1

The Gift of a Renewed Priestly Ministry:

Women's Ordination in the Catholic Church

Rebecca Koval

Senior Project 480

Professor Walworth

10 December 2010
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Contents

I. Preface

1. Spiritual Infantilism........................................................................3

2. Research Process.............................................................................5

II. According to Our Own Particular Nature

1. The Relevance of the Issue.............................................................6

2. Complementary Natures...............................................................12

3. Christ the Bridegroom...................................................................15

4. Apostolic Succession....................................................................18

III. The Current Movement for Women's Ordination: Interviews

1. Current Issues................................................................................23

2. Bridget Mary Meehan...................................................................24

3.Dana O'Callaghan..........................................................................28

4. Sheila Dierks.................................................................................30

5. Reflections....................................................................................34

IV. The Future of the Argument

1. Conclusions and Questions...........................................................34

Bibliography.............................................................................................37
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I. Preface

Spiritual Infantilism

As a child, the mysteries of faith and of the universe did not, in fact, seem like

mysteries. With an innocent and trusting acceptance, I tried as hard as I could to remain

obedient to God by following and believing in the Scriptures. I remember feeling a

mixture of confusion and pity towards those I met who did not attend church weekly or

who did not know how to say the Our Father or Hail Mary. I had no knowledge of faith

traditions other than Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism. My biblical

interpretations were literal and absolute. Today however, instead of feeling smug and

self-righteous with regards to my own tradition and its practices, it seems as though I

come up with new questions everyday; questions that as a child, I would have deemed

blasphemous.

This is not to say that I was a completely complacent child for occasionally

questions would arise in my mind that demanded further clarification. For instance, one

Sunday morning, after Mass, I was leaving Church with my mother when I suddenly felt

compelled to ask her, “Mama, how come there are only male priests?” to which she

replied, “Because Jesus was a man.” I inquired no further, as in my young mind, my

mother was omniscient (as was God). This answer satisfied me. I continued believing

what I was taught, attending church, and life went on.

Today, this answer no longer feels adequate. After spending a decade rejecting the

tradition in which I was raised as a child, I have come back to it as a woman, albeit with a

new sense of what it means to be a Catholic Christian. According to scholar and

theologian Rosemary Radford Ruther (2008), the teachings of the Church can sometimes
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lead Catholics to adopt, “a spirituality of infantilism…we are not encouraged to become

genuinely autonomous adults”, instead remaining like children “under some kind of

higher authority.”1 This higher authority within the Church is limited to say the least,

with the Pope possessing, “by the will of Jesus Christ…supreme jurisdiction over the

entire church, as well as, under certain conditions, infallibility,” 2 or in other words, being

completely “free of error.” 3 However, it is becoming increasingly clear at this point in

the history of the Catholic Church that being faithful does not preclude a blind acceptance

of the Vatican’s authority or its doctrine.4 As Catholic adults, it is our responsibility to

never surrender our critical thinking abilities to the Church hierarchy, for we all, in the

words of St. Peter, constitute, “a royal priesthood” 5 that is fully capable of defining its

own destiny.

As a grown woman I now realize that obedience to God does not mean passivity

with regards to official Church teachings and as a critical thinker, I find myself revisiting

the question of women’s ordination almost daily, wondering if my Church’s refusal to

ordain half of humanity is in line with its insistence that men and women are truly equal

in the eyes of God.6 As an adult, my questions are not as easily placated, as they were

when I was a girl. I now realize that things are not always the way they seem and that

overly simplistic answers do not account for mysterious and complex questions such as

the one I asked my mother over a decade ago. Despite all of the justifications for an

1
Rosemary Radford Ruther. Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican. (New York: The New Press. 2008),
11-12.
2
Wolfgang Beinert and Francis Schussler Fiorenza. The Handbook of Catholic Theology. (New York:
The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1995). 40.
3
Ibid., 387.
4
Ruther, Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican, 17.
5
1 Pt 2:9. New American Bible.
6
Peter Steinfels. A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America. (New York:
Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. 2003). 297.
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exclusively male priesthood that I have researched, I have come across no arguments that

I felt have truly answered my question or satisfied my persistent curiosity.

Research Process

This study will broadly examine the controversial issue of women’s ordination in

the Catholic Church. I will examine encyclicals (“apostolic letters” which are written and

issued by the Pope), official constitutions and documents from the Vatican, Scripture, as

well as scholarly commentary. This study will also include information gathered from

four interviews, the majority of which were conducted with “illegally” ordained women

who are currently working within their vocation right here in the U.S.

The second chapter of this study will provide a brief background of the issue as

well as exploring the theological justifications that exist for keeping women barred from

the priesthood. I will examine this theology in an attempt to ascertain whether or not it

can stand up to critical inquiry. Likewise, the feminist theology behind the movement to

ordain women will be examined in the same light. In this chapter, early Christianity will

also be explored in an attempt to uncover clues regarding the roles that women played in

the formation of the early Church.

The third chapter of this study will look at the current movement for women’s

ordination, how it has grown over the years and what specific organizations have been

formed. This chapter will also include what is arguably the most fascinating aspect of the

topic: the revolutionary women deacons, priests, and bishops who have refused to wait

for the Vatican’s stamp of approval and who instead, have decided to pursue ordination

without it.
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Throughout the course of my research, I was spurred on by many questions in an

attempt to gain a general understanding of this contentious and often divisive issue. This

study will explore these questions and hopefully, in the process, uncover points of

departure for future research.

