Bishop Patricia Fresen Midwest Speaking Tour

March 25-April 2, 2006

One of three women now validly (but illegally) ordained as Roman Catholic bishops

SPEAKING TOUR EVENTS

On Saturday, March 25th, Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC), the world’s oldest and largest Catholic organization working for solely for women to be deacons, priests and bishops, kicked off a five-city speaking tour of Bishop Patricia Fresen, woman bishop of Roman Catholic Womenpriests.

The tour began in Cincinnati on the feast of the Annunciation and the 11th Annual World Day of Prayer for Women’s Ordination. The tour continued in Lexington, Ky. on March 26th, Cleveland, Ohio on March 27th, St. Louis, Mo. on April 1st, and Chicago, Ill. on April 2nd.

PRESS RELEASE ON SPEAKING TOUR

Background on Bishop Patricia Fresen  

Born and raised in South Africa, she attended convent schools before entering the Dominican Order. As a Dominican sister, she taught in and administered convent schools for 16 years before being sent to Rome, at age 39, to study theology. She eventually earned both a licentiate and doctorate in theology and taught for seven years in the National Seminary in Pretoria before moving on to teach at the Catholic University of Johannesburg.

She was ordained a priest in 2003. She was inspired to seek ordination after meeting two of the women ordained as part of the “Danube Seven”—the first modern women publicly ordained to Roman Catholic priesthood on a boat in the Danube River by Bishop Romulo Braschi in 2002. Several other bishops who support the cause of women’s ordination then ordained three women, including Patricia, as bishops so that women’s ordinations could continue if these male bishops were in some way stopped or died. They, unlike Bishop Braschi, have not been willing to have their names revealed.

This July in Pittsburgh, PA, Bishop Patricia Fresen will join in the first ordination of first women priests within the territorial United States.

Additional Information on the Web:

Women’s Ordination Conference

Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) is the world’s oldest and largest Catholic organization working solely for women to be deacons, priests, and bishops in a renewing priestly ministry in the Catholic Church. WOC is a U.S. based organization that work locally and nationally in collaboration with the worldwide movement for women's ordination.

www.womensordination.org

http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org

“Prophetic Obedience and the Experience and Vision of R.C. Women”: A talk given by Bishop Fresen at the March 2005 meeting ot the Southeast Pennsylvania Women’s Ordination Conference

http://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/history.htm

Womenpriests.org  

A comprehensive website of information about women’s ordination with academic references and many links to papal documents and many other resources.

http://www.womenpriests.org/default.asp

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