Category Archives: women in the church

May 2, 2013 · 9:42 pm

catholic women writers

woman writing

Do you remember the days of nihil obstats and imprimaturs? I do, and I’m not that old! We had lists of banned books. Spiritual readings and theology books had to have official approval stating that they were free of error. Bibles had to be official Catholic versions. Understandably, women’s voices were scarce except for the writings of bye-gone saints.

Today the world is an open field for writers of things spiritual. Women have the opportunity to be heard as never before, and they are being heard. I’m blessed and humbled with the company I keep in the blog world and the two publications I write for; the Prairie Messenger and the National Catholic Reporter. Their words inspire and challenge me. Their wisdom negates the age-old arguments for keeping women out of church leadership and pulpits. I wrote about this recently in a Prairie Messenger column titled

Spiritual wisdom of women is impossible to ignore

Of course, writing isn’t the only way women’s wisdom is shared. But, whenever I read yet another intelligently theological, spiritually inspiring or prayerfully pondering article written by a Catholic woman, I crave for the day when women’s voices may echo down curial halls and proclaim God’s Word from ambos around the world….read more

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April 18, 2013 · 8:23 pm

Pope Francis and the LCWR

Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, reported that Pope Francis has re-affirmed the need for a reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (the organization representing 70% of US women religious) and approved the critical “evaluation” that was published last year by the CDF, including the demand that the Sisters cooperate with individual bishops and the US Episcopal Conference.

The initial assessment and subsequent demands issued to the LCWR resulted in a massive outpouring of support for the social justice work done by American women religious. Many believed that the assessment was another example of heavy-handed control by the hierarchy. The nuns were being treated more harshly than child abusing clergy and the bishops who actively covered their tracks. The more skeptical believed that the bishops, whose dioceses face financial ruin due to the sexual crises, were trying to get their hands on the property owned by some of these religious congregations.

Critics of the LCWR were happy with the crack-down, believing that the women had become too progressive and should embrace the growing trend of more traditional orders back to convents, habits and strict obedience.

Support or critique for the LCWR is clearly divided along the usual ideological camps.

The initial response from more progressive Catholics to the papacy of Pope Francis has been almost unanimously positive. His calls for a more simple church with a preferential option for the poor has resonated with all who have been discouraged with the increased focus on liturgical and doctrinal purity and clericalism of recent years. His words and actions gave reason to hope that change will come.

The news that Francis is supporting the LCWR crack-down has shattered this hope for many. It has been likened to post-honeymoon blues; that it was all too good to be true. This pope will be like the one before him. Nothing has changed.

Others are encouraging a more optimistic, cautious approach. I put myself squarely in this camp.

These are the early days of a new papacy. It is impossible for Francis to know the intricacies of each issue that he has inherited. It is impossible to fix each mess overnight. Perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into Müller’s words. Saying the pope has allowed the work of the LCWR assessment to continue is not the same as giving the content of the work his stamp of approval.

Pope Francis has granted only provisional approval to all the Congregational heads. None of the prefects are guaranteed their positions at this point. Francis needs time to catch up on all the issues he inherited, to discern where the weaknesses lie and their root causes. He needs to identify and vet persons who have the gifts and back-bone to move forward with all that is good, and reform all that isn’t. With all that is on his plate, it is probable that he has not had enough time to study the nuances of the LCWR issue, or to dialogue with the parties involved.

As with politics and life, many in the church have a personal issue that becomes a focal point of their energies and passion. This is good and needed. The value of lobby groups is that they invest time and energy into researching and keeping on top of developments with a specific issue. They also ensure that an important issue is not forgotten or swept aside.

The dark side of becoming too focused on an issue is that we expect everyone to share our passion, and give it prioritized attention. We judge the effectiveness of a political party, ruling government, or leader by how they have responded to our demands. Their general success or failure depends on their success or failure in promoting and defending our agenda.

Of course, the future of the LCWR is more than an “agenda” for the religious women involved. At the core of the issue is one of heavy handed power and a deep lack of respect given to women who have given their lives for the service of God and God’s people. Justice is demanded for them, and hopefully it will come.

