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May 3, 2015  

Roman Catholic Women Priests Fight For Inclusion—For ALL

Here is another excellent article on the ordination of the seven women to the Roman Catholic Priesthood in New Jersey on April 25,2015. This is by Mark Di Ionno in the Star Ledger. 

I also want to thank the over 50,000 viewers and mounting who have seen my blog on this thus far . Only a very small percent-50 or so, have written what is easily termed hate mail full of self righteousness and ignorance. For them we pray. We are thankful for the opportunity to shed light on the fact that Roman Catholic Women Priests are already here! Thanks be to God! 

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

Co-Pastor of The Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community

STAR LEDGER-Mark Di Ionno

The call to religious vocation came at different times in different ways. For some, it was a thunderclap, a great moment of clarity. For others, it was a building crescendo after a lifetime of being in harmony with their faith.

But the seven women ordained as Catholic priests last weekend in Morristown all agree on this: Their call to a religious pastoral life was genuinely sent by God and is as pure as any man’s.

“For me, it was when I received my first Holy Communion,” said Susan Schessler. “In that instant, I felt a very personal bond with Christ that was not breakable. Christ was there to me, and I was there to Christ. Like any relationship, we’ve had our ups and downs.”

Schessler’s communion was 68 year ago at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Orange. What followed was a life of religious service with the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell. She taught school, directed religious education and then immersed herself in helping children in the inner cities.

But she — like the other women ordained last weekend and their sister priests around the world — had a growing dissatisfaction with the “lack of inclusivity” and “ego domination” of the male hierarchy.

I was tired of people telling God how to be God.’ Susan Schlessler, ordained woman priest

“I was tired of people telling God how to be God,” she said.

Two years ago, at age 73, she made the decision to seek priesthood and said “the freedom that came with that decision is the freest I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Inclusivity is a word the Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) organization is built upon. The movement began in Germany in 2002 with seven women who were ordained on the Danube River by an Argentine Catholic bishop who cut his ties to Rome and began a church he believed would be more progressive.

Those women chose ex-communication by Rome, which, simply put, is like leaving a club you were never allowed to join.

So they started their own branch of the club and there are now 208 women priests worldwide, following Saturday’s ordainment.

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Seven women ordained Roman Catholic priests in MorristownSeven women were ordained Roman Catholic priests by a dissident organization called the Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown N.J. The ceremony was led by Andrea Johnson, Bishop of the Eastern Region of RCWP. Including this ceremony, there are now 208 catholic women priests worldwide. (Video by Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

“We did not leave our religion. We love being Catholic; it is a faith of great hope and great promise,” said Andrea Johnson, a self-described “Jersey Girl” from Ventnor, who is bishop of the Eastern Region of the RCWP in Annapolis, Md.

Again, simply put, the women believe the Catholic faith is to the Vatican what democracy is to the U.S. government. One is a philosophy, the other is a hierarchical bureaucracy.

Johnson ordained the seven women at Morristown’s (Episcopalian) Church of the Redeemer. In her homily, she described the “mission of Roman Catholic Women Priests (as) standing firmly within Roman Catholic tradition, yet pushing the envelope and creating a safe and welcoming space for all.”

“We are obedient to the Holy Spirit and disobedient to unjust laws,” said Kathleen Gibbons Schuck, 59, a Summit native now living in Blue Bell, Pa.

Her moment of clarity came in 2012 after Mass one day. She was deeply involved in her local parish as a Eucharistic minister, Gospel reader, teacher and fundraiser, but the monsignor always greeted her husband first.

“My daughter (Ann, then 15) asked, ‘Why is that monsignor treats Daddy so differently than he treats you?’ ” Schuck said. “That was like the wake-up call. I remember in my own (church) upbringing that the women did the work and the men made the decisions. I thought it was time to stand up.”

The entrance hymn to the ceremony was “All Are Welcome,” as a procession of clergy accompanied the seven women through the ornate stone edifice and nave of the Gothic church. It’s interesting to note that the Church of the Redeemer started in 1852, breaking off from another Episcopal church in Morristown that was pro-slavery.

That progressive tradition is obviously still alive, as the church welcomed not only the women priests but a group of married male Catholic priests who also practice outside the reach of Rome.

One is Michael Corso, who was ordained in the Archdiocese of Newark in 1983, but left to marry. He is the pastor of Sophia Inclusive Catholic Community in Sparta. The church was founded by Mary Ann Schoettly, New Jersey’s first RCWP member who was ordained six years ago. Schoettly, a mother of three and a grandmother, died last July.

The ceremony followed the rituals of ordainment for male priests. The women lay on the church floor in “prostration,” a symbol of humility during the long Litany of Saints. In the most emotional moment of the ceremony, the congregation joined in the “laying of hands” on the women, a tradition that invokes the Holy Spirit. The women had their hands anointed with oil and received their vestments, chalices and patens. Then, with hands clasped together and held high, they were celebrated as new priests by the estimated 400 people in attendance who stood and cheered.

But the differences between Rome-scripted ordainment and the RCWP’s ceremony were apparent. One was the gender-neutral liturgy. The word Lord was absent. God was not exclusively called Father, but Creator God, Creator Spirit and Life-Giving Mother, Gentle Father. Christ’s disciples, a heavily male-oriented word, were described as friends. The prayer over the Eucharist is said by the whole church, meaning the congregation shares the power to bring the body and blood of Christ into their midst.

The women priests and other clergy also received Holy Communion last, not first, a RCWP tradition that speaks to a “leadership of servanthood” rather than “privilege,” as Johnson said in her homily.

Most important, the RCWP does not believe their priests are more godly than anyone else. In the Roman Catholic Church tradition, male priests are said to be ontologically changed by the Holy Spirit when they are ordained.

“I’m no more or less divine than I’ve always been,” said Schuck. “We believe the Holy Spirit is equally present in everyone.”

The women, and the men who support them, don’t see themselves as pioneers as much as the first standard-bearers of inevitable change.

“Most of these women were already (experienced) ministers; for them, this is a reality that already exists,” Corso said. “This is just the beginning of their acceptance.”

All the women hold various or multiple masters or doctoral degrees in education, health, social work and theology. Some came from the business world, like Schuck, who was a telecommunications executive; others, like Schessler, spent years in religious service. Now, they will serve in what they call “inclusive Eucharistic ministries” in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

“We bring an aspect of inclusiveness that people want,” Johnson said. “We are as capable, if not more capable, of doing the pastoral work our communities need.”

And like any social change, the old rules will seem archaic to future generations.
“I think when people look back in, say, 100 years, they’ll ask, ‘What was the big deal?’ ” Schuck said. “And really, what was the big deal?”

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger

May 1, 2015  

Pruned and Cleansed: A RC Woman Priest’s Homily for Sunday May 3, 2015, Fifth Sunday of Easter

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There is a red- magenta flowered Bougainvillea tree (or bush) in front of our house. My neighbor planted it as a gift about five years ago. It was a small plant when it started and it took a long time to flower beyond a few blooms. With hope and patience, we cut and pruned it’s scraggily, long, thorny and uneven branches hoping for something beautiful to appear. We have the marks to prove that it did not like being pruned.  We first began to notice that at Christmas it bloomed beautifully and added to our Christmas joy. Then, by the fourth or fifth year it burst forth with blooms everywhere lasting all year.  It still needs occasional pruning, sometimes long asymmetric bloomless shoots dart forth. We cut them off and enjoy the abundant and magnificent color all year. The cut-off shoots wither and die quickly.

