Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now
"Composer's Music Celebrates Women in the Catholic Church -- as Priests", by Gail DeGeorge, NCR, "Ad Sum" by composer Rich Moriarty, performed at Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Nov. 22nd in Norfolk
http://ncronline.org/news/art-media/composers-music-celebrates-women-catholic-church-priests
Gail DeGeorge | Nov. 20, 2015
A composer's dream of writing liturgical music to celebrate women as Catholic priests will be partly realized this weekend through a performance of his nine movement English-Latin liturgy.
..."Part of his dream will be realized in a special concert of two works by the former chief of pathology, who swapped a career in medicine for music a decade ago, earning both bachelors and masters degrees in composition at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va."
"Adsum! A Mass Celebrating Women in the Church" premieres Sunday, Nov. 22 at Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk, Va. The nine movement English-Latin liturgy will be performed by the ODU Concert Choir, conducted by Nancy Klein, director of the university's choral department, and Schola Cantorum of Virginia, under artistic director Agnes Mobley-Wynne, who will co-conduct.
The concert features acclaimed American mezzo-soprano, Robynne Redmon, who has appeared in leading roles at The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera as well as throughout Europe. The concert also includes a performance of "We That Wait" poems written by women during the Civil War, set to music written by Moriarty.
[Gail DeGeorge is a freelance writer living in Washington, D.C.]
WHAT: Women-War-Worship: Old Dominion University Department of Music presents two premier works by Richard Moriarty: Adsum! A Mass Celebrating Women in the Church and
We That Wait: Women's Poems from the Civil War Era
Featuring mezzo-soprano Robynne Redmon; ODU Concert Choirand Schola Cantorum of Virginia; conducted by Nancy Klein; Agnes Mobley-Wynn, co-conductor
WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 – 7 p.m.
WHERE: Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 560 West Olney Road, Norfolk, Virginia
DETAILS: Free admission and open to the public: Free will offering accepted
Posted by Bridget Mary Meehan at 5:49 PM No comments:
"Esther Versus Malala: A Woman Who Is Not Radical Will Not Create Change" by Marilyn Rondeau
https://www.smore.com/sz5s2
Esther Versus Malala
A Woman Who Is Not Radical Will Not Create Change
Feel free to play this soundtrack to enhance your viewing and reading experience. Click the red arrow to start and stop the audio.
The book of Esther is the story of a beautiful young Jewish women who was willing to risk imperiling her life in an effort to save her people. Esther resided in ancient Persia about 100 years after the Babylonian captivity. Upon the death of her parents, Esther was adopted and raised by Mordecai, her older cousin.
Xerxes was the king of the Persian Empire, and on one occasion, he threw a extravagant party. On the final day of the celebration, Vashti, his queen, was summoned as the king was eager to show off her beauty to his guests. However, the queen declined the invitation to appear before Xerxes. The king became furious, deposed Queen Vashti and forevermore banned her from his presence. Xerxes hosted a royal beauty pageant in an effort to find a new queen and Esther was chosen for the throne. Mordecai was selected as a minor official in the Persian government of Susa.
It was Mordecai who uncovered a plot to assassinate the king. He told Esther about the plot, and she conveyed it to Xerxes, affording credit to Mordecai. The conspiracy was averted and Mordcai's act of kindness was maintained in the king's chronicles.
Additional drama was taking place by Hamam, the king's highest official, and a evil man. He hated the Jews and when Mordecai refused to kneel down and pay homage to him, he became infuriated because he knew Mordecai was a Jew. Hamam began to strategize on a way to obliterate all of the Jews throughout Persia. Haman conviced King Xerxes to issue a decree of annilation.
Mordecai heard of the plan and revealed it to Esther. Up until this time, Esther had been surreptitious about her Jewish heritage and had not told Xerxes. Mordecai urged her to go to the King and plead for mercy on behalf of the Jews.
Esther urged all of the Jews to fast and pray for deliverance. Then risking her own life, Esther approached the king with a strategy she devised. She invited Xerxes and Haman to a banquet where she revealed her Jewish heritage to the king, as well as Hamam's heinous scheme to have her and her people killed. In a rage, the king ordered Hamam to be hung on the gallows (or impaled on a pole) – the very same gallows Haman had constructed for Mordecai.
King Xerxes upturned the previous order to have the Jewish people destroyed and gave Jews the right to assemble and protect themselves. Mordecai received a palce of honor in the King's palace as second in rank and encouraged all Jesws to particiapte in an annual celebration of feasting and joy in remembrance of this great salvation and turn of events. By Queen Esther's official decree, these days were established as a lasting custom called Purim, or the Feast of Lots.
Esther Quotes - Click on photo to see the entire image
Go gather all the Jews in Shushan, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night and day. My maids and I will also fast as you do. After that I will go
to the King, though it is against the law, and if
I perish, I perish. Esther 4:16
Malala
Malala Yousafzai's world was not one of wealth or privilege but by an environment influenced by learning. In school she was an articulate and confident student. She was an outspoken advocate for the rights of Pakistani girls to receive an education.