II. According to Our Own Particular Nature

The Relevance of the Issue

The seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church include Baptism, Holy

Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick, and the

sacrament of Holy Orders, when one is ordained. Women, simply by virtue of being

female, are only allowed to receive six of the sacraments 7, as the Catholic Church teaches

that the ordination of women goes against "God's plan for his Church.8 According to the

Code of Canon Law, “Only a baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly." 9

For not only is the ordination of women considered to be a theological

impossibility in the Church, it is also considered to be a grave crime (or delicta graviora),

a category that includes pedophilia. In July of 2010, the Vatican issued new

modifications to Pope John Paul’s 2001 Apostolic Letter entitled Sacramentorum

Sanctitatis Tutela (or The Safeguarding of the Sanctity of the Sacraments),10 a document

that discussed mandatory protocols for confronting grave crimes committed against the

Church, namely sexual abuse against minors.11 In the 2010 version of this text, the

7
Robert J. Egan, "Why Not? Scripture, History, and Women's Ordination," Commonweal 135, no. 7
(2008): 17-25.
8
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Inter Insigniores, October 15, 1976, article 4, para 7.
9
Code of Canon Law. Can. 1024
10
Apostolic Letter, Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela, May 30, 2001.
11
Federico Lombardi, The Significance of the Publication of the New "Norms concerning the most
serious crimes. 2010
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attempted ordination of a woman has been identified and consequently added as a

violation of Roman Catholic canon law.12 According to these new modifications, anyone

who attempts to confer priestly ordination to a woman will be subject to an automatic (or

latae sententiae) excommunication, as are women who attempt to be ordained.13 Laity is

not exempt from this severe punishment either, as anyone who attends a woman’s

ordination runs the same risk of severing their ties with the Church.14

To one who is unaware of the context in which the Vatican is acting, this initiative

may appear extreme and unwarranted. The Vatican's behavior, however, is a response to

recent developments concerning women's ordination, an issue that has increasingly

attracted worldwide attention starting in June of 2002, when the first Roman Catholic

women were ordained in Germany on the Danube River.15 Although the Church promptly

denounced the ordinations afterwards, by punishing the participants with

excommunication, a movement was formed as a result.16 Since 2002, many more women

have become ordained, largely due to the work of organizations such as Roman Catholic

Womenpriests, womenpriests.org, and the Women’s Ordination Conference, which is the

world’s oldest and largest group working towards a more inclusive Church. As of now,

there are over 100 ordained women worldwide serving within all three degrees of

ecclesiastical hierarchy with the majority of them living in the U.S.17

The three stages of the ministry are mainly distinguished by the varying levels of

12
Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA Press Release, Vatican: Ordination of Women a Grave Crime-
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Respond With Demand for Justice for Women in the Church, July 15, 2010.
13
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Normae de gravioribus delictis, article 5, 2010.
14
Victoria Rue, "Women Priests in the Roman Catholic Church," The Journal of British & Ireland
School of Feminist Theology 18, no. 67 (2008): 14.
15
"Why River 'Ordinations' Were Not Valid," Our Sunday Visitor 95, no. 17 (2006): 17.
16
Angela Bonavagolia, Good Catholic Girls (New York: Harper Collins, 2005), 258.
17
Bridget Mary Meehan, personal communication. October 11, 2010
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responsibility each has, as well as the amount of authority each office carries. Deacons,

who comprise the office of the diaconate, are permitted to perform many of the same

tasks as priests such as baptisms, leading prayer services, and teaching; however, they

cannot "preside at the Eucharist or administer the sacrament of penance." 18 The word

deacon comes from the Greek word, "diakonia", meaning to serve, or to "wait at table." 19

The next office on the hierarchical ladder is the presbyterate, or the priesthood. This

office, whose title derives from the Greek "presbyteros", or "elder",20 encompasses more

responsibilities as compared to that of the diaconate, for although priests are likewise

expected to be of service to those in need, they are not restricted from administering any

of the sacraments. The celebration of the Eucharist carries a special emphasis within this

office as well.21 The highest ecclesiastical office is that of the "episcopos", or bishop, who

is responsible for governing and administrative tasks.22 Bishops promote "the common

discipline of the whole Church" as well as overseeing "the observance of all ecclesiastical

laws."23 In addition to this, they also preside at the Sacrament of Holy Orders, for if an

ordination is to be considered valid a bishop must perform it.24

Although there has been much controversy over women's ordination throughout

the past few decades, this issue was not publicly discussed until the second wave of

feminism in the 1960’s.25 Foreseeing social change at an unprecedented swiftness, Pope

John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council in 1959. The Council's purpose was to

18
Beinhart & Fiorenza, The Handbook of Catholic Theology, 161.
19
Karen Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women and Priesthood (London: Fourth Estate, 1993), 66.
20
Beinhart & Fiorenza, 547.
21
Ibid., 548.
22
Code of Canon Law. can. 375, 2.
23
Ibid., can. 392, 1.
24
Ibid., can. 1012.
25
Ruther. Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican, 80.
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give the Church an opportunity to update itself, so that it might be able to deal with the

new and complex problems of modern society.26 In his opening speech to the Council at

St. Peter's Basilica on October 11, 1962, the Pope stated that:

"The Church should never depart from the sacred treasure of truth inherited

from the Fathers. But at the same time she must ever look to the present, to the

new conditions and the new forms of life introduced into the modern world." 27

Overall, the council's message was a progressive one. As a result, hope was kindled

among many of the faithful that the Sacrament of Holy Orders might eventually be

conferred to women.28 Even after Vatican II ended, this hope continued, especially since

other Christian denominations were starting to include women in ministry, such as the

Episcopal Church in 1976.29 However, this is not to say that sexual stereotypes were

absent from the ideas espoused by the Council, for in early 1976, Pope Paul VI, who

inherited Vatican II after John XXIII’s death, stated in a speech at the National Congress

of the Italian Women’s Center:

We are of the opinion…in accordance with what the Second Vatican Council

said, that women must...play their part fully according to their own particular

nature…It belongs…to the order of creation that woman should fulfill herself as a

woman, certainly not in a competition of mutual oppression with man, but in

harmonious and fruitful integration based on respectful recognition of the roles

particular to each...woman should bring that unmistakably human stamp of

26
http://vatican2voice.org, 2010.
27
Vatican2voice, http://www.vatican2voice.org/91docs/ref.htm. Ref. no 2.
28
Dana O'Callaghan, e-mail message to author, October 27, 2010
29
Elizabeth Groppe, "Women and the Persona of Christ," in Frontiers in Catholic Feminist Theology:
Shoulder to Shoulder, ed. Susan Abraham and Elena Procario-Foley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989).
160.
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sensitiveness and solicitude, which is characteristic of her. 30

The idea that we are assigned divine, immutable roles according to our sex

survives to this day within Church doctrine and has been advocated strongly by both

Pope John Paul II31 and Benedict XVI,32 whose pontificates proved to be highly

reactionary with regards to women's roles in the Church. In 1994, Pope John Paul II

released the encyclical Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (or On reserving Priestly Ordination to

