"Macon Woman Mission to Become Priest Causes Catholic Controversy"/Barbara Duff Will Be Ordained a Deacon On Oct. 20th/Hope for a Renewed Catholic Church in Macon, GA.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - Macon woman is breaking roman catholic tradition by taking steps toward becoming an ordained priest.
Pastor of Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Father Allan McDonald says the break in tradition isn't accepted in the Roman Catholic Church.
"The church has very clear boundaries, and very clear leadership, and very clear teachings, and if one is a catholic, one has to make an ascent to those teachings," says McDonald.
Member of the Roman Catholic Church, Barbara Anne Duff, is challenging the long-standing tradition of the church that only men can be ordained as priests.
"Who can say the spirit has not called me to be a woman priest?" says Duff.
Duff has plans to be ordained as a deacon on October 20th by a female priest who's part of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. It's a group that began with seven women who were ordained by a male bishop on the Danube River in 2002. Duff knows what joining that group means.
"We are excommunicated from the Catholic Church, so we cannot go into a Catholic Church."
Father McDonald says this group are no longer followers of his faith.
"They definitely should not be using the title of Roman Catholic especially once they're excommunicated, and this particular woman would be as soon as that ordination which we would call feigning ordination and mock ordination takes place," says McDonald.
Duff says she doesn't need the walls of a church to practice what she believes.
"They can bar the church from us, but they can't take the church out of us."
Duff says, once she's ordained as a deacon she plans to help another female priest from Noonan start up a church in georgia where they can practice. Duff is aware that the Vatican and Pope Benedict do not recognize her organization of women priests as members of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pastor of Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Father Allan McDonald says the break in tradition isn't accepted in the Roman Catholic Church.
"The church has very clear boundaries, and very clear leadership, and very clear teachings, and if one is a catholic, one has to make an ascent to those teachings," says McDonald.
Member of the Roman Catholic Church, Barbara Anne Duff, is challenging the long-standing tradition of the church that only men can be ordained as priests.
"Who can say the spirit has not called me to be a woman priest?" says Duff.
Duff has plans to be ordained as a deacon on October 20th by a female priest who's part of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. It's a group that began with seven women who were ordained by a male bishop on the Danube River in 2002. Duff knows what joining that group means.
"We are excommunicated from the Catholic Church, so we cannot go into a Catholic Church."
Father McDonald says this group are no longer followers of his faith.
"They definitely should not be using the title of Roman Catholic especially once they're excommunicated, and this particular woman would be as soon as that ordination which we would call feigning ordination and mock ordination takes place," says McDonald.
Duff says she doesn't need the walls of a church to practice what she believes.
"They can bar the church from us, but they can't take the church out of us."
Duff says, once she's ordained as a deacon she plans to help another female priest from Noonan start up a church in georgia where they can practice. Duff is aware that the Vatican and Pope Benedict do not recognize her organization of women priests as members of the Roman Catholic Church.
1 comment:
Good for Barbara Duff-following her convictions. God has called us to be Christ's disciples. We are theologically trained and Roman Catholicism is our tradition. We respectfullty reject excommunication, stand with the courage of our convictions and will continue serve the Christ who has called us.
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