Even after the Taliban began shutting down schools in her area, a group of the students continued to meet inside shuttered buildings. She began a secret diary of her experience. Due to her courage and determination to promote gender equality and human rights, when her identity was revealed, her family began receiving death threats from the Taliban soldiers.
On October 9, 2012, at the age of fifteen, Malala Yousafzai, was traveling home from school in Pakistan's Swat Valley, when a Taliban extremist boarded the bus upon which Malala was riding and shot her in the head. In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, for intensive rehabilitation. On October 12, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwa against those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban reiterated their intent to kill Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai.
The assassination attempt sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Malala. United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, launched a UN petition in Yousafzai's name, demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015; it helped lead to the ratification of Pakistan's first Right to Education Bill.
Malala has made an incredible recovery, and is unwavering in her resolve to use her prominence to advocate for women's rights, and above all, girl's education. Malala's story and her forthrightness, her honesty, and her bravery serve as a powerful reminder of the awful realities in those places where girls are denied an education, and the impact that one person's voice can have on the world.
Quotes By Malala
Click on each photo to read each quote.
"This is the secret of life: the self lives only by dying, finds its identity (and its happiness) only by self-forgetfulness, self-giving, self-sacrifice, and agape love."
― Peter Kreeft, Jesus-Shock
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http://blog.4test.com/malala-yousafzai-lessons-story-teachers
Meehan, B.M. (1998). Praying with Women of the Bible. Missouri: Liquori Publications
Esther vs Malala
Throughout history, there are women who are willing to stand up against oppression and work for justice. Courageous, erudite and beautiful, Esther and Malala are two of those women. Although each of them differs in some ways, they have much in common.
Noting some of the dissimilarities between Esther and Malala speaks to their distinctiveness. Esther, whose name means "star" was Jewish and an orphan who was adopted and raised by an uncle. At a young age, the king chose her as his queen and she resided in the palace in Persia. Esther, although possessing a godly spirit, was neither openly pious nor outspoken and lived a secluded life in the royal harem. In contrast, Malala, whose name means "grief-stricken" is a Muslim, living with her mother, father and two brothers in a modest home in Pakistan. She is openly pious and invokes God in her speeches. Her life is far from isolated. She is an outspoken critic of the Taliban in Pakistan and especially critical of the Taliban's ban on girls attending school.
The similarities between Esther and Malala are extensive. They both held a marginalized status as women in a patriarchal society. Yet, they have become role models for the Jewish and Muslim communities. These two young women bravely challenged the cultural traditions that governed their world. They both confronted the culture imposed on them and found ways to circumvent that culture to fight for peace and justice.
Esther also initially hid her identity from the king. However, Esther finally found the courage to approach the king and claim her identity. Similarly, Malala utilized a pseudonym to protect her from the Taliban but eventually decided that it was essential that she no longer hide her name.
Esther risks her life by going to the king, contrary to the law, to intercede for her people. Correspondingly, Malala risks her life by speaking out for the injustice of depriving girls of the right to be educated. Both were willing to take risks for the vulnerable and the enslaved. In both cases, it is apparent that they have strong rhetorical skills.
Both Esther and Malala had community that both supported them and challenged them. For Esther, it was her uncle Mordecai who had raised her when she was orphaned. Mordecai was the person who initially encouraged her to become part of the king's harem and to rise to become queen. Mordecai then challenged her to remember her heritage. He says: "Do not imagine that you are safe in the king's palace, you alone of all the Jews. Even if you now remain silent, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another source; but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows --- perhaps it was for a time like this that you became queen (Est 4:13-14)?" For Malala, it was her father. When asked what gave her the courage to publicly speak out against the Taliban, Malala replied: "You know my father was a great encouragement for me because he spoke out for women's rights, he spoke out for girl's education and at that time I said why should I wait for someone else, why would I be looking for the government, to the army that they would help us? Why don't I raise my voice, why don't we speak up for our rights" (http://blog.4tests.com/malala-yousafzai-lessons-story-teachers/)?
Esther and Malala, each in their individual way, made a difference in the lives of the oppressed. They fought for their cause with humility, dignity, and hopefulness. Regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity, they have been champions of freedom. Esther and Malala put their lives on the line to make life better for others. They epitomized the absence of intimidation or constraint in action as they worked for the liberation of others.
Esther and Malala are just two examples of women who were prepared to stand in the face of any power to champion life, promote justice, human rights, equal rights and appeal for human compassion. In the book Praying with Women of the Bible, Bridget Mary Meehan wrote about the importance of celebrating "woman-strength, woman-passion, woman-wisdom, woman-truth and woman-courage" (p. 97). Esther and Malala give us great reasons to celebrate the feminine.
