Posted on 07/27/2007 11:23:09 AM PDT by NYer
“Is the candidate worthy?” intoned Bishop Patricia Fresen ceremonially, as lifelong Catholic Juanita Cordero stood before her in a pure white gown, about to be ordained as a priest. The question was asked three times during the ordination ceremony on Sunday, July 22, as one female priest and two female deacons were invested with the power to perform sacraments — a function forbidden to women under canon law. They are part of a movement from within the Roman Catholic Church that has been ordaining female priests since 2002, though those involved say that the tradition of women priests and bishops dates as far back as Mary Magdalene, whom they consider an apostle of Jesus. The participants in this movement fervently hope to be embraced by the Vatican, as other splinter groups have been before them.
Sunday’s ordination, witnessed by more than 100 invited guests, took place at an interfaith center in Santa Barbara that reporters agreed not to name in exchange for an invitation to attend. (Reporters also agreed not to print the names or orders of the nuns in attendance.) The women ordained Sunday join 18 others in North America who belong to an international organization called Roman Catholic Women Priests, which counts among its number approximately 50 female priests and deacons worldwide, including a few whose identities remain undisclosed in an effort to protect their jobs within the church. Also secret are the identities of the male bishops who ordained Bishop Fresen. Film and documentary evidence of that ceremony is being kept by a notary public, not to be released until the deaths of the male bishops.
At least two Santa Barbara women are studying to be ordained, perhaps as early as next year. Besides their gender deviating from the Catholic priest norm, neither the priest nor the two deacons ordained on Sunday — who are scheduled for re-ordination as priests on July 28 — is celibate. Norma Coon, of San Diego, has been married for 40 years. Toni Tortorilla, of Portland, lives with her lesbian partner. Cordero, a newly anointed priest who lives in San Luis Obispo, is a former nun who has been married for 30 years to a former Jesuit priest.
The ceremony, which took place on the feast day of Mary Magdalene, also differed from the standard Catholic ordination in the names the presiding clergy used for God, who is ordinarily referred to as “the Father.” The female priests instead referred to “Mother and Father” and to “God/de.” (The latter is pronounced like “God,” with the silent, extra letters hinting at a goddess that those in the ceremony declined to refer to explicitly.) Jesus Christ retained his masculine identity, however.
The reason that the women are determined to remain Roman Catholics, instead of forming their own church or joining another — such as the Episcopal Church, which ordains female clergy — is that they consider the Roman Catholic Church to be their family, albeit a dysfunctional one, and they have no intention of abandoning it. “It’s in my bones,” said Fresen. “It’s in my blood. There are a lot of things wrong within the church, but I love it, and the only way to change it is to stay.” They added that excommunication, contrary to popular belief, does not remove one from the church; it only means that one cannot receive the sacraments. “Nothing can put you out of the church once you have been baptized,” said Fresen. However, after the first seven women priests ordained on the Danube in 2002 were promptly excommunicated, none of the other ordained females has been excommunicated.
“The meaningfulness of the Catholic tradition to me is the long history of mysticism in the church,” said priest Victoria Rue, who also teaches theology and theater at San Jose State University. She finds particular inspiration in the women mystics of the Middle Ages. “Priesthood,” added Rue, “is about leadership within the community.” There are many types of ministries to which people are called, she said, concluding, “I feel called to the ministry of the liturgy,” which she described as communal worship.
“My name is Napoleon.
I’m an emperor.”
LOL!
My name is Tina Turner.
I have fantastic legs and millions of dollars.
Yeah, I guess it's reasonable to assume that he might be busy with other things...
“The name is withheld to protect the guilty — who don’t want to lose their jobs — with the Church!”
Good point.
I’m guessing these ladies are DRE’s.
Or are leading their parish RCIA programs.
Indeed it did. Thanks GCC. God Bless!
do they really refer to her as “Father” Mary Ramerman?
“Father”????
“If a new and legitimate Roman Catholic Church opened today, who would have to sanction it for it to be “official”?”
I’m just a layperson, so this is my best guess.
I’m guessing the local Bishop would have to approve of the plan, oversee it, and ensure it is properly consecrated upon completion.
If a consecrated Church within the Bishop’s jurisdiction is misused in this manner, it would make sense for the Bishop to excommunicate all those involved including the parish pastor that enabled the ceremony.
There are times when churches are reconsecrated when the sanctuary has been defiled.
I’m not sure when that is necessary and when it is not.
Thanks, Scotswife. I wasn't sure if the Vatican (or a Cardinal, etc.) was directly involved with this sort of thing or not. I figured "somebody" had to sign off on it. :)
That would include any parish church. He would also normally perform the actual consecration liturgy of a parish church in his diocese.
**ROFL!!**
Me too!
|
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. |
Right. A lesbian and an apostate nun decide they want to become “Catholic” priests and then deny that they just excommunicated themselves.
And the reported just regurgitated their lies.
What’s wrong with this picture?
AFAIK, the Pope (like JP II) wants to avoid open schism -- makes things harder to heal. I think he is moving to calm down the more febrile manifestations, e.g., with the motu proprio.
I saw an article in First Things a few months ago in which the author mentioned medical/psychological conditions that apparently affect culpability -- he thinks these are part of the grounds for "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Condemn wrongful acts, certainly, but I've always found it more salutary to worry about my own spiritual state than to draw conclusions about that of others -- my own opinion, anyway!
I hadn't even thought of that specifically! But I'm awfully afraid you're right . . . . I've never understood why these types are so drawn to "church work" -- either paid or volunteer, where they operate under a kind of religious Gresham's Law!
“I’ve never understood why these types are so drawn to “church work” — either paid or volunteer, where they operate under a kind of religious Gresham’s Law!”
I guess if you want “change” -then attaining those positions put you in a place where you can at least influence those who haven’t yet been indoctrinated about patriarchial oppression.
Then they’re in an easier position to start nagging Father about giving the homilies.
Very sad, both of the people in that photo have excommunicatred themselves by their actions.
Wow! you hit the nail on the head! That's what this is all about, women, want their cake and eat it also....
In your heart, you know the answer. These women seek something they can never have within the Catholic Church. What did God say to Eve in the Garden of Eden? She could have everything but the fruit of the tree of wisdom. Who whispered in her ear? The Prince of Lies.
And so it remains today. He whispers in the ears of these women and promises they will be equal to men. By continuing to call themselves Roman Catholic, they attract the media. They in turn publish the story and weak Catholics fall prey, out of sympathy and envy. These women are nothing more than tools of Satan to lure the faithful away from the Truth. They all feed off of each other.
“That’s what this is all about, women, want their cake and eat it also....”
yes they want that - but more. They seem determined to trample men down where they belong.
They despise the description of God as “Father”- but that description came from the Savior Himself - who unfortunately is also a man.
In our diocese they’re determined to use gender neutral language during reading of scripture,even if it changes the underlying meaning of the passages.
There are small groups praying “Our Father who art in heaven, our Mother who art in heaven” - and they are not referring to Mary, because they strangely don’t care much for her.
They won’t come right out and say they hate men - but they really must.
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