Thursday, June 30, 2011

Upcoming Ordinations for the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests


We proudly announce:

Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests cordially invite you to the Ordination of Adele Jones and Dorothy Shugrue, as Priests; and Donna LeMaster Rougeux, as Deacon. 

Saturday, September 10, 2011, 3:00 p.m.

First Christian Church
6165 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22044
www.fccfc.org  (check their website for directions)

Burnsville woman ordained as priest-Minneapolis, Minnesota

Burnsville woman ordained as priest

One Burnsville woman took a leap of faith this past Sunday.

Monique Venne was ordained June 26 as a priest at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis. This ceremony was the third public Roman Catholic Womanpriest ordination in the Twin Cities. Bishop Regina Nicolosi ordained Venne a priest.

For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2011/06/29/news/cw/bv30womanpriest.txt

Comment:
Congratulations Monique.  Your ordination is a blessing to all Catholics.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

300 brave priests stepping out in Austria -from Andrea Johnson

John Wijngaards points to some exciting news from Austria where 300 parish priests are openly refusing to comply because of the Church's lack of reform. They call for 'disobedience' in seven key areas. See: http://www.pfarrer-initiative.at/
The seven points are: (John has translated & summarised from the German text):
·         In every Church service they will say a public prayer for Church reform.
·         They will not refuse communion to well-meaning Christians. These may include divorced and remarried, members of other Churches, at times people who have left the Church.
·         They will avoid saying multiple masses in many centres. They will prefer services conducted by people themselves to artificial supply services.
·         From now on they will call a service of the word with distribution of holy communion a 'eucharistic celebration without a priest'. This will fulfil the Sunday duty.
·         They will ignore the preaching prohibition imposed on competent lay people.
·         They will see to it that each parish has a lay chairperson: a man or woman, married or not. This to counter the joining up of parishes and of projecting a new priestly image.
·         (MOST INTERESTING!) They will use every opportunity to publicly promote the admission of women and married men and women to the priestly ministry -- seeing in both men and women welcome colleagues in our pastoral ministry.

Sending my love and blessings,
Therese
Therese Koturbash, CNWE-Canada, 2010/11 WOW Leadership Circle
'Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.' Arundhati Roi’

Comment:  Let a common ball start rolling across the sea......How proud I am today.

Monday, June 27, 2011

A West Long Branch Catholic church separates from Diocese of Trenton

nj.comhttp://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/print.html?entry=/2011/06/a_new_more_modern_catholic_chu.html

A West Long Branch Catholic church's decision to separate from Diocese of Trenton causes controversy

Published: Saturday, June 25, 2011, 6:00 PM     Updated: Saturday, June 25, 2011, 6:18 PM
Bob Considine/The Star-Ledger
trentonreligion.JPGBishop David O'Connell of the Diocese of Trenton emerges from St. Mary of the Lake RC Church in the January file photo.
TRENTON — The Diocese of Trenton says a new Catholic church striking out on its own is illegitimate and fractures the institution.
But leaders of independent churches say they are providing a worthy alternative to parishioners unified with the same faith, but the feeling that the traditional Roman Catholic church is too hypocritical, selective in its acceptance and set in its ways.
Now it remains to be whether the American National Catholic Church - a band of six parishes that preaches a more modern form of Catholicism - will become a major movement.
"For us, it’s not about taking people away from their heart’s desire," said Most Rev. George Lucey, residing bishop of the ANCC and pastor of the independent St. Francis of Assisi in Glen Ridge.
"It’s about our belief that when God changed water into wine, he didn’t say, ‘You can have it, but you can’t."
A spotlight was drawn to rogue Catholic churches on Friday when the Most Rev. David M. O’Connell, bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, released a 1,500-word statement chastising the Our Lady of Guadalupe church in West Long Branch for separating from the diocese.
The church is made up mostly of Hispanic and Portuguese members who felt displaced when the diocese consolidated three parishes into one Long Branch-based church called Christ the King in 2009.
In seeking its independence, Our Lady of Guadalupe became one of six parishes to join the ANCC. The others are in Maryland, Missouri, Connecticut and Virginia. O’Connell called members of the church "schismatics" who refuse or reject the unity of the Roman Catholic Church.
"Although claiming legitimacy as an ‘alternative’ or ‘independent’ Catholic Church, this group and the individuals leading or promoting it are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church," O’Connell said. "No Catholic Church is independent."
Rev. Anthony Testa, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was officiating a wedding yesterday, according to parish administrator Joyce Sprague, and could not be reached for comment. Sprague referred all calls to Lucey.
O’Connell maintained that the Christ the King parish actually did extend a "warm welcome" to all members of the merged parishes and offered ministry in Spanish and Portuguese. The bishop said his greatest fear is that the church and the ANCC will "take other well-intentioned Catholics down with them, leading them away from the true practice of their faith under the pretense of legitimacy."
But Lucey said domination is the not the goal and his organization doesn’t "relish the schism." It only wants to offer an alternative for Catholics who find fault with some of the Vatican’s rules and methods.
Specifically, Lucey cited large issues like the church’s handling of sexual abuse cases, refusal to remarry parishioners who have already been divorced, refusal to allow priests to marry and stance against gay marriage.
Lucey said his parish currently has about 500 members, 100 who are "active."
"We’re trying to extend to the people of God, that Christ called everybody, not just some of us," he said. "The greatest number of unaffiliated Christians are now Catholics who are leaving the church. We just want to find a way to say, ‘You don’t have to.’
But O’Connell said that Christianity is a "comfort and challenge" and the thousands of years of belief and tradition cannot be splintered.
"When we decide that we can privately discern the teaching of Christ without the guidance of the church and her experience, we separate ourselves from the community of Christ’s faithful people."
More Trenton news.
© 2011 NJ.com. All rights reserved.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Historic Ordination of Four Women Roman Catholic Priests in Maryland

http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2011/06/historic-ordination-of-four-women-roman.html
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Historic Ordination of Four Women Roman Catholic Priests in Maryland on June 4, 2011 -- YouTube Video Clips
In the presence of enthusiastic women priests supporters and advocates of justice, renewal and inclusivity in the Catholic Church, Bishop Andrea Johnson ordained four new Roman Catholic Women Priests: Carly Conroy Johnson, Patricia Elise La Rosa, Maryellen Marie Mayers, and Ann Clarisse Yeoman Penick at St. John's United Church of Christ in Catonsville, Maryland.
Bishop Andrea Johnson: Presentation of Four Women Priests to Assembly at Historic Maryland Ordination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY6lRLKtpQk
Bishop Andrea Johnson anoints hands of four women priests in Maryland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dka4_PBJOCI
Bishop Andrea Johnson ordains four women priests in Maryland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPRpcU6x3UM
Clip from homily by Bishop Andrea Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QboJmlP-mco
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
It was a joy to witness this historic moment for Maryland and for the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Posted by Bridget Mary at 11:11 PM
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