"Re-Jesusing the Catholic Church" by Gary Wills in the Boston Globe
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/11/19/jesusing-catholic-church/em8hdPAqRMeMS6B3aTxccJ/story.html
By Garry Wills NOVEMBER 19, 2015
"How can a church whose officialdom is worldly and corrupt present Jesus to the world? Pope Francis thinks it cannot. He once told people at the morning Mass in his small chapel, "To be believable, the Church has to be poor." He has spoken of personal revulsion at seeing a priest drive an expensive car. When he spoke of money as "the devil's dung" (he was quoting a church father, Saint Basil), some took this as an attack on Western capitalism. But it was a more general message, part of his apology in Bolivia for the church's role in colonialism. And when Francis looks around the Vatican, he finds the same devil-stench. In one of his earlier interviews as pope, he said, "The Curia is Vatican-centric. It sees and looks after the interests of the Vatican, which are still, for the most part, temporal interests." He said to assembled Cardinals that some approach the Vatican as if it were a royal court, with all the marks of such courts — "intrigue, gossip, cliques, favoritism, and partiality.''
That list of sins could be taken as a table of contents for the scandalous activities recorded in Gianluigi Nuzzi's new book, "Merchants in the Temple,'' a title taken from the Bible account of Jesus driving money lenders from the Temple court. Nuzzi is the journalist who received the "Vatileaks" from the papal butler, revealing the scheming and profiteering that occurred during Benedict XVI's papacy. He demonstrates an equal access to secret documents and conversations in the papacy of Francis, which show a concerted resistance to papal efforts to make the Vatican bear at least some resemblance to Jesus, however remote.
The official church is wealthy and poor because it always overspends itself. It lives on display, favoritism, and unaccountability. Its 14 personnel agencies create honorary posts for clients who will be subservient to their patrons. This is as true of the Vatican State Department as of the Vatican banks. We know of the scandalous and money-laundering Institute for the Works of Religions — commonly called the Vatican Bank. But another money manager is equally unaccountable — the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See.
In what is called Peter's Pence, Catholics from around the world send money to be spent on the poor. But four-fifths of that money is spent on maintenance of the bloated Vatican itself. The official church owns large amounts of real estate inside and outside Italy, but these holdings drain as much wealth as they collect, because so many of them are given at low or no rent to prelates and their flunkies, who redecorate them to their refined tastes, using Vatican money to do it.
Francis, who handled financial scandal in the diocese he took over in Buenos Aires, knew that he could not get control of the Vatican unless he had a true audit of where all the money was going. So he set up a special body to find this out – COSEA (Commission on Organization of the Economic Administration of the Holy See). This commission hired outside auditors, internationally recognized experts, to go over the money in all the papal departments (dicasteries). But faced with this demand for records from lay experts, the skilled ecclesiastical maneuverers in the departments reported sluggishly, incompletely, or not at all. COSEA's frustrations over this may be why their members leaked tapes of their meetings to Nuzzi and others. Indeed two of them (a monsignor and a lay woman) were arrested in early November by Vatican gendarmes for leaking — though these leaks are on the pope's side, unlike the earlier leaks.
Controversy about the official church has normally centered on doctrinal disputes, over things like contraception and abortion. These are seen as struggles for the mind of the church. Francis is more interested in the soul of the church. Does the church really speak from prelates' posh apartments in Rome and from bishops' palaces around the world? In our trips to Rome, my wife has given up entering Saint Peter's, since she cannot find anything like Jesus in that riot of celebration of the great papal families, with monstrous large statues of past pontiffs in all their ecclesiastical regalia. Jesus did not wear expensive chasubles and jeweled mitres (or any ecclesiastical garments). What Francis is engaged in is less a matter of theological dispute than a re-Jesusing of the church. If he fails, we have failed Jesus."
Garry Wills, a professor of history at Northwestern University, is the author of "The Future of the Catholic Church With Pope Francis."
In Prayerful Solidarity with the People of France, Syria, Mali and All Victims and Survivors of Terrorism in our World
St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine
Let us stand in solidarity at the crosses of all those who are suffering and weeping today.
God is always faithful. God's love is pouring out on all in the midst of pain, suffering, violence, loss and evil in our world.
Elizabeth Johnson, a prominent Catholic theologian, writes:"Christian faith believes that evil does not checkmate God's compassionate and loving power. Rather God's victory ...shows itself in Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Through the proclamation of the crucified Jesus, the Living One, a future is offered to all those who come to grief even though suffering remains intractable."
Let us remember the people of France, Syria, Mali, and all those who have died from torture, violence and terror.
Let us hold each person in God's heart of compassion as we cry out in the darkness.
Let us continue to work for peace, justice and equality in our world, conscious that nothing is impossible with God, and that God works through us each day to make our world a better place. We are God's hands and feet.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org
Posted by Bridget Mary Meehan at 7:12 AM No comments:
"Hand on the Button" 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Galatians 6:6-8; Matthew 6:26-34 November 15,2015 by Annie Watson,ARCWP
Annie Watson, ARCWP
Do you remember the television game show, Family Feud? A contestant from each of the two families stands in front of one another with their hand on a big button ready to push it as soon as they think they have a good answer to the game show host's question.
The same is true in Jeopardy. While Alex Trebek is giving the answer to a question,the contestants stand there, listening intently,ready to be the first to hit the button and verbalize the question.
In both of these games, hand on button is the contestant's default position. They only have one purpose at that moment, to hit that button as soon as possible. Sometimes the contestants hit the button prematurely before they know what to say. They are willing to risk being wrong in order to be the first to hit the button.