There are banana trees in our rear yard that also need pruning. When they are not cut properly no fruit is formed just big green leaves. Our friends from St. Lucia showed us how, when and where to cut them down or back. When pruned carefully clusters of bananas grow into maturity. This is nothing short of miraculous to one from the inner city of New York.

I remember climbing in the back yard grape vines of my Italian neighbors when I was a child. We were delighted when we found sweet edible grapes. Sometimes we bit into bitter sour grapes and we had no idea why some were sweet and some were sour and some had no fruit.

Jesus likened himself to the vine and his precious followers to branches of the vine. We are organically connected to Christ, one with Christ, as long as we practice what we have been taught-to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors-all of them-everywhere- as ourselves. On the Vine we are also organically connected to one another. The Epistle of First John (3:18-24) tells us that we cannot pay mere lip-service to love, we must live it, love is an action word. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said “My vocation is to love. Love is not words it is action”. I am so thankful for all of the volunteers and members who love and serve one another in our Good Shepherd church and for the other churches, individuals and groups that freely and generously give so that our people may be housed and fed, clothed and sheltered and receive the benefits of education and learning enrichment.

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So to remain on the vine we must ask ourselves-what are we DOING to live love and justice?  What are we doing with and for the outcast of all types, the poor and the different, “the least of these our brothers and sisters?” What are we doing in the face of injustice toward people of difference-toward the LGBTQ community? Toward those with mental illness, mental challenges and AIDS and other horrible diseases? Toward those who experience licensed brutality of law authorities and to all of those who experience random violence from one another as well as from the Law? We all know about the death of Freddie Gray in Maryland and the response of some of the youth in the community. Rather than sit and condemn can we understand how it is to BE them and face police authority whether justly or unjustly apprehended. Here in SW Florida in Cape Coral, a young white man was unjustly apprehended and beaten badly by police authorities last year. There are protests here too. Here, as elsewhere, it is as much about class as race though the double whammy of both doubles the jeopardy of discrimination and pre-judging. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed when he allied himself with poor whites and others as well as blacks. Christ lives in the ghetto and in the hearts and hopes of all who are lowest income as well as the well to do. Where are we, the so-called followers of Christ? Have we followed him to where the rocks are flying and the guns are killing and the people are frightened?  Can we also understand how it is to BE law authority when random violence is directed at them for doing their very difficult jobs? Can we understand how it all has gone wrong-toward hate and not love. How lawlessness and violence are signs that love is dying on the vine.  Jesus is saying that if we do nothing but talk our faith we are not abiding in him, in his teaching, and we are bearing no fruit. We will become dead wood, dead branches, no longer connected to Love and Life.  Roger Karban once said-if we merely worship Christ and do not LIVE what Christ said and did we do not “get it”. And if we do not get it, our communities suffer and die as well.  Some die in conflagration. Some die in self-indulgence. Dying is dying-the question is how can the church be relevant to the death all around us if we too are dying on the vine?

To take it one step farther, the church itself is dying on the vine when it conveys lack of acceptance and injustice to any of our brothers and sisters in our communities and in our church.  To refuse anyone at the Table of Christ is unloving and unjust. To refuse anyone baptism or last rites, or burial in ‘hallowed ground’ is the opposite of Christ-like.  To refuse Holy Orders to anyone called by God and prepared is unloving and unjust. To attempt to cut ordained women and openly gay or married priests off from the sacrament of Holy Communion, use of faculties and Christian burial is vengeful, unloving and unjust.  It is also impossible as no one can undo our baptisms or our calls or sever us from the love of Christ. No one. We recall with Sunday’s reading from Acts (9:26-31) that the Apostle Paul was initially maligned and rejected by the disciples in Jerusalem and that Barnabas took charge and mediated for him, introducing him to the disciples. Today we are thankful that there are those like Barnabas who do this for women priests and others rejected by the church authorities.  So, it is not we who are ultimately cut off, nor have we cut ourselves off or died on the vine. It is the church itself that is being pruned by the God who loves it so that it can bear good fruit. Not the fruit of self righteous traditionalism, paternalism, or misogyny, or heterosexism, or class entitlement and greed but the true fruit of love, inclusion and connection to the Vine forever.

The Greek word for “prune” in the scriptures (kathairo) is also the word for “cleanse”.  Even as Jesus cleansed the Temple of cultic blood sacrifice, mercenary pursuits, excessive and unending legalisms, and hypocritical posturing, today Christ prunes the church of its adherence to traditions that exclude, vilify, and actually promote hate instead of love. For those who “get it” we are thankful to God. For those who respond with hateful vindictive words and ugly actions, we are praying for you.

This Sunday the Gospel text, John 15:1-8, is the seventh and final I AM statement of Jesus. Each statement reveals another unique and divine aspect of who Jesus is and how we are connected to him: Bread of life (Jn 6:35), Light (Jn8:12), door of the sheep (Jn 10:7,9), good shepherd (Jn:10-11,14), The Resurrection and the Life (Jn 11:25) the Way (Jn14:6) and finally the Vine (Jn15:1,5). In Aramaic this also allies Jesus, the Christ, with ‘true religion’.  Religion that is hateful and vengeful toward any of God’s people is not true. What is true is what is loving. What is true is living love.  This last claim and offering of himself to his followers as the Vine takes place shortly before he is betrayed by Judas and arrested. Jesus is assuring them and us that we are an organic part of him and of one another, and as we continue to follow/act on his words of love and justice we remain both connected and fruitful, come what may.

Thanks be to God!

With love and prayers,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

Co-Pastor The Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community of Fort Myers

May 1, 2015  

Woman RC Priest Martha Sherman Responds in Counterpoint

Here is an article from the Chicago Sun-Tiimes with accurate history-herstory and the testimony of a woman Roman Catholic Priest.

JL

Counterpoint: Church fails to fully include women

Posted: 05/01/2015, 04:27pm | Rev. Martha Sherman
In 2005 in Lyon, France, in a ceremony that made news internationally, Genevieve Beney was ordained a priest, though Catholic Church leaders said she automatically would be prohibited from receiving the Church’s sacraments.

The Roman Catholic Church, a mammoth institution plodding through history, changes slowly. Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich and others may move towards fuller inclusion of women, but until they extend all seven sacraments to women, the Roman Catholic Church will not reach wholeness.

Until the Church accepts women as truly equal, the fullness of God’s creation will not be.

OPINION

Modern scholars have unearthed evidence that the Roman Catholic Church ordained women to be deacons, priests and even bishops in its history.  The Vatican commissioned a study of scripture to uncover impediments to the ordination of women.  The scripture scholars found none.  The Catholic Church praises the many gifts of women, yet claims the ordination of women is impossible, they claim they simply cannot do it.

