Whether Maryknoll priest Fr. Roy Bourgeois has been excommunicated or not remains a mystery. As I wrote here, the Vatican told him to recant for supporting women’s ordination–and attending one last July–and at last word he had gone to Rome to plead his cause.
Catholic World News and National Catholic Register think it’s a done deal.
The blowback certainly hasn’t died down, and today more than 100 nuns from 22 religious congregations released a letter to the Vatican protesting the threatened excommunication of Bourgeois. The letter was organized by the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN).
The nuns’ statement said they “join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the majority of U.S. Catholics, who believe that women are called to priestly ordination in the Catholic Church.” They “look forward to the day when Catholic women, following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, who announced the Resurrection to the male Apostles, will minister as full equals in our church.”
“In the first century, Christians resolved their disagreements about following traditions such as circumcision and kosher dietary laws by dialogue and discussion,” said Sister Beth Rindler, in other comments released by NCAN. “We need to follow their example by promoting public discussion about the ordination of women,” the Franciscan Sister said.
“We hope the excommunication is not issued,” added Dominican Sister Donna Quinn, one of the coordinators of NCAN. “The medieval punishment of excommunication serves only to embarrass our Church in the eyes of the world and fuels further anger and resentment among the U.S. faithful.”
Read the full text and list of signatories below…
December 12, 2008
Cardinal William Joseph Levada
Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio 11
00193 Roma, Italy
Dear Cardinal Levada:
The Vatican’s threatened excommunication of Fr. Roy Bourgeois because of his belief in the priestly ordination of women has diminished our Church.
As women religious who love our Church and who have served the People of God for decades, we support our brother Roy. As a Maryknoll priest for 36 years, he has followed the Gospel of Jesus in his ministry for peace and justice by speaking out against the war in Iraq and against the torture of countless human beings, aided and abetted by the U.S. government’s School of the Americas. He has been a prophetic voice for thousands in our society.
Roy is now a prophetic voice in our church because of his support for women’s equality in all Church ministries. Excommunications depend not on edicts or laws, but on compliance. We do not believe Roy is outside the community and we embrace him wholeheartedly. Like Roy, we know women who testify that they are called to priesthood. We know that Jesus did not discriminate in calling both women and men to ministry. And we know that our church needs the gifts of everyone called.
So we join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the majority of U.S. Catholics, who believe that women are called to priestly ordination in the Catholic Church. We look forward to the day when Catholic women, following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene who announced the Resurrection to the male Apostles, will minister as full equals in our church.
Sincerely,
Jean Ackerman, OP
Louise Akers, SC
Alice Baker, IHM
Barbara Battista, SP
Barbara Beesley, IHM
Marlene Bertke, OSB
Ruth Bockenstette, SC
Mary A. Bodde, SC
Mary E. Boesen, SL
Mary Ellen Brody, RSM
Julie Brown, RSM
Mary Peter Bruce, SL
Jeri Cashman, OP
Joan Chicoine, IHM
Joan Chittister, OSB
Benita Coffey, OSB
Carol Coston, OP
Mary Ann Coyle, SL
Mary Ann Cunningham, SL
Beth Davies, CND
Marie Cyril Delisi, IHM
Kathleen Desautels, SP
Jo Ann Dold, OP
Maria S. Dowhaniuk, SFCC
Suzanne Dunn, SFCC
Gwen Farry, BVM
Maureen Fenlon, OP
Sheila Ferraz, SC
Maureen Fiedler, SL
Mary Kay Finneran, SC
Arlene Flaherty, OP
Victoria Marie Forde, SC