Men Alone), in which he expressed that the issue of women's ordination was not open for

debate;33 indeed, by simply talking about it, priests put themselves at risk for losing their

jobs or possibly even being excommunicated.34

However, the importance and necessity of women’s contributions is far from

absent in Catholicism, for thousands of women have been canonized, and the Saints,

according to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, are those who are "the

greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."35 The Church's stance does not seem to be

convincing to the majority of Catholics though. According to a recent poll conducted by

The New York Times and CBS news, 59% of practicing Catholics are in favor of letting

women be ordained as priests.36 Many question the Church's intentions with some even

going so far as to view the recent ordinations of women as "a prophetic sign of protest." 37

Ida Raming, a German bishop who was one of the original seven ordained in 2002

30
Frederick W. Schmidt Jr., A Still Small Voice: Women, Ordination, and the Church (Syracuse:
Syracuse University Press, 1996), 133.
31
Egan, Why Not? Scripture, History, and Women's Ordination, 2.
32
Ruther, Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican, 1.
33
Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, August 15, 1988, article 4, para 1.
34
Alan Hartway, personal communication, October 2010.
35
Inter Insigniores, article 6, para 6.
36
New York Times & CBS News Poll, http://documents.nytimes.com/new-york-timescbs-news-poll-
national-survey-of-roman-catholics?ref=us, April 2 - May 28, 2010.
37
Bonavagolia, Good Catholic Girls, 267.
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expressed in a 2003 speech at New York City's Union Theological Seminary that the

argument of "equal value but difference in kind" ultimately comes down to "ensuring that

the roles assigned to women are the subordinate ones."38

No matter how much importance the Church claims that it gives women, the fact

remains that in order to find work within its bureaucratic structure one must be ordained -

only then can one possess the ability to “make decisions about universal church

discipline” as well as the “theology of the church."39 As a result, there exists no female

representation when it comes to "religious law, ...ritual roles, institutional leadership," or

the ability to participate in the "authoritative interpretation of the tradition."40

There are three major theological arguments that dominate this discourse. The

first is the idea that men and women possess complementary natures and therefore, must

fulfill different roles within Church life. The second involves the metaphor of Christ the

Bridegroom who ministers to his Bride Church, a metaphor that has deeply influenced the

role of women within ecclesiastical hierarchy. The third is apostolic succession, or the

practice of ordaining deacons, priests, and bishops in a direct line stemming from the

twelve apostles. These theological considerations are crucial in understanding why the

Church has maintained an exclusively male priesthood throughout its history.

Complementary Natures

In his Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul expresses that, “…through faith you are all

children of God in Christ Jesus…There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave

nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." 41 When

38
Ibid.
39
Schmidt, A Still Small Voice, 129.
40
Peter Steinfels, A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America, 277.
41
Gal 3:26-28, New American Bible.
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taken at face value, this statement seems to describe the inherent equality of all people

despite our differences in ethnicity, socio-economic status, and sex. However, it would be

wrong to assume that this universal equality applies to receiving the Sacrament of Holy

Orders. In his 1988 encyclical Mulieris Dignitatem (or “On the Dignity and Vocation of

Women on the Occasion of the Marian Year”), Pope John Paul II claims that St. Paul’s

proclamation of unity, “does not cancel out diversity." 42 In other words, though men and

women are equal in the eyes of God, they possess two very distinct natures; natures that

according to the Pope correspond to two very distinct vocations within Church life.43 To

the Pope, these roles, male and female, are “eternal” and constitute a fundamental “truth
44
which is immutably fixed in human experience." Therefore, the Church argues that in

order to honor women as equals, the constitutional differences between the sexes cannot

be eliminated;45 indeed, Pope John Paul states that if women were to "appropriate" for

themselves "male characteristics", they would merely be deforming "what constitutes

their essential richness."46 There is no question that in Pope John Paul's eyes, one of these

"characteristics" includes the ability to be ordained.47

According to the Pope, these separate but equal sexual identities came into being

with “the first parents," Adam and Eve. However, as a result of “the consequences of

original sin” due to the fall of humanity, this initial equal “relationship between man and

woman”48 was disturbed. Hence, inequality between the sexes began; an inheritance that

42
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 16, para 4.
43
Ibid., article 7, para 8.
44
Ibid., article. 2, para 2.
45
Jaqueline Field-Bibb, Women Towards Priesthood (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991),
185.
46
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 10, para 4.
47
Ibid., article 26, para 3.
48
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 10, para 1.
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effects all of humanity to this day. God tells Eve that women will forever be subjugated:

"your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall be your master."49 The Pope comments

on this “evil inheritance” that has come down to us from “the first parents” by stating that

it is the responsibility of men and women of each generation to work towards overcoming

it, for, “whenever man is responsible for offending a woman’s personal dignity and

vocation, he acts contrary to his own personal dignity and his own vocation."50 The irony

of this statement is striking: Is not the Pope doing exactly what he is condemning by

refusing to grant women access to the “vocation” of the priesthood, a vocation that many

women feel called to by God?

Ultimately, the prohibition that keeps women out of the priesthood is based on the

Church’s traditional and historical concept of what it means to be a woman.51 According

to Pope John Paul, "what is feminine"52 can be found in the example of the Virgin Mary,

for through her example, "we find ourselves, in a sense, at the culminating point, the

archetype, of the personal dignity of women,"53 for Mary epitomizes "union with God"54

in both her virginity and her motherhood, which according to the Pope, are the "two paths

in the vocation of women as persons."55 In other words, the priesthood is off limits as

these are the two main roles that God intended for women to fulfill.