As we head into the Holiday Season,our hands should be resting comfortably on the buttons of grace,generosity,and gratitude, ready to strike at a moment's notice. These should be our default position. Sometimes we show grace, generosity, and gratitude prematurely,which can be risky, but we are never wrong in doing so.
Unfortunately, sometimes people have their hand on the wrong buttons. I have read with interest many of the comments on social media about the recent controversy over Starbuck's red cups. The young man who created the controversy claims to be operating as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and yet rather than soak in the holiday spirit and enjoy a hot cup of Joe, he seems to want to turn up the heat on a bogus and discredited annual event called "The War on Christmas."
In case you missed all the frenzy,this man wants "Christian" customers to enter Starbucks with a gun, order a cup of coffee, and tell the server that their name is "Merry Christmas," just so Starbucks will have to write "Merry Christmas" on their cups.
Sometimes lfeel like l missed the lecture on what it means to be a Christian. Rather than our hands resting on the buttons of anger,threats, and intimidation,ready to push those buttons (or pull the trigger) at a moment's notice, shouldn't our hands be resting on the buttons of grace, generosity,and gratitude?
Where are our hands resting as we enter this Holiday season? What buttons are we ready to push?
It is not too difficult to imagine where the hands of Paul and Jesus were resting.
Paul's favorite default button was the button of grace, because this was God's default button. "There are no limits to the grace of God," he said. No matter the season or time of year, ourhands should always be resting near the button of grace, ready to strike immediately, even prematurely.
Although the concept appeared earlier in Catholic theology,the great Methodist churchman,John Wesley, had a name for what we might consider to be premature grace. Wesley called it God's "prevenient grace."
Prevenient grace is defined as divine grace that precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. In other words,even before you and I are ready to hit the buttons of grace,generosity,and gratitude,God hits the buttons for us.
The best way for us to respond to God's grace in our lives is with generosity and gratitude. For Paul,his hands were resting steadily on the plow of generosity. "If you plant sparingly, you will reap sparingly,and if you plant bountifully,you will reap bountifully."
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul suggests our generosity is an imitation of God's generosity, "The One who provides seed for the planter and bread for food," the One who "will also supply and enlarge your store of seed and increase your harvest of justice." God's hand rests on the button-or plow-of generosity,and so should ours.
Paul echoes the same theme in his letter to the Galatians: "The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others­ ignoring God!-harvests a crop of weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life."
Jesus illustrates God's generosity,recorded in Matthew's Gospel. Speaking of default buttons, for Jesus the wrong button to push is the button of worrying and anxiety. There are times when we can't help but push those buttons,and yet our hands should never be resting close to them.
Instead,our hands should be resting on or near the buttons of faith and trust in God's generosity. If God takes care of the birds of the air and the wildflowers of the fields, then it goes without saying,Jesus claims, that God will take care of us. And if God takes care of us, isn't the proper response one of gratitude and generosity toward others?
Hands that are resting on the buttons of faith and trust in God's generosity are hands that are ready to work in the realm of God: "Seek first God's reign,and God's justice,and all these things (food, water, and clothing) will be given to you besides.
Enough worrying about tomorrow ! Let tomorrow take care of itself."
This may not be planting season in terms of the seeds of the earth, but it is planting season in terms of the seeds of grace, generosity, and gratitude. This is the season when our hearts almost magically become more open to the pushing of these buttons.Not to sound too ungenerous, but the young man who started the Starbucks red cup controversy apparently loves to pushpeo ple 'sbuttons. Unfortunately, from a Christ-perspective, they are the wrong buttons. I pray that God will somehow help this young man learn the difference between pushing people's buttons and pushing the buttons of grace,generosity, and gratitude.
We stand over these buttons today,ready to strike them for family,friends, foes,
and furry creatures alike. We are ready to strike these buttons even
prematurel y at times. A life lived with these buttons as our default buttons,
a life that errs on the side of these things is a risky life, and yet it is the only life worth
living.
Finally, as we gather around our holiday tables to say "grace" this year, let us
remember that we can push buttons that don't lead to a "family feud"
and put our holiday festivities in "jeopardy. " Amen.
Support Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests on "Giving Tuesday" Dec. 1, 2015
http://arcwp.org/support-arcwp-on-giving-tuesday/
Support ARCWP on "Giving Tuesday"
On December 1, 2015, #Giving Tuesday will connect "diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to
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On December 1, 2015, "Giving Tuesday" will connect "diverse groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving."
Will you support our movement by making a generous donation to support the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests on Giving Tuesday?
In 2015, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests ordained 30 women; 3 bishops, 15 priests and 12 deacons; each woman making a difference in her local community, in service to others.
Would you like to stand with us as we seek to bring about justice and equality in the church and in our communities? Here are a few suggestions for you to become part of this awesome event:
1. Pray for women's vocations
2. Honor a friend or family member with a special gift or make a special donation
via PayPal to ARCWP
3. Support ARCWP when you shop. If you do your personal Christmas shopping on Amazon.com here's one way to make your gift-giving go a little bit further. Please go to AMAZONSMILE and the page for the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will automatically be selected as your charity when you sign in. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of the price of all eligible purchases to ARCWP at no added cost to you.