I am not ready to write Pope Francis off yet based on this one news story. Swift judgments are easy to make. I, and many others have made many swift judgments about our new pope based on the integrity of his words; words that are reflected in many simple gestures.

I’m going to hold on to those first, swift and positive judgments. I’m still enjoying the newness of the feeling; a feeling of hope for our church. I’m not ready to let go of the honeymoon yet.

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March 8, 2013 · 11:33 am

women are still predominantly servants of the Servant of the servants of God!

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Today is International Women’s Day. Over at the Vatican, we are drawn into a spectacle that blatantly shows the world the real role of women in our church. In the leadership and decision making that counts, women are absent.

Nigel Baker, UK Ambassador to the Holy See, has written a tribute to the highly qualified and intelligent women who work at the Vatican, called Women at the Holy See. He writes,

Anyone who works with the Holy See network will be aware of the vital role played by women religious in almost every aspect of Church life on the ground and across the world, be it in education, development work, health care, managing parishes, supporting Papal nuncios, or spreading the word about the faith…

We celebrate them all on 8 March, and the other women working for the common good on behalf of the global Catholic Church. And yet the public face of the Holy See, and the Roman Catholic Church, remains predominantly male. Stating that is not meant to be a criticism, but it is a fact.

I’m obsessively hooked on all the news coverage of the papal elections, and I’m mad at myself for being so. It leaves me angry and depressed. Why should I care what a small group of old men, dressed in fancier clothes than I’ll ever have, say or do?

And yet, I love my church and am terribly worried for her. As the pre-conclave discussions drag on, the only consensus seems to be that there is no consensus on who should be the next pope. John L. Allen, Jr at NCR is providing daily biographies and back-ground information on the cardinals; both the papbili and the long shots. As windows and doors are opened into their lives, skeletons keep falling out. Those who seem to be genuinely pastoral and spiritual are not perceived as being strong enough to clean up the current mess in the curia.

Is this the best we can come up with? What kind of system to do we have that places the responsibility of electing the most powerful position in the church in the hands of this exclusive, elitist, and now so obviously flawed male club?

During one press conference this week, the role of women in the conclave was summed up by Fr. Thomas Rosica, currently acting as the English spokesperson and translator for the Vatican Press Office,

One reporter asked about a video shown Wednesday of the preparations being made for the Sistine Chapel that showed a woman sewing cloth hangings for the chapel’s walls and asked if women were involved with the conclave in other ways.

“There could be other women involved in the whole preparation for the conclave, in serving the fathers” at their hotels, Rosica said.

And that’s it, in a nutshell. Women are there to serve the fathers.

Women are set up in a monastery on the Vatican grounds to pray for the Pope. When the ex-Pope requires a residence, the women are asked to vacate the property for him. He then prepares to move in with his own retinue of women to take care of him and his household.

For every woman who cracks the marble ceiling in theological studies or gains a position in diocesan or curial offices, there are hundreds or thousands who continue to selflessly serve God’s people in church kitchens, sacristies, and catechism classes. For every woman who has her name on an office door at the Vatican, countless others are serving those in need in schools, hospitals, and slums around the world. And yet, we have no decision making voice. We have no vote in who will lead our church.

In a recent CBC interview, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouelette said that questions regarding the role of women in the church, gay marriage and abortion are important but “secondary.”

The Cardinal is dead wrong. The issue may be “secondary” to those who hold the power, for their power is secure as long as women don’t threaten it. It is not “secondary” to all those women who serve the church they love, but are tired of being treated as servants and minions.

I hope and pray that our next “Servant of the servants of God” will be, first and foremost, a true servant leader. If he needs a model or inspiration, all he needs to do is look around him and observe the lives of the many faithful and faith-filled women in our church. If he is truly wise, he will find ways to make women’s voice in the church more active and effective.

Blessings and Peace to all on this International Women’s Day!

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February 1, 2013 · 9:21 pm

why a male priesthood? men care more about leaky roofs!

leaky church roof

Catholic News Service ran a story yesterday called Why not women priests? The papal theologian explains. Recent head-lines have told of silenced, banished and laicized priests, punished for their open questioning of a male-only priesthood. The Pope’s own theologian felt it was time to set the record straight.