Susan Fortier, OSB
Ivone Gebara, CND
Rita Clare Gerardot, SP
Marian Gibbons, OP
Joan Glisky, IHM
Paula Gonzalez, SC
Jeannine Gramick, SL
Joan Groff, SC
Katrinka Gunn, SC
Patricia A. Haire, CSJ
Ann Halloran, OP
Doris Hamerl, CSC
Mary Harvey, RSM
Eileen Haugh, OSF
Joan Henehan, CSJ
Grace A. Hogan, OP
Margaret Hughes, IHM
Ruth Hunt, SC
Marion Irvine, OP
Florence Izzo, SC
Therese Jilk, OSF
Deidre G. Jordy, SP
Elizabeth Joyce, SP
Theresa Kane, RSM
Connie Kelly, SC
Esther Kennedy, OP
Betty Kenny, OSF
Pamela S. Kobasic, IHM
Kathy Komarek, OP
Anna Koop, SL
Linda Kors, CSC
Janet Kramer, SOSF
Marie LaBollita, SC
Cita Lamb, SND
Jean Ann Ledwell, OSU
Janet Lemon, IHM
Rose Annette Liddell, SL
Denise Lonergan, SFCC
Lystra Long, OP
Marian McAvoy, SL
Anne McCarthy, OSB
Kathleen McClelland, RSM
Bridget Mary Meehan, SFCC
Virginia Miller, SP
Mary M. Miner, RSM
Kate Moriarty, RSM
Maureen Murray, RSHM
Patricia Nagle, IHM
Betty Olley, OP
Michele Olley, OP
Madonna Oswald, IHM
Patricia Otillio, RSM
Elizabeth Pardo, IHM
Claudine Picard, RSM
Katharine Pinto, SC
Helen Marie Plourde, SSND
Marie-Anne Quenneville, OSU
Meg Quinlan, RSM
Donna Quinn, OP
Susan Rakoczy IHM
Diane Rapozo, BVM
Marie Regine Redig, SSND
Roberta Richmond, IHM
Carol L. Ries, SNJM
Marie Romejko, SND
Dolores Russo, SCH
Christine Seghetti, RSM
Gerry Sellman, SCMM
Ann Shaw, CSC
Maureen Sinnott, OSF
Julie Slowik, IHM
Rita Specht, RSM
Florence Speth, SC
Mary Sugrue, SC
Lenore Sullivan, IBVM
Maureen Tobin, OSB
Susan Vickers, RSM
Jacquie Wetherholt, CSJ
Rebecca White, OSU
Alice Zachmann, SSND
Joanne Marie Zavadsky, SSND
posted December 17, 2008 at 12:43 am
I personally completely endorse the comments of these sisters. I only wonder why they have waited so long.
Mary Wood Former Poor Clare, now a “Consecrated Virgin” cf canon 604
posted December 17, 2008 at 11:36 am
What people keep forgetting is the reason why women have never been ordained:
Ordination is the sacrament of Holy Orders. A sacrament’s structure and constitution has been set by Jesus himself (so we Catholics believe) and that’s especially obvious with Holy Orders — Jesus ordained 12 apostles, all men.
Why not any women? There were plenty of good ones available, including the Blessed Virgin herself. But not one of them was included in the first group of priests, the apostles.
Why, we don’t know, but that’s how Jesus did it, and the Church believes that we’re not at liberty to go tinkering with the constitution of the Holy Sacraments. If someday the Pope wants to lift the ban of clergy marrying, he can do that — St. Peter was married after all.
But not even the Pope himself can ordain a woman. Not according to our faith, our doctrine, or Sacred Tradition. If we wanted to run things by popular vote, well, we’d be Protestants.
posted December 17, 2008 at 2:46 pm
It would be entirely appropriate for Cardinal Levada and the Holy Office to consider excommunicating these “nuns” for their public and obstinate dissent from the infallible teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. They are espousing heresy and undermining the work and mission of Holy Mother Church. It is absolutely disingenuous for these women to masquerade around as Catholic nuns when, obviously, they’re nothing more than new-age liberal Protestants with pins on (I’m certain none of them wear habits). There are plenty of cushy, imploding mainline Protestant churches (Episcopal Church, ELCA, etc…) that would be more than willing to “ordain” them. They have no place in the Catholic Church unless they become willing to submit themselves to the authority of the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church and her divinely-instituted magisterium.
posted December 17, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I feel if these nuns are so unhappy with the sacreament of priesthood in the Church(holy Orders) they need to go elsewhere where women are pastors,homosexuals perform marriges ,etc.
