Since beginning her posts for FAR four years ago, Elizabeth has featured an excerpt from my chronicles each July in honor of my feast day on the 22nd. At least I thought it was my Feast day. It has been… Read More ›
Women’s Ordination
Francis: My Holy Conundrum by Linda Pinto
Chicago enjoys a long history of women whose voices echo a call for dignity and equality. Jane Addams was a pioneer American-settlement social worker, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in women’s suffrage movement. In an era when presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow… Read More ›
Supporting Gender Equality in the Church Results in Excommunication by Gina Messina-Dysert
It is unnerving to think that excommunication is still a real threat in the 21st century. Within both the Catholic and Mormon Churches members continue to be bullied into submission with such threats. Today, speaking out against gender injustice seems… Read More ›
Struggles of a Catholic Feminist Mother by Gina Messina-Dysert
Maintaining a Catholic identity as a feminist has been a challenge. There have certainly been times where I have walked away from my tradition frustrated by teachings that are oppressive to women and LGBTQ, but I have always come back. … Read More ›
The Philadelphia Ordinations and Pope Francis in Rio by Alla Renée Bozarth
On July 29, 2013, I read the feminist theologian Mary Hunt’s fine account of Pope Francis’ visit to Brazil, with commentary on his informal conversation with press people on the way back to Rome. When asked for a statement about… Read More ›
I Dream of Pope Francis by Gina Messina-Dysert
It was just last week that I received an email from Pope Francis. He wrote me having seen my interview with Tavis Smiley and said he sympathized with my appeal for a Church that serves the needs of the people. … Read More ›
Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling? Conflict in Religious Histories by Meagen Farrell
In attempting to research and write about the process and arguments in the development of women’s ordination in the Anglican Church of Ireland (which I first wrote about here on Feminism and Religion), I am frustrated by the polarization of… Read More ›
Women’s Ordination and the Mormon Church by Margaret Toscano
Caroline Kline’s March 26 post, “Mormons Who Advocate Women’s Ordination,” marks a new direction in the Mormon feminist movement. As she describes, the website Ordain Women was launched on March 17 by a few dozen Mormon women and men who… Read More ›
Pope Francis: A Fisherman for Our Times? by Dawn Morais Webster
A thoughtful non-Catholic friend, Mei Li, in largely Muslim Malaysia, wondered aloud in a Facebook chat after the election of Pope Francis: “How many people get to start anew like this? A new name, a new life, a new kingdom… Read More ›
Mormons Who Advocate Women’s Ordination by Caroline Kline
A couple of months ago, I came across the “Ordain a Lady” video by the Catholic Women’s Ordination Conference. Even though it was lighthearted, clever, and fun, it made me cry. Why? Because as a Mormon feminist, I had never seen… Read More ›
Let the Walls Come Tumbling Down by Dawn Morais Webster
If we want to see real change in the church, Catholics need a Rosa Parks moment. Thousands fill St. Peter’s Square for the final blessing. A gleaming helicopter whisks the Pope off to his summer palace, Castel Gandolfo. He tells… Read More ›
What Happens When Women Are Not Ordained? by Meagen Farrell
What is a vocation to the Christian clergy? A woman or man feels a calling from God, and that spirit is tested in the community of believers. After discernment through study, prayer, and service that person submits herself for ordination…. Read More ›
I Stand with Fr. Roy Bourgeois by Gina Messina-Dysert
“The Vatican and Maryknoll can dismiss me, but they cannot dismiss the issue of gender equality in the Catholic Church.” – Fr. Roy Bourgeois While many have said it should be no surprise that Fr. Roy Bourgeois has been excommunicated… Read More ›
IN THE NEWS: Fr. Roy Bourgeois to Speak at CGU
This week on November 1st and 2nd Fr. Roy Bourgeois will be at Claremont Graduate University to offer discussions on the topics of women’s ordination and the School of Americas Watch. Fr. Roy is a Maryknoll priest, social justice activist,… Read More ›