This mode of thinking seems quite archaic and outdated to feminist theologians,

who argue that this "two-nature anthropology...treats gender differences as unchanging,

49
Genesis 3:16, New American Bible.
50
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 10, para 5.
51
Schmidt, A Still Small Voice, 135.
52
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 5, para 1.
53
Ibid.
54
Ibid., para 4
55
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 17, para 1.
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rather than as the result of historically conditioned cultural attitudes."56 At this point in

history women are no longer expected to remain chaste until marriage, nor is motherhood

the main goal in women's lives. Many women, instead, are seeking their vocation in the

professional workforce; hence, these two paths in the vocation of women, virginity and

motherhood, automatically relegate women "to the realm of the private and passive."57

This disconnection with reality seems to be characteristic of the Church's teaching on

women's roles and sexuality in general, as to this day it continues to advocate against

contraception and abortion,58 even going so far as to condemn sex where there is no

intention of procreation.59 Needless to say, many women today are unable to relate to the

Virgin Mary as a role model for how to live their lives, and instead may feel a sense of

overall alienation when presented with an unrealistic ideal that they feel no investment in

living up to.60 However, perhaps some wisdom can be found in the idea that men and

women possess complementary natures; for if women had a place within the

ecclesiastical hierarchy, perhaps they would bring their own unique perspective to it, thus

transforming it into something quite different than what exists currently. This idea will be

explored further on in this study.61

Christ the Bridegroom

In the Pope's eyes, the Church imitates Mary in both her purity and her

willingness to do God's will. Mary is selfless in her devotion to God, which can be
56
Beinhart & Fiorenza, The Handbook of Catholic Theology, 18.
57
Ibid.
58
Apostolic Letter Humanae Vitae, "Unlawful Birth Control Methods", para 1.
59
Ibid., para 3.
60
Schmidt, A Still Small Voice, 137.
61
Shiela Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2010.
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clearly seen in her words at the Annunciation, when she is approached by the angel

Gabriel and asked if she will be the mother of Jesus, to which she replies, "Let it be done

to me according to your word."62 Likewise, the Church "herself is a virgin, who keeps

whole and pure the fidelity she has pledged to her Spouse."63 This metaphor of spousal

union has been used throughout the history of Catholicism to describe the relationship

that exists between Christ and his Church. St. Paul elaborates on this symbolism in his

letter to the Ephesians when he writes:

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself

over to her to sanctify her...that he might present to himself the church in

splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and

without blemish. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own

flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because

we are members of his body."64

The power of this metaphor cannot be underestimated, for it has been used time

and again throughout the Scriptures to describe the mysterious nature of our union with

God. It first appears in the Old Testament, when the prophet Hosea describes the land of
65
Israel as God's "ardently loved spouse." However, according to the prophet, Israel is
66
unfaithful to God; indeed, she behaves like a "harlot wife." God, on the other hand,

acting as the faithful husband he is, never gives up on his Chosen People. Instead, he

forces Israel to acknowledge the wrong she has done:

62
Luke 1:38, New American Bible.
63
Mulieris Dignitatem, article 22, para 2.
64
Ephesians 5:25-30, New American Bible.
65
Inter Insigniores, article. 5, para 5.
66
Hosea 2:8-9.
 16

"I shall hedge in her way with thorns and erect a wall against her, so that she

cannot find her paths. If she runs after her lovers, she shall not overtake them; if

she looks for them she shall not find them." 67

Exhibiting his unconditional love, God forgives Israel once she has come to her senses

and expresses her remorse to him:

"I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart... 68 I will

espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and justice, in love and

mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord." 69

The love that God has for his people is reflected in the love that Christ has for his

Church, for Christ, who is male, loves and is eternally unified with his Church. In

response to this love, the members of the congregation adopt a receptive, feminine role,70

collectively forming the Body of Christ in the process.71 Therefore, according to the

Magesterium, or teaching authority of the Church, it is necessary for a priest to be a man

so that he may take on the role of Christ, who is the head and Bridegroom of his Church;
72 73
in other words, a "natural resemblance" is necessary. During the Eucharistic

celebration at Mass when the Last Supper is reenacted, the priest acts in persona Christi,

meaning that he wears the mask of Christ. This poignant symbolism simply wouldn't

work if the priest were female.74

However, problems arise when this symbolism is applied, for when any spiritual

67
Ibid.
68
Ibid., 2:16.
69
Ibid., 2:21-22.
70
Sarah Butler, "The Priest as Sacrament of Christ the Bridegroom," Worship 66, no. 6 (1992): 510.
71
Ibid., 511.
72
Sarah Butler, "The Priest as Sacrament of Christ the Bridegroom," 498.
73
Inter Insigniores, article 5, para 5.
74
Alan Hartway, personal communication, October 2010.
 17

metaphor becomes so dominant that it is revered as absolute truth, "one ends by

absolutizing certain aspects" of the human-divine relationship at the expense of others.75

This symbolism also creates complications, for if male members of the congregation take

on a feminine role in order to become united with the Spouse, this begins to resemble

same-sex marriage, which the Catholic Church condemns.76 Furthermore, if it is truly

necessary for a priest to possess a "natural resemblance" to Christ, then why are Gentiles

allowed to serve in the ministry? Jesus and all twelve of his apostles were Palestinian

Jews,77 but as Karen Armstrong points out, "People never argue that because Jesus chose

only Jews, Gentiles should be debarred from the priesthood."78

If maleness cannot serve as a characteristic that creates a resemblance between

Christ and the priest, what can? Perhaps the qualities that truly matter when discerning

whether or not one is fit for ordination are characteristics such as humility, kindness,

empathy, and a willingness to engage in self-sacrificing service for the benefit of others.79

Ultimately, the Church must decide: are masculine traits necessary in order to achieve

this natural resemblance, or will human traits suffice? 80

Apostolic Succession

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Gospel was handed down

through the "inspiration of the...Holy Spirit,"81 when both the apostles and their associates

75
Richard Viladesau, "Could Jesus Have Ordained Women? Reflections on Mulieris Dignitatem,
Thought 67, no. 264 (1992): 15-16.
76
Alan Hartway, personal communication, October 2010.
77
Steinfels, A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America, 295.
78
Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women and Priesthood, 46.
79
Field-Bibb, Women Towards Priesthood, 188.
80
Richard Viladesau, "Could Jesus Have Ordained Women? Reflections on Mulieris Dignitatem," 18.
81
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992, ch. 2, article 2, 76.
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composed the New Testament. The Catechism goes on to say that:

"In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church

the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of

teaching authority...the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way

in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until

the end of time."82

In order to maintain an authentic tradition that is firmly connected to the "type of

ordained ministry willed by the Lord Jesus Christ" and "carefully" adhered to "by the

Apostles,"83 the Church teaches that all ordinations must directly stem back to the original

twelve, who, according to Catholic teaching, were ordained by Christ himself at the last

supper.84 This solemn meal was Christ's way of letting his apostles know that his death

was coming soon, for through the symbolism of bread and wine, Jesus enacted the

sacrifice that he would soon have to make:

"Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples

said, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave

it to them saying, 'Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant,

which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins."85

According to the Catholic Church, in choosing only the Twelve to be present at

the last supper, Christ was conferring his own priesthood onto his apostles, so that they

might carry on his legacy and purpose after his death. 86 It is clear in the Scriptures that

82
Ibid., 77.
83
Inter Insigniores, article 1, para 1.
84
Joseph M. Egan, "Why Women Cannot Be Priests," The Homiletic and Pastoral Review 94
(1994):14-23.
85
Matthew 22:26-28, New American Bible.
86
Inter Insigniores, article 4, para 5.
 19

Jesus wanted his followers to continue to celebrate this Eucharistic meal after he was

gone; for as he was breaking bread he gave the Twelve specific instructions to "do this in

memory of me."87 The last supper laid a foundation within the tradition of the Catholic

Church that has been faithfully adhered to for thousands of years - for this meal is ritually

enacted by a priest at each and every Mass, with the baptized members of the

congregation going up to the altar to receive Holy Communion at its culmination.

