Just hours after Pope Francis addressed Catholics in Slovakia, more than 420 Catholics from all over the world gathered in an online event to celebrate Ludmila Javorova, the first publicly known woman priest ordained in the modern era. In 1970, Bishop Felix Maria Davidek ordained her to serve the underground church in Czechoslovakia, where communist leaders were killing and…
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The lay-led Root and Branch Synod, which is taking place online and in Bristol until Sunday 12 September, began last night with a panel discussion on feminism in the Church and clerical reform. “To suggest that God is incapable of ordaining women is inconsistent with our conception of an omniscient, omnipotent God,” said Kate McElwee,…
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As a member of Catholic Organizations for Renewal, WOC is part of an effort to encourage Catholics to speak out against the US Bishops’ attempt to politicize and weaponize the Eucharist by drafting and voting on a controversial document on the Eucharist this fall. We want to hear from you. What does the Eucharist mean to you?…
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January 8, 2021 We, the undersigned members of Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR), are outraged by and unequivocally condemn the violent storming of the United States Capitol that we witnessed on January 6, 2021. At the same time, as faithful Catholics, we lament the U.S. Catholic community’s complicity and participation in fostering an environment that…
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***Texto en español al final*** Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, is a profound manifesto, calling for kindness, detachment from market capitalism and solidarity in action as we reckon and recover from a global pandemic. However, the controversial title, which is a quote from St. Francis of Assisi, (All Brothers, but also in modern Italian, All Siblings) and…
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Hear WOC executive director, Kate McElwee, on the Tablet’s podcast to discuss their editorial encouraging dialogue on women’s ordination, and “Fratelli Tutti.”
Read the full article by Joanna Moorhead, featuring an interview with Executive Director Kate McElwee, in the Tablet here. The year is 2025, or perhaps it’s 2030. Francis is gone; we have a new pope and, like all leaders, he must decide on the priorities that will dominate his time in office. Across hundreds of…
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This November (27-30), the Women’s Ordination Conference will commemorate 45 years of prophetic persistence with a virtual gala and auction: “Breaking Bread at the Table of Justice: A Celebration of Prophetic Persistence.” The gala and auction will be streamed over several days, without charge. You will be able to watch the gala at your own…
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August 18, 2020 Fifteen leading organizations headed by “progressive feminist Catholics” have issued an Open Letter to Catholic Voters and All Voters for Justice, calling on voters to “stem the tide of injustice and usher in a new era of equality.” They say the letter responds to “[t]he need for action beyond words” given current…
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Washington, D.C.: As the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, a special “resurrection garden” of signs calling for women’s ordination and gender equality appeared on the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops. Similar “gardens”…
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