Within the movement, we are seeing a groundswell of women living out their call to priesthood by being ordained in their small faith community, the Old Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, and the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. The powerful examples of women like Mary Ramerman, Denise Donato, the Danube Seven, the St. Lawrence Nine, and countless others who are moving forward with prophetic ordinations, led WOC to develop our third ministry, the Ministry of Prophetic Obedience, which identifies, supports and serves as a resource for women taking the prophetic step of ordination to live out their call. It was created to help women determine what options they have for ordination and to support these women on their individual journeys. This ministry also helps identify communities ready to move forward with having ordained
women deacons, priests and bishops serve in their communities. WOC stands in solidarity with the women and communities of this ministry in following their call and creating this powerful this witness.
These women are moving forward with ordination without the overturning of Canon 1024, and many are saying “unjust laws must be broken.” These women cannot wait another century while the church officials drag their
feet on women’s ordination. Now more than ever before, we are seeing that the ordination of women will come — and is coming — from the bottom up, rather than from the hierarchy down.
These ordinations are creating a growing dialogue around the question, “What type of ordination should we support?” This dialogue is healthy, and it helps us deal with the issues of maintaining integrity to our Catholic traditions yet being open to the new possibilities with the Holy Spirit.
In the Ministry of Prophetic Obedience, WOC is not only providing women with resources and networks of support like the Ministry of Walking with Women Called, we are also:
- Connecting Catholics to Catholic women ministers through our Directory of Catholic Women Ministers
- Serving as a resource for media work, which includes writing press releases,
sending them out through our media database system, and connecting ordinands with reporters - Providing press statements to the media supporting the ordinations of women as one way to bring about change in the church
- Working in close collaboration when possible with the ordained women in the U.S. and around the world, including women in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement, Spiritus Christi Church, Ecumenical Catholic Communion, Catholic Diocese of One Spirit and faith sharing communities who have ordained women and/or married men.
- Promoting images of womendeacons, priests and bishops to the public through our online photo gallery, NewWomen, NewChurch newsletter, promoting the DVD of the ordination on the St. Lawrence
- Covering each ordination we have knowledge in NewWomen, NewChurch, the first U.S. newsletter to publish information about the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement
When WOC was considering names for this ministry, we originally called it the “Ministry of Ecclesiastical Disobedience.” However, after more consideration we realized this ministry is about more than just butting
heads with the ecclesiastical hierarchy. It is about listening to and encouraging the prophetic voices of our time. This ministry is not about “disobeying the hierarchy;” it is about obeying God’s call to
serve.
Click here for more information about Prophetic Obedience
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