WOME N’S ORDINATION CONFERENCE

Vol. 41, No. 1 $2.00

Spring 2018 A Voice for Women’s Equality in the Catholic Church Teresa Forcades i Vila reflects on Medieval Feminist Monasticism: Did it exist and is it relevant today? Excerpts from a WATER teleconference December 6, 2017

Mary E. Hunt: We are delighted to have all So she combines four elements—medi - of you with us on the Feast of St. Nicholas! cine, theology, monasticism, and poli - Like all of WATER’s efforts, our purpose is tics—into a busy and fruitful life that she not simply theoretical. Rather, we are fo - outlines in her new book Faith and Free - cused on changing the cultural and intellec - dom that I highly recommend, published tual assumptions that ground by Polity Books. discrimination, exclusion, and destruction. Here is what we at WATER said about it Just this week in the U.S. we have wit - in our “What We’re Reading” publication: nessed the shrinking of national parks, a “The daily prayer schedule of her Bene - tax plan that will disproportionately disad - dictine community provides Teresa For - vantage those who are poor while reward - cades with a fitting framework for her ing the rich, and a continued wave of insights. Medicine, politics, feminism, sexual violence perpetrators exposing just and spirituality are grounded in deep ap - how widespread that problem is in a coars - preciation of human freedom and divine ening culture, not to mention presidential love. Courageous, relentless explorations meddling in the Middle East with regard to of basic human experiences, especially Jerusalem. Let me introduce Teresa Forcades i Vila continued on page 11 who is a Benedictine nun from the monastery of Montserrat in Catalonia. She is a uniquely qualified colleague who Teresa Forcades INSIDE brings a contemplative’s heart and a femi - nist activist’s feet to her work. She studied medicine at the University of From the Executive Director ...... Page 2 Teresa grew up in a family that was not reli - Barcelona with a residency at University of gious, but went to a Catholic school where Buffalo where she learned to deal with Some Herstory ...... P ages 3-5 she encountered the Christian Gospels. snow! She went on to earn a Master of Di - Walking with Women Called ...... Page 6 vinity degree at Harvard Divinity School, a Ph.D. in Public Health from University of Prophetic Obedience ...... Pages 7 & 9 When discrimination is justified Barcelona, and later a doctorate in theology in the name of God and theology, from the School of Theology of Catalonia. Ministry of Irritation ...... Pages 8-9 Her amazing career, both as a medical doc - News & Notes ...... Page 10 then those who argue against it tor, which has brought her into conflict can be called not only feminists, with Big Pharma which make enormous Diversity & Inclusion ...... Page 12 profits off vaccines, and her practice of fem - Book Reviews ...... Pages 13 and 14 even though the name didn’t exist inist theology, which has raised some eye - until the end of the 19th brows in Catholic circles, would be more Movie Review ...... Page 15 than enough for any one person. On top of Century, but feminist all that, she is also a dedicated activist for WOC Merchandise ...... Page 16 theologians. democracy and Catalonian independence. From the Executive Director NewWomen, NewChurch is published two times a year by the Women’s Ordination Conference ( WOC ). WOC works for the ordination of women as deacons, priests, and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic Church. nesses outside of cathedrals, “From Bristol, to Baltimore, to Brussels” with vigils also Editors taking place in London and Rochester, New Kate McElwee Diana Wear York. Vocations Sunday also marked the launch of a new video storytelling cam - Associate Editor paign, “Catholic Women Called.” We will be Sheila Peiffer collecting stories of women called to a re - Send address corrections and all newing priesthood, similar to Mary Ryan’s correspondence to: story of prophetic obedience (p. 7), and WOC Kate McElwee National Office Lizzie Berne DeGear’s story, “I am A P.O. Box 15057 Catholic Priest” (p. 6), as well as the women Washington, DC 20003 of RAPPORT (pp. 3-5). Specifically we ask 202.675.1006 Dear WOC Member, women to complete the sentence: “What I [email protected] I recently had the opportunity to sit down want the world to know about my call to priest - with Sr. Joan Chittister and have extended hood.” (See our launch video at National Board of Directors conversations together over two days. We www.youtube.com/ordainwomen) Sheila Peiffer Tracy Garrison-Feinberg spoke about our movement, the spiritual President And not to bury the lead on this issue, but Beth Longo and physical violence the institutional the collaborative article from Mary E. Hunt, Bob Shine Jennifer O’Malley Church perpetuates against women, and Marianne Duddy-Burke and me, “The Vice President Kate McElwee most importantly: our work of holding the Movement for Women’s Equality in the Kelly Doss Executive Director light. She thanked me — WOC and mem - Church Cannot Be Stopped” (p. 9), is a fem - Treasurer bers like you — for this vital (“too often, inist dive into Mary McAleese’s landmark Marion Flynn thankless”) task of shining justice and truth International Women’s Day keynote ad - Secretary through our works. So today, I am passing dress. Intersectionality, prophetic witness, on Joan’s thanks and my thanks to you, the and feminist ministries are our guiding resplendent WOC community. lights as we commit to dismantling patriar - Indeed there has been a glow at WOC this chal structures that oppress and suppress season, particularly as well welcomed our the Holy Spirit. National Advisers new staff member, Katie Lacz, and had a Enjoy this issue and the updates from the fabulous intern, Caroline Condon (p. 12). unstoppable movement for women’s equal - Regina Bannan, PhD. Mary E. Hunt We hosted a conversation, “Francis After ity. Whether in these pages, in front of a Elisabeth Schüssler Andrea Johnson Fiorenza Five: A Feminist Review” in Manhattan at a cathedral, or in your prayers, thank you for Theresa Kane, RSM Jesuit high school, offering a panel conver - Sr. Teresa Forcades, holding a light to gender justice in our Jamie Manson, M.Div sation on topics of climate change, pastoral Church. MD, PhD, OSB Anthony Padovano care, clergy sex abuse, and LGBT and Jeannine Gramick, SL women’s equality in the Church. Two of the Donna Quinn, OP Celine Goessl, SCSC speakers at the event were our own Jamie Gratefully, Rosemary Radford Harry R. Halloran, Jr. Manson, a new WOC Advisory Board Ruether member and Marian Ronan, who con - tributed a book review of Elizabeth John - son’s latest book (p. 13). In principle and practice WOC values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers We collaborated on Vocations Sunday to full participation in this organization on the (April 29th) with WOW to organize wit - Kate McElwee basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orienta - tion, national origin, or disability. A subscription to NewWomen, NewChurch is in - cluded in the WOC membership fee of $45. WOC is incorporated under 501(c)(3) as a nonprofit or - “The same misogyny that excludes women ganization. Contributions are tax deductible ac - cordingly. from ministerial and decision-making roles within WOC archives, including microfilms of NewWomen, NewChurch , are held at Marquette the Roman Catholic Church is at the root of University. For more information, contact Philip Runkel at the Department of Special Collections & University Archives, Marquette University, injustice around the world.” Milwaukee, WI 53201-3141, 414.288.5903, or [email protected]. - Marianne Duddy-Burke, Kate McElwee, Mary E. Hunt Copyright 2018 Women’s Ordination Conference All rights reserved

