E-news February 2017 Issue 97 CWO media training

with media maxima 1 in this issue February

page vocations sunday - westminster piazza 3

Bishop Joanna Penberthy of St David’s 4 - 5 cwo media training with chris & christina rees 6 - 7

Book review - st aidan’s way of mission 8 from the archives - eucharistic worship in the early church 9

CWO Press release in reply to Cardinal Nichols 10 cwo saints, prayer - AND MERCHANDISE 11 - 13

Please enjoy reading all our contributions, above. Most of all, please put our PRAYER VIGIL on westminster piazza on May 7th, Vocations Sunday, into your diaries now.

We sense a changing mood amongst people now when we offer our leaflets and engage with them, compared to when CWO began its campaign in 1993.

People have seen that our good neighbours the are flourishing. We’re very grateful this month to Christina Rees CBE, and her husband Chris, for nourishing six of our media team with their wisdom and skills in this cause - please see inside.

Mary Ring, Editor news@catholic-womens-.org.uk http://www.catholic-womens-ordination.org.uk/news.htm

2 vocations sunday 7th may, 2017 westminster piazza

please join us!* in prayerful witness 10 - 12.30 am please swell our numbers / pray for us

* CWO will assist your travel costs if you cannot otherwise get to London; [email protected]

3 congratulations to bishop joanna penberthy consecrated Bishop of St David’s 21st January, 2017

cwo member Rhiannon Thompson above, with Bishop Joanna, was there, with her husband Geoffrey. Many thanks to them both for this description.

Twenty years ago, with my then 7-year-old son (and on my birthday!), I was part of a congregation witnessing and celebrating some of the first to the priesthood in the . As we sang ‘Now thank we all our God/With head and hearts and voices/Who wondrous things hath done’ being there just felt right. This experience and my involvement with the former Catholic Women in Education, set me on a journey which led, eventually, to my joining CWO.

4 Twenty years later, my husband, Geoffrey, and I joined 500 worshippers at a bilingual service at which Joanna Penberthy was consecrated as the 129th and the first female Bishop in Wales. Amongst the faith groups represented were the Catholic Church (with Archbishop George Stack), the local Jewish community and the Muslim Council of Wales.

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr , asked for prayers for forgiveness for the sheer length of time that it had taken the Church to reach this point. Inevitably, my prayers turned also to the Catholic Church.

In his sermon, the Archbishop cited TS Eliot’s lines in the Journey of the Magi:

“A cold coming we had of it … For … such a long journey A hard time we had of it. With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly.”

He paid tribute to the Church’s women clergy for “daring to trust and hope” during what had been a “long and hard journey” to ordination. I was particularly struck by the theological question that he posed: “Can an exclusively male episcopate represent human redemption, since both women and men are saved by Jesus Christ?” This ordination witnessed to the “inclusiveness of that redemption.”

The mood was upbeat and hopeful and the growing inclusivity of the Church in Wales was characterized by the considerable number of women clergy present. For me, if anything summed up the spirit of that event, it was that great hymn that we sang, Dyma gariad fel y moreodd (Here is love vast as the ocean). Here was Love, in the multi-faith community that met to celebrate and give thanks for an extraordinary moment in the Church’s history and, afterwards in the winter sun, in the reunions, the laughter, the joy and words of encouragement when I mentioned CWO. And, later, in a Llandaff tea-shop, sharing stories and talking about the continuing challenges faced by women in the Church, I thought, hopefully, of those lines from RS Thomas that we’d heard during the sermon: “Such a fast God always ahead of us and leaving just as we arrive”. Geoffrey writes:

Sitting there in , I might have felt rather out of place. The appointment of the first woman Bishop in the Church in Wales might be expected to be a moving experience to anyone who was Welsh, Anglican or a woman. I was none of the three. But taking part in the service, I felt very much part of it. It was not simply because of the beautiful surroundings, or of the proud but unselfconscious way in which the Welsh language was given equal time to English.