The Church has speculated much upon the fact that when Jesus chose his twelve

apostles, he did not call any women. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

explains that even at Pentacost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the men and

women88 in the upper room in Jerusalem,89 it was only the apostles who proclaimed "the

fulfillment of the prophecies in Jesus."90 This phenomenon did not happen to any of the

women, including the most prominent - Mary, the mother of Jesus91 and "Mother of the

Church."92 The Church has also argued that although a number of women worked with St.

Paul in creating the foundations of the early Church,93 their "collaboration was not

extended...to the official and public proclamation of the message" since this proclamation

belonged "exclusively to the apostolic mission."94

Consequently, the Church teaches that "by divine institution", bishops have

replaced the apostles "as pastors of the Church."95 So central is this link to the original

Twelve that even the organization Roman Catholic Womenpriests, whose members tend
87
Luke 22:19.
88
Acts 1:14.
89
Ibid., 2:1.
90
Inter Insigniores, article 2, para 2.
91
Ibid., para 1.
92
Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, May 22, 1994, article 3, para 1.
93
Romans 16, New American Bible.
94
Inter Insigniores, article 3, para 4.
95
Beinhart & Fiorenza, The Handbook of Catholic Theology, 27.
 20

to posses an overall critical attitude towards the hierarchical structure of the Church, 96

still follow the practice of the imposition of hands that is characteristic of apostolic

succession. During the ordination ritual, the bishop lays his hands on the ordinand while

simultaneously invoking the Holy Spirit. These elements constitute the "essence of the

sacramental sign" and without all of them being present, the Catholic Church does not

consider the ordination to be legitimate.97

However, some scholars argue that this interpretation of the last supper is

historically inaccurate, as Christ could not have conferred ordination onto his twelve

apostles since, "the contemporary concept of priesthood was foreign to the New

Testament."98 There exists no clear evidence in the Scriptures that early Christianity was

the kind of religion that depended upon a priesthood,99 as in its formative years it

survived mainly through small grassroots communities and house Churches.100 The

presence of a set hierarchy within Christianity was conspicuously absent;101 indeed, the

churches St. Paul helped organize were charismatic communities where women "worked

alongside men" as equals.102 Indeed, in the first chapter of Romans, St. Paul expresses his

gratitude to his colleagues, many of them women such as Phoebe, a "minister of the

Church at Cenchreae"103 and a woman named Prisca, whom Paul considers to be co-

worker "in Christ Jesus."104

96
Victoria Rue, "Women Priests in the Roman Catholic Church, 13.
97
John Wijngaards, "When Women Were Deacons," May 8, 1999,
http://www.womenpriests.org/traditio/deac_tab.asp (accessed December 10, 2010).
98
Field-Bibb, Women Towards Priesthood, 180.
99
Egan, "Why Not? Scripture, History, and Women's Ordination", 6.
100
Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women and Priesthood, 65.
101
Ibid., 69.
102
Ibid., 70.
103
Romans 16:1, New American Bible.
104
Ibid., 16:3.
 21

The twelve apostles were not meant to serve as priests,105 for in the New

Testament, leadership roles were connected solely to evangelizing and teaching. At no

point is there any solid evidence that the apostles were given a special authority to

perform priestly tasks such as presiding at the Eucharist or reconciling sinners.106 In fact,

the twelve apostles were meant to symbolize the "twelve sons of the patriarch Jacob",

who were the "ancestors of the Jewish people" and leaders of the twelve tribes of

Israel.107 In addition to this, it seems as though the apostles "constituted a group larger

than the Twelve". For example, in the Scriptures, St. Paul108 and Barnabas109 were also

called apostles. It is also questionable whether or not Jesus intended to found an

institutional Church since it seems very likely he believed the end of the world was

coming soon.110 Even St. Paul was convinced that Christ would return, perhaps "...within

his own lifetime."111

However, when it became clear that Armageddon was not coming any time soon,

the Church had to begin to adapt itself in order to become less of a fringe movement.

Hence, a hierarchical structure began to form; a change that was also catalyzed by the

severe persecution Christians faced at the hands of the Romans, for thousands of people

died in the stadiums during the second and third centuries.112 This shift from early house

churches to an established hierarchy was necessary, otherwise it is very likely that

Christianity would not have been able to survive. In examining the changes that the early

105
Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women and Priesthood, 47.
106
Field-Bibb, Women Towards Priesthood, 181.
107
Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women Towards Priesthood, 45.
108
Romans 1:1.
109
Acts 14:14.
110
Karen Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women and Priesthood, 43.
111
Ibid., 68.
112
Ibid., 89.
 22

Church went through in the first few hundred years of its life, it becomes clear that even

back then, modifications were continually being made to its structure and the

organization of its leadership; as Karen Armstrong points out, it is "not obligatory to

follow the past slavishly. Each generation has to create its own form of Christianity and

meet the challenge of modernity."113

Examining this theology is absolutely necessary in understanding the Church's

reasoning behind its decision to keep women out of the priesthood; however, many

questions remain. For example, if the Church’s teaching on this matter is in any way

definitive and if the Pope truly is “free of error”, then why does it strike a chord of

resistance among so many of the faithful? Why are so many still hesitant to accept this

teaching as “belonging to the deposit of the faith”? Why do so many women continue to

seek active membership in an institution that is ultimately hostile to them? The next

chapter of this study will attempt to answer some of these questions by giving the reader

a glance into the current women's ordination movement.