I am a child of the Second Vatican Council.  I spent 16 years in Catholic Schools and then taught in them for another eight.  By the time I was in second grade I had memorized the Eucharistic Prayers at Mass. When the priest would invite us to encircle the altar during the liturgy of the Eucharist I felt like I was concelebrating with the priest, even though I was still in elementary school.  When I was entering the convent in the 1980s, my then 70-year-old aunt suggested that I was better suited for the priesthood. I laughed and then tried to be a good sister. But avoiding God’s call is not an option for me and hundreds of other women.

The truth is that women can be ordained and for the past eleven years women have been validly ordained, by bishops in apostolic succession and good standing through the Roman Catholic Womenpriest movement.  The response of the US Bishops has been the excommunication of those women who “attempt” ordination. I urge my brother priests and the Catholics in the pews to demand justice through the inclusion of women priests.

Parishes close or consolidate while women priests gather with Catholics in homes and Protestant churches across the globe to celebrate the Eucharist.  Some people say that I, a Roman Catholic woman priest, should just join the Episcopal Church to be a priest. My response is, “I am Catholic, the Church is the people of God, it is my church.  God called and I answered with my whole being.”  Who are we to say no when God calls?

Martha Sherman, who lives in Salem, SD, was ordained a priest by the Roman Catholic Womenpriests of the Midwest Region in 2013 in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

April 29, 2015  

We, Roman Catholic Women Priests Are Here To Stay: Pope Francis,Please Open The Door!

Here are two landmark articles and a link to a third that continue the discourse on women ordained as Roman Catholic Priests.

By Kevin Coughlin From MorristownGreen.com

It was the Lord’s Prayer… but with an updated introduction:

“God, our mother and father … “

And there were a few other little changes in Saturday’s Catholic Mass in Morristown.

For starters, the priests were women.

Which is why the service was celebrated in the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, not a Catholic sanctuary.

An organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests ordained seven women, who invited excommunication by defying centuries of canon law from the Vatican.

Priests from the Roman Catholic Womenpriests, a dissident group, after ordinations in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Pope Francis has been emphatic on the question of women priests, declaring in 2013: “The church has spoken and says no… That door is closed.”

“It’s a man-made law from the middle-Middle Ages that does not ring true to what we know about men and women and who we are as human beings. We have a very different view of humanity today than we did at that time,” countered RCWP Bishop Andrea Johnson, who traveled from Annapolis, MD, to preside over the ordinations.

Johnson said she anticipates women priests eventually will become part of Catholic orthodoxy–because people will demand it.

Sex abuse scandals — which have cost the U.S. Catholic Church nearly $3 billion since 2004, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — could have been averted if women served alongside men as priests, Johnson said.

“I think we would have had a much different scene,” the bishop said. “Investigations would have been immediate and very straightforward.”

Established in Germany in 2002, RCWP now counts about 200 women priests in Europe and North- and South America; the majority are in the United States.

The Rev. Susan Schessel, newly ordained by the Roman catholic Womenpriests, gives wine at communion in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“We are committed to a ministry that is all-inclusive, and we believe that the law of the church that prohibits women from being ordained is an unjust law,” said the Rev. Susan Schessler, a former nun from High Bridge who was ordained into the RCWP priesthood on Saturday.

When the Archdiocese of Newark — unjustly, in her opinion–fired some priests who were her friends, Schessler said she resolved to press for changes by pursuing ordination.

“Enough is enough,” she said.

Asked why she did not convert to the Episcopalian faith, which welcomes female clergy, Schessler said she loves the Catholic church and wishes to help bring reforms.

“We are prophetic people, believing that the Catholic Church needs reformation in terms of its work in dealing with women, and others as well in the human race,” said Schessler, a nun for 32 years who now volunteers with a Newark group that advocates for the disadvantaged.  She plans to establish a ministry in Bergen County.

The other new priests hail from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maryland.

They were installed during a service that ran more than two hours, in front of pews packed with friends and family who applauded and cheered at the event’s conclusion. The ceremony included a ritual in which the initiates prostrated themselves on the church floor.

Traditional hymns were punctuated with liturgical dancing by The Rwandan Women in Diaspora.Communion was offered to everyone. The communion wafer, symbolizing the body of Jesus Christ, was gluten-free. The wine, representing the blood of Christ, was alcohol-free.  The women priests received communion after everyone else.

The Rev. Cynthia Black, pastor of Redeemer, said her church was thrilled to host the service.

“It’s part of our DNA to support and be hospitable to women in this way, especially to our Roman sisters,” she said.

Bishop Johnson’s closing blessing was delivered “in the name of our Mother and Father, God.”

Rev. Judy’s explanation of Mother/Father God: 

Indeed, the early feminist theologian Mary Daly said it well: “If God is male then male is God”. Clearly throughout the Scriptures there are feminine images of God: in Hebrew:  Shekeinah-the breasted one, El Shaddai-Sophia Wisdom, Ruah. Jesus used the Aramaic word Abwoon in his prayer for the disciples and it means Birther God. What is masculine about that? Jesus chose feminine imagery when he said of Jerusalem: “I have longed to gather your children together ,as a hen gathers her children under her wings…(Matthew 23:37”  In another place the fierce love and  protection of God is likened to a bear protecting her cubs. As Jeanette Clancy says “God is not three men on a cloud , two with beards”. God is Spirit and we are all made in the image of God, all- the male and female of us. hence we pray God, our Mother/Father. 

In the second article below we see that Pope Francis is passionate and courageous in calling for equal pay for women. Yet,women who are ordained Roman Catholic Priests support themselves, and sometimes their churches when they work primarily with the very poor. It is disheartening to see Pope Francis “holding the line” that the door to the priesthood is closed to women when In 1974 the Pontifical Biblical Commission said that there was nothing in Scripture to prevent women’s ordination. It is only man-made tradition that developed canon law and negated( after the twelfth century) the presence of women priests, deacons and bishops in the early church. Most likely one man, even the Pontiff, could not change this  cannon law/tradition made in a paternalistic era long gone by without great difficulty and risk, if at all. But Pope Francis is prophetic in so many other ways that his leadership in this would  crack the door open a little letting light in. We call upon Pope Francis to let his light shine on women’s ordination. He has to know that we are validly but illicitly ordained. The validity of the ordination through a male bishop in good standing whose name will be revealed upon his death will not be questioned. We are in prophetic obedience to break the unjust canon law 1024 in order to bring in a new era of justice and accountability in the church. There are over two hundred of us in the world and the number is increasing rapidly. We are not going away and joining or forming other churches. We are in the best prophetic traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. We are concerned with the recognition that God can call whomever God calls to be priests. We will serve without pontifical or curia affirmation, God has called. We have answered-no matter what penalties men impose. Some courageous male priests have risked everything to stand with us-Fr. Roy Bourgeois and Fr.Bill Brennan among them. Many other male priests  stand in silent assent. How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of the messengers of God.