4. Don't forget to post your #UNselfie to social media. All you need to do is share a picture of yourself, with details on what you are doing to support #GivingTuesday. Share your photo on Facebook, Twitter or other social media with the hashtag #GivingTuesday.
You are a gift to our women priests' movement and to the world! Take a moment to view our
THANK YOU video. We appreciate your support! https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pR0BezwMGQg
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://arcwp.org
"Mary McAleese Put Manners on Anti- Women Ordination Rome" by John Cooney, Dublin, Ireland
Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland
Sexual gender staged the bristling battleground in 2015 Between progressive and conservative Catholics in same sex marriage Ireland and in Pope Francis's Rome, Where his world synod of male celibate bishops - "the old boys club" according to Mary McAleese - spent three weeks debating family matters auld out like dried prunes.
To acclaim from Western political leaders the vote - 62 per cent 38 per cent Against Yes No in the constitutional referendum of May 22 - cut across age and gender, geography, and income, making Ireland the first country to approve same sex marriage in law by popular vote.
The euphoria, Which Brought Thousands Including the gay icons David Norris, Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan flocking into the Dublin Castle courtyard to celebrate an emphatic win Against traditional Catholic doctrine of marriage Exclusively Between Being a husband and wife with the primary purpose of procreating children was not shared by the Church leadership in Rome and palaces in Drumcondra. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, excoriated the referendum result as "a defeat for humanity".
However, a more calibrated statement from the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, called it a "social revolution That did not begin yesterday."
The no longer boyish Martin, lowest turned 70 in April and has led the Church in the Republic for over a decade, was duly lauded for His comment That the Church needed "a reality check" and Predicted the Church faced a huge task to get STI message across to young people, as "most of These young People Who Voted Yes are products of our Catholic schools for 12 years."
During the campaign Martin revealed His intention not to vote after a lengthy address I Gave to David Quinn's Iona Institute, the think tank of "ultra-Catholic Ireland ', was Deemed unworthy of reporting by the Irish Catholic and the Catholic Voice . Pointedly, in Tralee just weeks before polling I Complained That rational reflection inspired by religious belief "Being was reduced to the level of belief in leprechauns."
The result confirmed That Martin, Who has long bamboozled the chattering class Irish With His public relations skills, is running out of time as a credible reformist. More convincing than the prelate was the former President, Mary McAleese, Who Was named by novelist Colm Toibin as "Perhaps the jewel in the crown" in the campaign. "As the mother of a gay man, she Underlined That there was a great deal at stake for her personally, as for many other parents. She Moved the staff and the political closer to each other They Had Been HAD than at any other time in the campaign, "Toibin Observed.
Later in the year, During the October discussions in Rome of the Synod on the Family, McAleese, a qualified canon lawyer, robustly disposed of the Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput for saying the Catholic Church That Never Were Said disordered homosexuals. In an Interview with Irish Times Religious Affairs Correspondent, Patsy McGarry, McAleese quoted Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI Insisting That the Church's description of homosexuality was "intrinsically disordered" with a tendency to "evil" Which she added, led to homophobia. Were Episcopal cages rattled as woman reduced to mere clerical Chaput to the clown of the American Church.
Chaput's compatriot, the New York-born Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Charles Brown Also Contributed to Goldhawk's scorn When in August in an extended interview in the Irish Times - His first in three years - I have congratulated himself on masterminding the appointment of 10 new Including bishops Bishop William Crean of Cloyne in the wake of the clerical child abuse scandals. But Brown let down promptly Believe When It Was Reported That I HAD Cloyne distressed the faithful by Continuing to rent a diocesan-owned house to Fr Dan Duane Who Had Been found guilty of child abuse by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, CDF , even after it Became That the errant cleric HAD broken His public censure of not saying Mass in public.
This interview Further Blackfired on Brown critics Compared When the lax treatment of Duane vendetta Against dissident to the Redemptorist priest, Fr Tony Flannery. In September vigilant Bishop Crean Flannery banned from addressing Killeagh-Inch parishioners after a self-appointed group of conservative Catholics Complained to the Lord Bishop. Local parish priest, Fr Timothy Hazelwood, later revealed That "the first indication That Might there be a problem was when i met With the Bishop With regard to a letter of complaint about me from a group of" concerned Catholics', a self-appointed WHO oversee orthodoxy watchdog group in the south of Ireland. They Were complaining Because I Said I was voting 'Yes' in the recent [marriage-equality] referendum. "
Also Complained That Hazelwood Fr David Quinn in the Irish Catholic and Margaret Hickey in the Examiner , were "very Catholic" in What They wrote but not very Christian in my opinion. "He claims neither scribe Contacted him or any member of the pastoral council. Earlier, Flannery retorted That" The Ease With Which the bishop dismissed the pastoral council "illustrated how" is meaningless all this talk of giving more power to the laity, "particularly "In the age of Pope Francis."