2 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Some Herstory RAPPORT’s Meetings with Bishops, 1986-2001 By Member Who Must Remain Anonymous to Keep Her Church Job

he RAPPORT group met with U.S. and final draft of the women’s pastoral bishops as often as twice a year from Key to our meetings was a gracious finally came back it had deleted 1986 through 2001. A few of us had informality, a profound prayer women’s voices altogether and T replaced them with voices from the been meeting with bishops for years before we founded RAPPORT . Bishop Frank experience and honest dialogue; we Vatican. Rather than making room to Murphy was our initial contact and he encouraged one another. discuss the future of women’s suggested we meet with many of his ministries in the church, U.S. bishops bishop friends. RAP PORT invited the would now be obliged to teach women bishops Frank recommended and we church’s notion of gender complementarity that Jesus deliberately chose to exclude eventually developed with us a sense of (see http://www.uscatholic.org/church/ them by selecting only males to be community with those who accepted our 2008/06/redesigning-women). apostles which flies in the face of the invitation. Key to our meetings was a Eastern church who has for centuries RAPPORT recalls several benchmarks with gracious informality, a profound prayer called Mary Magdalen, “apostle to the bishops: experience and honest dialogue; we apostles,” a title the Western church did encouraged one another. We grieve as most • Episcopalian Bishops Bob De Witt and not officially acclaim until 2016. of those friendly bishops have since died. George Barrett who ordained the first • To their everlasting credit, on November We cherish fond memories of collegiality, of two groups of Episcopalian women 19, 1992 by a substantial majority and easy conversation, and work tackling issues priests gave us their compelling for the first time in its history, the U.S. of discrimination, legalism, injustice, the witness. The Roman Catholic bishops Bishops’ Conference voted against the need for structural change and the we gathered to meet them expressed final draft of a pastoral letter. This obstacles to that change. The bishops not great admiration for these courageous would not have happened without the only heard our stories of call and service to leaders. At RAPPORT ’s gatherings with activism of bishops with whom the church but they deeply respected our bishops the substantive study of RAPPORT had met regularly for prayer, calls and the ministries we provided for our women’s ordination was not the only discussion, and mutual support. churches and people. item on the agenda—we also went RAPPORT helped several bishops realize together to the Holocaust museum Each time RAPPORT met, we also invited a it will take some women bishops to be with Bishop Barrett. It was very theologian, a research scholar, a sociologist, part of the process of developing a moving. a psychologist, a canon lawyer or another bishop’s pastoral letter on sexism resource person to engage with both RAP - • Bishop Bill McManus met with us in because sexism is the issue. It is helpful PORT and our brother bishops in order to January 1989 in Chicago and a few to recall that it took eleven black facilitate rich dialogue on the evolution of months later he brought meeting the African American bishops to be part of the priesthood. Our hope was to adapt to need for women’s ordination to the the process of developing the bishops’ pastoral needs and to representing Christ floor of the next NCCB. pastoral letter on racism. in community and Sacrament and in imag - • Bishop Jack Fitzpatrick wept as he • Bishop Ray Lucker invited us to his 25th ing Christ. Both bishops and RAPPORT listened to our stories of call in anniversary as Bishop of New Ulm. At greatly appreciated Francis Bernard O’Con - Illchester and Ellicott City, Maryland. the Mass during a weekend of nor, a Holy Cross sister who had spent • Bishop Ken Untener opted to climb the celebrations, many women pastoral twenty years serving in developing coun - hill from the Washington, D.C. Metro to administrators were in the entrance tries where her surveys showed the univer - the CED (where we met) on his procession and served as Eucharistic sality of women’s experiences and calls. prosthetic leg to meet with us, play the ministers. Protestant and Catholic Another session that the bishops acclaimed piano, and listen intently to our stories pastors and lay people spoke of his was with Ruth Wallace, whose research on of call. exemplary witness one on one, not just women pastoral administrators was done at • Bishops Frank Murphy and Ray Lucker at the official ceremonies but in day in twenty parishes where she spent several among others strategized with us many day out conversations and work days interviewing, at length, parish council times and they sought our input on the together on many justice and members, other parishioners, and staff. She Pastoral Letter on Women. community issues. With RAPPORT , Ray found acceptance even from the people often quietly spoke of his fear; he felt • Initially RAPPORT supported the United who had initially opposed the concept of he would be cast out of the church we States bishops’ process of developing a lay pastoral coordinator/administrator/pas - love were he to ordain women. Over pastoral letter on women, especially the toral leader. Her book describing this study many years with us he humbly spoke listening sessions held to gather is They Call Her Pastor (1992). of diocesan initiatives in social justice, women’s voices and experiences. The his living in community, gardening as Several bishops spoke of finding a safe initial draft of the letter had included meditation and empowering lay haven with us where they could each share information from women heard at people. their feelings and support for women’s or - diocesan gatherings held around the dination with truth and honesty. In 1986 a country. That first draft asked for • The bishops present with us when we bishop told us how comfortable he felt women deacons and for open met with Ludmila Javarova said they meeting with us. A decade later that same discussion of women’s ordination to were deeply moved by her experience bishop was visibly moved by Sr. Mary the priesthood. In April 1988, the U.S. of being ordained by a Roman Catholic Aquin O’Neill who gave her personal testi - Bishops’ Conference approved this first bishop in Czechoslovakia in 1970 when mony at a RAPPORT gathering about draft by a large margin and sent it to some of the church went underground women’s roles and the inadequacy of the Rome for affirmation. When the fourth continued on page 4 Spring 2018 • www.womensordination.org 3 Some Herstory

RAPPORT Call Story I discovered more and more the By Nancy DeRycke yearning to be involved in liturgy, and in celebrating the joys and 19th-century French Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church, St. sorrows of life with people. ATherese wrote in her journals and confided in her sister Celine of her deep desire to be a priest. She wrote: “I feel in me with other women from around the coun - the vocation of priest.” I never really try and beyond who were committed to the thought I had much in common with ordination of women in the Catholic Therese, the “little flower”—until I read Church. We went to WOC meetings from this. the 1970’s onward, and even were in the From early on, I felt a gnawing inside of me grassroots of what is now called RAP - for “something more.” Since my mother, PORT—a wonderful community of women Lois, had instilled in me that I could be any - called to priesthood and dedicated to sup - thing I wanted or felt called to be, I as - porting others who are and praying with Nancy DeRycke sumed that, with hard work and ability to each other for our church. stick to a goal, that she was right. I entered As the years went on, I discovered that the Sisters of St. Joseph after college and there was still a gnawing of “something als or conservatives—God is a big God, big found wonderful women who were doing more.” With the help of my bishop, I finally enough for all of us and our so many meaningful occupations to further realized clearly that what I thought was a perspectives. And Church can be big God’s work in the world. And I also had call to the SSJ’s and religious life was really enough for all of us too. the love of working in parish ministry that even more a call to Church ministry and or - Church vocation is not simply about “me,” continued to grow and develop over the dination. So, thinking that women would but about God and what and how God calls years as I ministered with so many wonder - soon be ordained in the Catholic Church, I each of us to live our lives as fully as possi - ful church ministry people and parish - left the SSJ’s (although I treasured the ble building the kin-dom in whatever ways ioners. I discovered more and more the twenty-four years and am still connected we can best. yearning to be involved in liturgy, and in with them regularly) so I would be able to celebrating the joys and sorrows of life with move quickly when that long awaited time God still calls….you….me…many, in many people. I was privileged to give homilies came. different ways. It’s up to us to help each regularly at weekend liturgies, lead retreats, other be able to respond as fully as I am still waiting. I am still working full be one of the first in our diocese to bring possible. One day I believe our Church may time in church. Praying, believing in the the RCIA to be used in parishes, along with more fully support and encourage all to deep call that I and many others have many other women and men who wanted more fully be able to respond to God and to heard from God, from other parishioners, to help make the Word of God as close and God’s people and do the work of the and from their heart, we continue to be meaningful to people as possible—and to church. prove that Church and God was so much faithful to the Church such as it is. My hus - more than rules and formality—that it was band, Ron and I still have a heart for Nancy DeRycke and her husband, Ron, live in alive and important in helping people to church. How important it is for people in Rochester, NY. Nancy has worked in various connect with God and each other. From the the church to respect various ways of living parishes for many years and has been with beginning of my church career, I connected their faith—whether they are labeled liber - RAPPORT since its founding.