III. The Women's Ordination Movement

Current Issues

While some Catholics may think that it is only possible for ordination to be

conferred to women if the Vatican approves of it, others, such as the three women that

were interviewed for this study, are refusing to stand around and wait - for not only are

they actively advocating for women's participation within Catholic life, they have become

ordained and are all currently practicing their vocation in inclusive Catholic communities

across the United States.

113
Ibid.
 23

In my study of the current movement to ordain women, I have mainly focused on

the global grassroots non- profit organization Roman Catholic Women Priests, since this

group has taken bold initiatives by finding bishops who are sympathetic to their cause,

organizing their own ordination ceremonies, and providing an online training program for

any woman who feels called forth to serve.114 The worldwide organization is not simply

interested in women's equality, but in "the transformation of the Roman Catholic

Church," envisioning "nothing less than inclusivity and accountability" in the church."115

Therefore, although the organization ordains women as deacons, priests, and bishops, it

does not "wish to replicate the hierarchical model that those titles suggest."116

My interviews were conducted with Bridget Mary Meehan, a spokeswoman for

Roman Catholic Women Priests; Dana O'Callaghan, an ordained priest also working

within this organization; and Sheila Dierks, a priest who is apart of the Ecumenical

Catholic Communion in Longmont, CO. While each woman had her own unique story to

tell, what struck me about all of them was their passion for women's ordination and the

love and dedication that each of them clearly felt towards the Catholic Church.

Bridget Mary Meehan

Bridget Mary Meehan was ordained as a Catholic priest on July 31, 2006 in

Pittsburgh when she and eleven other female ordinands participated in the first women’s

ordination ceremony in the United States. In a phone interview with me in October,

Meehan sounded confident and happy when reflecting upon her call to serve: “All my life

people have confirmed that I was called to preach... I feel like I’m here by Grace and that
114
Victoria Rue, "Women Priests in the Roman Catholic Church", 16.
115
Ibid., 19.
116
Ibid., 11.
 24

it’s God’s call for all of us. It’s very, very exciting.”117

Meehan, who emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland when she was 8-years old, grew

up in a deeply spiritual Catholic home. As a child, she always loved Mass and "...always

felt close to God...I just felt this special draw to... the love of Christ in Eucharist." 118 She

entered religious life at 18 and spent ten years living and working as a nun. After this

time period, she left in order to serve as a pastoral associate in a chapel community, a

position that she held for 15 years.

While working within this chapel community, there were times when no priests

were available to preside at Mass; as a result, Meehan would sometimes be asked to lead

a communion service, which is a ritual similar to Mass, except that the communion

administered to parishoners is consecrated beforehand by a priest. One day after one of

these services, parishoners began approaching Meehan, telling her that they had enjoyed

the service. Suddenly, it dawned on her that with all of the responsibilities that came with

her leadership role there was actually very little keeping her from doing exactly what

priests do when presiding at Mass. Consequently, she began to question her role as a nun

and began thinking about what a transformed Church would look like, free of the

patriarchal structure that was keeping her from serving as a priest.

In 2005, Meehan attended a women's ordination ceremony in Canada. These

ordinations, put together by the grassroots group Roman Catholic Women Priests, were

the first to ever happen in the country. Inspired by what she saw, Meehan felt motivated

to fulfill her call to the priesthood by following in the same footsteps as the women who

were ordained that day. Already possessing a Doctor of Ministry degree and having 15

117
Bridget Mary Meehan, interview with author, October 11, 2010.
118
Ibid.
 25

years of experience working in pastoral ministry, Meehan quickly went through the

movement's preparation program and was eventually ordained as a priest in 2006, finally

becoming a bishop in 2008.

In addition to currently serving as spokeswoman of Roman Catholic Women

Priests and as a leader in the new U.S.-based movement called the Association for Roman

Catholic Women Priests, Meehan also presides over her own Church community in

Sarasota, Florida called Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community. Originally

formed in Meehan's humble mobile home, the Church has grown considerably over the

years and now sometimes has over 100 people attending weekly, despite the efforts of the

local regional bishop to break up the community. Enthusiasm has grown to the point

where Meehan can no longer accommodate parishoners within her home; hence the

community celebrates Mass at a local Unitarian Church.

When asked about her leadership role in Roman Catholic Women Priests, Bridget

Mary explained that the organization is "following the example of gospel equality that

Jesus gave us"119 and scoffed at the fact that she and all of the other women who have

become ordained within the movement were excommunicated by the Vatican in 2008.

She noted that ironically, Pope Benedict XVI excommunicated the organization as a

whole on May 29th, which is the feast day of St. Joan of Arc, who was burnt at the stake

for heresy. I asked her about the attendance of laity at the women's ordination

ceremonies, since any lay person who involves him or herself in the movement faces

automatic excommunication, to which she replied that the ceremonies were always

packed: "People are not afraid anymore...they are with us...in solidarity".120

119
Bridget Mary Meehan, personal communication, October 11, 2010.
120
Ibid.
 26

Like more and more Catholics today, Meehan doesn't believe in waiting for the

Vatican to change its mind:

"We are disobeying an unjust, manmade law, Canon 1024, that discriminates

against women. We are the Rosa Parks of the Catholic Church, leading the way

into a new era of justice and equality for women. Sexism is a sin- we will be

liberated from this second-class status. We are claiming our empowerment

now”.121

In addition to this, Meehan expressed that she didn't think it mattered when the Vatican

would be ready to acknowledge and affirm change, since change is happening regardless.

According to Meehan, it is the grassroots action coming from "the people of God" and

the "sensus fidelum"122 (or the "sense of the faithful") coming from those who disagree

with the Church that will create the change necessary for the emergence of a truly

inclusive community.

