Voices in the Global Movement for Women’s Ordination Ring Out in Ottawa
By Joy Barnes
This summer, women from around the world experienced the great expanse of the global movement for women’s ordination at the 2 nd Women’s Ordination Worldwide Conference in Ottawa, Canada. More than 400 women’s ordination supporters gathered from 25 countries —some as far away as South Africa, Australia, Japan and Bangladesh – for the conference called “Breaking Silence, Breaking Bread: Christ Calls Women to Lead.”
Perhaps the biggest draw for many was the chance to hear two living legends in feminist theology speak about their vision for women in ministry. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza called us to live out the not so “pie in the sky” ideals of the discipleship of equals. She reminded us that all our ministries whether we are Eucharistic presiders, activists, educators, or peacemakers, help build the beautiful “kindom” of God.
Rosemary Radford Ruether shared her understanding of Church as a community of liberation from patriarchy, and how Jesus’ ministry and message supported this understanding. She stated that in order to create these communities, we must dismantle clericalism, which divides clergy from lay people and makes access to God available only through a certain group. Ruether described the functional leadership roles we must create in our church, in which people are being continually mentored, so that no one person is indispensable and the community is constantly bringing in new and varied talent. She concluded her talk describing the communities of liberation she has found in her life—it was a powerful set of examples showing how these ideals are being lived out today. Her examples gave life to the notion that our vision is attainable here and now.
While the weekend was filled with these and other well-known presenters — all of whom spoke with wisdom and candor about their ideals for change—some of the most inspirational moments came from the one-on-one encounters with women passionately working at the grassroots level around the globe.
These women included: Bibiana, from Korea, who leads workshops on organizing small-faith communities in her home diocese of Seoul; Flauvia, a young woman training to be a Catholic chaplain in the Canadian military; Mexican women from the group Luz y Libertad doing ministry by promoting women’s health and self-esteem through their Base Christian Community in Cuernavaca. Hearing the stories of these women reminded me that the worldwide movement is more than just long-term visions for a renewing priesthood. It is about the passionate women living out their priesthoods now.
As is common for many women’s ordination events, the majority of women attending the WOW conference were over 50 years old. However, the group of two or three dozen of us younger women in attendance gathered to talk about the noticeable generational gap in the movement. Some of these women were the only “under 40” members in their respective organizations. We discussed the difficulties of getting our voices heard in the women’s ordination movement and we gained insight into how our peers make spirituality relevant to their lives outside the hierarchical church.
Although there were many uplifting and inspiring moments throughout the weekend, some unsettling divisions came to light during the conference. These divisions centered around the different strategies towards obtaining a renewing priestly ministry.
Three main trains of thought regarding strategy emerged during the conference. The first came from those waiting for Rome to overturn Cannon 1022, which prohibits the ordination of women. These women view working inside official church structures as the avenue to bring about change. The second came from the women moving forward with prophetic ordinations— women like the nine deacons and priests ordained on the St. Lawrence River following the conference. They are bringing about the reality of women’s ordination from the grassroots by seeking ordination from their communities, from alternative bishops, or from the other prophetic sources. The third emerged from women who are moving beyond ordination. These are the women working to usher in a discipleship of equals, where everyone brings their unique gifts to the table without a need for individual ordinations.
With a movement that is over thirty years old, diversity of opinion is a sign of maturity and health. It is natural to have different approaches towards reaching the same goal. The problem emerges when we cannot see value in the other approaches or respect the different avenues women take towards bringing about change in the church. We must learn to deal constructively with our differences and continue to respect and learn from each other as we agree to disagree.
It does not serve us well to focus on the differences between us, rather, we help each other and our movement when we celebrate our common ground and see that we are tightly bound by our hopes and dreams for our church, however priesthood gets formed in the end. We are all working toward a renewed church in which all are radically equal, accepted, loved and spiritually fulfilled. We all want feminist analysis and perspectives to be infused at every level of our church and ministries. We all agree that Jesus came to upset the status quo and bring about an entirely new way of living together and loving each other.
In the past few years, WOC has embraced all of these different approaches. The development of our Three Ministries has helped us bridge and encompass the diversity of thought within the movement and create a space for all women working for a renewing priestly ministry. The Ministry of Irritation encourages grassroots activism to change church policy and speak out against injustice. Walking With Women Called engages and offers support to women working for change within official church structures who experience calls to ordination. The Ministry of Prophetic Obedience identifies and offers resources to women seeking ordination along non-traditional avenues. WOC created the Three Ministries with the spirit that has fostered respect for a diversity of opinion within our movement.
As we look forward to the next WOW Conference — whether it is in Sydney, Durbin, or even Rome, I hope WOW will continue a dialogue that embraces the diversity within the movement. We must honor, and give voice to all areas of thought, from those waiting for Rome to those creating a discipleship of equals now. Every voice—especially in a global movement—is needed to create the church where all are welcome.