Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community
Synod Conversations – December 11, 2021 to
February 5, 2022
At the invitation of the Archdiocese of
Regina Synod Team, Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community met on
Zoom for six Synod Conversations. Total attendance at the six sessions
will be 114 -- the six sessions averaging 20 participants each.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, MMICC has grown from a core group
of 25 Regina and area members to an on-line group of 170 from across
Canada and two other countries. Participation at Eucharist celebrations
on Zoom average 50 on a Sunday and 75 during Christmas and the Sacred
Triduum.
Based on the questions issued by the Vatican Commission for Synod
2021-2023 and relayed by the Archdiocese of Regina, the MMICC Synod
Team expanded the questions as follows:
A
synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.” How is
this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church?
Describe your experience of Church. When/how has the church journeyed with you?
When/how has the church failed in the journey? How have you journeyed with the church?
What is your present experience of church? What nourishes you? What is lacking for you?
Describe your experience with Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community.
In what ways has it been of benefit/service to you? What would you like to see in an alternative community such as MMICC?
What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?
What hopes and dreams do you have for future journeying with the church?
What do you need from the church to move forward in living the Gospel?
How do you see those needs fulfilled?
Who can help you on your journey?
What follows are formatted, but unedited and unfiltered stories and
comments of individuals who attended some or all of the six Synod
Conversation sessions or submitted comments to an on-line survey.
Right now, I have no local church. There is a beautiful building in the
village I live in that calls itself a church but its attendance is low.
Those who do attend have never really given me a sense that I could
share my experience of God and sacrament with them. I am not sure if
they actually know Jesus, or if going to church gives them some moral
latitude. Perhaps I judge too harshly. Sadly, I do not think the church
here in my little fishing village will survive. Disappointment and
disgruntled with church leadership, people do not feel they owe the
church any kind of allegiance. The journey is one of two roads, one of
which is in a stagnant empty building and the other yet to be formed.
Sadly, I have not experienced any kind of ‘journeying together” in most
of my adult church life. We have only had about three priests over the
past 30 years who showed any desire for creating community . . . most
of them were simply present to dole out the sacraments to ‘save us’.
The journeying came only when we were able to socialize with the guys
as friends. Most recently we were informed that our names are not on
the local parish list. The secretary has no idea how or who removed
them, and the current pastor does not know how to restore them! That
really doesn’t matter anymore since we have found a ‘home/community”
that is providing us with spiritual nourishment and encouragement.
Locally I have only my husband with whom to share my faith,
frustrations, and fantasies of what church could be.
Of three local Roman Christian churches I have left behind -- three
Grade One religion classes. I have only two persons with whom to share
my growth in theology. My own questions have been too much of a
challenge for an Institutional Church. In fumbling through the Critical
Church I have evolved into the sanctuary of the Mystical Church which
'calls' me to embrace that which is good in the previous two. I do not
need Rome as much as Rome needs me.
Thanks for the invitation to participate. I show up because I think
it's potentially a valuable opportunity; at the same time I am a little
skeptical of the motives of the "big church" and the possibility of
foregone conclusions that the church is looking to validate. My faith
journey of the past 60+ years has seen me attending fairly regularly at
a number of Catholic churches along the way. Given primarily the
church's long history of sexual and spiritual abuse and the repeated
and ongoing coverup of these offences; the church's past life and
spirit destroying actions and present orientation to the residential
school abuse of First Nations peoples; and the obstinate refusal of the
church to endorse full ministerial participation of women in the
church, I walk now, mostly online but sometimes in person, with a
number of small communities of the Roman Catholic Women Priests Canada.