This is the link to an article that includes Fr. Brennan’s sacrificial support of women’s ordination. 

http://www.wisn.com/news/woman-excommunicated-because-she-was-ordained/32622324

 The second article is from RT.COM

Pure scandal’: Pope Francis slams pay disparity between men & women

Published time: April 29, 2015 17:08 RT.com

Pope Francis (Reuters / Max Rossi)

Pope Francis (Reuters / Max Rossi)

Pope Francis in a highly emotional appeal called for equal pay for men and women during his weekly General Audience in St Peter’s Square, Rome.

“Why is it taken for granted that women must earn less than men? No! They have the same rights. The discrepancy is a pure scandal,” he said as cited by Reuters.

According to statistics from Eurostat, women in the EU were paid 16.4 percent less than men in 2013, while in the US a women earns 77 cents for every dollar a man is paid.

The pontiff called on Christians not to accept disparity between men and women.

“As Christians, we must become more demanding in this regard: for example, [by] supporting the right to equal retribution for equal work,” he said.

Francis said he wants women to have a greater role in the Catholic Church, but yet despite his forceful remarks on the status of women to date he still says the “door is closed” for women to become priests.

Advocates of female priesthood say the view of the Roman Catholic Church is outdated. Women priests have been ordained into the Anglican Church in relatively high numbers since the 1970’s but some provinces still only ordain men.”

OPEN THE DOOR AND LET THE LIGHT IN!

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

April 28, 2015  

Where Pope Francis Stands When It Comes To Women-Five Strikes But Not Out

Here is a good article by Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese that appeared first in ncronline and now in the printed National Catholic Reporter version from April 24-May 7. While some of it is cute and maybe lighthearted it is really quite serious and there are pearls of wisdom here-especially regarding women’s ordination.

Do check it out,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

Thomas Reese

When it comes to women, Pope Francis has five strikes against him, but he also has some good points.First strike: He is male. Any man who thinks he has something to say about women to women needs his head examined. The smartest thing men can do when it comes to women’s topics is shut up and listen.Second, he is celibate. Not having sex is not what makes celibates ignorant of women; it is not having a wife to set you straight when you say something dumb.Not having daughters is also a problem. “Get real, Dad!” is not something celibate males hear, but they should. Nor is there anything like cheering on your daughter’s soccer team to turn an otherwise Neanderthal male into a feminist.

Presidents of Jesuit high schools and colleges got scores of complaints from alumni when their institutions first went co-ed. A few years later, these same alumni were trying to get their daughters into Jesuit schools. Having a daughter makes a man more sympathetic to the rights of women.

Pardon the stereotyping, but the third strike against Francis is that he is Latin American. Latin American culture is patriarchal and paternalistic. Times are changing, but being “macho” is part of the Latin American male’s DNA.

The fourth strike against Francis is that he has no experience of first-world feminism. In the U.S., we have had decades to learn and absorb feminist views. It has been impossible to get a college education or watch television without being confronted with feminist perspectives. You may love it or hate it, but you can’t ignore it.

Pope Francis does not know the language of first-world feminism, so he often gets in trouble even when he is trying to say something nice about women. He falls back on the language of John Paul II and uses phrases like “complementarity” or “feminine genius.” Then, when he lists the special virtues of women (tender, patient, sensitive), the response is: “Shouldn’t men have these virtues? What about intelligence, courage, creativity?”

The fifth strike against him is his opposition to women’s ordination. Many women (and men) see this as the stained-glass ceiling in the church. As long as authority is linked to priesthood, women will have only an advisory role in the church and no real power. Why only men can preside at the Eucharist and other sacraments is not understandable to women who have seen almost all roles opened to them in society and culture.

Five strikes would normally more than put you out of the game, but Francis is no ordinary player. Most women still love Francis and can forgive him these failings because they love so many other things about him: his simplicity, his concern for the poor, his authenticity, his stress on compassion, etc.

But even on women’s issues, he is not a complete ignoramus. After all, he lived in the country of Eva Peron, who was one of the most powerful Argentines of the 20th century. As a young man, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a Peronista. And his country had a woman president long before the United States. True, he has had a rocky relationship with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, but he had the same problems with her husband when he was president.

So the first point is: He is used to seeing women in powerful political roles.

Second, although he may not have experience with first-world feminism, he did learn about women’s issues by listening to the concerns of women in the slums of Buenos Aires.

As archbishop, Bergoglio sat in the homes of scores of poor women, drinking mate and listening to their stories. They told him of the crushing burden of poverty and the need for jobs for both themselves and their husbands. This made him a strong critic of capitalism and globalization and a strong advocate of the government’s role in creating jobs. These women were not complaining about not becoming a CEO; they were afraid they could not put food on the table.

He also heard mothers worry about their daughters being kidnapped and forced into prostitution. The authorities would not care about a teenage girl who did not return to her home in the slums. Slum kids are not a priority. Even in the United States, have you noticed that most of the missing children who make the news are blonde and blue-eyed?

But Bergoglio cared, and he became a leader in the anti-trafficking movement in Argentina. For third-world girls and women, this is a huge issue.

In fighting human trafficking, Bergoglio teamed up with a female lawyer in Argentina. I met her in Washington and asked her, “What was it like working with Bergoglio?”

“It was wonderful,” she responded. “He did whatever I told him.”

And this is the third point: Bergoglio is not afraid of smart women. He is not afraid of women with power. He has no problem working for a woman. In fact, in the first job he had as a young chemist, he had a female boss who mentored him. He was always grateful to her for her guidance, and they became close friends for life. She was a Communist, and he tried to protect her and her family from the military government.

Perhaps the most hopeful thing Pope Francis has said about women is that the church needs a new theology of women in the church. Some feminists do not even like this language. What is needed, they would say, is a new theology of person — women should not be singled out. But let me put that objection aside for the moment.

The important point here is that the pope has admitted that we don’t have an adequate theology on women. This is an extraordinary statement from the official who used to be presented as the man who had an answer for everything. Certainly, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI could never have said this. John Paul surely thought his theology of the human person included a wonderful theology of women.

By saying that we need a better theology of women, Pope Francis threw John Paul’s theology of women under the bus.

By saying that the church does not have an adequate theology of women, the pope is inviting all the church (women and men, theologians and bishops), into a conversation about women.

In the long run, having this conversation in the church is probably more important than the pope simply mouthing some statements that feminists like. An ecclesial conversation on women’s issues would be good for the church, of which women make up at least half of the membership.

Feminists are not going to be happy with everything the pope will say, but no thinking person should ever expect to agree with everything another person says. What we can hope for is mutual respect and dialogue. I think the pope is ready for that.

Wait a minute. Didn’t I say that celibate males should shut up and listen? Whoops. Please ignore everything I just said.

[Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a senior analyst for NCR and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. His email address is treesesj@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @ThomasReeseSJ.]

April 27, 2015  

Pope Francis Exhorts Newly Ordained Priests on the Sacrament of Baptism-Refuse No One

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On Sunday 4/26/15 Pope Francis exhorted newly ordained priests to, I paraphrase the words of author Susan Ross, generously break open the alabaster box of the sacraments, speaking of baptism, he said “refuse no one”. We, Roman Catholic women priests are with you in freely giving the sacraments, Pope Francis. We pour the sacraments out extravagantly, as Jesus did, on all who ask.  We are pleased to hear your guidance to all priests on this sacrament of welcome and initiation into the body of Christ. I say in all humility, remember, too, Pope Francis, that through Christ and God’s mercy all of the sacraments are for all including the seven women ordained through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, on Saturday 4/25 and all Roman Catholic women priests who bestow sacraments on the people of God in the spirit you embrace in this homily.  We pray for you and for all the church as we ask God’s grace to pastor and not to manage as we serve,and are one with, the People of God.

