HOMILY: Ordination on Nov. 1, 2014- Bridget Mary Meehan
“We Are Partners: Called to Minister Side by Side”
Today the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will ordain 3 women to
serve inclusive Catholic communities where all are welcome.
Judith Bautista, from Colombia, South
America is a therapist, renowned poet, musician and educator. In her words: “I work to
support leaders who accompany communities hit by poverty and violence, some of
them are defenders of human rights, but others are leaders who accompany
resistance in building solidarity amid the difficult living conditions of the
people.” Judith is 47- years old. For 27 years she has been working in
spiritual direction and pastoral care. As a religious for nine years, she
ministered to women and youth. In the church of the poor, she continued
nourishing her lifelong encounter with God through her studies in the Bible,
theology and human rights and by
becoming close to the suffering and needs of those around her. "My call to
the priesthood”,Judith said, “was always present. Now I've found through
ARCWP that it can happen. God's people can continue living fully and in joy. I
live my baptism, together with my brothers and sisters."
Like deacon Phoebe, whom St. Paul praised
in our second reading as an outstanding leader in Romans 16, our newly ordained
deacons, Sally and Janet, will continue to co-preside at inclusive liturgies,
to preach, to offer educational opportunities for theological discussion,
and to serve the needs of others in ministries of compassionate care.
Sally Brochu is the mother of 3 children,
grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of 4, all of whom she delights in.
She has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Emmanuel College in
Boston. She has served in a variety of ministries including Lector, Eucharistic
Minister and a RCIA Team member. After
fulfilling Clinical Pastoral Education requirements, Sally became a Board
Certified Chaplain through The National Association of Catholic
Chaplains. For ten years Sally served as Director of Pastoral Care for a
Catholic Regional Medical System in Maine. For over a year, Sally has
co-presided at liturgy here at MMOJ and has been called forth by this community
for ordination.
Janet
Blakeley has a Master's degree in Clinical/Pastoral counseling from Emmanuel
College, Boston. In addition she has taken
graduate courses in Scripture and Theology at the following institutions:
University of Fribourg, Switzerland, Lay Ministry Training Institute, Boston
Andover-Newton Seminary, Boston College and Boston University After a
lifetime of various ministries - church musician, parochial school
administrator, parish adult education leader, volunteer in Haiti, spiritual
director - and after raising a family of three children and a second family of
grandchildren, Janet Blakeley is saying "yes" to God and to the call
of our community for ordination. Accompanying her in ordination will be
her partner of 20 years, Sally Brochu.“Together we love our life at Mary,
Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota,” Janet writes “ and
we look forward to serving there…Thank you for holding onto the dream until we
could be part of it.”
In the Beatitudes Jesus introduces us to a God who delights in us, works through us and blesses others through us. Every time we listen to or console someone who is grieving, every time, we say a kind word to mend a broken heart, every time, we sign a petition against the death penalty or demonstrate for peace through non-violence, we are living as a blessing, Every time we act with compassion, witness for justice, or even smile with love, we are blessings and blessed. We, like Mary, in the Magnificat, are proclaiming God’s empowering presence doing great things for us. We are living blessings, mystics and prophets through whom God is loving, comforting, healing, and challenging injustice today! We could ask ourselves, how are we “walking, talking blessings” to the excluded? How can we nurture our inner mystic?
In the Beatitudes Jesus introduces us to a God who delights in us, works through us and blesses others through us. Every time we listen to or console someone who is grieving, every time, we say a kind word to mend a broken heart, every time, we sign a petition against the death penalty or demonstrate for peace through non-violence, we are living as a blessing, Every time we act with compassion, witness for justice, or even smile with love, we are blessings and blessed. We, like Mary, in the Magnificat, are proclaiming God’s empowering presence doing great things for us. We are living blessings, mystics and prophets through whom God is loving, comforting, healing, and challenging injustice today! We could ask ourselves, how are we “walking, talking blessings” to the excluded? How can we nurture our inner mystic?
In the Beatitudes, Jesus said; “Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of their struggle for justice, the kindom
of heaven is theirs.” When
referring to the kindom of God, Jesus used the Aramaic word Malkuta, the root
Kut meaning empowerment. This is what our women priests’ movement is
about empowering all including women to live the fullness of their baptismal
call as spiritual equals created in the divine image.