RAPPORT’S Meetings with Bishops...continued from page 3 during Communist oppression. With Washington during the November 2001 The hierarchy as a body refuses to recog - her were Magdalena Zahorska and bishop’s conference. To that last nize and affirm God’s call to women to full Elena Beckorova, deacons ordained meeting we invited bishops we had not ministry. Nonetheless RAPPORT ’s meetings during that same traumatic time. Jana met with before as well as a few with bishops were fruitful in that bishops Shropshire translated their descriptions regulars to hear a RAPPORT member’s who met with RAPPORT consulted with of their seminary instruction, synods, presentation on Fundamentalism. We both RAPPORT women and women in their ordinations and Masses hidden from also told our stories of call and they own dioceses, created more roles for the watchful eyes of Communist listened with rapt attention. The women, wrote their own pastoral letters suppressors. When the faith once again conversation was engaging. with women, advocated for the equality of was permitted to be freely practiced (by Almost every bishop we met with advised women, encouraged one another to em - men) these ordained women’s faculties us to work on opening the diaconate to power women and sought change in their were removed by Rome. women as they acknowledged Phoebe, dioceses, at bishop’s conferences and more. • RAPPORT ’s last meeting with several Prisca, and other women leaders in the The frustration levels of both these encour - bishops was quietly paid for by Bishops early church. Each bishop in his own way aging bishops and RAPPORT members to Charlie Buswell and William Hughes, told us they felt powerless to implement the institutional ban on celebrating who covered the cost of the hotel full equality as called for in Galatians 3:28, women’s call has taken a physical toll on conference room rental and lunch for Pacem in Terris (April 11, 1963) Part 1, #15 several of us and driven many of us to the eight bishops who met with a few and The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in work even harder, in a variety of ways, to RAPPORT women at a hotel in the Modern World #29 (Abbott, The Docu - respond to God’s call. ments of Vatican II (New York: 1966) p. 227). 4 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Some Herstory RAPPORT Call Story By Rene Buchanan

was born into a good Catholic family and went to Catholic schools through graduate school. While at Boston College Iin the early 1970s I became involved with the Charismatic renewal and was soon elected pastor (our term) of the prayer group there. I was re-elected in that title and role for many years. As pastor I led the prayer meeting in worship, and as a team with other pastors discerned the gifts of community members and drew out the gifts of members of the community, counseled members of the community who came to me for that ministry, preached, and taught about spiritual gifts and other topics when necessary. As I reflected on the ways I experienced God and the community calling me to minister, I recognized that I was doing many of the same functions the documents of Vatican II described as the functions of a priest. Reflecting on my prayer life during a retreat I was surprised Rene Buchanan standing in front of St Lawrence Church in Lowell, Mass. during an ordination Mass. Rene is dressed as St. Radegund, who was a deaconess and princess to recognize that my prayer has evolved in ways I recognize in the Roman Catholic Church during the 6th century. as priestly. I believe God has given me a pastor’s heart.

Reflecting on my prayer life during a retreat I was surprised to recognize that my prayer has evolved in ways I recognize as priestly.

Then and later, various persons have asked me to be their spiritual director. Active in my home parish as lector, Eucharistic minister, liturgist and catechist, I continue to minister in ways I recognize as priestly, and continue to be called to these ministries by the community. Rene is married, had her day job career in the public sector, and is active in charismatic prayer groups and a parish. She and her husband Bob live in Allston, Mass.

Spring 2018 • www.womensordination.org 5 Walking with Women Called I Am a Catholic Priest By Lizzie Berne DeGear

t is the summer of 1998, I am thirty There are other vocational moments that years old, and I am sitting in a parish also stand out from those early years: certi - Ioffice on Eastern Long Island, one town fication with the National Association of over from where I am staying with my 89- Catholic Chaplains; discovering my pas - year-old grandfather for a few weeks. My sion for group work while ministering with grandfather, like everyone in my family, is the inpatient Psych unit at Mary Immacu - Jewish and he knows nothing about my late Hospital in inner city Jamaica, Queens; conversion to Catholicism three years and discovering my passion for the He - Lizzie Berne DeGear earlier. My presence here is on the sly. The brew Scriptures as I poured over ancient woman sitting across from me, who has Hebrew words while riding the subway on just uttered these words, works at the my way to work each day. answer came out of me before I had time to parish. We have met only once before when second-guess its first-date appropriateness, I approached her the previous Sunday. As “God isn’t asking me to choose between Pastoral Associate, she stood at the pulpit Somehow, in my bones, I had them. Please don’t ask me to either.” When after Mass, making announcements and sensed the existence of Catholic I got home that night, with that floating managing to fit in a powerful two-sentence butterflies-in-the-stomach-feeling that homily on that day’s gospel. Her words priests who were women. comes after a really, really good first date, I were the most spiritually significant checked the mailbox on my way up to my apartment. The invitation to a four-year fel - moment of the liturgy for me (I still One aspect of God’s call to me that contin - lowship at Union Theological Seminary remember the entirety of that homily). I ues to delight, bewilder, and sometimes ex - awaited me. knew I had to meet her. haust me is its “both/and” quality: the As we sat face to face I thanked her for her “more” of Ignatius’ ad majorem dei gloriam, homily, and she accepted my gratitude the surprising and joyfully abundant invi - One aspect of God’s call to me with grace. Then she simply said, “I am a tations that pour forth from a supremely Catholic priest.” My reaction was instanta - generous Hostess. When I otherwise might that continues to delight, neous. I broke into a huge grin, and said to fear that life is asking me for either/or deci - bewilder, and sometimes exhaust myself, “I knew it!” As a relatively new sions, God reminds me of this “more.” For Catholic, eagerly learning about the instance, as I first discovered myself as me is its “both/and” quality. Church, this good news did not come as a Catholic, God assured me that I was not shock. Somehow, in my bones, I had sensed being asked to convert from Judaism to the existence of Catholic priests who were Catholicism; rather I was discovering a con - That four years stretched to eight and a half women. She went on, “God ordained me.” vergence of my Jewish ancestral being with as Tony and I welcomed Daisy and Fred into the world. The intensity of both early As we continued our conversation, this my blossoming Catholic faith. Similarly, parenthood and doctoral studies found re - priest shared some of her story with me during the decade of my life following lief in their entwined combination. Experi - and I was fascinated. My own vocation these milestones (roughly from age thirty- ences from one side of my crystallized in a new way in her presence six to forty-six), God taught me to weave motherhood-priesthood vocation helped and I found myself musing aloud, “I’m a two aspects of my vocational life together, me develop the other. On one of my doc - priest too, but I think I’m still in training.” even as She wove them within me: priest - toral exams I was asked to articulate an as - With an abrupt and assured laugh she said, hood and motherhood. pect of psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott’s “Oh, believe me, you will know when God On my first date with my future husband clinical theory. I wrote about Winnicott’s ordains you. It will not be subtle!” in 2004, I told him about my Ph.D. applica - “transitional space” between mother and tion to Union Theological Seminary and my She was right. A few years later, when God infant, and how that space widens to be - hopes to study depth psychology, theology, ordained me, it came with layers of ritual come the space of creativity, communica - and the Hebrew Bible concurrently. He said and wonder that took a long time to marvel tion, and culture. Critiquing the exam, my with an odd assurance for someone who at and absorb. Over the weeks and months doctoral advisor, Ann Ulanov, noted that I had only met me once before, “You’re that followed the sacrament I filled a hand - was “spotty” on the theory but that the ex - going to get in.” And even though I had made journal with reflections on the un - ample I gave—from a surprising and hu - heard this sort of encouraging confidence folding experience. morous moment while nursing my from friends, this was the first time I be - son—confirmed that I indeed understood Vocational milestones marked my path over lieved it too. As we got to know each other what Winnicott was driving at. These fam - the next few years. The same night I experi - over a pitcher of beer, he asked me, “So, ily and academic experiences, woven to - enced ordination I was also encouraged to why aren’t you a nun?” and with an odd gether as they were, formed an invisible join members of my parish on a visit to frankness for someone who had only met stole that the shoulders of my priesthood companion communities in Honduras. him once before, I spoke about my vocation still carry. Smiling, I thought to myself, “Ordination to motherhood. Later that evening, we comes with a honeymoon! Who knew?!” laughed when he said, “Oh boy, now when Lizzie Berne DeGear is a chaplain, teacher, Bible Days after returning from that spirit-ex - our kids ask about our first kiss, I’m going scholar and Catholic feminist based in New York panding and soul-deepening trip, I began a to have to tell them it was when I called City. One of the founders of Feminism and Faith Master’s program at Fordham’s Graduate you a nun!” When he asked in a genuinely in Union, she will be leading a retreat at Mercy School of Religion and Religious Education. vulnerable way how I imagined raising by the Sea this summer entitled In Communion kids and being so devoted to my work, the with our Biblical Sisters

