Expanding the priesthood [Bishop Pilla Tolerates Outspoken Heretics]

http://www.s-t.com/daily/11-98/11-09-98/c01li169.htm ^ | 11-09-98 | Thomas J. Sheeran

[Akron Al]

Tomorrow's Heirlooms Handcrafted Today

Expanding the priesthood Catholic group works at grassroots level to open clergy to more than unmarried men By Thomas J. Sheeran, Associated Press writer Lisa Frey has two contradictory visions of the future Roman Catholic Church. In one, a priest shortage means Catholics often stay home on Sunday because Mass is a rarity. But in Ms. Frey's preferred vision, Mass is said frequently because the priesthood has been expanded to include women, like her, and married men who aspire to ordination. "I actually have begun to think if it's open to me, I would seriously consider seminary," said Ms. Frey, 38, a leadership council member of FutureChurch, a group working for grassroots Catholic acceptance of a priesthood not limited to unmarried men. The organization has about 1,000 members, 40 percent in the Cleveland, Ohio, area where FutureChurch is based. There are several hundred more donors, some anonymous to avoid criticism from conservative Catholics. Philosophically, FutureChurch has much in common with the bigger, Chicago-based Call to Action. But whereas Call to Action generally lobbies on a larger scale for change in the Catholic Church, FutureChurch focuses on the parish level. Ms. Frey, who is single, already has a feel for what life might be like in the priesthood: She serves with a priest and a nun as part of a three-member team running a suburban parish. A former teacher at a Catholic girls' high school, Ms. Frey has preached at communal penance services at the 1,200-family Church of the Resurrection in Solon, a Cleveland suburb. Sometimes presiding at weekday prayer services, sometimes distributing communion, Ms. Frey also directs youth ministry and social justice programs at Resurrection. The priest in the trio handles liturgy matters like the Mass, but "we all sign checks," Ms. Frey said. Nationwide, seminary enrollments have dropped 60 percent since 1965. Between 1980 and 1998, the number of priests in the United States decreased from 58,621 to 47,582 while the number of Catholics increased from 49.6 million to 61.5 million. FutureChurch, founded in 1990 with the backing of Resurrection parishioners, distributes educational materials and encourages rank-and-file "pew Catholics" to lobby bishops to support ordaining women and married men. "The Eucharist is at the core of everything we are about as a Catholic community," said Sister Christine Schenk, executive director of FutureChurch. "We think the gender or marital status of the presider is not nearly as important as having Mass available." She is encouraged that Cleveland Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, has declined to condemn the efforts of groups like FutureChurch. (To avoid conflicts with critical bishops, some of her speaking engagements have been scheduled away from church property.) Pilla, who will preside over the bishops' Nov. 16-19 meeting in Washington, responded to a request for comment on FutureChurch with a brief written statement saying that the group isn't a diocesan organization, doesn't have his approval and is responsible for its own programs. He has said he supports the Vatican position limiting the priesthood to unmarried men. Michael S. Rose, 29, a conservative Catholic from Cincinnati who publishes several religious magazines, believes bishops should denounce such groups. "I think it should be made clear that these people are working against the church," Rose said. Dioceses where seminaries have emphasized traditional rituals like devotion to the Eucharist -- in which Catholics believe Jesus is physically present -- have done well recruiting young men, he said. As for women, Rose said, they have "quite a bit of say in the church's governance, especially on the local level." The Rev. Lou Trivison, an early FutureChurch backer who retired two years ago as pastor of Resurrection, said Pilla never limited his right to speak out on the issue. Parishioners never complained to him either, but Ms. Frey said the daily Mass crowd of 25 or 30 people drops about five or six if she or her nun associate leads a prayer service instead. "I don't know if our homilies are poor or (it's because) we're women," she said. FutureChurch leaders say they will be patient. Sister Schenk sees her role as assisting in divinely inspired changes in due time. "I'm not doing this as much as supporting energies that are there for bringing forth new life in the church," she said. Photo by The Associated Press 1. Lisa Frey, pastoral assistant at Church of the Resurrection in Solon, Ohio, is a member of FutureChurch, a group working for grassroots Catholic acceptance of a priesthood not limited to unmarried men.Pastoral assistant 2. Lisa Frey meets with the Rev. J. Mark Hobson before Mass at the Church of the Resurrection in Solon, Ohio. Frey aspires to ordination.

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[Akron Al]

From the same Diocese that flies the Gay Flag on its website:

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/other_support/index.htm

bishop@dioceseofcleveland.org , bpaepevec@dioceseofcleveland.org , ajquinn@dioceseofcleveland.org , rxjacobs@dioceseofcleveland.org , rmharwood@dioceseofcleveland.org , ljurcak@dioceseofcleveland.org

[Akron Al]

From the same Diocese that flies the Gay Flag on its website:

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/other_support/index.htm

bishop@dioceseofcleveland.org , bpaepevec@dioceseofcleveland.org , ajquinn@dioceseofcleveland.org , rxjacobs@dioceseofcleveland.org , rmharwood@dioceseofcleveland.org , ljurcak@dioceseofcleveland.org

[sinkspur]

Women cannot be priests. It is theologically impossible.