Come on sisters,what did you learn in the convent?
posted December 17, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Either these Nuns are clueless about Church Doctrine or they simply don’t care… When they took their vows to their respective orders, I am certain they took vows of obedience. Given this, I cannot understand why their respective orders allow them to mock Church Doctrine. Like was said in another post, if they don’t like the Church teaching, then leave! They need to realize the Church is not supposed to conform to their way of thinking, they are supposed to conform to the Church’s way of thinking. One more thing…. Nuns lose a lot of respect when they no longer wear their traditional habit. For the life of me, I cannot understand why they want to blend in with everybody else. They should be proud to be Nuns and act/dress accordingly!
posted December 17, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I see the usual suspects; Chittister and Gramick, are joined by many other disobedient and confused souls masquerading as nuns and sisters. It would behoove them all to read the following and engage in a long period of contemplative reflection to discern if they really understood what a call to the consecrated life entails.
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html
posted December 17, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I agree with these Sisters, Fr Roy and the vast majority of American Catholics that women can be ordained to the Priesthood, married men also! Since no one has found any even half-way convincing argument against this, I conclude that there is none; surely, somone would have found it by now!
posted December 17, 2008 at 10:18 pm
With all due respect we already have a church where “women are pastors,homosexuals perform marriges” they are called “Parish Administrators” and “closeted”. Our unmarried Priesthood certainly did a number on the youth of the church didn’t they?
In the Diocese of Salt Lake City there are parishes that have a priest only one Sunday a month, oh they get Communion but it’s not the same is it. Ministry to God’s people is a lot more that having the right reproductive organs or the right uniform. You might not like it but the ELCA (Lutheran) and ECA (Episcopalian) have a valid Priesthood just as the Orthodox churches do.
If there is no salvation outside of the church then the church should be careful to provide shepherds. Oh and as for what the Sisters learned in their convents…..Speaking truth to power is a good start!
posted December 18, 2008 at 2:47 am
“they are supposed to conform to the Church’s way of thinking”
So then how is the church supposed to examine itself and change? If people in the church aren’t holding the church accountable, then the church can use its authority to run over anyone it chooses to….
posted December 18, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Sometime I wonder where we would be without the courage and generosity of Nuns who are willing to continue to serve a Church they love dearly and have dedicated their lives to, in spite of the avid attempts of the hierarchy to judge harshly everyone who stands for justice, equality and peace while turning a blind eye to a climate of sexual abuse of epic proportions. Jesus, our Leader, broke so many rules of the old testament to come to the aid of women and children and ended up being handed over to be killed by the hierarchy of his day. Tell me who is more like Him, the finger wavers or the brave ones who stand for the dispossessed? He told us live eternally by following the law written in our hearts and not the letter of the law, which kills. THANK YOU JESUS AND NUNS!
By Barb on December 18, 2008
posted December 19, 2008 at 8:06 am
“The medieval punishment of excommunication serves only to embarrass our Church in the eyes of the world and fuels further anger and resentment among the U.S. faithful.”
Sister Liberation and Father Feelgood wanting to look good “in the eyes of the world” is what got the Church in the mess it’s in now. I suggest their clown Masses and liturgical dancers prancing around the alter embarrass the Church far more than a celibate male priesthood.
posted December 20, 2008 at 5:14 am
Amazing. Pedophile protecting prelates are given basilicas in Rome or positions of leadership in the Church–(Hello Cardinals Law and George!) Pedophile priests are defended, fought for and taken care of for life by our bishops.
But priests who stand up for fairness and justice are castigated, forced out or excommunicated. How perverse.
These nuns are speaking the truth and they have more moral authority than all of the American Catholic hierarchy combined.
These women have educated our children, nursed our sick, fed and clothed our poor, comforted our afflicted. And, they stand up against injustice — even if that injustice has come from the leadership of their Church.
Thank you, Sisters, our bishops could learn much from you.