The Changing Face of Christ in the Catholic Church by Janice Poss
Yesterday, as I have done for the last six years, I attended another ordination, an ordination that as the others has been two thousand years in the making. It was historic, it was Catholic; it was the new face of… Read More ›
A Sea Change Towards Women’s Ordination by Mary Ellen Robertson
If I see a flaw in contemporary Mormon feminism, it’s that we haven’t ventured outside our own religious community to partner with other religious feminist activists. Working separately or in ignorance of the work already done by other religious feminists,… Read More ›
Catholic/Mormon Dialogue on Women’s Ordination
The Catholic/Mormon Dialogue on Women’s Ordination at Claremont Graduate University will take place Wednesday, September 19, 2012. It is an incredibly relevant topic today and particularly interesting with a Mormon/Catholic presidential ticket before us. It makes sense to bring Catholics… Read More ›
A Response to the Maryknoll Community on Women’s Ordination by Fr. Roy Bourgeois
This letter was written to to Rev. Edward Dougherty, M.M., Superior General and the Maryknoll Community on August 8, 2011 in response to the call for Fr. Roy Bourgeois to recant his stance on women’s ordination in the Catholic Church…. Read More ›
Pink Smoke Over the Vatican: A Review by Kate Conmy
Review: Pink Smoke Over the Vatican (2010) Award-Winning Independent Documentary Film Directed by Jules Hart By Kate Conmy, MA. Membership Coordinator of the Women’s Ordination Conference. Last weekend I had the honor of joining over eighty Women’s Ordination Conference members… Read More ›
Pink Smoke, Call to Disobedience, and a Holy Shake-Up: Is it Time to Convene the Third Vatican Council? By Michele Stopera Freyhauf
This past August I wrote about the canonical warning that Fr. Roy received and the issue surrounding the exercise of conscience over church teaching. For a more detailed explanation of the warning and the background regarding the ordination of women,… Read More ›
Interlocking Pieces and the Maleness of Jesus: Exegeting the “America’s Pope’s” Statement on Gay Marriage and Ordination of Women By Michele Stopera Freyhauf
On a 20/20 interview, posted August 21, 2011, Morley Safer interviewed the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan. Dolan is also referred to as “America’s Pope.” In this article, Safer calls him a scholar and a “passionate defender” of issues… Read More ›
Is it Right to Intentionally Lie Because the Church Says to? The Case of Fr. Roy’s Assertion of Conscience Over Vatican’s Mandate to Lie By Michele Stopera Freyhauf
Fr. Roy Bourgeois has many titles: Nobel Peace Prize winner, purple heart recipient, former missionary, member of the Maryknoll Fathers for 44 years, and ordained priest for 38 years. He has long been associated with social justice and helping the oppressed… Read More ›
The Vatican’s Spiritual Violence Against Women’s Ordination By Rosemary Radford Ruether
The Vatican has adopted what amounts to a “zero tolerance” policy against those Catholics who actively advocate for women’s ordination, particularly against anyone involved in the movement of Roman Catholic Womenpriests which, for the past three years, has ordained thirty-five… Read More ›
“She stood up straight and began praising God”: Luke 13: 10-13 By Theresa A. Yugar
The following is a guest post written by Theresa A. Yugar, Ph.D. Candidate in women studies in religion at Claremont Graduate University. The gospel story of the crippled woman healed by Jesus of her ailment in the Gospel of St…. Read More ›
This is What a Catholic Looks Like By Kate Conmy
The following is a guest post written by Kate Conmy, MA, Membership Coordinator for the Women’s Ordination Conference. Kate celebrates spiritual activism, feminism, and human rights. She currently works as the Membership Coordinator for the Women’s Ordination Conference and lives in Washington,… Read More ›
Will Women Priests Change the Church? By Mary E. Hunt
The following is a guest post written by Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D., co-founder and co-director of WATER (Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual). A New Documentary, “Pink Smoke Over the Vatican,” starts the conversation… Catholic women priests are an… Read More ›
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