Bearing Witness
Organizing for Women's Ordination
What is bearing witness? Bearing
witness is calling attention to the discrimination, inequities and inconsistencies
in the Church. You can bear witness on the Cathedral steps, on a university
campus, anywhere the bishop or media will be or even in your living room.
This brochure contains helpful information about how to organize witnessing
events around issue of women's ordination. All are
encouraged to bear witness however they feel most comfortable.
Why do we bear witness?
We bear witness as a public outcry and statement of resistance. Bearing witness
affirms our belief in women's ordination and our belief in the full equality
of women. Witnessing allows us to reclaim our church. It is also a prayerful
way to connect with others.
When does WOC bear witness?
There are numerous days to bear witness. Many local WOC groups bear witness
on Ordination Day, on Holy Thursday, and on different saints' days, feast
days and holidays that highlight the strength and contributions of women.
WOC's most celebrated day to witness is the World Day of Prayer for Women's
Ordination.
• World Day of Prayer for Women's
Ordination:
March 25, the Annunciation, is a global day of prayer calling attention
to the issue of women's ordination. Mary is considered by some to be the
first priest, as she brought Jesus Christ into the world. We celebrate Mary
accepting God's call on this day. (If March 25 falls during Holy Week, the
Feast of Annunciation is celebrated at a later date. However, WOC will still
celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination on March 25.)
How can we bear witness?
• Hold a prayerful protest
outside a church or cathedral.
• Sponsor a discussion about women's leadership
in the Church.
• Invite speakers to talk about women's
ordination to your local women's group.
• Circle in silence with signs and banners
outside the cathedral.
• Organize a liturgy or Eucharist.
• Hold an evening prayer service by candlelight.
• Hand holy cards of female saints or informative
pamphlets to parishioners and priests as they walk into church. Ask them
to pray for women's ordination.
• Sing songs like "We Shall Overcome" and
hymns that are inspiring and moving like "Who Will Speak if We Don't."
• Distribute 3x5 cards and ask people to
list gifts the church has lost as a result of denying full participation
of women. Compile the list and read it at your witnessing event. Send a
copy of it to the bishop and local parishes.
• Use call and response prayers, songs,
and protest phrases if you don't have an amplified sound system.
• Create liturgies, songs, and prayers
that suit the occasion.
How do we begin organizing?
The following are organizing tips that have been useful to others in the past.
Use what feels right and works for you! Feel free to create your own model. A Little Noise is Better Than No Noise At All!
Getting Started
• First,
don't be overwhelmed by the task of grassroots organizing. Most importantly,
don't try to do everything on your own. Establish a core group (three people)
who can lead different committees. One person can coordinate publicity and
media. Another can make local arrangements- everything from finding a place
to informing the police. A third can coordinate what happens during the event-
planning a ritual action or the components of the witness.
• You don't have
to reinvent the wheel. Utilize any contacts friends and resources that
are available to you. Reach out to other groups for support. Local Call to
Action, Dignity and other church reform groups are good resources. Also, our
sisters and brothers of other faith traditions, especially women who have
been ordained, are usually eager and willing to come out and support Catholic
women's ordination.
• Decide on goals
upfront. What does your group want to get out of this witness? Will
it be prayerful in nature, will civil disobedience be involved, are you trying
to get a response from the bishop, etc? Use these questions to establish what
type of witness your group will plan. For example, if your goal is to get
a response from the bishop, plan a prayerful protest outside the cathedral.
Or, if your goal is to educate others about women's ordination, organize a
discussion at your parish.
Planning the event
• Plan
ahead. What format are you going to use? How many people will speak,
in what order? Will there be singing? Make sure you plan how long your witness
event will be.
• You can make a
lot of noise or hold a silent witness. Don't get discouraged if you
have a small turnout the first year. Each year more people come and more supporters
will likely stand up and make noise. The first year lets people know there
are others who care deeply about the issue of women's ordination.
• Think about what
materials you will need at your witness. If you're going to do a prayer
service you will need copies of the service, instruments and musicians, candles,
etc. If you will be celebrating the Eucharist, you will need bread and wine
and a table or bench to serve as altar. Some groups use flowers or other decorations.
Some groups use oil to anoint each other on the hands or forehead. Blessing
one another is a great way to include everyone in the ritual. You will also
need something to ensure that the person leading the witness can be heard.
This can be a sound system with microphone or a simple bullhorn. If you cannot
obtain these items, good old fashioned chanting, singing and loud voices will
do.
• It is important
to have a visual symbol. A banner, signs and purple stoles can build
morale and center the witness. A visual is also important to attract media;
it creates an intriguing photograph. It is a good idea to pick a logo; you
can contact the WOC office for permission to use their artwork or create your
own. This will enable people to begin identifying your group by the logo.
• Determine who needs
to be informed about the event. Don't forget the press, police, diocese
and the cathedral if that is where your action will be. Contact the police
unit that handles demonstrations and find out the local guidelines for public
demonstrations.
• Publicize your
event. Use word of mouth. Put up flyers at supermarkets, coffee shops,
and local parishes. Don't be afraid to bring it up in church. This is our
church too! Colleges and Newman Centers are also good places to send flyers.
