Local woman to be ordained priest, faces excommunication
Story Created: Dec 29, 2011 at 9:51 AM America/New_York
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Judy Beaumont of Fort Myers will be ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church that she has served her entire adult life. Then, she will be excommunicated from the church, because only men are allowed to be priests.
"Our mission is to bring about a new church. A church that is inclusive of all people," Beaumont told WINK News.
The 74-year-old operates the Good Shepard Ministry in Fort Myers, helping the poor and homeless. Beaumont says the people she serves have called her to be a priest, so she will be ordained in a ceremony in January.
"It will be a joy for me to celebrate the eucharist and to lead the mass for the people at Good Shepard," Beaumont says. "I do look forward to celebrating mass and performing the sacrements."
Beaumont had served as a nun in the church for 34 years. She left her life as a nun some years ago, and has dedicated recent years to helping people in need. She runs the Good Shepard Ministry out of a former home, just south of Downtown Fort Myers.
However, she will take the next step, without the blessing of the Catholic Church. The Diocese of Venice sent a statement to WINK News, reiterating that only males can be ordained as priests. The Diocese says that males are priests, because that is a "Deposit of Faith handed down by Christ through his Apostles." The statement says that any woman who is ordained, will be automatically excommunicated. The statement also says the Church forbids Catholics from attending the ordination of a woman as priest.
Beaumont knows and accepts the fact that she will be out of the church, once she is ordained.
"Excommunication does not bother me, I do not wake up at night thinking, oh, no, I'm being excommunicated! I don't have nightmares about it. I just want to go on serving the people in this community, and it is time for changes in the church. I believe eventually the Vatican will allow women as priests. Maybe not in my lifetime, but sometime. And think of how much that will do for women's rights once the Vatican says, women are equal to men in terms of ordination. That will be a great step forward," Beaumont told WINK.
The ordination of Beaumont is set for Jan. 21 at a Lutheran-Episcopal Church in South Fort Myers.
"Our mission is to bring about a new church. A church that is inclusive of all people," Beaumont told WINK News.
The 74-year-old operates the Good Shepard Ministry in Fort Myers, helping the poor and homeless. Beaumont says the people she serves have called her to be a priest, so she will be ordained in a ceremony in January.
"It will be a joy for me to celebrate the eucharist and to lead the mass for the people at Good Shepard," Beaumont says. "I do look forward to celebrating mass and performing the sacrements."
Beaumont had served as a nun in the church for 34 years. She left her life as a nun some years ago, and has dedicated recent years to helping people in need. She runs the Good Shepard Ministry out of a former home, just south of Downtown Fort Myers.
However, she will take the next step, without the blessing of the Catholic Church. The Diocese of Venice sent a statement to WINK News, reiterating that only males can be ordained as priests. The Diocese says that males are priests, because that is a "Deposit of Faith handed down by Christ through his Apostles." The statement says that any woman who is ordained, will be automatically excommunicated. The statement also says the Church forbids Catholics from attending the ordination of a woman as priest.
Beaumont knows and accepts the fact that she will be out of the church, once she is ordained.
"Excommunication does not bother me, I do not wake up at night thinking, oh, no, I'm being excommunicated! I don't have nightmares about it. I just want to go on serving the people in this community, and it is time for changes in the church. I believe eventually the Vatican will allow women as priests. Maybe not in my lifetime, but sometime. And think of how much that will do for women's rights once the Vatican says, women are equal to men in terms of ordination. That will be a great step forward," Beaumont told WINK.
The ordination of Beaumont is set for Jan. 21 at a Lutheran-Episcopal Church in South Fort Myers.
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