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with love and prayers,

Rev.Dr. Judy Lee, Roman Catholic Woman Priest

Ordained 2008, Boston

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Francis: Priests should never refuse baptism to one who asks

  • Pope Francis and two newly ordained priests give a blessing Sunday during the “Regina Coeli” led from the window of the pope’s studio at the Vatican. The priests and 17 others were ordained by the pope during a liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica that morning. (CNS/Paul Haring)
Joshua J. McElwee  |  Apr. 27, 2015The Francis Chronicles    ncronline.com
ROME

In words that may be interpreted to rebut Catholic priests who refuse to baptize children of same-sex couples, Pope Francis has said that priests should not refuse baptism to anyone who asks for the sacrament.

Speaking in a homily Sunday for the ordination of 19 new priests for the diocese of Rome, Francis told the new ministers: “With baptism, you unite the new faithful to the People of God. It is never necessary to refuse baptism to someone who asks for it!”

The pontiff also in the homily personally pleaded that all priests be merciful when hearing confessions.

“With the sacrament of penance you forgive sins in the name of Christ and of the church,” the pope told the new priests. “And I, in name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, and of his spouse, the Holy Church, ask you to not tire of being merciful.”

“In the confessional, you will be there to forgive, not to condemn!” Francis exhorted. “Imitate the father that never tires of forgiving.”

The pope was speaking Sunday during the ordination Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Later in the day, Francis again called on priests and bishops around the world to think only of tending to Catholics in their care and to have no other ambitions or interests.

During remarks before the weekly noontime Sunday prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said those given leadership in the church are not called to be managers but servants that imitate a Jesus who deprived himself of everything and “saved us with his mercy.”

Francis tied together his message by meditating on the role of Jesus as the “Good Pastor,” which Catholics around the world celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Easter.

“The bad pastor thinks of himself and takes advantage of the sheep,” the pope said, giving definition to what a priest does. “The good pastor thinks of the sheep and gives of himself.”

Continuing, the pontiff said: “Unlike the corrupt, Christ the pastor is a thoughtful guide that participates in the life of his flock, not searching for other interests, not having other ambitions than those of guiding, feeding, protecting his sheep.”

“And all this to the highest price, that of the sacrifice of life,” said Francis.

Two of the new priests Francis ordained Sunday morning joined him at the window of the apostolic palace for the noontime Regina Coeli prayer, blessing the crowd with the pontiff.

Reflecting later during the prayer on the love of God, Francis that God’s love is the “highest and purest” because “it is not motivated from any necessity, it is not conditioned from any calculus, it is not attracted by any desire of exchange.”

But contemplating and giving thanks for that love, the pope said, is not enough.

“You need also to follow the Good Pastor,” he continued. “In particular, those who have the mission of guiding in the church — priests, bishops, popes — are called to assume not the mentality of the manager, but that of the servant in imitation of Jesus who depriving himself has saved us with his mercy.”

Later in the noontime prayer, Francis expressed his closeness to the people in Nepal who suffered a massive earthquake Saturday and then several substantial aftershocks Sunday.

At least 2,200 have been reported dead from the tremors in the Asian country.

“I wish to assure my closeness to the peoples stricken from a strong earthquake in Nepal and the bordering countries,” the pope said. “I pray for the victims, the wounded, and all those that suffer from this calamity.”

The pope expressed hope that the victims “have the support of fraternal solidarity” before leading people in the Square in recitation of the Hail Mary for all those affected.

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

April 26, 2015  

Seven Women Ordained Roman Catholic Priests in Morristown, New Jersey on April 25,2015

On Saturday April 24th in Morristown ,New Jersey, seven well prepared women were ordained Roman Catholic priests with Andrea Johnson, Bishop of the Eastern Region of Roman Catholic Women Priests-USA presiding. The women were Barbara Ann Beadles,  Norma Harrington, Patricia Shannon Jones, Susan Marie Schessler, Kathleen Gibbons Schuck, Ann Therese Searing and Mary Steinmetz.  The women had been deacons with RCWP- East since 2013 or 2014 and completed the Program of Preparation and mentoring as they continued to discern their call to serve as priests and developed their own ministries and churches. They hail from Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The holy and auspicious event was hosted by the Church of The Redeemer, an Episcopal church welcoming all within its doors. RCWP is indebted to the generous hospitality of this church and its Rector,Rev. Cynthia Black.  Rev. Black wrote the following about hosting the RCWP Ordinations:

“The Roman Catholic Womenpriests is a renewal movement that began in Germany with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River, in international waters, in 2002. They were ordained by three bishops in Apostolic succession (the names of two of them will only be released upon their death, but all details, including photographs, have been deposited in a safe deposit box until that time, so that no harm comes to these individuals). Subsequently, several womenbishops (their terminology) have also been ordained. We are excited about hosting this historic event…”

It was attended by over two hundred joyful supporters.

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The following is an article about the Ordinations from the MoristownGreen.com. Rev. Marellen Mayers,RCWP is currently the Administrator/Circle Leader of RCWP-USA Eastern Region and is also the President of the Board for RCWP-USA.

Catholic dissident group to ordain women priests in Morristown, April 25

MorristownGreen.com

April 25, 2015 by Kevin Coughlin 

Catholics who thought they never would live to see the ordination of women priests can witness it right here in Morristown, on Saturday, April 25, 2015.

A dissident organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests will ordain seven women at 2 pm, at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer.

The Vatican does not recognize females as priests, and has warned women that the ritual amounts to automatic excommunication, according to the Rev.Marellen Mayers, who has traveled from Baltimore for Saturday’s ceremony.

“Jesus calls both men and women,” Mayers countered.

Established in Germany in 2002, Roman Catholic Womenpriests now numbers about 200 women priests, mostly in the U.S., Mayers said.  They have staked a claim to “apostolic succession” — theological  legitimacy — based on ordinations they say were performed by Catholic bishops who they decline to name.

Asked in 2013 about the ordination of women, Pope Francis declared: “The church has spoken and says no… That door is closed.”

Wouldn’t it be easier for women to switch to the Episcopal Church, where they would be welcomed into the priesthood?

“I’m born and raised a Roman Catholic,” Mayers said. “As much as I appreciate the Episcopal Church and all they have done to further social justice, I’m Roman Catholic and want to further change in my church.”

One of the seven women to be ordained, Susan Schessler, is a retired school administrator from High Bridge, Mayers said. The others hail from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maryland.

About 200 people, including 25 priests from the sect, are anticipated to attend the two-hour service.

Morristown was chosen because it’s central to the ministry’s eastern region, which extends from Nova Scotia to Florida, and because it’s near where the Rev. Mary Ann Schoettly  preached until her death last year, Mayers said.