This was the third successive year That Flannery felt the wrath of overzealous 'Defenders of the Faith'. In 2012, I was suspended from public ministry by the CDF for His liberal views on women priests, homosexuality and contraception. Crean's ban, however, did not Prevent the popular preacher Being a star speaker on the ordination of women in Philadelphia, just days before Pope Francis, on His tour of Cuba and the United States, stayed With His host - Archbishop Chaput! A supporter Flannery, Laois-born Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan of the excommunicated Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests spoke enthusiastically of how American Catholics Attended the Irishman's talks and devoured His books.
Archbishop Brown Appeared to protest too much When I insisted it was His former bosses at the CDF, and not himself, silenced WHO Flannery, Whose marginalization from public ministry at home is more than matched by His celebrity abroad.
In November t welve issued turbulent Catholic priests called for open discussion on the need for equality for women in the church, Including access to priesthood. The priests, many prominent in the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) Were headed - surprise, surprise! - By Fr Tony Flannery, with Kevin Hegarty, Sean McDonagh, Eamonn McCarthy, Roy Donovan, Padraig Standun, Adrian Egan, Benny Bohan, John D Kirwin, Ned Quinn, Donagh O'Meara and Tony Conry.
However, neither Pope nor Francis Were His synod of bishops prepared to countenance women priests or accept the views of Irish grannies and granddads That homosexuality is not "an intrinsic disorder." Neither of the two Martins, the Elder of Dublin Diarmuid, and Eamon 'the Younger' of Armagh articulated the beliefs of the majority of Irish Catholics on contraception, divorce and homosexual activities Being not sinful.
Nor Have Archbishop Brown shown any sign of Realising the enormity of Mother Church's defeat in the marriage equality referendum. Meanwhile, Brendan Butler of the lay Catholic movement, We Are Church Ireland, Who is no stranger to protests outside the papal nunciature in Cabra, Threw down the gauntlet to the post-referendum church elite. This was Martin When He Told Archbishop of Armagh That "if the Catholic Church is to regain credibility not only with the gay and lesbian community But Also With the wider Catholic community Existing Then Catholic teaching needs to change". Drawing attention to the Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the pastoral care of homosexual persons , issued in 1986 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Then on to, now Pope Benedict XVI Emeritus, Butler dismissed it as "morally offensive" as it described "as homosexual orientation an objective disorder and ordered towards an intrinsic moral evil. "
Overall, however, the bishops Deliberations of the world made ​​little impact on public opinion in Ireland and elsewhere, not even the flexibility Which Gave it to Pope Francis to issue a report Allowing some Catholic couples divorced admission to Holy Communion, possibly on December 8 the feast of the Immaculate Conception and, coincidentally, the fiftieth anniversary of the end of Vatican Two.
Over the next three years the leadership of the Church under the Two Martins will be focussed on parishes preparing for the anticipated visit to Ireland in summer 2018 of Pope Francis. It was in Philadelphia Told That Pope Francis Dublin Diarmuid That was the Elder Chosen as the next venue for the World Assembly of Families.
A sign of the times was heralded in August When Taoiseach Enda Kenny, WHO only a few years ago lambasted the narcissism of the Roman Curia, Pauline Took the Road to Knock Shrine in His native County Mayo to join his best friend in welcoming new Archbishop Brown a pilgrimage led by New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan. A hail-fellow-well-met type of conservative hue, Dolan upset the Irish hierarchy for His Visitator's Report During the Murphy Commission of Inquiry That led to the sacking of staff at the Irish College in Rome. Oblivious of esta, Beatus Inda , wearing a shiny warden's uniform, looked more like a latter day John A. Costello than the leader of an independent secular state.
Perhaps Inda is the altar-boy perfecting His genuflection ahead of Pope Francis's arrival. 2018 Ireland Mary McAleese again Might need to put manners on Rome, as she did in 2015.
Bridget Mary's Response:
Mary McAleese is a prophetic voice for the rights of the baptized in our church. As an advocate for women priests and a student of canon law, Mary carries the banner for women's rights as equal rights in the Catholic Church. I'd love to see her in one of the top Vatican Posts! Now that would bring a much needed shakeup to the hierarchy!
Posted by Bridget Mary Meehan at 11:53 AM No comments:
Liturgy: Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Nov. 14, 2015, Co-Presiders Sherry Robinson and Kathryn Shea, ARCWP, Music Minister: Mindy Lou Simmons
Greeting and Gathering Hymn: "All You Works of God" - Marty Haugen (Song sheet, Verses 1,3,4,7)
Presider : Let us pray as we come together to break bread and share in the banquet in the names of God, our Creator, of Jesus, our Liberator, and the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier.
All: Amen.
Presider: My sisters and brothers, God is with us always. ALL: And we are with God.
Opening Prayer
All: God of life, wholeness and holiness, you direct all creation to WHO STI complete fulfillment in Jesus, the Christ - open our hearts to the message of the Gospel So THAT May your peace rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives. Loving God, bless all of us Gathered here and all those of our community Who are not with us today. We ask this of you, Jesus our brother, and our Wisdom Sophia. Amen.
Presider: Creator God to Whom all hearts are open, not unknown desires, and from Whom no secrets can be hidden, They cleanse our hearts by the inspiration of Holy Wisdom.
All. We take your Word into our minds and hearts Open them to new understanding.