Meehan explained that the Church's exclusion of women goes directly against the

actions of Jesus, who always treated them as equals despite the fact that the misogyny in

his own culture tended to go completely unquestioned. Not only did Christ question

patriarchal worldviews, through his actions he proved that he viewed women as the true

equals of men. For there is no doubt that Christ’s way of acting towards women was both

highly unusual and progressive for his time; as Karen Armstrong notes, there is ample

evidence in Luke that women were “among the poor and oppressed that Jesus had come

to redeem." 123

An example of Christ's revolutionary behavior can be seen in many Gospel

121
Ibid.
122
Bridget Mary Meehan, personal communication, October 11, 2010.
123
Karen Armstrong, The End of Silence: Women and the Priesthood, 55.
 27

passages, one being the passage of the woman with the hemorrhage. Meehan explained to

me that in this passage, there was woman who had been sick with a hemorrhage for over

a decade when she approached Jesus in a large crowd, believing that if she simply

touched the hem of his garment she would automatically be healed. According to Jewish

cultic law the discharge of the woman's blood make her unclean, and anyone who

touched her would be made unclean as well. However, when Jesus realized that it was the

woman who had touched him, he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in

peace and be cured of your affliction". 124 This story, according to Meehan:

"Reveals the dignity of a woman in the face of religious and social

discrimination…Jesus bids her to stand forward as a person of importance and as

a woman of faith. He heals her not only of her pain of rejection, but at the same
125
time repudiates the purification rituals of the law and structures of his time."

Jesus clearly rejected the cultural norms of his time that oppressed women. Meehan

believes that this story can serve as a sign that one day, women will be liberated from

second-class status within the Church, for "Jesus is our role model in this regard."126 By

refusing to wait for the Vatican, ordained women are claiming their empowerment now.

Dana O'Callaghan

Dana O'Callaghan decided that she was going to become a priest on the day of her high

school graduation, when her senior class requested that they all gather around the school

altar and sing a hymn to Mary. She explained, in an email to me that, "our request was

124
Mark 5:25-34, New American Version.
125
Bridget Mary Meehan, personal communication, October 11, 2010.
126
Ibid.
 28

approved on the condition that only the boys could enter the sanctuary".127 The girls were

required to stand behind the communion rail as the song was sung. O'Callaghan went

home in tears, and spoke to her mother:

"My dear Mother told me that, even though it's wrong, girls and women were

considered unclean and could not enter the sanctuary, be a priest, or say

Mass...our place was on the other side of the communion rail. I made a promise to

God that day that I would prove them wrong!" 128

At seventeen years old, O'Callaghan entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St.

Felix in Michigan where she received her education and became a schoolteacher. As the

reforms of Vatican II proceeded throughout the 1960's, O'Callaghan began to feel that

perhaps a renewal of the ministry would soon take place, thus enabling her to become

ordained. In 1975, she joined the Women's Ordination Conference, the world's first

grassroots organization working towards the inclusion of women in the ministerial

priesthood. The organization still exists to this day and actively supports groups such as

Roman Catholic Women Priests.

O'Callaghan entered St. John Provincial Seminary's priesthood preparation

program in Plymouth, Michigan, where she was only one of two women in her class. She

reflected on her choice to enroll in the seminary: "My hopes were so high that I hesitated

to even think of anything but ordination...I believed that I would be ready and prepared

when the time came for the church to approve women's ordination".129 Upon graduation,

O'Callaghan was hired as an Associate Pastor in Saginaw Michigan where she "preached

127
Dana O'Callaghan, e-mail message to author, October 27, 2010.
128
Ibid.
129
Dana O'Callaghan, e-mail message to author, October 27, 2010.
 29

at weekend Mass" and "celebrated sacraments with the pastor".130 However, she and the

pastor she worked with, John O'Callaghan, eventually left ministry and married in 1996.

Dana began working for the state child welfare agency and began to think that her "call to

ministry was a dream". 131

All of this changed in 2009, when she and her husband attended Mass at Bridget

Mary Meehan's house church in Sarasota, Florida. Upon hearing O'Callaghan's story and

desire to be apart of the ministry, Meehan announced to her, "You're ready to be

ordained".132 After going through the preparation program with Roman Catholic Women

Priests, O'Callaghan was ordained as a deacon in 2009 and subsequently as a priest in

early 2010. She and her husband currently operate a church in their home called The

House Church of Mary and Joseph. They alternate presiding at Mass and preaching to a

group of 12-15 people on the weekends.

The O'Callaghans decided to form their own church community after walking out

on a homophobic homily at a local church in their area. O'Callaghan explained to me that:

"As we walked out we met our next door neighbor with a friend. Knowing my

husband was a priest, she asked, 'Why don't you have Mass for us at home?' That

was the beginning of our House Church of Mary and Joseph."133

In addition to running their house church, the O'Callaghans also participate in a local

ministry in their city for the poor and homeless in conjunction with another church.

O'Callaghan expressed that although it has taken her a long time to realize her dream, she

feels incredibly grateful that her wish was granted, describing it as "a fulfilled YES to

130
Ibid.
131
Ibid.
132
Bridget Mary Meehan, personal communication, October 11, 2010.
133
Sheila Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2011.
 30

God's call." 134

Sheila Dierks

Sheila Dierks felt called to the priesthood ever since she was six years old. While

speaking with me in a noisy coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado, she explained that at a

certain point, she simply grew tired of waiting: "When I finally became 60 and the

Ecumenical Catholic Communion came along, I came to realize that this was my

opportunity". 135

The Ecumenical Catholic Communion is an American offshoot of the Old

Catholic Church of Europe. The Old Catholic Church parted from the Roman Church

after the first Vatican Council in 1869, when Pope Pius IX "decided that he wanted to be

deemed infallible in all things".136 The vast majority of Italian bishops at the Council

voted in favor of establishing papal infallibility, much to the dismay of many other

bishops from Belgiuim, Holland, and certain areas of Germany. Believing that the Pope

had no right to hold such absolute authority, these bishops broke away from Roman

Catholicism and founded their own group of churches, a group that is now known as the

Old Catholic Church. When the Old Catholic Church migrated to the United States, the

Ecumenical Catholic Communion arose as a result.

The ecumenical spirit that pervades Dierk's church community is striking when

compared to that of the Roman Catholic Church. For not only can women be ordained, so

can those who are currently married or have been divorced. The church also openly

ministers to the gay, lesbian, and transgendered community. Dierks was ordained in 2009
134
Ibid.
135
Sheila Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2010.
136
Ibid.
 31

alongside another woman who was a divorced mother of three.

When asked about her path to the priesthood, Dierks stated that many of the

women who have become ordained recently, as well as many of those who are currently

seeking ordination, have known for a long time that they were being called by God to

serve; therefore, "for many of us, this is a lifelong project."137 I asked her why she thought

the Church was so intent on keeping women out and whether or not she believed

reasonable theological justifications existed in favor of an exclusively male priesthood.