Dominican Father Wojciech Giertych begins by giving all the well-known reasons. Jesus chose only men to be his apostles on earth.  God chose to take on the form of a man (male) therefore one must be a man (male) in order to act in the person of Christ. Jesus acted against societal norms in his relationship with women, therefore he would have chosen women to be his apostles if he so desired – but he didn’t.

Father Giertych then begins to muse on why men are more naturally suited to the priesthood.

Men are more likely to think of God in terms of philosophical definitions and logical syllogisms, he said, a quality valuable for fulfilling a priest’s duty to transmit church teaching.

Hmmm. First of all, I enjoy studying philosophical definitions and logical syllogisms. I get a charge out of spotting the fallacies in arguments – whether on discussion boards or from papal theologians. ;-)

And then came this wee gem,

Father Giertych said priests love the church in a characteristically “male way” when they show concern “about structures, about the buildings of the church, about the roof of the church which is leaking, about the bishops’ conference, about the concordat between the church and the state.”

The friend who forwarded this article to me summed it up with these words, “It’s all about leaky roofs. So that’s why women can’t be priests”!

So, what is the role of women in the church? Fr. Giertych explains it with obvious clarity,

Women are better able than men to perceive the “proximity of God” and enter into a relationship with him, Father Giertych said, pointing to the privileged role played by women in the New Testament.

“Women have a special access to the heart of Jesus,” he said, “in a very vivid way of approaching him, of touching him, of praying with him, of pouring ointment on his head, of kissing his feet.”

“The mission of the woman in the church is to convince the male that power is not most important in the church, not even sacramental power,” he said. “What is most important is the encounter with the living God through faith and charity.”

“So women don’t need the priesthood,” he said, “because their mission is so beautiful in the church anyway.”

This form of biological essentialism is at the root of gender stereotyping. Historically, women have not fared well in the stereotyping department. The simplistic view that men rule the head and women rule the heart becomes a back-handed argument for maintaining leadership in the male realm. Look carefully at the argument above. While praising the holiness of women with one breath, in the next they are told that they do not need the priesthood. They are already holy enough!

Men don’t fare much better in this narrow-minded world view. Men have to be tough. Rational thought is masculine. Emotions are feminine. Masculinity is equated with strength that excludes any outward show of emotion.

This theological argument, if taken to its extreme conclusion, also tells us that holiness is not as critical to the priesthood as logical thinking and the ability to swing a hammer. And, it gives women the unenviable task of ensuring that priests do not abuse their role in the church. It is our task (our “mission”) to show priests that faith and charity are more important than power. Does this mean that when dysfunctional leadership trumps faith and charity, women are somehow to blame? (Just making a logical assumption based on the premises given.)

Sadly, the rationale that Fr. Giertych presents is not a personal eccentricity. This is the view of male and female based on the theological anthropology of John Paul II, pared down to the bare bones. It is the basis of the “new feminism”, that raises the gifts of women to such heights that any desire for the priesthood should vanish away. If we, as women, are called to such a special holiness…why would we want to be priests?

And now for something completely different….

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December 3, 2012 · 8:50 pm

swords, ploughshares, popes, bishops, and women’s ordination

swords and ploughshares

Advent is my favorite month, and today’s reading from Isaiah provides one of my favorite images,

“and they shall beat their swords into plough shares.” Isaiah 2:4 

I was planning all day to write a reflection on these wonderful words, but I got side-tracked. The discussion boards over at the National Catholic Reporter were hopping! NCR published an editorial in favor of women’s ordination. Denying women access to the priesthood, says the editorial, is an injustice. This evening, you couldn’t read the newest comment without several more pouring in. Many are enthusiastically supporting the editorial staff at NCR for their courage. Others, a smaller but very vocal group, are slinging accusations of unfaithfulness and heresy.