6 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Prophetic Obedience Prophetic Obedience in South Africa—Viva! By Mary Ryan, RCWP Of Roots and Wings I was born in Cape Town, South Africa in The feminist theological 1954. the fourth of six children. I am a cra - dle Catholic with devout parents, convent underpinnings and schooling, active parish life, Catholic litera - commitment to justice of ture, Catholic jokes, rosaries, benediction, “May is the month of Mary,” and fish on the Women’s Movement Fridays—that kind of Catholic. I was gave me a firm base to brought up to believe that there is no other air to breathe. grow a spiritual core that Of course I was shocked out of my boots stood me in good stead. when pursuing an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies, I discovered not just a proliferation of others who laid claim to the same Christian story, but in addition, a years—years marked by the joyful world of other religious practices, beliefs, and relentless dailyness of parenting institutional forms and piety that were not four sons and now three grandchil - Christian. Thus began an enduring fascina - dren. My work life followed four tion with the study of religion and spiritual - trajectories: publishing educational ity as intrinsic to our human search for and formation materials, teaching, meaning. community work, and spiritual com - My forays into other traditions gave me the panioning. More recently I have Mary Ryan, RCWP freedom and wings to plunge deeper into worked as a home-based carer. This my own, while not being constrained by it. is a vocation of grace, and has given me As I became a more mature woman, I began necessary pastoral skills that now support given by Patricia Fresen on one of her studies in different aspects of Christian the - my work in palliative caring. speaking trips. I had known Patricia Fresen, ology, and became introduced to liberation who is now a bishop, from earlier years, as theology. I was active in parish life as a cat - Call the first South African woman to take the step in faith and courage to enter priest - echism teacher, in the justice and peace If I am to trust family lore, I am supposed at hood within the Catholic church. movement, the Christian Social Action an early age to have challenged visiting movement, and I led parish Bible studies priests about not being allowed to be an In May 2012, I “stepped onto new ground” and prayer groups. I led the latter, that is altar boy, and I do remember as a teenager and decided to embark on a process of dis - with women, until I was asked to leave by some serious conversations about women cernment and preparation toward ordina - the parish priest for “disturbing the simple and priesthood. I think though that mostly tion in the Roman Catholic Woman Priest faith of women.” As a member of the Grail I I just set the idea aside as one of life’s im - movement (RCWP). worked in community cooperatives with possibilities. women during the 1980s and 90s, also Ordination and Priesting However, while working toward my master known as “the struggle years.” The feminist degree in theology the real pain of exclu - in South Africa theological underpinnings and commit - sion from priesthood became palpable. It ment to justice of the Women’s Movement I was ordained a deacon in New York in was perhaps then that I would identify as gave me a firm base to grow a spiritual core 2013 and a priest in Cape Town in 2014. I re - my real moment of “call.” I remember an that stood me in good stead as I tried to main a member of the RCWP U.S. Eastern overwhelming sadness surging from the navigate the multiple challenges of parent - region through the generosity and wel - depths of my being during the Eucharist. I ing, working, studying, and trying to make come of the “Easters” until the time when took the pain seriously enough to find a a contribution to transformation within the South Africa is able to form its own region. spiritual director, but while the process of context of our turmoiled South African My sisters in the East have been unstinting direction was extremely helpful, the ques - story. in their warmth of welcome, wisdom, and tion of priesthood was never really on the friendship and I am deeply grateful to My search later led me into a masters and agenda; it was outside of the agenda, as it them. Viva the movement, viva! then a doctoral program, and an immersion were. in feminist theology, spirituality, and ethics We now have two ordained priests in South The call resurfaced while accompanying all of which further rearranged my world. Africa including myself and my colleague, one of my dying patients and recognizing Unsurprisingly what surfaced were issues Ann Ralston, who joined me in 2016. Each the immense privilege of sharing in life and around women’s exclusion and marginal - of us serve a community of spiritual seekers death moments with others, and a renewed ization within the Catholic tradition. in different parts of the Cape. Soon we are appreciation for the Catholic church’s rich to be joined by a third in Johannesburg. Marriage, Family and Work sacramental theology that had opened my Bishop Patricia Fresen visits us each year, heart to a call to priesthood. This led me to keeping a friendly and pastoral eye on each In 1977 I married my husband, Alan seek out the women priest movement of us. Ralphs. We have been married for forty through a fortuitous discovery of a talk continued on page 9

Spring 2018 • www.womensordination.org 7 Ministry of Irritation The Movement for Women’s Equality in the Church Cannot Be Stopped Marianne Duddy-Burke, Kate McElwee, Mary E. Hunt

s Catholic feminists and leaders of Other speakers ad - organizations committed to justice dressed the ways in for women within our church as which Catholic hierar - A chicalism and misogyny, well as throughout society, we have followed Voices of Faith’s efforts to crack in addition to creating a open the Vatican walls by sponsoring an male-only clergy and annual forum about women inside one of decision-making body in the last remaining bastions of male the Church, underpin domination in the western world. Since the exclusion of women 2014, Voices of Faith has marked from authority or even International Women’s Day (March 8) with representation in educa - an event that examines how the tion, business, and gov - intersection of Catholic doctrine and ernment. Speakers were practice impacts women globally. This year, not shy about pointing the Vatican denied the women the use of a out how religious lead - hall inside the walls due to Voices of Faith’s ers, including Francis, selection of speakers including former Irish when they endorse Mary McAleese President Mary McAleese and Ugandan criminalization of homo - Lesbian activist Ssenfuka Joanita Warry. sexuality endanger life Voices of Faith held its forum at the Jesuit and safety. The most ex - This event also highlighted that the work of Aula a short distance away. We applaud the plicit refrain, perhaps the theme of the day the church must be about many forms of decision to stick with speakers who would was the many ways in which women seek justice, rather than about enforcing doctri - address issues in a way that challenged sanctuary in the church, only to find fur - nal ideology. The same misogyny that ex - Vatican authority instead of replacing them ther peril, the spiritual violence Catholic cludes women from ministerial and with more “acceptable” individuals in order women experience in our spiritual home. decision-making roles within the Roman to be inside the walls. It is a sign of growth Living one’s faith is a human right every Catholic Church is at the root of injustice and integrity for Voices of Faith and a signal day, every place, and that right is annulled around the world. For the millions of that our movements will not be dismissed refugees driven from their homes due to or stopped. war, famine, poverty, or human greed, for Within the Aula, it was clear that both the Ms. McAleeses’ speech plowed the the millions of girls denied access to educa - location and the discourse shifted from pre - soil for equally frank challenges tion, for the countless women who do not vious programs. The opening video, which comply with misogynistic, heteronormative challenged the Vatican to catch up with the to Vatican dogma and the explicit cultural expectations, for the billions of global empowerment of women, began the lifting up of issues that are women who struggle to feed, house, and bold and direct challenges to the institu - clothe their children, for women denied re - tional church that characterized this fifth fundamental concerns of productive justice, for all of us living on a annual meeting. The room was remarkably planet that is dying due to our failures of quiet as Mary McAleese delivered her women worldwide. stewardship, there is critical need for an ur - keynote address. She is a brilliant and pas - gent response to the real dangers in this sionate critic with the political experience, world. Arguing about whether women canon law credentials, Irish wit, experience for Catholic women. should be allowed to serve as deacons pales as the mother of a gay child, and fire in the when women and their children continue belly to tell it like it is in a memorable Another key message is that for the to die every day due to the ways we im - speech for the ages. Her own bishop, Arch - Catholic Church, as for other abusers of poverish and victimize them. bishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, called women, Time’s Up. The Voices of Faith This event, along with the work that move - it “brutally stark” and said that he must “ac - speakers articulated what is true for mil - ment organizations like ours rooted in the cept the challenge with the humility of one lions: we will no longer spend our valuable real needs of humans on a daily basis, high - who recognises her alienation.” time educating celibate male clerics on the realities of women’s lives, nor will we wait light all the ways in which we too often ask Ms. McAleeses’ speech plowed the soil for patiently for changes in imperialistic poli - the wrong questions and quibble over mat - equally frank challenges to Vatican dogma cies that dehumanize and endanger us. We ters that obscure the most urgent questions. and the explicit lifting up of issues that are are walking on, finding new ways to be It illuminated the fallacy that “allowing” fundamental concerns of women world - church and new ways to live spirituality women into ministerial roles that offer op - wide. It was the first time that we heard the that are truly liberating and that recognize portunities for service while still banning words “abortion,” “lesbian,” and “period that we, as much as our brothers, carry and their input into policy would be progress: pain” spoken in a Voices of Faith forum. It shine the Divine light as our Ugandan les - visibility without voice can be more damag - was also the first time that women’s ordina - bian sister Ssenfuka Joanita Warry put it so tion to priesthood was spoken of positively. powerfully. continued on page 9