The Sophia Inclusive Catholic Community worships in Harding and Sparta.

Services celebrated by the Roman Catholic Womenpriests differ from traditional Catholic masses in more than priestly gender.  Anyone can take communion. And the liturgical language is more “inclusive,” Mayers said.

Instead of parishes or congregations, these women priests lead “inclusive communities,” which gather in rented halls or homes, as early Christians did, Mayers said.

There are no seminaries for these women.  Requirements for the priesthood generally include a master’s degree in divinity/ theology, parish experience, and psychological screening, Mayers said.

Many of the candidates are former nuns, Mayers said. Others are retirees or work day jobs, because they are not paid for their ministries.  Mayers works as a preschool administrator; she had to forego her career as a Catholic school theology teacher when she pursued the priesthood.

“That’s how strong the calling is,” she said. “It gets to the point where that’s what you’re being called to do.”

The Vatican’s insistence on celibate male priests, stretching back centuries, is rooted not in theology, but rather in protecting church property from being handed down to heirs of clergy, Mayers said.

Yet she contends the modern church would have saved enormous sums — and spared many children from trauma — by ordaining women.

“If men and women were in the ministry all along, the pedophile scandal never would have happened,” Mayers said. “Women would have held men accountable.”

Copyright 2015 Morristown Green

CONGRATULATIONS to the New Priests!

with love and blessings,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP

April 25, 2015  

I Have Other Sheep: Rev. Judy’s Homily 4th Sunday of Easter 4/26/2015

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Collect: Our Loving God, Our Parent and Eternal Shepherd,

We thank you for Jesus the risen Christ who lives and still shepherds us. When we get lost you seek us out,you protect us and guide us. You know us and call us by name. You suffered as Jesus died unjustly and you raised him up. He freely gave his life for us, and for the whole world. Help us to pour out our lives for one another and for all of your children everywhere, leaving none out. Grant this in the name of Jesus, the Christ who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forevermore. Amen

Liturgy of the Word

Acts 4:8-12 Peter and John heal a crippled man in Jesus name. ( In Jesus Aramaic language,”in Jesus Name” means in Jesus’ way and  with the same understanding of God as Jesus had-not just saying his name).

Psalm 118 R It was the stone rejected by the builders that has proved to be the keystone

I John 3:1-2 Abba God, We are the children of Abwoon/of our God the universal parent

Gospel: John 10: 11-18 I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and mine know me….

Homily Although we are in a time away and I will not be preaching at our church of the Good Shepherd in Fort Myers this week my heart remains with each one of our “sheep”. While most of our people have never seen sheep except at the petting farm we take our kids to in North Fort Myers, I am comfortable with the comparison-for myself and for our people.  We all are God’s creatures and in need of God’s loving guidance.  When away I  remember each one- their joys and pain, their triumphs and fears and failures, their struggles and needs. They are always with me as indeed we are always with Christ, our Good Shepherd.  As I also use this media to reach out to the other sheep who will not be able to join us at Good Shepherd one of my great joys is seeing this blog sail throughout the world to places I will never be able to go. It gives a whole new dimension to shepherding. I am humbled by this opportunity to reach sheep who Jesus describes as “not of this fold’. And I am pleased also to be shepherded in turn by those who are not here with me in this location, but are here in other ways and in spirit.

Today our Scriptures show us the love of the Shepherd for all sheep and Jesus’ claims to be the good shepherd,indeed he often spoke of his sheep in the gospels. The reading from Acts shows us as well what can be done in Jesus’ name. But let’s stop a moment and consider what that may mean. In Aramaic “Eshoo” (Yeshua/Joshua in Hebrew, Jesus in Greek) was a popular name of the times. It is surely not magic to pray and utter Eshoo. The power is not in just saying the name but in knowing God as Jesus did, as ourParent, our Abba/Amma Mommy/ Daddy, if  we understand Jesus’ words. The power to heal and be a healing force as Jesus was is in our relationship to God. We must fill ourselves with God awareness and God knowledge and knowledge of the whole human family as Jesus did, with the help of Christ’s living spirit within us. How else would we be able to offer our lives for the sheep, to pour ourselves out when we are not even sure at times that there is anything left to pour!

The gospel tells us that Jesus, our Shepherd, knows us even as Abba God knows him and he knows Abba God.  Through Christ we are to know God that way too and, like Jesus, shepherd one another and sheep not of the fold. Jesus was on familiar terms with his Parent God. In Aramaic “Abba”, “Ab-ba” comes from the root AB meaning all fruit proceeding from the source of Unity. Abwoon, a derivative used in Jesus prayer, has no gender and can be translated Divine Parent and it refers to a cosmic birthing process, giving birth to the universe and beyond.  What Jesus is saying in John 10:16 when he speaks of the sheep that are not of this fold is that our loving Parent God has birthed all of the people in the world and all are to be united under our birthing God, Alaha.  Abwoon d’bwashmaya ,the first words of Jesus prayer usually translated “Our Father….” is more adequately translated Birther God, Name of Names, Father/Mother of the cosmos and all within it, Source of all good.  Jesus came to unite ALL to our Birther God, and to show us how to do just that-by growing in grace to be able to lay down our lives, to pour ourselves out, for the sheep, any of them, all of them.

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Yet we reflect-how hard it is to give ourselves away as Jesus did. While some lambs are cute and cuddly some are rebellious, old,desperate, stubborn and frightened. How hard it is to literally and otherwise go out on a limb for those who may be hanging off of the cliff and not very appealing. To risk oneself for those who are angry and bitter, hurt and hurting others, and labor intensive. Those whose ways and cultures and languages are different. What do we need to learn to do and to appreciate to embrace sheep not of this fold, our brothers and sisters of difference?  How can we turn to the Shepherd to empower us in knowing and loving and  and reclaiming for Birther God. For each one of us there is a different answer to how do we draw close to our loving and living God so that we can renew ourselves and shepherd one another. Based on the 23rd Psalm the hymn by Marty Haugen  may guide us: “Shepherd me oh God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life”.  Let us also remember that to the original Christ followers, the first Christians who were Jewish followers of Jesus, we ARE the other sheep.

love and blessings,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP,

Pastor the Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community

Fort Myers, Florida

April 23, 2015  

Roman Catholic Woman Priest, Rev. Dr. Adele Jones Has Gone Home to Love

IMG_0085                                                                                                                              Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones April 20, 1927- April 22,2015IMG_0070A truly holy and courageous woman gently and peacefully made her passage home to our loving God in the wee hours of this morning. I am sure that the welcome for her included the New Orleans jazz trumpet( that she also played)sounding the joyful “When the Saints Go Marching In” for to us she was a saint. She was an inspiration in love and courage, especially the courage of taking on the religious establishment at so many levels as the story told below will show. She was also our mentor and precious friend and counselor hearing the troubles of others, including our own, until the end. Her beloved son, Derek H. (Rick) Jones, a prominent Doctor living in California and his partner, Bart, had visited with her this past weekend for her 88th Birthday. When he called to share her parting he told us that she had been waiting for our visit (made the week before (April 13-15) and his visit before she could let go and meet her loving Sophia face to face. Indeed she had rallied, embracing all of us, her family, Rick and Bart, Randy and his children and grandchildren who visited on Easter, her friends Jane and Alex and Roger and Bridget Mary and Dotty, and Pedro, Michel and all of the Staff and Judy and I in her loving arms. Jane and I spoke and cried together as we shared how much we will miss her. And yet we all agreed that she will be our angel. Judy  B added that our Litany of Saints should include “Adele Decker Jones, pray for us”.