To me, there was never any reason why women should not serve in the clergy at any level, in any church. In my own Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and many other denominations, they have long played a full part at all levels. Running through my mind, during the service, were the words of Victor Hugo: “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” 5 CWO media training Six of us from CWO were fortunate enough to do a day's media training in February with Christina and Chris Rees. The Reeses and Church House were extremely generous in providing us with the great training and venue at very reasonable rates.

Christina was for many years spokesperson for the Movement for the Ordination of Women in the run-up to the vote for women in 1992 and Chair of Women and the Church (WATCH) for over 13 years. Her husband Chris Rees was a BBC producer in Religious Affairs amongst other media roles. Together they are involved in media and training and are very supportive of CWO. They have given us media training before which was found to be really helpful especially at the time of the Pope's visit.This recent day was an opportunity to share skills among a wider group of members.

So, six fortunate people were interviewed and recorded twice under studio conditions, and their two interviews critiqued by the Reeses and each other. This was very valuable lear ning

6 experience. The group also came a w a y w i t h u s e f u l w r i t t e n information for future media i n t e r v i e w s . T h e g r o u p a l l developed confidence, showed talent in different ways and all coped well with Chris's robust i n t e r v i e w i n g techniques. He intended the group to be put under pressure - a g o o d learning curve.

A s w e h a d hoped CWO is further enthused and re-equipped to continue engaging with the media: whether it be press releases, radio and TV interviews, letter writing and articles. We have been encouraged to contact a w i d e r s e t o f contacts and the Reeses have been helpful with contacts and ideas.

Thank you again to Christina, Chis and Church House for your support and encouragement to CWO.

• If CWO members make contact with media or are contacted please let me know so it can be coordinated. • Also if you are contacted and can't do it please let us know so someone else can perhaps do it instead. There are some tips on the CWO website from some time ago which will be refreshed in the near future. • If you have any media contacts please let us have them to add to our media list. Pippa Bonner, CWO Media Co-ordinator o n b e h a l f o f t h e M e d i a Team. [email protected]

7 Saint Aidan’s Way of Mission

by Ray Simpson with Brent Lyons-Lee

Ray Simpson’s writing is readable and thought- provoking. The subtitle for this book is “Celtic insights for a post-Christian world”, and is a helpful reminder how valuable the insights of the Celtic saints are for the challenges we face today. The authors reflect on life as a Christian in a world that has lost touch with a deeply-rooted spirituality, returning to the mission of St Aidan and his deep desire to bring the relevance of Christianity to day to day life. They explain the relevance of Aidan in the globally dangerous world we find ourselves in and remind us of the call to live the eternal values of Christianity, but also the need to ensure we are culturally relevant. Lyons-Lee brings an Australian cross-cultural mission perspective and contributes an interesting angle to the spirituality of place and how this relates to the Celtic church.

Aidan was a man of his time (seventh century), yet in the great missions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many missionaries dispersed from Britain and Ireland, and clearly could not have done this had it not been for the work of their forefathers and mothers. Simpson and Lee remind us for the need for a “bottom up” rather than a “top down” culture of mission. They argue that the question of whether we are post-Christian relates closely to our post-colonial heritage, taking in the strands of evangelism and the prosperity gospel, and other negative forms of Christianity which favour the few. They demonstrate the model of mission where networks and communities have justice integrated within them.

Celtic women feature strongly, and certainly I was left wanting more of the great women who are considered the key Celtic saints- Hilda Brigid and Bega. They are women who could offer a lot to our churches and different models of leadership and ministry. When the writers state that in the history of Christianity, only three countries have routinely dignified them by appointing them to lead large monasteries of women and men, I would have liked to know more of these women within the German, French and English traditions. I can imagine some of the names that would be included here, but found myself wondering about these founders about whom little is known, women who were known for leadership and soul friendship and would have been the early spiritual directors. This book raises important questions and the chapter focussing particularly on women would be a creative study for our CWO groups.

Many thanks to Katharine Salmon for this review.

8 thoughts on consecration

Readers may find this piece from our eNews Archives of some interest. Those with more theological understanding than your Editor will correct me if I say that I believe that the argument that a is “in persona Christi” and must therefore be physically male, dates largely from the 1990s and the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar. We are very grateful to Sue Williamson for sending it in to us.