8 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Ministry of Irritation

The Movement for Women’s Equality...continued from page 8

It is our hope that the conversations visibility without voice can sparked by the Voices of Faith continue be more damaging than around the world with a sense of urgency and conviction. The lives of our children total exclusion and grandchildren depend upon it. ing than total exclusion. It highlighted the Marianne Duddy-Burke is executive director of fact that until women have a real place at DignityUSA. Kate McElwee is executive direc - the tables where decisions are made and re - tor of Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC). sources are allocated, the urgent problems Mary E. Hunt is a feminist theologian who is of our human family cannot be effectively co-founder and co-director of the Women’s Al - addressed, at least not by the Catholic com - liance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) munity. It shone stark light on, as Mary in Silver Spring, Maryland. McAleese said, how the Catholic Church as Reprinted with permission of National Catholic “a global carrier of the toxic virus of misog - Reporter Publishing Company, Kansas City, yny” is corporately responsible for failure MO. NCRonline.org. to allow these great evils to be redressed.

Prophetic Obedience in South Africa...continued from page 7

South Africa continues to be a society of deep hurt. After three hundred years of colonialism and nearly forty years of “othering,” whether based on apartheid, the struggle to erase racial preju - dice and inequality is ongoing. I believe gender, race or creed, speaks that one of our main priestly responsibili - mostly to our own shadows and ties in our current context is to hold the pain and contradictions of gender, class, deepest longings for integration; and race that play out within our society, to witness to hope in situations which often appear hopeless, and to apply practical wis - dom and compassionate care to those in whether based on gender, race or creed, most need. speaks mostly to our own shadows and deepest longings for integration; and that a Reflection praxis that seeks to take on “the mind of As I reflect on my spiritual and theological Christ” (1 Cor 2:16) will advance the trans - journey and hold it up alongside the vision formation of human structures, and now and mission of RCWP, I feel a strong sense and in the future bring about the reign of of having found a home for myself, where God. the integrity of each of the threads of my As I prostrated myself before the cross at life are recognized and celebrated: the my priestly ordination in September 2014, I strands of my being as a woman, as a mar - invoked the memory of all our spiritual ried woman, as a mother and grandmother, foremothers, but especially of Mary Magda - as a scholar, as a seeker after spiritual mean - lene, first witness to the risen Jesus and ac - ing and commitment, and one deeply im - knowledged “apostle to the apostles.” She mersed in healing and service in the world. continues to give me courage to face certain In its core values I find resonance with my displeasure from those who do not trust own: that we are all equal before God and the witness of women, and reminds me all may equally represent Christ; that Jesus constantly that women, too, can be great modelled an inclusive and welcoming com - friends of Jesus. munity, which is to serve as our template Mary Ryan, RCWP lives in Cape Town, for church; that hierarchies and castes are South Africa. fundamentally harmful to all people– both oppressor and oppressed; that “othering,”

Spring 2018 • www.womensordination.org 9 News & Notes

From WOC’s Intern Announcing our Caroline Condon newest Advisory or three months, from the end of January to the end of April, WOC was lucky to employ Caroline Condon as an intern. “My experience has been filled with Board members wonderful opportunities to learn and grow,” said Caroline. “I feel fortunate to F Regina Bannan, PhD. , Southeastern have been exposed to such a worthy mission and to support an organization that ensures strategic alignment with their values at all times. It has been a joy to connect Pennsylvania Women’s Ordination Con - with people across the globe who actively support Women’s Ordination Conference’s ference” mission.” In the Catholic church, priesthood is power. No decision-making structures in - Caroline undertook a variety of projects under the direction of ED Kate McElwee, clude anyone who is not or dained. For working mostly on social media posts and marketing. She was grateful for the “auton - the good of the whole church, women omy and flexibility with hours which helped me hone my time management skills and need to be empowered within it.” broadened my creativity.” We will miss Caroline but are glad that she has found a full time position supporting girls’ education. Regina Bannan, Ph.D. is a retired Ameri - can and Women's Studies professor at Temple University and past Board Presi - dent of WOC. She is on the coordinating council of Southeastern Pennsylvania Meet Katie Lacz, WOC’s WOC and represents SEPAWOC at the Catholic Organizations for Renewal New Program Associate meetings. Regina is a longtime activist and now writes weekly for the WOC blog, The Table. join the team at WOC with deep joy and gratitude for the opportunity to be Sr. Teresa Forcades, MD, PhD, OSB Iat the forefront of the movement for “The Roman Catholic church, which is women’s equality in the Catholic Church. my church, is misogynist and patriarchal As a cradle Catholic, I have the lived in its structure. That needs to be changed experience—echoed by so many of you— as quickly as possible.” of loving the church that is my home and Teresa Forcades i Vila, O.S.B. is a Catalan experiencing pain at the ways it has physician and a Benedictine nun. She is a limited the roles of women. social activist, and feminist theologian, That love compelled me to join the Jesuit with a focus on public health and queer Volunteer Corps after college as a commu - theologies. Teresa presented a keynote nity organizer against the death penalty; address at the Women's Ordination to pursue a calling to a campus ministry Worldwide conference in 2015. role in faith and justice at Regis University Jamie Manson, M.Div , National Catholic in Denver; and to work with young adults Reporter called to serve those who are poor through “Women’s ordination isn’t simply about the Colorado Vincentian Volunteers. I making women priests. It’s about helping studied for and earned an M.Div. at the Je - church leaders recognize that if they were suit School of Theology (JST) of Santa to include women in their leadership as Clara University in Berkeley, Calif, in order their equals, they could truly be a power - to more deeply understand the church and Katie Lacz ful force for economic and social justice gain the footing I needed to lovingly chal - for women and children throughout our lenge it to wholeness and justice. world.” I have been blessed with the opportunity to I currently live in Colorado with my hus - Jamie Manson is a columnist and books explore my own vocation through preach - band and two young children. I also have a editor at the National Catholic Reporter. ing and presiding at lay-led liturgies at JST, part-time practice as a spiritual director, in - She received her Master of Divinity de - as well as at the Boulder Community in cluding working with women incarcerated gree from Yale Divinity School, where she Discernment, a small faith community simi - in Denver. I have been humbled by the studied Catholic theology and sexual lar to the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. warm welcome I have received from WOC ethics. She is editor of Changing the I feel a deep call to support women in their members already, and am eager to get to Questions: Explorations in Christian discernment of and journey toward or - know you better and serve you to the best Ethics, a collection of writings by Mar - dained ministry, and am incredibly lucky to of my ability. garet Farley (Orbis, 2015). Her activism on do this in a new way at WOC. behalf of women in the church garnered her the Theresa Kane Award for Women of Courage and Vision from the Women’s Ordination Conference.