The Memorial Service for Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones will be  on Saturday May 9th in Villa San Antonio Chapel,  Villa San Antonio Retirement Community, 8103 North Hollow, San Antonio ,Texas 78240 starting at 11AM.  Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP will be presiding. The family asks that any Memorial donations be given to Roman Catholic Women Priests.

The following story of Adele’s unique and blessed life started this blog in July of 2013.  It is also befitting as a Eulogy for a life well lived in the service of Christ.

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Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones is no usual octogenarian.  On 9/10/11 at age 84 she was ordained a Roman Catholic Woman Priest with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.  Her ordination is valid as it is in a line of apostolic succession continued when a male bishop in good standing with the Pope ordained women bishops in Europe in 2003  to ordain other women.  The name of this male bishop is known and will be revealed upon his death. But in accepting Holy Orders Adele is breaking Canon Law 1024 that states only males can be ordained. The penalty is “automatic excommunication ” from the Roman Church,the church she has loved since early childhood. Rev. Dr. Jones, like other women priests, does not accept that anything or anyone can separate her from the love of Christ but this does not make the penalties of ostracism any the less difficult.

What kind of “elderly woman” chooses such a difficult road? Where does she get her conviction and her courage?  Where does she get her strength? At a time of life when many of her Catholic peers are picking out peaceful plots in sacred ground, a Roman Catholic Cemetery, Adele is finding joy in prophetic obedience to the God she has served all of her long life.  She is finding a way to bloom where she is planted now,in a retirement home in San Antonio, Texas where she has lived since 2009. She is a quiet presence, sought out without any level of self advertisement as she does not want to offend anyone. A tall and beautiful woman who looks younger than her 86 years with silver white hair that reflects like a halo, staff members and residents alike call her Dr. Jones and seek her counsel and prayers for their lives. Her unassuming but clear priestly presence makes a difference to all who know her.

She risked the wrath of the Roman Catholic Church when in 2008 the church compared women’s ordination to pedophilia, as the same genre of mortal sin.  When she learned of this comparison she was incensed and decided to find the women priests that the church now condemned and find out if she could become one of them.

When she found the website at ARCWP.org and called Bridget Mary Meehan,  the ARCWP Bishop, she found that there was no upper age limit.   What was important was her call to serve as a priest and her preparation. Adele is extraordinarily well prepared.  She has had a full career as a psychiatric nurse and counselor.  She has a Masters in Theological Studies earned in 1988 at the Oblate School of Theology in Texas. She also has a MDiv from the Oblate School earned in 1991. At that time Protestant denominations encouraged her to become ordained with them, but she wanted to remain a Roman Catholic. She reflects that it was very hard to get into the MDiv program as the archbishop had to approve. She refused to promise him that she would never seek ordination, but said that she could never agree to the Archbishop running every aspect of her life at any rate! They agreed that it was unlikely that she would be able to become a priest in her lifetime. With that understanding, having excelled on her entrance exams, she was admitted to study and was the fourth woman who graduated from the Oblate School of Theology in 90 years with a MDiv degree. In 1997 she graduated from Garret  Theological School of Northwestern University with a Doctor of Ministry Degree.  This completed her professional preparation for pastoral counseling and for the priesthood as the MDiv is the same as the preparation taken by the male priests. Many young Franciscans were in the MDiv program with her and it was then she realized her own bent toward Franciscan spirituality. She became a Third Order Franciscan and entered the Fraternity with her male Seminarian friends. They also assured her that they welcomed women’s ordination in the Church.   She describes this experience with the Franciscans as an experience of grace.

She notes that St. Francis’ charism was joy. As she looks back on her life she realized that there were many times in her life when grief and sadness might have overwhelmed her: but she chose joy instead. While she was in utero her mother experienced the death of her mother, Adele’s grandmother. Adele was aware of her mother’s deep grief, yet her mother, also a Nurse and a devout Catholic worked hard so that Adele would experience the joy of her family and the strength of the women who were her legacy. The family also struggled with the Great Depression and economic hardship as they struggled to put grief in its place and find the joy in life.

Adele loved her father, a policeman, very much but was challenged by her parents’ divorce and her mother’s burden as a single Mom. She was also deeply effected by the death of her father when she was fifteen. Yet she chose to hold on to the joy that her father brought into the lives of herself and her younger brother. With help from her Aunts she was able to attend Catholic School from grade school through high school.  There she loved the nuns who shaped her life spiritually, first the Dominicans, then the Sisters of St. Vincent De Paul.  She learned to play the trumpet and earned a music scholarship to the Catholic High School.  There she learned to discern her calling. On her seventeenth birthday she entered nursing school perceiving service to the sick as her calling.

In 1947 she became a psychiatric nurse and also met and later married her husband Lloyd. In 1952 and 1965 her sons were born, Randy and Rick. They were and are the joy of her life, as are Randy’s children and grandchildren. Yet learning for Adele was also a great joy and she completed her AA in 1963 and her BA in 1976 at the University of Texas Victoria Campus.  The additional degrees were helpful as she faced a divorce,also in 1976 after almost 30 years of marriage. This caused much grief, but she was also able to move on alone and to choose joy once again.  In 1980 she moved to San Antonio and worked for the Chancery also hosting a program on Catholic Television.

As Adele faces the many adjustments of aging and health she does so without complaint or depression. Once again, she faces the inevitable set backs of life with prayer and with joy. She reflects that she identified with her Aunt Katy who was a red head with keen wit and a wonderful sense of humor. In her own life and in her career as a nurse and pastoral counselor she has been faced with both tragedy and comedy. It is a grace that she saw comedy where others could only see pain. Never once did she minimize the pain of others, but she sought to help them find ways to adapt and cope even in the midst of tragedy. And, she taught them to laugh wherever this was possible.

It is one who seeks joy where there is disappointment and grief that has the courage to choose to become a woman priest.  Adele notes that God has worked in dramatic ways in her life.  Opening the door to the priesthood to women in the Roman Catholic Women Priest Movement is one of those dramatic occurences. Rev. Dr. Jones says that all of the preparation she had academically and experientially came to a fulfillment in the unexpected grace of her ordination. Every moment of her life has led to this and every moment that she has left will be dedicated to serving quietly and modestly as a Roman Catholic Woman Priest . Another Priest, Judy Beaumont and I went to San Antonio to minister to Adele,our older sister priest. Instead she ministered to us and we came away immeasurably enriched, knowing that we had been in the holy presence of a woman of great wisdom, and joy.

Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones, ARCWP

Story as told to:

Rev. Dr. Judith Lee,

Co-Pastor with Judith Beaumont of

The Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community in

Fort Myers, Florida

June 13, 2013 

I CHOOSE JOY

Rev. Dr. Adele D. Jones, Roman Catholic Woman Priest, Pray for us.

