The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP)
Mary Bergan Blanchard, Editor, Leading
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) is a group of educated, experienced and seasoned Catholics dedicated to restoring equality, simplicity and inclusiveness to the Church. We do whatever brings the sacraments and compassionate help to those in need. Some of our seventy-six members choose social justice as their mission. Some teach in universities; others gather in small faith communities celebrating Mass and their lives together. One group comforts the sick and dying. Some speak softly and are quietly rational when others, such as Sophia, (in Ask Sophia) are seriously affronted by the state of affairs in the Church today, and say so. You will hear from them all.
We hope you enjoy our newsletter, Leading. This issue’s theme discusses who we are, why we’re here, and what we do.
We are validly ordained priests and deacons, shunned by the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church because of our gender. We are dedicated to a joyful theology, which is at odds with the Church’s preoccupation with sin, sex and dreariness.
We are a prophetic movement. Organized religion needs to be reorganized. Millions of Catholics have given up their faith in disgust. If we do not regenerate the interest in the simplicity of Christ’s message, who will? It is buried in over 1,750 man-made Canon Laws. Women and all their contributions have been ignored for nearly two thousand years. Enough!
Many of the following columns will appear every quarter: Spirit of the Season; Meditation material; Spotlight, an interview on the life work of one of our members; Book Review, conclusions of current theologians; Ask Sophia, pertinent questions about us, or our relationship with the Roman Catholic Church; New News, related events worth noting; Liturgy, history of the development of the liturgy; and, From the Editor, how all of the above hangs together.
Please recycle Leading by passing it along to an interested reader … post it on a bulletin board, give it to a friend, drop it off in a doctor’s office, put it on Facebook, Email it – anywhere it might be read. We are trying our best to inform all curious people exactly what we are about. Thank you for your interest.
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Are these women the end result of the domino effect,the”unmentionables” of the previous post,Pope of the possible?
After all,we are assured that with God,nothing is impossible.
Now there is a statement.
“Not all love of neighbour has to be dramatic. Most of us can’t take part in either of these situations (Syria/Standing Rock). But simply by being, we make a difference. How? We can do what Christ did … He worked where He was, with what He had, for the people surrounding Him.”
I think it is hard for the everyday social activist because there is a fear that isolation can handcuff your efforts to be involved/included. These women certainly have the right spirit.
If you are an association of Catholic Women Priests and say you are validly ordained but shunned by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the question cries out for an answer as to where you validity of ordination comes from?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favour of women being treated with full equality within the Catholic Church, including access to full ordination but that is not the question here. The question is about your claim to current validity of Catholic ordination.
@4 if you do some light reading on their website, it clearly states how they were validly ordained.
Can’t find it. Perhaps the print is too small. Perhaps someone could spell it out for me.
Jesus promised to be present in the midst of two or more gathered together in His name, which undoubtedly included the natural order/divine family home, where the fundamental unit of civilization resides. Being present among the children in the family home, He would develop a life-long relationship with them from infancy. However, the holy men could not visualise Jesus being closely associated with the mother of the children who had been sinfully conceived by her. Consequently, they did not preach that families should consciously gather together in His name.
The Council of Trent dogma proclaimed that Jesus became really present during the consecration of the Eucharist, and He is then locked in the Tabernacle towards the end of Mass. Thereafter, people can only be near Him in the Church when they come to pray before the locked Tabernacle during daylight hours, as the Church is invariably locked at night. Inadvertently, this Dogma took Jesus’ tangible spirituality out of family homes, the environment, schools, and workplaces, and our Cosmos became a nonspiritual free-for-all sphere without spiritual obligations or concern for God’s Creation.
In John 6:53–58, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Upon hearing these words, many of Jesus’ followers said, “This is a hard teaching” (verse 60), and some actually stopped following Him that day.
It is perfectly clear that Jesus wants us to recognize Him present in every bite and in every sip; it is a Eucharist celebration several times each day, constantly reminding us of His omnipresence in us and in the environment.
James Caulfield 17/01/026