Now, for anyone who doesn’t know the do’s and don’ts of Catholicism, there are some issues that you have to keep mum on. Women’s ordination is one of those issues. You can be a pedophile priest or rob your parish blind, and punishment will not come as swiftly as it would for a fellow priest who has openly participated in the ordination of a woman, or a mass celebrated by a woman priest. Recent news shows that a bishop can be found guilty in a court of law of not reporting an abusive priest and the same bishop can remain active in pastoral ministry. He can even attend a national Bishops conference, seemingly in good standing, without a single bishop challenging his presence.

But, openly supporting women’s ordination is considered a grave sin. Excommunications and defrocking are handed out bluntly and swiftly.

No sooner has the inked dried on commentaries about the recent expulsion of Fr. Roy Bourgeois from the Maryknoll order and the priesthood, news came out that Jesuit Fr. Bill Brennan, a 92 year old priest from the Milwaukee area was ordered by Archbishop Jerome Listecki to no longer celebrate the Mass or perform any other priestly duties. NCR published the story just this afternoon. Fr. Brennen’s sin? He participated in a Eucharistic liturgy with a woman priest last month.

I’m trying hard to cling to the Advent spirit of hope, to ponder the images of swords being beaten into plough shares. It turns out that I already wrote a reflection at this time last year. It’s a strange thing when you forget what you wrote. It’s even stranger when your own words force you to stop and ponder.

What about the swords and plough shares in our own lives? Do we use the gifts and resources given to us to promote peace and unity, or dissent and division? Our words and actions have the power to slay for good or for evil…

What swords do I need to hammer into plough shares? This is a constant challenge with my writing. It’s a fine line between having a good, cathartic rant and using your words to attack. When an issue is close to my heart, it is easy to fuel the flames of dissent – in myself and in others. The flames have the power to heat up my personal views. Witty words add fuel, as does the support of kindred spirits.

…once we have spoken, how do we take our own passions and unite them for the greater good? How do we hammer our own issues into plough-shares for peace in our church and our world?

Yes, I have many swords that need beating down–an embarrassingly large arsenal in fact. I need to put aside that which destroys, and pick up that which is life-giving.

I wish that the powers that be in our Church would try to do the same. Picking up the sword against those who question or refuse to give assent to one teaching of the church, while refusing to acknowledge all the pastoral work they may have done, does not nourish our faith. It just makes us wonder why swords, and not plough shares, are in the hands of those who call themselves shepherds.

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October 10, 2012 · 11:21 am

benedictine sisters – women of vision, daughters of faith

Here is my latest catholic dialogue column for the Prairie Messenger, Benedictine Sisters: women of vision, daughters of faith. This column, a tribute to some very dear friends, was a joy and privilege to write.

Also, check out a wonderful essay on Good Pope John from the PM’s archives, written by Rev. Andrew Britz, OSB. I so need to hear more about the good women and men who embodied the optimistic spirit of Vatican II. And this good pope surely did.

Who are your Vatican II heroes?

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August 30, 2012 · 2:39 pm

LCWR coverage in the Prairie Messenger

The latest catholic dialogue column in the Prairie Messenger is titled Difficult conversations have a greater need for dialogue.  It builds on a previous blog reflection on Sr. Pat Farrell’s strategy for dialogue as described in her presidential address to the LCWR Assembly in August.

I’m proud of the Prairie Messenger for its coverage of the ongoing story surrounding the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. One might wonder why a news journal from the Canadian prairies is so interested in what happens to an American organization of religious women. The Catholic Church extends far beyond our local parish walls, and the PM tries to give a fair and balanced coverage of local, national, and international church stories. The more we learn about each other, the more we can rejoice in shared gifts and support each other in our struggles.

The present situation between the bishops and the women of the LCWR is a microcosm of the bigger issues facing our church today. What are the roles of women and men in our church, whether vowed religious, ordained or lay? How do we address the tension that exists between an authoritarian,  hierarchical style of leadership and deep seated beliefs in participatory leadership, equality and freedom of conscience? How do we begin to build the bridges across the ideological chasms that continue to divide liberals and conservatives, progressives and traditionalists?

I believe we have much to learn as we watch the drama unfold to the south of us. Dialogue is key. We can only pray that true, respectful dialogue will be possible.