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IMG_01206de57-adelechristmas2IMG_0069IMG_0070Joy comes in the morning.The Circle is unbroken for she is with us and waiting for us still. 

with love and prayers and gratitude for the life of Roman Catholic Woman Priest Rev. Dr. Adele Decker Jones,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, Roman Catholic Woman Priest

April 21, 2015  

Five Months in the Life of Good Shepherd Ministry with Roman Catholic Women Priests Judy Lee and Judy Beaumont

Good Shepherd Ministries of SWFl, Inc.  12/3/14-4/21/15

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee

Here  we present a retrospective on five months of our Good Shepherd ministry in Fort Myers, Florida. During this period we celebrated a bountiful Christmas with our community and moved into a new year with joy and determination to continuing to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Attendance and participation at all events remained consistent and many new people were served. The relationships we have with our people, volunteer assistance, and the mutual aid approach to empowerment and the whole person, remain the most important factors in the success of our work to help people out of poverty and into work, incomes, education and housing.   We continued to assist people in maintaining and obtaining affordable housing and worked with our parents and youth in school retention and success.  We now approach the ending of the school year and planning for summer. We will be exploring program designs and possibly grants and donations for this summer program.

Christmas 2014 

Due to the generosity of The local Orioles Club(pictured below), the Lamb of God Church, Gini Beecroft and the Breckinridge Community and several individual donors we were able to give Christmas gifts to thirty-five children and youth, several large families and special needs adults. These included gift cards for the older youth and donations to help families. Books and clothing were part of the gifts and Supermarket cards were also given for food for the families .  We had a great Christmas party and Hank Tessandori was Santa Claus to the children’s great delight. Yet, in a way, Christmas is every day for us as we celebrate birthdays and special occasions throughout the year and rejoice in the gift of loving community.  ( In the picture below Donnie is celebrating her 60th birthday with her friend Lauretta hugging her and Pearl Cudjoe, one of our faithful leaders, in the background).

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Hot Meals and Food And Clothing Programs
With the December 2014 tally of 102 meals, we served 1474 hot meals in 2014(not counting seconds and take home). To date in 2015 we have served 498 meals on Sundays and for Holy Week gatherings and 70 meals on Tuesdays for a total of 568 hot meals as of 4/21. We continue to thank our volunteers including the McNallys, CTA and Country Creek, Gini Beecroft and Breckinridge,  Sally and Rob Patterson, Chris Miller and Rick Judy and Lisa Munklewitz, Evelyn Touhsaent and Cliff Woods and several Lamb of God members and our own Judy Alves and Pearl Cudjoe  who have remained constant in cooking and serving for us.   Margaret Sousa, the Manager at Palm Harbor Church Residences continues to share canned goods with us and we reciprocate by assisting some of their new residents at move in.  Others donate food from time to time. The LOG, Pope John 23rd and St. Columbkille Thrift Stores continue to help us with clothing and furniture and other items to establish households at reduced prices. Birthday celebrations are a regular part of our weekly celebrations as well.

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Supporting Education and Teaching Service

In January 2015 we were able to pay $1500 on the Student Loans of our Freshman at FGCU due to accumulated educational donations earmarked for this.  We also visited schools and had parent conferences on the school progress of several other children. Both Pastors and some of our members and Board Members like Judy Alves also mentored children and youth in specific subjects and helped them to develop other competencies. Weekly we are able to reward youth with small stipends of 3-5 dollars for completing their Sunday school lessons successfully using Urban Ministries materials that are quite good. Five – seven youth 13 and over participate regularly. This is not only to get them into the content but to improve reading, comprehension, critical thinking and writing skills.  Additionally we ask our youth and parents to give back by assisting people to move into housing in a variety of ways.

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Joshua House Hospitality

Thirty-five individuals including two families and several pets have resided in Joshua House and then moved on to affordable housing, ten have lived there since we have turned it into a hospitality house. A family of seven continues to reside there since Nov. 30th but they have saved enough to move out in May of 2015. People unable to afford market housing temporarily and who are not substance addicted or uncompliant with medications are eligible for this program after we get to know them and assess the situation. Several in this picture once lived in Joshua House.

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Permanent Housing

We are blessed to say that since 2008 there are over one hundred people whom we have assisted into affordable housing with emotional, spiritual and material support. During this period of time( 12/14-4/15) we assisted five families to move into permanent housing. Two of these women we have known for many years and it is again the quality of our relationships and consistency in their lives that gave the support needed to finally make good choices and follow through. This supportive approach helped Awsha, a mother in her thirties to reunite with her seven month old daughter and we also paid for Security and furniture as well as bus passes to work. Brenda, now fifty, returned to Fort Myers after several years living from place to place north of here. She returned to us broken, sick and crying and thankful “to be home” but in need of help to become housed again and connected to medical services. She had lost both of her parents within the last month and was bereft.  She sees us as her remaining family.  We placed her in a Motel as we sought housing with her. (Another woman living in her car also spent a night in this Motel). We actually have had to move Brenda and her little dog, Scrappy, three times in six weeks as various problems with the apartments attended her first two moves.  We also moved two Seniors, one from the East Coast with three large birds, into affordable HUD assisted housing at Palm Harbor. For that we had the help of Rev. Miriam Picconi a RC woman priest from the Palm Coast and her generous helper David. A couple with five boys under the age of nine, and an older girl still to join them, was also assisted with furniture, food, clothing and other basic needs.  The boys are now attending our Sunday school and are a pleasure to know.  They are pictured below, also are Awsha and her baby and  Brenda and Snappy, now housed. Brenda is such a woman of faith and joy that it is a pleasure to have her back in the community as well.

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Each of these moves cost us from minimal amounts up to thousands of dollars. These costs include Security, Utilities down payments, furniture and household goods and other costs. We are in continual need of donations to assist people in moving out of homelessness and inadequate housing.

Other Needs

We also minister to those in need of medical and mental hospitalization, those in hospice and those sick at home. In the last two months we walked with one of our men as he dealt with new psychiatric and diabetes medications. He began passing out in the streets and becoming psychotic and it took three hospitalizations in two hospitals to get him back on his feet again. Another of our members is in hospice and we attend to her and her family where some reconciliation was needed. Another family is experiencing gang violence and drive-by shootings and we are challenged to help the family through this. We were also pleased to baptize one of our twelve year olds on Easter. It is a joy to see her grow in her understanding and actions. Our children and youth continue to be a source of joy to the whole community.

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Most of all it remains a joy to witness the love among the members of our Tuesday (formerly homeless and homeless) and Sunday communities(that do overlap) where all are welcome at the Table of Christ and at our hot meals and continual fellowship.  Co-Pastor Rev. Judy Beaumont, RCWP, and I say a heartfelt thanks be to God for this blessed Community and for all who help us to serve.

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP and Rev. Judy Beaumont, RCWP

Good Shepherd Ministries of SWFl, Inc. (a 501c3 non-profit tax exempt organization)

Mailing Address: 18520 Eastshore Drive, Fort Myers, Florida, 33967

April 21, 2015

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