10 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Medieval Feminist Monasticism...continued from page 1 forgiveness, destine this work to be a post - nist theologians. That is my topic for today: modern spiritual classic.” I stand by that women who have understood the problem the possibility of experiencing the claim! of discrimination against women being jus - body as our freedom and capacity tified in the name of God. Teresa, thank you for taking time from your to love is put forth schedule in Germany to be with us. We I gave a text about Gertrude of Helfta to read. only wish you were here in the office I think it can be inspiring for feminists where you have been before, at our table today. I would like to speak of another knowledging her as her own mother in a having lunch and discussing the many is - woman, Isabel de Villena , abbess of a shockingly positive way. sues we face as conscious and conscientious monastery that still exists today, located in feminists. We wish you a wonderful time the city of Valencia, Spain, south of Whenever we do theology, we are basically there with Christmas Markets and music. Barcelona. She lived in the 15th Century. Is - filling in the gaps. It’s impossible to do the - We look forward to your insights on our abel de Villena dealt with a misogynistic ology without filling in the gaps. There are topic, “Medieval Feminist Monasticism: Did text written by the doctor in the monastery, ways of filling in the gaps that have been it Exist and Can it Be Relevant Today?” Jaume Roig, a satirical book called Espill or consecrated by tradition and go along with power structures of church and society. It might seem that our topic today is a little Mirror. The abbess published this book in There are ways of filling in the gaps that off base, far from the mark. That could be response about the life of Jesus written sound unbelievable or implausible. But considered if the writer of the piece, our from the perspective of the women who why? Because they don’t fit within the so - speaker today, were not Teresa Forcades, a met Jesus. One of the best-written biogra - cial structures of our day. Hermeneutics, in - friend of WATER from Catalonia who is phies of Christ happens to be from the per - terpreting the texts, filling in the gaps is deeply immersed in the problems of our spective of women! It can be read in important because we have to be responsi - dear world. Welcome, Teresa. English in a selection of texts. I’m not sure if it’s fully translated, but there are transla - ble for our own interpretations. We can Teresa Forcades: Thank you, Mary, for this tions of selected texts: Vita Christi. never have a final, once and for all interpre - opportunity. I’ll imagine I’m sitting at the tation. Every generation needs to interpret I want to mention some places where she table with you. You said my topic is off the anew. What is it that God speaks to the shows a different view on some well- mark in the sense that we have so many world? This does not happen through a known passages. For example, the figures pressing issues today. So why should any - dead text. It needs a living interpretation, of Adam and Eve. Is Eve understood as an one care about medieval feminist monasti - which happens through community. cism? As Alice Walker showed us, it is example of a guilty woman? A woman that The third example that Isabel de Villena important to cultivate our mothers’ and does not behave as she should, or as a sym - writes about is Mary Magdalene. This text grandmothers’ gardens. I think for any bol of wickedness, deceit, mistrust, negative is a joy for me to read. She deals with Res - feminist today it is important to know more aspects of our being human? urrection Sunday when she finds Jesus’ about the women of the past, to see that In her book, Isabel de Villena describes tomb empty. This thing happens where she they are not strangers from another world, scenes where Eve and Jesus happen to sees a man who she confuses for the gar - but people who can give us strength, meet each other. This is undoing the theol - den keeper, but in reality it’s Jesus. She asks courage, and humor to deepen and ogy of Eve as a villain. De Villena is doing him if he’s seen Jesus’ body. And then strengthen our world today. something that in Christian theology comes this moment where this man speaks should be obvious but is an exception: she her name to her. This is when Mary recog - applies to Eve the Christian idea that sin is nizes that this is Jesus. Then Mary tries to nobody can be a Christian overcome by grace and guilt by forgive - embrace Jesus, and he says, “don’t touch ness. So she concludes that whatever Eve without acknowledging that Eve me.” did, she is now free by grace and nobody is fully redeemed and her can be a Christian without acknowledging This is an interesting sentence theologically. daughters have not inherited any that Eve is fully redeemed and her daugh - “Don’t touch me because I have not yet ters have not inherited any guilt from her. gone to the Father.” What interests me is guilt from her Eve’s relationship with Jesus is not one of that usually most interpreters assume that blame, but an example for all Christians: this is what happened. But Isabel de Villena whoever wants to honor Christ cannot do isn’t satisfied with this explanation. In her usual sobering and unrestricted way of Is it an anachronism to try and speak of so without honoring Eve as the mother of writing, she explains that Mary Magdalene feminism in an era when it did not exist all and without loving and respecting all convinces Jesus that an embrace is neces - yet? To me, it’s not a matter of names, but women as Jesus did. sary. It comes not as a source of temptation what the name means. In a previous book I How can it be that even for 21st century but as a source of an expression of love and wrote, Feminist Theology in History , I found readers it’s shocking to read these texts? a welcoming of the resurrected Jesus. So in that whenever there is a church that pre - Her literary and theological work depicts her text, Magdalene and Jesus embrace one cludes women from tasks and responsibili - Jesus as someone who respects women, another. This shows Jesus together with ties just because of being women, which is with no presence of mistrust or criticism women in a way that goes beyond some of a simple way to speak of patriarchy, imme - against them. Isabel de Villena also deals the stumbling blocks of classical patriarchal diately women (and also men) appear, now with Mary. There have always been these interpretation, which asks what we should and in the past, that find this unacceptable. images of Mary as the mother of God, the do with the body. Instead of asking this, the When discrimination is justified in the saintly woman, and Eve as the wicked possibility of experiencing the body as our name of God and theology, then those who woman. In this text by Isabel de Villena, freedom and capacity to love is put forth. argue against it can be called not only femi - Eve and Mary find each other and love nists, even though the name didn’t exist each other. They happily embrace each until the end of the 19th Century, but femi - other and Mary calls Eve her mother, ac - continued on page 13