She replied that she believed discrimination and hatred of women was at the bottom of

the Vatican's stance:

"To me, one has to continue to look deeply at the words that are used to enchain

people, to keep them from wholeness. If you use the words of Jesus to keep

women out; who were last at the cross and first at the tomb; if you tell them that

they cannot be apart of the ordained community, even if they know within

themselves that they are called, then you have used the words of Jesus to imprison

when really, liberation is our goal". 138

Dierks talked a lot about liberation in our conversation, stating that "the primary

responsibility of all sacramental acts"139 is to free people; to awaken people to the fact

that God loves them just as they are. She vividly recounted a childhood story of being a

young girl and telling her parents that when she grew up, she wanted to be a priest. The

reaction she received was less than enthusiastic, for "I was not only told that I couldn't,

but that I was wrong to want it. Looking back on this, I now equate that to what happens

137
Ibid.
138
Sheila Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2010.
139
Ibid.
 32

to a 7 or 8 year-old little boy who expresses that he is gay."140 Dierks told me that this

experience ultimately liberated her and to this day helps her relate to those in the gay and

lesbian community who she ministers to.

Towards the end of our interview, Dierks took me by surprise when she asked me

what image came to my mind when I thought of God - did I image a male? Did the image

seem gendered at all? I replied that as of now, I do not think of God as possessing either

male or female traits, but that as a child, I was taught to think of God as being a man.

Intrigued by her question, I asked her to elaborate. Dierks explained that often, what we

think about God and the way we envision God, directly affects how we think about the

priesthood, for the Catholic Church has placed such emphasis and importance on "the

maleness of Christ." Men benefit from this, she told me, by receiving an "unearned

privilege," of "being subconsciously 'like God' in a way that you and I are not". 141

Dierks believes that "women bring specific gifts"142 to the church; such as a spirit

of cooperation and equality that is obviously lacking in the official all-male Roman

Catholic hierarchy. She explained that sometimes, religious institutions have to decide

between having a strong community or a strong institutional structure and that it is

obvious that what Catholic Church values most of all. Dierks likened a strong community

to a circle where "we are all standing around...looking in at the divine experience within.

The Pope only has one view as do you and I." 143 On the other hand, if solid, established

structure is considered to be more important than community building, members of the

institution will interact with each other in a way that resembles a ladder more than a

140
Ibid.
141
Shiela Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2010.
142
Ibid.
143
Ibid.
 33

circle. For example, within the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope is at the top of the

ladder with bishops, priests, and deacons occupying lower rungs, with the laity at the

very bottom. When comparing these two institutional models, Dierks concluded by

saying that "the circle can be infinitely big whereas there is only so much room on the

ladder."144

Reflections

The three women interviewed for this study are not only fighting for equal

representation within the hierarchical structure of the Church; they are also advocating a

spirit of ecumenism and inclusivity for the benefit of all. The women involved in the

ordination movement serve as an example of what bravery can accomplish. Through

these discussions with Bridget Mary Meehan, Dana O'Callaghan, and Sheila Dierks, my

ideas concerning the situation of women in the church has transformed from doubt and

confusion, to a clear understanding and hope that the Vatican will eventually have no

choice but to change it's mind.

IV. Conclusion: The Gift of a Renewed Priestly Ministry

Conclusions and Questions

Pope John XXIII’s deathbed message included this statement: “The moment has

come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead.”145

Ironically, although the dominant opinion at the Second Vatican council was that

women's ordination was not worth discussing, the closing speech seems to argue the

144
Sheila Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2010.
145
http://www.vatican2voice.org, "Blessed Pope John Paul XXIII."
 34

opposite:

"The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of women is being

acknowledged in its Fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an

influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this

moment, women imbued with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid

humanity in not falling."146

The global culture that existed during Vatican II is vastly different than today. In 1965

the council was closed and since then the culture of the world and of the Church has

changed dramatically.147 Even now in the 21st century, the Church continues to maintain

the status quo of excluding women; however, if it continues to do this, is it truly being

faithful to the teachings of Jesus? Or is perhaps this tradition "part of a mostly

unexamined and...unconscious bias?"148

Throughout history the concept of separate but equal has never meant true

equality. The reality of the situation is that if women's voices and concerns are going to

carry any weight within the Church, they cannot be relegated to the background. Every

position within the hierarchy must be open to all, for "only as a part of the Church's

governing structure can women...help determine the shape of the future Church, the

participation of the laity, the selection of leaders - including the next pope - and the

interpretation of doctrines."149 It remains to be seen whether or not the Church will

continue to believe in the "unchangeability" of its "tradition" and whether or not

146
Second Vatican II Closing Speech, "To Women", delivered by Pope Paul VI, December 8, 1965,
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6closin.htm.
147
Alan Hartway, personal communication, October 2010.
148
Robert J. Egan, "Why Not? Scripture, History, and Women's Ordination," 9.
149
Angela Bonavagolia, Good Catholic Girls, 271.
 35

maintaining distinct roles within ecclesiastical life "belongs to the essence of the structure

of the Church.150

As a result of my research, it is my belief that as the 21st century progresses, the

Church will find it harder and harder hide its hypocrisy as it attempts to "bear witness to

principles of justice" and "equality" while at the same time claiming "exceptions" for

itself by continuing to maintain an exclusively male priesthood. 151 When discussing the

current state of the Catholic Church, Alan Hartway, a priest in Boulder, Colorado, and a

professor at Naropa University, explained that, "there needs to be created a shared

authentic freedom between people within the Church. Joy is missing as well as love that

is not possessive. The Church needs to become connected to human freedom."

152
Although in this comment Hartway was not addressing women's ordination

specifically, I believe that this idea can be applied to the issue. By curbing freedom of

speech and excluding women, the Church is proving that it is not acting out of respect for

the freedom of its members.

Will the Vatican change its mind? The information gathered in this study seems to

point to the fact that it eventually will, although when is anybody's guess. Ultimately, it

doesn't seem to matter, for with or without the Vatican's approval, women are already

taking matters into their own hands, making massive strides "towards their own true

discerned calling". 153

150
Field-Bibb, Women Towards Priesthood, 187.
151
Robert J. Egan, "Why Not? Scripture, History, and Women's Ordination," 9.
152
Alan Hartway, personal communication, October 2010.
153
Sheila Dierks, personal communication, October 25, 2010.
 36

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