This
means that we begin our theological reflection by listening to and learning
from the lived experiences of the poor, of women, of the excluded and
marginalized, of the Earth and of all creatures. Option for the poor is at the
heart of the Gospel. Sounds a lot like the emergence of Liberation, Feminist
and Mujerista theology to me!
In her new book, The Elephant in the Church,
Irish theologian Mary Malone thinks that the Church should treat women as the
“significant theologians that they are.” She argues: “For women have always
done theology and ministry in both word and deed… that provides the living
guide for more than half of the church.” The Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests’ Preparation Program fosters circular leadership in
communities of equals and honors the spiritual, educational, professional, life
and faith experiences of women (and men).
Change is in the air at
the Vatican. Even though Catholic
bishops failed to approve their draft document welcoming gays, Pope
Francis’ call for open dialogue and new ways of thinking in the Synod of the
Family has fostered an open and bitter debate between prelates on greater
acceptance of same sex couples. In the draft document, ‘relatio” released on Oct. 12th
the Vatican said that gays and lesbians have
"gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community" and acknowledged that same-sex couples
can give "precious support" to one another
While the bishops will meet in Oct. 2015
and the final report will be issued then, I believe that a major seismic shift
is already taking place as marriage equality becomes the law in more and more
places. In living the Beatitudes we are called to treat everyone as the beloved
of God with equal human rights. May the people of God lead the way in honoring
our LGBT sisters and brothers for who they are, for the holiness of their being
and the gifts of their ministries.
This transformation of consciousness will
lead the church to embrace true change not only in its tone, but also its
teaching on homosexuality, divorce and remarriage, contraception and women
priests!
My sisters and brothers, the Spirit is
a’moving in our midst!
In sacramental communities like Mary
Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, we are healing the soul wound,
the grave dishonesty that has been so damaging to the LGBT community and other
marginalized groups in our church by welcoming all the Banquet Table of God’s
extravagant love.
I look forward to the day that Pope
Francis will address women priests as
"beloved sisters and partners"
and witnesses to Gospel equality! Now this would cause the mother lode of all
seismic shifts in the Catholic Church!
Let me share a
few recent examples of how women deacons and priests are living the Beatitudes
today:
On July 18, 2014, The Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests donated $1,000 to a Catholic Worker house that shelters
homeless women after the Cincinnati archdiocese retracted its funding
because a woman priest led a prayer service at the shelter.
On August 27, 2014, The Seventh Circuit
Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Marriage Equality cases from the
states of Indiana and Wisconsin. ARCWP Priest Mary Weber accompanied by her
husband Gary Meister attended a rally in Indiana supporting Marriage
Equality. On Oct. 23, 2014, ARCWP Priest Diane Dougherty attended a rally for
Marriage Equality in Atlanta, GA and wrote an article about it. http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-roman-catholic-woman-priest-why-i.html
On October 7, 2014, Nobel
Peace Prize Nominee, Kathy Kelly, and Georgia Walker, a deacon with ARCWP,
appeared before Judge Matt Whitworth in Jefferson City, MO, federal court on a
charge of criminal trespass to a military facility. The charge was based on
their participation, at Whiteman Air Force Base, in a June 1st 2014
rally protesting drone warfare. Kelly and Walker attempted to deliver a loaf of
bread and a letter to the Base Commander, encouraging him to stop cooperating
with any further usage of unmanned aerial vehicles, (drones), for surveillance
and attacks. (Article by Kathy Kelly, http://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2014/10/challenging-drone-warfare-in-us-court.html))
There are many more stories of women
priests and our inclusive communities living the compassion of God in our
times! Read my blog! It has seven years of stories about our adventures on the
margins! Jesus calls us to step out of the boat, and like Peter, trust that God
is leading us as we walk on water!
Now we
ordain our beloved Sisters:Judith, Sally and Janet. The Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests rejoices that 3 women called by their communities, will
be ordained today to serve God’s people. May they be living blessings who
bring justice, compassion and love to our Christian community and beyond!
Bridget Mary Meehan, D.Min., a Sister for
Christian Community, was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania on July 31, 2006. She was ordained a bishop on April 19,
2009. Dr. Meehan is currently Dean of the Doctor of Ministry Program for
Global Ministries University, and is the author of 20 books, including Living Gospel Equality Now: Loving
in the Heart of God, The Healing Power of Prayer and Praying with Women of the Bible . She presides at liturgies in Mary,
Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Meehan
can be reached at sofiabmm@aol.com and www.arcwp.org
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