Check out the August 29, 2012 issue of the Prairie Messenger for more LCWR commentaries and reports.

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August 15, 2012 · 9:07 pm

sr. pat farrell’s strategy for dialogue in the church

The women of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) have shown a remarkable dignity since the release of the Vatican assessment in April. While media, commentaries and discussion boards screamed with anger and displeasure at the bishops, the LCWR leadership waited until their annual Assembly to dialogue with its membership before giving an official response. The National Catholic Reporter has many in-depth reports, news stories, and commentaries from the Assembly, which took place last week.

I’ve been following the LCWR story closely for two reasons. First of all, out of love and respect for the many religious women I know. Secondly, I believe the issue of dialogue is vital to healing the present division; not only between the LCWR and the Vatican, but within the church as a whole. The need for dialogue out of a place of respect and mutual trust is obvious. Many believe that it is impossible, since the two parties are coming from such seemingly opposing views and philosophies.

Sr. Pat Farrell, now past-president of the LCWR, is optimistic. Her Presidential Address to the Assembly, Navigating the Shifts, provides a practical and hopeful model for entering into an effective conversation with the bishops. It is both insightful and inspiring, and I encourage you to read it in its entirety. In answer to the question “How can we navigate these shifts?” she responds with six tools. She believes these tools “have served us through centuries of religious life are, I believe, still a compass to guide us now.”

THROUGH CONTEMPLATION… In situations of impasse, it is only prayerful spaciousness that allows what wants to emerge to manifest itself. We are at such an impasse now. Our collective wisdom needs to be gathered. It germinates in silence, as we saw during the six weeks following the issuing of the mandate from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. We wait for God to carve out a deeper knowing in us.

WITH A PROPHETIC VOICE… There is no guarantee, however, that simply by virtue of our vocation we can be prophetic. Prophecy is both God’s gift as well as the product of rigorous asceticism. Our rootedness in God needs to be deep enough and our read on reality clear enough for us to be a voice of conscience.

THROUGH SOLIDARITY WITH THE MARGINALIZED… Vulnerable human beings put us more in touch with the truth of our limited and messy human condition, marked as it is by fragility, incompleteness, and inevitable struggle. The experience of God from that place is one of absolutely gratuitous mercy and empowering love.

THROUGH COMMUNITY… We have effectively moved from a hierarchically structured lifestyle in our congregations to a more horizontal model. It is quite amazing, considering the rigidity from which we evolved. The participative structures and collaborative leadership models we have developed have been empowering, lifegiving. These models may very well be the gift we now bring to the Church and the world.

NON-VIOLENTLY… The breaking down and breaking through of massive paradigm shift is a violent sort of process. It invites the inner strength of a non-violent response. Jesus is our model in this.

BY LIVING IN JOYFUL  HOPE… Joyful hope is the hallmark of genuine discipleship. We look forward to a future full of hope, in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Hope makes us attentive to signs of the inbreaking of the Reign of God.

Two paradigms will gather around the table. One rooted in a hierarchical, authoritarian, and patriarchal style of leadership. The other grounded in a horizontal, collaborative, participatory and communitarian form of life. Both, we would hope, are grounded in prayer. May the Holy Spirit open their minds, ears and hearts to truly listen to the other with love, respect, and mutual trust.

Related story

LCWR’s annual meeting: Some reflections and a little back story by Jamie L. Manson is a first-hand look and reflection from the LCWR Assembly.

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June 12, 2012 · 8:45 pm

LCWR, Cardinal Levada and the dialogue of the deaf

For all who have been following the tale of the doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), today was a big day. LCWR president Franciscan Sr. Pat Farrell and executive director St. Joseph Sr. Janet Mock met in Rome with Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, the Vatican delegate appointed to oversee the assessment in the US.

The official press releases following the meeting were anti-climactic. The Vatican Press gave an official announcement that reiterated the authority of the Holy See over the sister’s conference, and the role of the CDF in ensuring that the LCWR is in union with the Magisterium. The press release from the LCWR was simple. The sisters were returning to the US to discuss the results of the meeting on regional levels and at their annual assembly in August. No interviews were going to be given.

