March 25, 2006

"Good Catholic Girls Stand Up for Women's Ordination"

Dublin, Ireland

By Colm Holmes

Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC) celebrated our first World Day of Prayer for Women’s Ordination celebration on March 25, 1994, and this year was our 13 th consecutive celebration!

Despite the heavy rain, a small group of about fifteen of us gathered outside the General Post Office (GPO) on O’Connell Street in Dublin. Historians will know that the 1916 rising which led to Ireland’s independence from Britain was centred there. We had twelve purple balloons and I was dressed as a cardinal (Cardinal Romanono). Joan Tracey led us in a wonderful celebration of hymns, readings and poems. Then we had our “ROME SAYS NO” section with twelve different arguments for women’s ordination, each answered the group stating, “Rome says no” and Cardinal Romanono bursting a balloon each time, greeted by the shout: “Women Priests are Here to Stay!”

To conclude, we released seven white doves to confirm that women priests were as free as the Holy Spirit among us, ministering and presiding at Eucharist around the world. A film crew from RTE (Ireland’s national TV) filmed our celebration, and it will be used in a program they are preparing on “Women in the Church Today.” After our celebration, a number of us gathered in a room on nearby Parnell Square for a Eucharist with a woman presiding. Rome may say no, but women priests are here to stay!

Colm Holmes is the spokesperson for Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC). For more information about BASIC, visit www.basic.ie and www.christianARTfromIRELAND.com.