9 CWO believes that the role of ordained women's ministry as and priest should now be seriously considered and implemented

Pippa Bonner 07961854840 [email protected] Mary Ring 07968390420 [email protected]

For Immediate Release

Cardinal Vincent Nichols spoke in Belfast recently and Catholic Women's Ordination welcomes his mention of the Pope's culture of mercy (to women and men) and supports his wish that different levels of the church accompany each other and discern God's vision in each circumstance.

In a later press interview Cardinal Nichols said that he still favoured celibate men for the priesthood.

We have prayed and discerned with CWO, our parishes and dioceses for over 20 years and believe that the role of ordained women's ministry as deacon and priest should now be seriously considered and implemented. There is a shortage of male celibate priests coming forward for ordination so that in a sacramental church we face Eucharistic famine. We welcome women and men working together equally in the Roman Catholic Church.

We agree with Cardinal Nichols that no one should rush or dominate in expressing their opinions. In 1994 Pope John Paul II forbade discussion of women's ordination but before and since we have worked patiently, at all levels, to request proper consideration of women's ordained ministry.

CWO issued the Press Release above on 22nd February in response to the Cardinal’s words in Northern Ireland, reported in the Tablet 16th Feb:

Cardinal Vincent Nichols has spoken out against the possibility of a female diaconate, voicing concerns that efforts to make women could derail other attempts to find them leadership roles in the Church. Speaking in Belfast last weekend the cardinal said: “I value both the celibacy of the priesthood and the fact that it is restricted, as I would believe is the wish of the Lord, to men.” 10 CWO Saints Mary MacKillop Prayer Link Ruth Norton John Hatfield Wednesday between 6.00 and Celia Greenwood Michael O’Gara 7.00pm, please pray for CWO, its Sheila Houlihan members and its mission. Mary Daly Estelle White Saturdays at noon, join with women Pat McCarron and men all over the world to pray for Marcella Althaus-Reid Astrid Klemz the work of Women’s Ordination Jean Palmer Worldwide (WOW). Elizabeth Rendall Maureen Brown Please take part in one or both of Tissa Balasuriya these prayer networks if and when you Jack Sutcliffe Pat Regini can. Mary Ann Schoettly Pam Skelton Robert Kaggwa Mike Ward The CWO Prayer Anne Hepburn Peter Nelson Moved by a compulsion of the Holy Stanley Baxter Spirit, we cannot remain ignorant of David Konstant this injustice in our midst. Pray for us We long for all humanity to be acknowledged as equal, particularly among your community of the church, so we pray grieving for the lost gifts of so many women.

We ask you, God of all peoples, to bring insight and humility to all those in positions of dominance, and an understanding that the ascended Lord called us all to act doing Christ's work here and now.

We ask this of you, God our Creator, Jesus our Redeemer, Spirit our Sustainer.

11 CWO Merchandise

These items are great way to advertise CWO without costing you very much. I often see people in my rear view mirror admiring the wit of my car sticker! You can leave the pens lying around in places where it might be difficult to leave a CWO leaflet. The badges attract a lot of attention with the slogan based on the letters of ROME. We now have mugs which as well as being practical are a good way of advertising CWO. You might like to send one to your bishop!

Biro - CWO logo, Purple with silver 0.80 website and phone lettering Black ink no CWO rectangular Purple with white Free badge lettering (except Renewed please add Ordained postage Ministry for £2) Everyone NEW!!! Purple on white 4.50 each Mug CWO logo Buy for your office, 3 for £12 website “CWO’s church tea room, 10 for £35 my cup of tea” meeting room

P & P *see below Donation (optional) PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY Name

Delivery address

Post code Contact email or telephone number

Send completed form to: [email protected] for how to pay.

orders up to £10 4.00 orders £10 - 20 6.00 orders over £20 Free

12 AWAKENING

Catholic Women’s Ordination from the Public Square,

by Myra Poole and Pippa Bonner.

£10.00 post free, from [email protected]

address as above for CWO Merchandise

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