Presider: We ask for the grace to Continually acknowledge our need to grow in goodness and caring for ourselves, for others and for our earth.
All: We accept your love and understanding of the frailty of our human nature.
Presider: And we join with you, Jesus the Christ, believing the strength and insight of the Holy Spirit will lead us to deeper dedication to justice, equality, peace, and care for our Earth. ALL: Amen.
All: (with an outstretched arm) : God, the Father and Mother of mercy, Through Jesus' life, death and resurrection, have bonded the world to you. I sent the Holy Spirit among us to give us the wisdom to love you -. And the strength and compassion to love one another Loving God, teach us the virtues of pardon and peace so That We May - in turn - learn to forgive each other for our failures to care for one another, for all living creatures, and for our planet Earth. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother and of the Holy Spirit, our healer and comforter. Amen.
Glory to God
ALL: . Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God's people on earth Creator God, heart of the universe, we thank you for the breath of the Spirit at work in everything That exists, everywhere in the cosmos. Jesus, Child of. God, God Healer, Teacher God, you free us to live in your love You make us strong, you show us your mercy and love. You are One with the Creator, you hear our prayer. You are the Holy One. You are united with us. You are our faithful friend. We are one with you, Jesus the Christ, with the Holy Spirit. We are created in God's image giving Glory to God our Creator. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading from the Mystic Inviting and Supporting the Prophet: (pg.77) - Francine Cardman
Psalm 116 Responsorial: I will walk with our God in the land, the land of the living. # 825 (Modified)
Second Reading: "Eulogy For A Pelican" by Sherry Robertson
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia! (Sung)
Gospel Reading: A reading from the Gospel according to Mark 13: 24-32 & amp; A Reading from a Hopi Elder
Shared Homily
ALL: All: We believe in God, the Creator of the Universe Whose divinity infuses all that exists, making everything, everywhere, sacred. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, WHO leads us to the fullness of humanity. Through him, We Become . new people, called Beyond the Consequences of our brokenness We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom WHO Keeps the Christ-vision present to all those Who are searching for meaning and wholeness in Their Lives - WHO and the Sustainer When heals and energizes us our . May spirits grow weary in our journeys We say: Amen. to courage, to hope, to truth . Amen to the partnership and equality of all people of different genders, races, and faiths We believe in a world of justice and peace for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. In all of this, we believe Surely.
Prayers of the Community
Presider : . We are people of faith . We believe in the power of prayer We Believe That We send blessings to Those Who are Struggling and WHO need to experience hope; To Those Who are grieving and need to be comforted in Their loss, to Those Who are facing medical challenges That They be Granted hope and healing. We bring people THROUGHOUT the needs of our world to our gracious and comforting God.
After each intercession, the response is : Compassionate God, hear our prayer.
For what else shall we pray?
Presider: Healing God, you faithfully listen to our prayers. We ask you to Strengthen us in our caring for one another and in our works for justice, equality, and peace. We Make this prayer in the name of Jesus, the Christ, Amen.
Offertory Procession and Hymn: "You Are Mine" # 462, all verses
Presider:. Blessed are you, gracious God of all creation, Through your goodness we Have This bread to offer, Which Given earth and human hands made Have It Will Have Become for us the bread of life.
ALL: Blessed be God forever.
Presider:. Blessed are you, gracious God of all creation, Through your goodness we Have This wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands It Will Become our spiritual drink.
Presider: Pray That my friends as we celebrate the breaking of bread and blessing of wine we accept more fully the mission as People of God by Actively following in the Footsteps of Jesus, and living our response to God's call.
Gathering of the Gifted: All are welcome around our family table
ALL :. Gracious God, we are united by our sacrament In This love of Jesus Christ and we are in communion With All who proclaim your power and mercy to Those Who are Marginalized and oppressed May we love tenderly, do justice, and walk humbly With you. May we live as prophetic witnesses to the Gospel. We ask this Through Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Presider:. God dwells in each one of us All: Namaste!
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.
All: With hearts full of love, we give God thanks and praise.
Presider: Sacred Spirit, we Recognize Your Presence among us as we gather at our family table.
All: Fill Us with reverence for you, for one another, and for all your creation.
Presider: Let us lift up our hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Holy One, living in us and loving us-through.
Eucharistic Prayer
Voice 1: Gracious God, source and sustenance of life, redeeming Presence to the pain and brokenness of our world, WHO Holy Spirit enlivens all that exists, we beseech your healing power upon us and all for Whom we pray today. We join together With our community, with all creation everywhere, with all those Who Have gone before us and live in the eternal now as we sing:
We are holy, holy, holy (3 times);
Mindy: Divine Spirit, come to me, feeling love, healing me
Open my heart allow me to see, beauty and love in me llives
You are holy, holy, holy (3 times)
Open my heart allow me to see, beauty and love surrounding me
I am holy, holy, holy (3 times)
We are holy, holy, holy (3 times)
Voice 2: We ask you to enliven anew in our hearts the grace of your abundant empowering Spirit infuses us WHO With These gifts of bread and wine With the transforming energy of life, to nourish and sustain us in all times and Especially in times of need .