Married men, on the other hand, can be, and are.

[Akron Al]

Women cannot be priests. It is theologically impossible. Married men, on the other hand, can be, and are.

You are correct, sir.

[Coleus]

Married men, on the other hand, can be, and are.>>

Yes they are, we have a few in a diocese in NJ. Some were Episcopalian Priests who came aboard when their church became too liberal and some are widowers. Weren't all but one of the 12 Apostles married?

[Maximilian]

Although Pilla says that he doesn't support FutureChurch, he is the one who made this woman co-pastor. Thank God at least the parishioners have enough sense not to come to the "prayer service" that takes the place of Mass when it is run by this aspiring priestess or the doubtlessly equally horrid nun.

My question is, "Is it possible to have anything whatsoever to do with an organization like the Cleveland diocese that actively promotes such heresy?" The man at the top has made this happen. But the corruption runs right through it. These people are clearly and unmistakeably evil. Is it not a proximate danger to one's faith and to one's soul to have any association with people who are little better than wiccans?

[Coleus]

Do you have the e-mail address of the pope, Cardinal Ratzinger and the Papal Nuncio in Washington DC?

Having an organization based in any diocese which endorses women priests and the acceptance of the Gay lifestyle is scandalous!

[narses]

More proof that enemies of the True Faith exist INSIDE the Church.

[SuziQ]

The biggest problem with folks like this is that they DO NOT TRUST IN GOD to provide for his flock. God is very generous if we just ask in faith and work toward the end we want to see. Instead these people teach AGAINST the teachings of the Church, then expect that everything will go their way, and are annoyed when they are challenged.

We who strive to be faithful to the Church need to pray without ceasing for true Godly men to lead us in our Parishes.

[nickcarraway]

Hmmm. Does she still think one should be Catholic to be a priest. Why not a Jew, Buddhist, or Muslim? After all, she said, "We think the gender or marital status of the presider is not nearly as important as having Mass available."

[cpforlife.org]

"Do you have the e-mail address of the pope, Cardinal Ratzinger and the Papal Nuncio in Washington DC? "

Try http://www.vatican.va/

"Having an organization based in any diocese which endorses women priests and the acceptance of the Gay lifestyle is scandalous!"

To put it mildly!

[american colleen]

"...is not nearly as important as having Mass available."

These are the scare tactic words that "reformers" use in order to "scare the sheep straight" and see things the reformer's way.

Well, Pilla may say he doesn't endorse these guys, but unless he speaks out against them and what they are aiming for, he is endorsing them. Imagine the poor souls (including ordained, religious and laity) who are trapped in this diocese who are faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church?

[american colleen]

Great post.

I wish we could hear more like that from the pulpits.

Trust in God!

[Notwithstanding]

If you are willing to take this seriously and do something about it, then talk to Stephen Brady of "Roman Catholic Faithful" - they get results.

www.RCF.org

[Conservative til I die]

Ms. Frey also directs youth ministry and social justice programs

Ding ding ding! Seeing the phrase "social justice" in any article having to do with the Church sets my alarm off.

[Conservative til I die]

Anyone got a photo of this woman? I'll bet dollars to donuts she's a Janet Reno lookin' bulldyke.

[Conservative til I die]

Wouldn't surprise me. I believe the goal of these religious Marxists is to turn the Catholic Church into the Unitarian Universalists.

[american colleen]

Ask and ye shall receive:

[saradippity]

Weren't all but one of the 12 Apostles married?

No,in fact there is not any indications in the Four Gospels that any of them were married.Peter at one time was married since he had a mother-in-law,but it is likely his wife predeceased him.

Be very careful when you advocate for married priests,in addition to taking a step backwards,it is a step toward what Future Church,We Are Church and Call To Action are counting on.

If man must have a companion,and if,homosexuality is an innate or inborn orientation then,of course,one should be able to live with and "love" the partner to whom "God" made them compatible. This is part one of their process to take over the CAtholic Church step by step,if they can't do it in one fell swoop.

Step 1)Make marriage of heterosexual priests an option and keep up the beat for "right relationships". (Have you not noticed this lately?)Step 2)Focus on all the happy married priests and their "right relatioonships" and start looking at those lonely men,who through an "accident of birth" cannot have a "right relationship" with a woman.

I won't go on but believe me it leads to women priests and an unrecognizable Catholic Church of happy,sexualized,fuzzy faithfilled people in "right relationships" with others and a happy God,looking at His happy people.What a vision!!!

[fishtank]

How did CtId get that so close?