The Religion and Women's Studies departments at local universities will usually
be helpful as long as you get in touch with the right person. Always make
personal contact and follow-up calls.
Follow Up
• Always have a
way for people to contact you after the witness. Pass
out flyers with contact information at the witness. Collect the names and
contact information of the people who attend so you can keep them informed
about future activities.
• Request WOC brochures
and newsletters to pass out at your event.
When in doubt, ask! WOC is always eager and willing to help!
Contact National WOC with your organizing questions.
Slogans
The following are commonly used slogans in the women's ordination movement.
You can use them on posters and banners, and for chanting at the event.
• Ordain Women or Stop Baptizing
Them!
• Sexism is a Sin!
• The Spirit is Within Women too
• Ordain Women/ Ordain Women Now!
• You can't preach justice unless you practice
justice
• We are the Church
• Priestly People Come in Both Sexes
• Equal Rites for Women
• They are meeting without us, about us!
We want A Part, Not Apart!
• Solve the Church's man power problem… Ordain
Women!
Other days to witness
• Holy
Thursday: Holy Thursday is an important day to witness because many
parish priests gather at the cathedral in the morning to receive holy oil.
Witnessing at the cathedral exposes the issue of women's ordination to many
priests at the same time. Holy Thursday is also a celebration of the priesthood;
each year priests renew their promises on this day. Some groups also protest
at the nighttime washing of the feet ceremonies at parishes where priests
refuse to wash women's feet.
• Ordination Day: Many local groups gather to witness on their diocese's Ordination Day, which
usually occur on a Saturday during May. Ordination Day witnesses can reach
bishops, priests in attendance, laity, families, and those men about to be
ordained.
• Feast Days of Female
Saints and Women of the Bible: Honor the leadership of holy women by
holding witnesses on the feast days of Mary Magdalene, St. Therese of Lisieux,
Prisca and others. Contact FutureChurch for liturgies celebrating these women.
(FutureChurch: 216-228-0869 or info@futurechurch.org)
Other ways to support women's ordination
• Pray!
• Wear shirts, buttons and symbols to Catholic
functions, gatherings, and liturgies to show your active role in the church
and your desire for change. Ribbons, buttons, shirts, etc. with slogans such
as "Priestly People Come in Both Sexes" are available from WOC.
• Make a tax-deductible donation of the contributions
you would usually give to the church to groups like WOC who share your vision
of a renewed church. Send a letter to your bishop or parish priest stating
why you are withholding your financial support from the church. WOC also has
"funny money" for you to put in the collection basket in lieu of cash.
• Action Purple Stole: Catholic women worldwide
wear purple stoles to mass as a symbol of women's ordination. It is a symbol
of the royal priesthood to which both women and men are called. Purple is
also the color of penance, and women wear these stoles until the church repents
for its sin of sexism. Order your purple stole from WOC.
• Send letters church officials and newspapers
on your feelings about women's second-class status in the church.
• Make sure your parish bookrack has feminist
writers included on its shelves.
• Mentor young girls and let them know that
it is the male hierarchy, not God, who perpetuates inequality. Encourage them
to become altar servers.
• Plan social gatherings to create safe emotional,
spiritual and physical space for those who want a reformed church. One of
the greatest gifts people receive from witnessing is friends who share similar
spiritual and personal life experiences.
• Start a newsletter or discussion group.
Start a woman's book group in your parish. There are many books on feminist
theology, ethics, biblical studies, spirituality and call to ministry. Contact
WOC for recommendations.
• Be a lector and educate your parish about
the importance of gender inclusive language. Talk with the pastor and the
liturgical ministries about the importance of inclusive language for an inclusive
God.
• Find qualified women in your parish to
give reflections on Scriptural readings at liturgies.
• Become involved in your religious education
program in your parish and monitor what is taught about women.
• Send WOC brochures to parishes and follow
up to see whether they are displayed or discussed.
• Seek out parish priests and get their input
on how we can work together for women's full equality in the church.
• Join WOC's Action Alert e-mail list. Receive
updates about recent events that impact women's ordination and other church
reform movements. Action alert e-mails give instructions on what supporters
can do to respond to events. To be added to the action alert list, send an
e-mail to grassroots@womensordination.org.
Contact National WOC
• Contact WOC with questions
or for more organizing ideas. We are here to help you!
• Inform National WOC about your local events.
We will list your event in the NewWoman, NewChurch calendar.
• Let National WOC know what organizing techniques
worked for your group. We can then share them with other groups around the
country.
• Submit articles and photographs about your
local witnesses to WOC's quarterly newsletter, NewWoman,
NewChurch.
Information in this brochure is taken from "Women's Ordination
Conference Bearing Witness: A How to Guide on Organizing a Witness in Your
Diocese" by Melissa Hackman, WOC intern, Spring 2000.
Printing of this and other World Day of Prayer for Women's
Ordination Materials was made possible by a grant from the Sisters of Charity
Ministry Foundation.
Women's Ordination Conference
A Voice for Women in the Church
For more information, contact:
WOC
PO Box 2693 Fairfax, VA 22031
703-352-1006
woc@womensordination.org
www.womensordination.org
"There is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male
nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3: 28
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