whom he made the foundation of his Church (cf. Rv 21:14). These men did not in fact receive only a function which could thereafter be exercised by any member of the Church; rather they were specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself (cf. Mt 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk 3:13-16; 16:14-15). The Apostles did the same when they chose fellow workers(7) who would succeed them in their ministry.(8) Also included in this choice were those who, throughout the time of the Church, would carry on the Apostles' mission of representing Christ the Lord and Redeemer.(9)

3. Furthermore, the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe.

The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the Declaration Inter Insigniores points out, "the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church."(10)

The New Testament and the whole history of the Church give ample evidence of the presence in the Church of women, true disciples, witnesses to Christ in the family and in society, as well as in total consecration to the service of God and of the Gospel. "By defending the dignity of women and their vocation, the Church has shown honor and gratitude for those women who-faithful to the Gospel-have shared in every age in the apostolic mission of the whole People of God. They are the holy martyrs, virgins and mothers of families, who bravely bore witness to their faith and passed on the Church's faith and tradition by bringing up their children in the spirit of the Gospel."(11)

Moreover, it is to the holiness of the faithful that the hierarchical structure of the Church is totally ordered. For this reason, the Declaration Inter Insigniores recalls: "the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (cf. 1 Cor 12 and 13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints."(12)

4. Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.

Invoking an abundance of divine assistance upon you, venerable brothers, and upon all the faithful, I impart my apostolic blessing.

From the Vatican, on May 22, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 1994, the sixteenth of my Pontificate.

NOTES

1. Paul VI, Response to the Letter of His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. F.D. Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood (November 30, 1975); AAS 68 (1976), 599.

2. Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood (October 15, 1976): AAS 69 (1977), 98-116.

3. Ibid., 100.

4. Paul VI, Address on the Role of Women in the Plan of Salvation (January 30, 1977): Insegnamenti, XV (1977), 111. Cf. Also John Paul II Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles laici (December 30, 1988), n. 51: AAS 81 (1989), 393-521; Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1577.

5. Apsotolic Letter Mulieris Dignnitatem (August 15, 1988), n. 26: AAS 80 (1988), 1715.

6. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, n. 28 Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, n. 2b.

7. Cf. 1 Tm 3:1-13; 2 Tm 1:6; Ti 1:5-9.

8. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1577.

9. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, nn. 20,21.

10. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Inter Insigniores, n. 6: AAS 69 (1977), 115-116.

11. Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, n. 27: AAS 80 (1988), 1719.

12. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Inter Insigniores n. 6: AAS 69 (1977), 115.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

29 posted on 05/02/2009 7:53:47 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: reefdiver

If Christ wanted Women Priests, There would of been Women Apostles
____________________
Actually, there is a compelling argument Mary Magdalene was an Apostle. Flame away.


30 posted on 05/02/2009 7:55:04 AM PDT by lp boonie (Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment)
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To: Yorlik803
Can anyone explain it?

The short answer is that the Gates of Hell are still trying to prevail.

31 posted on 05/02/2009 7:55:21 AM PDT by nina0113 (Hugh Akston is my hero.)
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To: lp boonie

Compelling only to the ignorant.


32 posted on 05/02/2009 7:59:22 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: Yorlik803

“If these people don’t not want to follow the rules of the Roman Catholic church, then why do they insist on still being members of it? ....

...I don’t understand. Can anyone explain it?”

Explanation: SIN


33 posted on 05/02/2009 8:05:11 AM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: A.A. Cunningham

“Compelling only to the ignorant.”

AMEN!


34 posted on 05/02/2009 8:06:25 AM PDT by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Many here will ask: If they disagree with the Roman Catholic Church so much, why don’t they form their own church?

Because to far many people of a Liberal bent, the existence of organizations with which they fundamentally disagree is intolerable. They can’t just agree to disagree, they must bend their opponents to their will.

People of this type would not be satisfied unless 50% or priests were women and 10% or more were LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered for those who don’t understand Liberal-speak) with the Catholic church openly celebrating most of the things it preaches against.

Indeed, these types of people will not truly be happy until The Pope, and her Lesbian life partner, are making offerings to Gaia the Earth Mother in the Vatican. In other words they want the Catholic Church to betray it’s most fundamental beliefs.

I’m not Roman Catholic, but but I find these types of people appalling.


35 posted on 05/02/2009 8:06:32 AM PDT by GreenLanternCorps ("Barack Obama" is Swahili for "Jimmy Carter".)
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To: A.A. Cunningham

Compelling only to the ignorant.
__________________
Ignorant means lack of knowledge. Read and study your history of the Church and then tell me I’m ignorant.


36 posted on 05/02/2009 8:07:02 AM PDT by lp boonie (Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Oh My God! Help US! And England!


37 posted on 05/02/2009 8:08:27 AM PDT by pepperdog (The world has gone crazy.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Just adding to the chorus: not a Catholic. Not a priest.


38 posted on 05/02/2009 8:15:52 AM PDT by trimom
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To: GreenLanternCorps

We have a way of life, Our Country, it’s traditions being destroyed by just such people.


39 posted on 05/02/2009 8:23:55 AM PDT by reefdiver (Freedom - From Govt. - Educators - CNN)
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To: lp boonie
I already have and yes, you are ignorant.

Main Entry: ig·no·rant
Pronunciation: \ˈig-n(ə-)rənt\
Function: adjective
Date: 14th century
1 a: destitute of knowledge or education ; also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified b: resulting from or showing lack of knowledge or intelligence
2: unaware, uninformed

40 posted on 05/02/2009 8:28:32 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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