What’s the matter with kids today?
Nothing, based on our experience Thursday as guests in a class for a course called “Catholic Philadelphia: Then and Now.” Maureen Tate of the Grail and SEPA WOC and I were asked to speak on the local woman priest movement by a woman professor in this area school run by a men’s religious order. Every element of that last sentence could be used as evidence of change. Whenever your “then” is, this is definitely a “now” moment even in the Philadelphia archdiocese, a bastion of conservative Catholicism. I knew this was true when, as the whole class discussion began, one young man talked about sexism and another about patriarchy. Nothing’s the matter with these young people.
What worked best, in my opinion, was the suggestion of the instructor that we use the handout from WOC (thanks, Katie Lacz!), “Why Ordain Women”, to prompt discussion in small groups. If you haven’t checked the WOC website in a while, look this over. It’s a new generation piece, not defensive (it’s NOT about how we answer the church’s objections) but a series of six positive statements with brief explanations. Each group took one point. They summarized it for the others, said how it resonated with previous learning in the course, and then asked us a question. All of their participation was good, but the questions were terrific. I am still answering them hours later, so you get to think about them, too:
- Jesus included women as his partners in ministry.
What does “Apostle to the Apostles” mean? We started the class with Mary Magdalene; students had read a Heidi Schlumpf article or viewed an Elizabeth Johnson video. Both explain clearly the conflation of three Marys and the repentant sinner. Johnson also goes into detail about strategies for interpreting Christian scriptures about women. Check them out if you need a review; the students were definitely not on the “prostitute” page, as we feared they might be.
- Women in the early Church were leaders, including as deacons, priests and bishops.
Why is it so hard to find out about these women that we have to use archaeology? Why aren’t they in the Bible? I had whipped out my FutureChurch “Women in Paul’s Ministry,” but never got around to talking about the named and unnamed women there.
- Women are fully capable of imaging Christ on earth.
How was hierarchy created? Whoa! Maureen and I answered this differently. Maureen went to the theology and philosophy of duality, making distinctions because of bodies, and binary thinking. The professor interrupted to ask if they’ve talked about binaries before. (Yes.) I leapt into the impact of the Roman Empire in the age of Constantine. Hierarchy apparently had been discussed before, and we had emphasized it in our earlier discussions. We spent some time on this.
- The Church has changed before, and it can change now.
Why aren’t there women religious at this college? We never really got to this question, either, as I recall now. Maybe the question under this question was, “Why don’t women just become nuns?”
- God calls Catholic women to be priests.
How long until it happens? It’s 2019. Is it realistic in our lifetimes? We talked about Roman Catholic Women Priests and other women ordained already. One of the students said how this prohibition limits God.
- Equality for women and girls changes the world.
What is the process for women’s ordination? Would it be the same as men’s? Could a woman just say, “I am a priest”? Well. We said women would study as men do today. Maureen explained the processes in RCWP. I explained that the Pope could change it tomorrow (not entirely accurate – I was forgetting about the synodal process Francis would probably use), or it could change as the “sensus Fidelium” – the professor interrupted again – “Have you heard that before?” Yes, they had!
That made me very happy, that somewhere in this city, and probably in many other places, students are learning about their power to be the future of a renewed church.
We talked about so much else, and Maureen might have a lot of different takes on what went on. We shared our life stories: Maureen’s of deep service from parish to international ministry; mine of a small faith community which ordained a woman, to advocacy locally and nationally in coalition with many other reform efforts.
Driving home, we decided many of us could take this show on the road. Kids like the kids today – racially diverse, male and female, Catholic and not – deserve our attention. Let’s create the opportunities.
8 Responses
Wow! Great work in spreading the news! Very hopeful!
Well, in my best Philadelphia accent and expression–I say WOW!!! ( hmmm. I meant this as the heartfelt exclamation of admiration and joy— but this also means Women’s Ordination Worldwide, doesn’t it?! )
Thank-you, Regina and Maureen. Thank-you WOC and SepaWOC and all the people and groups teaching, learning, reflecting, sharing, growing and moving forward—speaking out and speaking up for equality and justice with a respectful and loving spirit. Amen. Alleluis and WOW!!
To keep insisting that women cannot be corporal images of Christ is sickening.
Thank you for “hope”. We’ve really had enough lamentation – well – for centuries. I am so happy to know you both because I can imagine how profound and inspiring the interaction must have been. Keep doing it and we’ll join you!
How fabulous….and thank you so much for doing this! But I also think that this is an extraordinary Catholic school….not all places are giving their students this information and opportunity to reflect on this controversial subject.
Thanks for this really hopeful post! Glad they have a woman professor teaching a course (in religious studies? ) in a school run by a male religious order! I loved their energy and openness! But have one question–do they have women as students too? I would be interested in the interaction among the students. You only cited remarks by young men, so it isn’t clear how many women were there and if they spoke as much as the men did. I am hoping that they did, and it was just too obvious to mention !
I was pleased to have the experience speaking to this class with Regina and she provided a great summary. The women and men of the class were very indeed attentive, interested and asked very good questions. I think we both found the experience more challenging than we thought. Sometimes when we are out witnessing or organizing with those who are like minded we can forget that there are basics that are still finding awareness and acceptance amond the mainstream. It challenged us both to hone in on important points and to not make assumptions about what we now take for granted in attitudes or scholarship on the issue of women’s ordination and other church renewal issues.
If we had to do it again I know I would plan for more open space for back and forth with the students. The time felt so short but we have so much to learn from their generation about how they are viewing issues of church in relation to society, gender, and justice.
Yes, in religious studies.There were women students, too, and they did speak out. It surprised me less, I guess.