Posted on 07/13/2002 4:59:50 PM PDT by NYer
On January 15 the U.S. Bishops conference passed a regulation prohibiting preaching by lay ministers "at the moment reserved for the homily." Since over 82% of all paid lay ministers are women, the new regulation effectively silences women's voices in Sunday worship.
In June, 600 Catholics in the Indianapolis diocese sent a petition to the U.S. Bishops meeting in Dallas asking them to rescind the regulation. They organized after Indianapolis Bishop Daniel Buechlein' sought to reverse a long standing practice permitting lay ministers to preach after the proclamation of the Gospel.
On July 22, nearly 200 groups in the U.S. and worldwide plan special celebrations of the Feast of St. Mary of Magdala in parishes, convents, Catholic schools, private homes and small faith communities. The celebrations are especially designed to encourage female preaching and presiding in Catholic settings.
"Women's preaching voice is needed in the Church. If the male apostles had silenced Mary of Magdala, we would never have known about the Resurrection of Jesus," said Sr. Christine Schenk project coordinator and executive Director of FutureChurch. "Thankfully, they welcomed her preaching the good news. Our Bishops today should do no less," she continued.
Spearheaded by FutureChurch and Call to Action, celebrations will be held in the United States, Canada, Kenya, Guatemala, Great Britain, and Australia and will attract between 30 and 300 people at each location, according to local organizers.
St. Mary of Magdala was a strong leader, a close companion of Jesus and the first to witness the Resurrection. In the past, she was mistakenly believed to be a prostitute or public sinner. Scripture scholars and experts on related Christian writings now believe she was confused with other women of the gospels. As a result, this saint was much maligned.
"It is especially important for Catholics to celebrate this great woman of faith this year when it is so clear that church needs the nurturing witness and prophetic voice of women," said Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call to Action. "If women and mothers had been integrated into our Church's decision making structures and given preaching voice we would not be in the terrible situation we are in today."
"St. Mary of Magdala symbolizes the significant position of women in the early Church and she now stands as a beacon for women in the Catholic Church." said Schenk. "Presently women comprise 82 percent of all lay people and religious employed as parish ministers, yet none have a voice in the governing of the Church."
"Women Christians are now able to retrieve a sense of their own history," said Pieczynski, "Celebrating and learning about Jesus' remarkable inclusion of women despite the strong cultural prohibitions of the time can inspire all of us to redouble our efforts to end the systemic inequality of women in the Church and to work in behalf of the marginalized."
The recommended format for the celebration consists of a presentation by a biblical scholar explaining recent findings about St. Mary of Magdala's discipleship, followed by a prayer service at which a woman leader presides.
FutureChurch can provide contact details for local spokespersons at many of the events.
Heads up, catholic freepers! Future Church is aligned with that other extremist group, Call To Action.
Thought you might want to know what is planned for next Sunday!
St. Mary of Magdala was a strong leader, a close companion of Jesus and the first to witness the Resurrection. Absolutely true!
In the past, she was mistakenly believed to be a prostitute or public sinner.
Huh???? One more classic example of history being rewritten to suit the mood of a PC group. The words, "Go and sin no more" have no reference point to these radical groups so they must rewrite the gospel.
FutureChurch
15800 Montrose Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44111 USA
Phone: 216.228.0869 | Fax: 216.228.4872
E-mail: info@futurechurch.org
I wonder what Bible they are using to make such erroneus statements.
Please join me in FREEPING them till their server melts.
;^)
Huh???? One more classic example of history being rewritten to suit the mood of a PC group. The words, "Go and sin no more" have no reference point to these radical groups so they must rewrite the gospel.
The only scriptural reference to the history of Mary Magdalene is that she was the one from whom seven devils were driven out. There is nothing that tells us she was a prostitute. Jesus said "Go and sin no more" to the unnamed adulteress who was going to be stoned.
The beginnings of Gnosticism have long been a matter of controversy and are still largely a subject of research. The more these origins are studied, the farther they seem to recede in the past. Whereas formerly Gnosticism was considered mostly a corruption of Christianity, it now seems clear that the first traces of Gnostic systems can be discerned some centuries before the Christian Era.
The Gnostics developed an astounding literary activity, which produced a quantity of writings far surpassing contemporary output of Catholic literature. They were most prolific in the sphere of fiction, as it is safe to say that three-fourths of the early Christians romances about Christ and His disciples emanated from Gnostic circles. Besides these -- often crude and clumsy -- romances they possessed what may be called "theosophic" treatises and revelations of a highly mystical character.
The Nicolaites possessed "some books under the name of Jaldabaoth", a book called "Nôria" (the mythical wife of Noe), prophecy of Barcabbas, who was a soothsayer among the Basilidians, a "Gospel of the Consummation", and a kind of apocalypse called "the Gospel of Eva" (Epiph., Adv. Haer., xxv, xxvi; Philastr., 33). The Ophites possessed "thousands" of apocrypha, as Epiphanius tells us; among these he specially mentions: "Questions of Mary, great and small" (some of these questions are perhaps extant in the Pistis Sophia); also many books under the name of "Seth", "Revelations of Adam", Apocryphal Gospels attributed to Apostles; an Apocalypse of Elias, and a book called "Genna Marias". Of these writings some revelations of Adam and Seth, eight in number, are probably extant in an Armenian translation, published in the Mechitarist collection of the Old-Testament apocrypha (Venice, 1896).
For a more thorough reading on Gnosticism - CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.