Spring 2018 • www.womensordination.org 11 Diversity & Inclusion

any vocation she Women for the embraces are con - sidered to be infe - Church rior, of lower quality than those Manifesto of men, except in special and cultur - “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not inde - ally stereotyped pendent of man nor man of woman; for as cases. woman was made from man, so man is now In our communi - born of woman” (1 Cor 11,11- 12) ties, a real respect Who We Are to the women is often missing, We are women believers, we are followers whether they are legitimate and is for the good for the of Jesus, in love with the Church, with our single, married or divorced: in the first case, whole Church to begin to conceive families, with vulnerable and harmless peo - they are NOT resources to be exploited - concrete answers in this area ple; but we are also in love with our “they have nothing to do” -; in the second We are not substitutes for action, but we strength, energy and intelligence that are case they are NOT “just” mums and wives; can “invent” new forms that enrich the gifts from God. We want to offer everything in the third case they do NOT deserve to be Church. that we are to the Church, to society, and to judged for what they are not, but should be our families, without belittling ourselves in recognized for what they are and do. We do not seek positions of power, but to order to please someone else. We do not be fully recognized as God’s daughters and When it comes to decision making, there is need to identify with a standard model, but as members of the community co-equal no space for the original contribution of we claim the chance to build our personal with men. women, their vision of life, their ability to and unrepeatable path: unique as is every face the situations with a creative approach, person, woman, sister, daughter, wife and For this we are ready to be at from within the relationships, thus preclud - mother. We love the motherhood that the the service of the church with ing the chance to break worn-out and inef - Lord has entrusted to us, but we are aware fective frameworks of action, in order to three criteria: that it is much bigger and more radiating create new opportunities for community than physical maternity: for this reason we • Assertiveness: we are not afraid to growth. try to be generative in every situation of propose and ask for recognition of our lives, including places of work and of We want to say that what is at stake is not what we do and offer to the political and social commitment. just the waste of talents, the lack of respect community and the blaming of all those who are not • Freedom: our actions are not aimed at We claim our assertiveness as a resource for within the frame of pious and devoted conquering power positions, so we are our communities and we do not accept to wife/mother (all things that are already in conditions of non-blackmail appear weak just to flatter the male good themselves), but above all there is a strength. We love men and we stand next • Women’s alliance: where we are and deep unfaithfulness to the Gospel, to the to them with love, co-responsibility, respect among us, we choose to be allies with way chosen by Jesus for dealing with and esteem. In the same way we want to the sisters we meet and, above all, we women, to Mary’s strength, to the good offer our cooperation to our Ministers, choose not to fal l into rivalry between news of the announced by Mary Magda - made up of reciprocity, appreciation of dif - women in order to obtain male lene. ferences, and mutual respect and esteem. approval We are aware that in some ecclesial realities We Ask: For this: the situation is evolving; but meanwhile, as • Respect for our commitment, the • We, adult women who have lived and adult women, every day we experience the chance to render a service coherent still are living their own faith journey, subordinate role of the woman in the with our competences and abilities decided to meet to share and exchange Church, making us feel more and more out opinions and we are ready to welcome of place and inadequate. We suffer the in - • That Presbyters, to whom our all those who will decide to join us ability of being seen and appreciated for communities are entrusted, understand our capabilities and skills, and this often de - and appreciate the feminine, that they • We want to express a clear message prives us of a real recognition. We see that have a healthy and peaceful about the kind of womanhood we the women exist in the community as long relationship with women, that they are think the Church needs as they solve the problems of the men, who psychologically mature people • We want to be known in order to prove are the protagonists; only the men. • That feminine vocational research be that inside the Church there are Whether it is the parish oratory, the eccle - taken into consideration, because it has women who do not submit themselves, sial movements or theological schools, the opened new and more articulated and try to call other sisters who feel proposed feminine model is always that of horizons, in a maturation of perspective disoriented by this traditionalistic wave a “crutch” supporting the male figure (pres - that needs attention and answers • We don’t give up insisting in byters, teachers, or husbands). There are no • To recognize the possibility for the consequential and legitimate requests, glimmers for feminine skills to go beyond women to get nearer to the core of the such as being ordained to render procreation, caring, or support for men, ex - ecclesial life, and to assign the right woman-presbiteral service cept for those who seriously renounce to value to the authentic desire of the their womanliness. women to take part in a more active Cagliari 6th February 2018, memory of St. Along our paths we have seen how the ministerial role, including the Paul Miki and companions. sacramental one. Therefore it is faith of the woman and the adherence to This manifesto had been signed by 87 European women as we went to press. 12 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Book Review

Elizabeth A. Johnson, Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God One of the interesting characteristics of Cre - for a Planet in Peril , Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2018. 256 pp. ation and the Cross is Johnson’s use in it of a Hardback $28. ISBN #13 9781626982666. question and answer format, adopted, iron - ically enough, from the very book in which Reviewed by Marion Ronan Anselm of Canterbury presents his satisfac - tion theory. Anselm says that he uses this y friends, we’ve got a problem. Canterbury—the “satisfaction theory” of format to make his thought accessible, and redemption. According to this theory, Jesus that is surely what Johnson is doing as well. died on the cross to atone—to pay the debt M owed to God—for human sin. And since The argument that creation is at the heart Despite 2017 being the third hottest year on the rest of creation—animals, plants, all bi - of the faith is by no means a new one for record, large swaths of California going up otic entities—cannot sin, redemption, salva - Johnson; it plays a central role in a number in flames, and massive storms flooding tion, the essence of the Christian faith, of her earlier works, most recently, Ask the Houston, South Florida and Puerto Rico, a applies to humans, and humans alone. Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love (2014). majority of U.S. Christians still aren’t much And her claim that God suffers with all cre - concerned about climate change. Like most But, Johnson argues compellingly, redemp - ation was precisely what caused the U.S. problems, the causes of this one are com - tion is about a great deal more than human Conference of Catholic Bishops to con - plex. But as historian Lynn White argued sin; it’s about the compassionate mercy of demn her 2011 book, Quest for the Living already in 1967, a major reason for this God for all of creation, groaning and long - God . That condemnation was based in the deadly apathy is the dualism between spirit ing together for liberation from suffering. same dualist notion that suffering is exclu - and matter that permeates much Christian In her usual clear and frequently lyric style, sively the result of sin as Anselm’s satisfac - thinking. Johnson draws on the Hebrew Bible and tion theory, a notion Laudato Si’ has surely the Christian New Testament to demon - laid to rest. strate that such a redemption of all creation a major reason for this deadly has been part of the Christian tradition But moving the symbol of the cross into the center of her theology makes that theology apathy is the dualism between from the outset. She calls this understand - ing of redemption “accompaniment theol - available to a much wider range of readers spirit and matter that permeates ogy.” than her previous books did. May the com - passionate Redeemer of all creation convert much Christian thinking My favorite chapter in Johnson’s delin - us, Catholics and Protestants alike, from ap - eation of this accompaniment theology of athy to a passionate concern about climate redemption is the next-to the-last one, “God change and the other environmental crises More than half a century after Lynn of All Flesh: Deep Incarnation.” The creator that confront us. White’s provocative indictment of dualism, God Jesus Christ is, Johnson explains, the Marian Ronan is Research Professor of Catholic ecofeminist theologian Elizabeth Johnson, God of all flesh, with flesh not signifying Studies at New York Theological Seminary, NY, in her splendid new book, Creation and the sin alone, as the dualism between spirit and NY, and prolific author, and most recently, co- Cross , offers a remedy. White focused on matter suggests, but the finitude and death author of Women of Vision: Sixteen the “dominion theory,” the Christian belief suffered by all creation, including God’s Founders of the International Grail Move - that God had given humans “dominion” own son. But with the resurrection, this ment (Apocryphile Press, 2107). She was presi - over all earth’s creatures. Johnson homes in “flesh was called to life again in trans - dent of the WOC board from 2000 to 2002. on another source of the human/nature bi - formed glory.” And, as St. Paul writes, the nary, this one devised by the eleventh-cen - hope promised to all in this transformation tury theologian, Anselm of “has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.”