Voice 3: Christ of the Cosmos, we rejoice That You, Who are More than we can imagine or dream of, dwell in Mystery beyond all comprehension. We Remember That It Was You, WHO said: "Anything I Have done in the name of the Creator, you can do, too ... and even . more "
All: O God, let your Spirit of life, healing and wholeness come upon These Simple Gifts That We Have Brought from the fields and laid on our table - This wheat, grown and this Gathered and wine, fruit of the land. May she make them holy, so That They May Become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus, our brother.
(Please extend all hands as we recite the consecration together.)
All: We remember the gift That Jesus Gave us on the night before I died. I With His friends gathered to share Passover meal to end. And it was at that supper That I Took bread, Said the blessing, broke the bread and Gave It. saying to them: Take This, all of you, and eat it This bread is you; this bread is me. We are one body, the Presence of God in the world. Do this in memory of me. [Pause]
In the same way, I Took a cup of wine, the blessing Said again, and Gave It To His friends saying: Take This, all of you, and drink it. This wine is you; this wine is me. We are one blood, the Presence of God in the world. Do this in memory of me.
Presider: Jesus, Who Was with God "in the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth," is with us now in this bread. The Spirit, of Whom the prophets spoke in history, is with us now in this cup. Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.
All:. Christ has died. Christ is risen Christ lives in us and us-through in the world today.
(Please place your hand on the shoulder of the person to your right)
Voice 4: . In memory of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we offer you, God, this life-giving bread, this saving cup. We thank you That we are in Your Presence and serve you May All who share this sacred meal be Brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. That Spirit and May, That Wisdom, move freely in our lives as well as she did in the life of Jesus.
Voice 5 : God, remember your church THROUGHOUT the world, help us grow in love, together With Francis, our Pope, Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and all your family everywhere - Especially Those Who live on the margins of church and society. Also remember all those, living and dead, WHO touched our lives and left Their footprints on our hearts. Especially we remember .... (mention names, if you like) .
ALL:. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is Yours, gracious God, forever and ever Amen (sung).
The Prayer of Jesus
Presider: Let us join hands and raise our voices as we say the Jesus Prayer Taught us:
ALL : (sung) ...... Our Father and Mother.
The Sign of Peace
Presider: Jesus, you said to your disciples, ". My peace I leave you, my peace I give you" Look on the faith of Those Gathered here today and ....
All :. Grant us your peace By the example of Jesus and With the strength of your Spirit, help us to spread peace That THROUGHOUT the world, to everyone, everywhere, no exceptions. Amen.
Presider: May the peace of God be always with us, and let us extend That peace to one another. (Mindy plays "Let There Be Peace On Earth.")
Litany For The Breaking Of Bread
Presider: Loving God,
ALL: You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly.
ALL: You call us to be your Presence in the world. We will love tenderly.
ALL: You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
Presiders: This is Jesus, WHO liberates, heals and transforms our world. All are invited to partake of this sacred banquet of love. ALL: We are the Body of Christ.
Communion Hymn: The Face of God - Karen Drucker
Prayer of Thanksgiving after Communion
Presider: May wonder and thanksgiving fill us, fill our compassion fully Beings May, That You May heal the numbness That Continues Because of our society's Injustices. May you Know That You Are Loved and May we continue to be the face of God to each other. Amen.
Community Prayers of Gratitude
All :. May there be good health and healing for This Earth May there be Beauty above me. May there be Beauty below me. May there be Beauty in me. May there be Beauty around me. We ask That this world be filled with Peace, Love, and Beauty. (adapted from Earth Healing Ceremony by Medicine Grizzly Bear)
Closing Blessing Community
(Everyone Please extend your hands in mutual blessing.)
All: May our gracious God, bless us all Gathered here, in the name of God our Creator, in the name of Jesus our Liberator, in the name of the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier as we care and minister to one another in love, as we continue on our path and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, for we are the face of God to the world. Amen.
Closing Hymn and Commissioning: "Woman's Spirit" - Karen Drucker
Woman's, Spirit is beauty. Woman's Spirit runs deep. Woman With loves compassion. Our perfection is complete. Woman's Spirit is graceful. Woman's Spirit is wise. Woman's Spirit is moving, bringing love into our lives. Woman's Spirit is passion, Woman's Spirit is birth. Woman's Power unfolding, to honor life on earth. (Repeat)
Woman's Spirit is passion, Woman's Spirit is birth. Woman's Power unfolding, to honor life on earth.
Presiders: As we leave here in the peace of Christ, let us stay awake and let continue our service in all that we do.
All: Thanks be to God. Let it be so!
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
https://arcwp.org/about-us/
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Bridget Mary's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Bridget-Mary-Meehan/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABrid
A Promise of Presence
Affirmations from the Heart of God
Exploring the Feminine Face of God
God Delights in You- A Four Week Journal
Heart Talks with Mother God
Inclusive Worship Aids
Living Gospel Equality Now-
Praying with a Passionate Heart
Praying with Celtic Holy Women
Praying with Visionary Women h
Praying with Women of the Bible
The Healing Power of Prayer-New Edition
Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP
Contact: sofiabmm.bmm@gmail.com