WOC’s Fall 2021 Virtual Retreat
Members of the Women’s Ordination Conference gathered for a virtual retreat over the weekend marking St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s feast day (October 1-3, 2021).
This retreat explored Thérèse’s own vocation to priesthood, women/non-binary persons’ calls to priesthood today, and how her “little way” resonates with the many different roles people must take within a movement for justice.
We hope the weekend allowed participants to “un-tame” the “Little Flower” into something more like a WILDFLOWER. The retreat was led by ordained Roman Catholic Woman Priest Nancy Corran and incoming WOC board member, Jocelyn A. Sideco.
Meet the Facilitators
Nancy Corran
Nancy Corran holds a BA in French from Middlebury College, a graduate degree in Theology (DipTheol) from Oxford University, and a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from San Francisco Theological Seminary of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She received scholarships for continuing education in biblical languages at the GTU and for Reformation Studies at the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Nancy was certified for ordination by the PC(USA) in 2004, but was ordained by her Roman Catholic independent community in 2009 and joined Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) in 2015.
Nancy has worked in many churches with children, youth, and adults. The joy of her pastoral work was in serving Mary Magdalene Apostle Catholic Community (MMACC) in San Diego from 2007-2016. MMACC was founded and convened by a Roman Catholic Womenpriest, Jane Via, and a canonical priest, Rod Stephens. She continues to volunteer extensively with RCWP. With Jane Via, they have authored an inclusive lectionary (3-year cycle), available at www.inclusivelectionary.org.
Nancy is married to Rus Kosits, a Presbyterian pastor. They have two young children and reside in Eureka, CA.
Jocelyn Sideco
Jocelyn is a retreat leader, spiritual director and innovative minister who specializes in mission-centered ministry. She currently works at the Catholic Volunteer Network as their Digital Outreach Associate, and is pastoral associate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Burlingame, CA.
Jocelyn previously served as the director of community service and social justice at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco, where she oversaw the community service graduation requirement and developed opportunities for students to deepen their practice of justice and advocacy. Prior to that, she had been a teacher in the East Bay and served as the executive director of Contemplatives in Action, an educational and spiritual retreat center in post Katrina, New Orleans.
Jocelyn has a master’s degree in theology from the Jesuit School of Theology and completed a year of clinical pastoral education at UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics with a focus on mental health.
Past Retreats
She Went Up in a Flame: A Pentecost Retreat
In this retreat, participants explored the Pentecost story and what it means for women to act as “prophetic flames,” bearing the Spirit’s fire of justice to a world and a Church sorely in need of it.
The title of the retreat references the non-canonical book of the Acts of Philip, in which Mary Magdalene is protected by fire when she is attacked by townspeople for preaching and traveling with men who were not her relatives.
The retreat was facilitated by Molleen Dupree Dominguez, writer, teacher, and spiritual director; and Jaclyn Newns, artist and spiritual director.
Creative Wisdom, Subversive Spirit
From Feburary 26-28, 2021, Women’s Ordination Conference’s held its first-ever virtual retreat, titled “Creative Wisdom, Subversive Spirit.”
The retreat was facilitated by Dr. Lizzie Berne DeGear and Luisely Melecio-Zambrano, M.Div
