Category: Ministry of Irritation

Okay, I’m a grandma, so please bear with me! I think this grandchild-being-irresistably-funny anecdote does have a point for us. No, trust me, really. My two year old grandson was being potty trained and doing quite well, thank you. One day, he and his family were at a restaurant. Mom denied him some treat and…
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I’ve been struggling with trying to be inspiring. I so believe in the power and, yes, even glory of the Holy Thursday Witnesses we in Philadelphia, and perhaps you elsewhere have been doing, and I’ve been searching and searching for something to inspire more people – like you – like you with your friends –…
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It’s a bit difficult to see our faces in this photo of our 2015 annual Holy Thursday witness at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul in Philadelphia, but really, how menacing could we possibly look? And yet, two years in a row, people, in protest to our presence, often in our faces, have held…
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This is a quote from John Allen in Crux, who notes that every twenty years, “the Vatican has felt compelled to issue a major statement on the role of women.” Leave it up to Crux to remind us of Inter Insigniores in 1976 and Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in 1994. This time the major statement has been…
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This may betray my age, but I have to admit, I hated those pussy hats that people wore to the Women’s March last January and probably will wear to the protest this January 20 as well. It’s not, however, as if the organizers did not have good intentions and a powerful message in advocating for…
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I woke up on Thursday morning to a white curtain outside my window – swirling snow. After two weeks of unusually cold weather and at least one more to come, we are having a real winter after a rather warm fall. “What is Carmela Apolonio Hernandez and her family thinking today?” I wondered. Carmela went…
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Merriam-Webster users are getting themselves up to date with feminism, the word of the year. Rather than a few linguists deciding on a new and different word every year, the online dictionary can count the number of times people look something up, so this honor is a true reflection of popular interest. Congratulate yourself, feminists!…
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This question was raised in my mind at a meeting this fall. When the speaker mentioned “inclusive language” in the context of liturgical work, a listener interpreted it to mean something like promoting diversity. But that is not it at all, at least for me and for my small faith community, which modifies language in…
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500 years ago, in October 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to Wittenberg Castle Church asking questions and calling for debate on issues needing reform in the Catholic Church. On October 27, 2017, we celebrated that call for church renewal by posting 5 modern day theses to the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul…
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This Sunday marks the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, patron saint of women’s ordination. Members and supporters of the Women’s Ordination Conference, the “Little Flowers of the Grassroots,” will honor Therese through prophetic actions around the world. Join us in celebrating St. Therese and all women called to priestly ordination. Here are some…
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