Medieval Feminist Monasticism...continued from page 11

This puts forth an understanding that the 13th century, and during this time, the death. When the Queen of Spain heard women are not made as a problem, but that word theology was reserved only for men. about her book, she wanted to read it. So Mary Magdalene is a spiritual being who Women could be mystics, so she’s talking seven years after the abbess died, the nuns knows God. about the fact of opening the world to God. of the monastery gave it to the press. This She compares this to giving birth. She Some of the main texts in Buddhism trans - book was one of the most printed and well- means that at the monastery when they form women into men in order to achieve respected books of her time. would write there is only one of us who illumination and the discrimination against Mary E. Hunt: Thanks so much, Teresa. I’m gives birth. But everybody else is helping to women keeps reappearing in all major reli - glad you’ve called Isabel and Gertrude into give birth, they are part of the process. So gions. It’s refreshing that Isabel de Villena, our circle today. I think it’s a new conversa - in her view, the text that’s being produced in the 15th century, so boldly considers that tion that you’re opening from the 15th cen - will look alike to the one who is giving being a woman not only does not hinder tury. birth, but others will help and that’s how it her theology, but also helps her to under - will come alive. So this is another example stand it better. that shows the importance and potential of Another theologian, Gertrude of Helfta , women doing theology. Isabel de Villena’s speaks of theology as giving birth. She book was enjoyed within the monastery. It doesn’t use the word theology, she’s from wasn’t distributed widely until after her

Spring 2018 • www.womensordination.org 13 Book Review Christine Schenk, CSJ, Crispina and Her Sisters: Women and Authority in Early Christianity, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2017. 470 pages. Paperback, $29.00; e-book $15.65 [pages listed in the review below are from the e-book]; ISBN-10: 1506411886 ISBN-13: 978-1506411880. Reviewed by Sheila Peiffer

hoebe, Junia, Prisca, Lydia, Syntyche, Crispina, Thecla—we may be familiar we come to realize that there is Pwith one or two of these names, but compelling evidence that women unless we are scholars of early Christianity, they don’t roll off our tongues the way may have been more active than Matthew, Andrew, Peter, Paul, and men in the early Church Barnabas do. Yet, as we learn very early on in Christine Schenk’s thorough investigation of female Christian sarcophagus portraits, women not only figures—and each category of ornamenta - were followers of Jesus while he was living tion is dissected and analyzed. While the and teaching, but also were “considerably archaeological particulars may at times be - more influential in the spread of early come overwhelming to the casual reader, Christianity than is generally appreciated.” the scholarly attention to detail is what associate the female sex per se with heresy.” (Loc 223) In fact, as we absorb this vast yields the compelling evidence that women (Loc 8643) array of information about the visual were, indeed, esteemed figures of biblical portrayals of women in the first centuries learnedness and religious authority. After reading Crispina and Her Sisters, I not only plan to book a trip to Rome as soon as and also the writings that refer to them, we Schenk balances the archaeological fine come to realize that there is compelling possible to see this fascinating array of cata - points with helpful summaries of the comb depictions in person, I also want to evidence that women may have been more Greco-roman culture in which Christianity active than men in the early Church. know more about these many accom - took root and some of the early church pol - plished, courageous, and generous women Schenk gives a detailed accounting of the itics and theological debates that bear on who helped to shape the spirituality, theol - visual imagery that is found in catacomb the history of the suppression of women’s ogy, and social mission of the early Church. and tomb art for Christian women in early roles. Chapter 8, in particular, brings to life Schenk is cautious and does not use the centuries, but especially the 3rd and 4th some important Church Mothers whom we contemporary word “priest,” but we know centuries where, as she says, “a fascinating should all know mo re about, like Macrina that, as she says, we need to reclaim these picture emerges of women’s authority in (both of them!), Melania (both of them!), “countless women who witness that they the early church, a picture either not avail - Olympias, Proba, and others. We also learn are made in God’s image and called to able or sadly (and we learn later sometimes how Pope Damasus (305-384) systematically serve in persona Christi .” (Loc 9292) deliberately) distorted in the written his - altered the catacombs to promote male tory.” (169) She painstakingly charts and martyrs and suppress the memory of early Sheila Peiffer is a co-editor of NWNC , and describes all the various components of the women martyrs and powerful female pa - serves as President of WOC’s board of directors. pictures on the sarcophagi—the different trons and how in the 4th century we see She lives in Connecticut with her husband, types of faces or portraits, the speech ges - the beginning of the “distressing tendency Steven, a Methodist minister. They have four tures, the symbolic objects, the peripheral on the part of churchmen to symbolically children and five grandchildren.

14 New Women, New Church • Spring 2018 Movie Review Movie Review: Created Equal: The Fight for Equality Shows No Mercy, directed by Bill Duke; screenplay by Michael Ricigliano, Theta Catalon, Joyce Renee Lewis, Ned Bowman; produced by Jane Kennedy, Jeff Steen, Theta Catalon, Mike Crawford, Michael Pearce, Karlas Powell, 2017. Reviewed by Kate Kelly

Spoiler Alert. If you have not yet seen the attorney’s relationship with film and do not want plot points to be pre - Catholicism, not the protago - emptively revealed, return to this article nist. In fact, after the screen - after you’ve seen the film. ing, the actor Aaron Tveit s a woman who was said that that’s one thing that excommunicated for advocating for attracted him to the script as female ordination in my own a Catholic man that it A “showed how both sides are church, I was particularly primed to enjoy the film “Created Equal” enthusiastically. I equally right.” It took all of went to see it during its New York premier my willpower not to jump up with another friend from Ordain Women, a and interrupt him and shout, movement I founded to advocate for “No! There are not two equal Mormon women to be ordained. We were sides to this story. Gender excited for the film because not many discrimination is never understand the issue of fighting for gender ‘right.’” equality in a faith context. So I am always After a series of events, and at thrilled to see the issues religious women the conclusion of the film, the face brought to mainstream media venues. nun loses her case. Com - pletely implausibly, she goes back to work at the Catholic its approach to the wildly elementary school as if noth - complicated lives of faithful ing had happened. She sur - rounds herself with children feminists fell flat and shrugs, as if to say that they have “lived to fight another day.” I know that this is a drama and not a docu - largely from the perspective of a man was While the film is well acted and poignant at mentary film, but this tone-deaf conclusion not lost on me. absolutely floored me. I asked in the Q & A times, its approach to the wildly compli - While I am excited to see that the topic of if the film makers thought that was a realis - cated lives of faithful feminists fell flat. The female ordination caught the attention of tic ending to the Catholic Church being plot follows a young nun, Alejandra Batista the filmmakers enough to pursue it, I was sued in federal court. They seemed to (Edy Ganem), who works as a teacher in a let down by the framing and the final prod - shrug it off, not even considering how ex - Catholic elementary school but wants to be uct. I think more stories about women reli - traordinarily caustic an adversarial relation - ordained a priest. She is sincere and faithful gious need to be told from the perspective ship like that would become. and tells the priest in the film that she of women. Our stories represent the uni - wants to lead. This nun aspiring to the versal struggle of people realizing they are priesthood connects with a young, brash, part of an institution that discriminates playboy lawyer named Tommy Reilly The irony of a film about a against them and we need to see them (Aaron Tveit), who represents her in her woman whose entire life is courageously standing up to those injus - legal case against the Church. I am a tices. That story arch can appeal to people lawyer, and know that legal dramas typi - mediated by male leaders being across the board, regardless of religion. I cally deviate from actual courtroom proce - filmed largely from the perspective hope more films are made that do better dure, so I’ll set the legal issues with the justice to this struggle. fictional case aside. of a man was not lost on me. Kate Kelly is an international human rights at - As soon as lawyer Tommy Reilly comes on torney and the current U.S. Human Rights Fel - screen, the entire plot revolves not around low at Columbia Law School’s Human Rights The sad icing on the disappointing cake the ostensible subject of the movie—a Institute. She founded a movement called Or - was the final scene when we leave the nun woman seeking gender justice—but dain Women to advocate for gender justice in at the elementary school, and pan again to around the deeply flawed, yet gentle man the Mormon Church and was excommunicated the male character. The entire film ends on trying to save her. I was honestly surprised in 2014. to see this type of tired old trope in a movie him opening a door. The visual injustice of purporting to be about such a progressive a scene like that in a movie supposedly feminist issue. The pair go back and forth about gender justice was jarring. The irony throughout the film, but oddly the primary of a film about a woman whose entire life is conflict seems to be the impact of the male mediated by male leaders being filmed

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