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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[fishtank]

Actually, both male and female believers in Jesus can be priests in the New Testament sense. However, only males can be pastors and elders.

I'm speaking from the Protestant view point now. The idea of female clergy is non-scriptural.

[fishtank]

She looks like a lumpy version of Julie Andrews in TSoM.

[american colleen]

...and start looking at those lonely men,who through an "accident of birth" cannot have a "right relationship" with a woman.

This is being redefined into "gifts" --- whatever your orientation is, it is a gift from God and is to be happily accepted and celebrated. A few weeks ago a bunch of malcontents brought boxes, gaily wrapped, to the chancery in Boston. They were labeled with the particular "gift" of the giver. Sadly, when opened, they were empty. LOL. The malcontents missed the symbolism of the empty boxes.

[american colleen]

Listen, just because she sports a guy's haircut, has no discernable female shape, is devoid of makeup and could probably beat you up, is no reason to jump to conclusions!

[fishtank]

"and could probably beat you up"

Ouch. That's a threat to my manhood!

Too cruel, too cruel.

[american colleen]

Don't worry. Anyone can see from that otherworldly, heaven directed look in her eyes, she isn't interested in power, she's interested in proclaiming God and Her Kingdom to all of us ignorant, bigoted, misoginistic pew warmers.

But I'd still stay out of her way.

PS. Pretty funny (and accurate) description of her looking like a lumpy JA in SofM.

[american colleen]

More restless wimin:

Parish hosts service for women's ordination; archbishop objects

MILWAUKEE (CNS) -- A Milwaukee parish's decision to host a prayer service marking the seventh annual World Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination drew an objection from Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. About a dozen prayer services took place in the United States and Europe to mark the event, but the March 25 service at St. Matthias Church in Milwaukee was the only one held in a Catholic church, according to organizers. Dressed in a long white alb with a green, embroidered stole draped over her shoulders, Ginny Kiernan Dahlberg "presided" at the Milwaukee service as part of the worldwide event organized by the Women's Ordination Conference. About 35 people attended. St. Matthias agreed to host the prayer service, according to Father David Cooper, pastor, only after consultation with pastoral staff, parish council members, parish trustees and members at large. But the consultation process did not include Milwaukee archdiocesan officials or Archbishop Dolan, who according to his spokesman, Jerry Topczewski, did not learn of the service until hours before it occurred. Archbishop Dolan "was surprised an organization that was in direct opposition to defined teachings of the church would be welcome at one of our parishes," said Topczewski.

[saradippity]

Lol.I know everyone,extrapolating from headquarters(me),is afflicted to varying degrees with moral blindness. But it takes almost a total inability to see,both morally and intellectually,for them to not realize they were declaring their vacuity to the world.Empty souls giving empty boxes.

[Conservative til I die]

Well, not quite a bulldyke, but definitely looks like a Gaea-worshipping feminist. BTW, notice the design of the Church behind her? Typical modernist cack.

[Conservative til I die]

How did CtId get that so close?

I'm that damn good. Actually, it's just that these enemies of the Church and CHristianity in general, are so one-dimensional and cartoonish that almost all of them to a tee, look the way they sound.

[Conservative til I die]

Ah yes, the People's Republic of Milwaukee. Nice to see the malcontents desecrating a Church building by their presence.

[saradippity]

Or,more precisely,my post #28 should read,bodies without souls offering boxes without contents.Well,at least the boxes were nicely wrapped,probaably neat and tightly taped whereas most of the gevers are not "wrapped too tight" as I see it.

[nickcarraway]

Scare them straight? I'm not sure about that wording.

[JNB]

It sounds good Abp Dolan is objecting, that certainly would not have beenthe case with Abp Weakland.

[LadyDoc]

In one, a priest shortage means Catholics often stay home on Sunday because Mass is a rarity.

Translation: Where Catholics don't bother to drive 4 blocks (in a city) or twenty miles (in rural areas) to go to a politically correct mass with altergirls and lousy music (but think nothing of driving a half hour to go to Walmart or the mall).

most of the "massless Sundays" services run by nuns are a bunch of nonsense. Even in New Mexico, when Father was gone, and "sister" had a pc service, we could easily go 20 miles to the next church. (But since the next church had a pc mass we didn't bother.)

True, there are areas where the next church is 90 miles in the rural west, but I've been in areas where we went 90 miles to Walmart and 140 miles to the mall and back and thought nothing of it.

Depends on your priorities.

[Salvation]

Vatican homepage-English

[Salvation]

**Actually, both male and female believers in Jesus can be priests in the New Testament sense. However, only males can be pastors and elders. **

Where are you getting this information?

Search Result
Catechism of the Catholic Church

1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination." The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

Search Result
Catechism of the Catholic Church

1538 Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament. Today the word "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination.

[fishtank]

"Where are you getting this information?"

I'm a Prot, not RCC, and I was just saying that any believer in Jesus can approach the throne of God in prayer. I was not talking about the Mass.

[Steve0113]

I was just saying that any believer in Jesus can approach the throne of God in prayer

That's correct -- RC's and Prots agree on this.

[pillaanthony]

Has a shortage of priests forced Bishop Pilla to hang onto child abusers?
Save some hassle of finding new priests. Who pays--the young.

http://www.geocities.com/pillaanthony