I was musing on this all day, wondering if there was anything worth writing about. Perhaps all had been said to this point. But something still didn’t seem right. Did any actual dialogue take place? I wrote a blog post for NCR Today, but hesitated sending it in. I kept checking the National Catholic Reporter web-site for more news, and there was nothing. So, I sent off my wee piece. Almost simultaneously, John Allen Jr. posted an interview with Cardinal Levada, the Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Faith. Now here is a story!

The Cardinal describes a `dialogue of the deaf“ with the women of the LCWR. The deafness, he believes, comes from not wholeheartedly embracing the doctrinal assessment of the CDF and accepting the proposals for reform that are being presented to them.

In the short term, Levada said he would take as evidence that things are moving in the right direction if LCWR enters into “a sincere, cordial and open dialogue” with Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, tapped by the Vatican to oversee the reform envisioned in the doctrinal assessment.

To date, Levada said, that hasn’t happened. 

Cardinal Levada also spoke openly about the possibility of the LCWR cutting their official ties with the Vatican.

So, the LCWR has chosen silence in order to pray, ponder, and dialogue among their membership before any statements or actions are taken. Theirs is a dignified approach. Cardinal Levada, meanwhile, has already put his opinions and musings into the limelight for all to see as if it was a fait accompli. And he has taken a very undignified dig at the sisters with his ‘dialogue of the deaf’ comment.

The story is far from over. My prayers and hopes are with the sisters that they will continue to face this challenge with grace, dignity, and faith in their communal wisdom. As to the deafness in the dialogue…may all ears and hearts be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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May 22, 2012 · 9:55 pm

the women of notre-dame basilica, montréal

I love to visit grand churches, and have visited many in my travels. I am quite easily impressed. I am no longer easily inspired. Most cathedrals and basilicas are awesome in their grandeur and magnificence. Not all move my heart and soul.

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is a classic example. The jewel of the city’s landscape, it stood as a beacon of hope to the British people during the dark days of WWII bombings. When I first saw it, I had the lovely image of Mary Poppins and the woman feeding the birds on its steps. Inside the Cathedral, though, I was overpowered by the presence of monument after monument, memorial after memorial to military leaders and politicians. Rather than soaring with the glory of God, the mind was cluttered with extravagant attempts at glorifying men.

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome still impresses me with its grandeur. No photo or film can do justice to its size. While I feel a connection to its history, it doesn’t inspire me.

St. John Lateran has a similar effect. Walking down the center aisle, the massive statuary depicting the twelve apostles doesn’t encourage affection for these men. Rather, the height and weight towering over you is oppressive.

This past weekend, I visited a Basilica that did impress and inspire me; the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montréal. We attended the 11:00 Mass, not knowing that a special celebration was taking place to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of Montréal. A military band marched up the street to the Basilica. The sanctuary was filled with bishops and priests. A long list of present dignitaries was read.

The Mass itself was well orchestrated with all the requisite protocol for such an auspicious occasion. While bishops and priests sat, the choir and organ soared. The glorious sounds filled the blue and gold interior. It was a spectacle to hearken and to behold. But the inspiration came after.

Walking around the now empty church, I was struck by the stained glass windows, paintings and statues. Rather than depicting biblical scenes, they told the history of Montreal. Numerous depictions of religious women showed to the world the central role they played in the founding of our country.

They included,

  • St. Marguerite d´Youville, founder of the Order of Sisters of Charity of Montréal, or the Grey Nuns.
  • Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montréal.
  • Blessed Mother Marie-Rose Durocher, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (the Sisters who educated me in high school)
  • Kateri Tekakwitha, the “Lily of the Mohawks” who will be canonized this October.

I tried to take as many pictures as I could, until I was stopped abruptly by a man who told me I was allowed to “go up and enjoy the pictures” but not to photograph them.

Ah, but I now have some photos.  I can remember them, and share the inspiration of countless women who built this great country by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, educating the young, and healing the sick. God bless them and all the women who follow in their foot-steps to this day.

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