RCWPC is a community who provides life-promoting opportunities informed
by the Word for all-inclusive eucharistic liturgical celebrations, and
for informed, inquisitive, reflective processes for fostering adult
real-world faith development and spiritual integration. Interestingly,
it does all this in a time of major pandemic disruption to former
established faith practices. RCWPC communities encourage us repeatedly
to ask and answer the questions -- Which is the way now? How do I walk
in the way? With whom am I willing to walk, speak to, and listen to on
the way. Who am I now, and who do I want to be for myself and my
companions on this way? Now knowing how much road remains ahead of me,
what is the destination the spirit is inviting me to walk towards? I
haven't abandoned the church. I remember that I have a God-given place,
and a role, and celebrate being part of a movement to inform and foster
renewal in the big church.
If the local church means the RC church in my physical community, there
is no journeying with that any longer. Sadly, the joy in my heart after
attending a liturgy there has for several years dwindled to the point
where I feel there is not much point in going anymore. The experience
has become underwhelming, sometimes frustrating, and largely irrelevant
to my life today. If the "local church" means my involvement with the
MMICC, then that is a different story. The liturgies are meaningful,
beautiful and I look forward to participating. Why is there such a
difference? The music, the language in the prayers, the readings, the
active participation in the liturgies are life-giving, inspiring and
move me deeply on a spiritual level. In these liturgies, I am not a
spectator. Journeying with this community gives me a sense of belonging
and that my presence is valued. I feel at home here.
How does the church expect to attract young people when the language in
the liturgy is from the middle ages? Rome accepted married Anglican
priests who left because of women's ordination and assigned them to
parishes but our priests are told they must be celibate -- no justice
there.
In our breakout room several themes came up.
1. Excommunicating people not conforming to rigid rules
leads to seeking spiritual practice with groups where inclusivity is a
priority. There needs to be a fuller embracing of community. Church
needs to open to women's ordination, less obstruction for LGBTQ2+ who
want to marry, adult faith formation and opportunities. i.e. people are
dropping the "Roman" from their Catholic identity.
2. What does give life in the local parish is the music
ministry, the Word and the Eucharist - but it needs to be open to
everyone present.
3. There is guilt and fear and a lack of freedom with the canonical Church. This is painful.
4. There are feelings of not being good enough from so many rules and regulations.
5. The canonical church seems unable to accompany us into
adult faith. Pastors perform sacraments and don't seem willing to let
go of power.
6. Women preaching and presiding is good.
7. MMICC and other RCWP Mass celebrations where inclusivity is a balm.
8. There needs to be a Land Acknowledgement at every Mass in every parish in Canada.
9. We need to learn how to be with the land from the Indigenous peoples.
10. Our adult children no longer attend because the Catholic
Church is irrelevant to what is meaningful in their lives and can no
longer be trusted to be honest or transparent
11. Meeting people is a positive aspect of gathering as church.
MMICC does this well, especially at Mass on Zoom through the pandemic.
In my breakout room we spoke about the importance of Indigenous wisdom.
Indigenous-led prayer and teaching is inclusive, open, and encouraging.
It nourishes your soul and can be an important part of truth and
reconciliation in Canada. The institutional Church is characterized by
a lack of welcome. People go where they feel comfortable. Community
welcome can be friendly but rules are exclusive. Exclusion does not
emulate Jesus' way. Inclusivity does. Jesus says, "All are welcome."
MMICC does inclusivity well. There are priests who are open to women's
ordination. Canon Law is wrong about this. I agree with studies that
show the majority of laity would accept women priests. Parishes where
devote, active women are called to the priesthood lose out on a
resident priest.
LGBTQ2+ need to be welcomed in all Sacraments. They are God's gift
revealed because they are born as God's children. Membership with RCWP
communities is open. Your presence and faith is enough. People no
longer believe what the Church says we are supposed to believe and that
brings peace. The experience of Church has changed as faith has grown
and matured.
Attending Mass with exclusive language is frustrating and generates
anger. It leads to leaving. Other churches have great ministry and
other adult education courses where I learn. It is painful to be told
as a woman with a vocation of priest that you don't belong and that
your relationship with God who calls you is not believed by Rome.
The journeying analogy was suggested with the query of the Camino de
Compostela: “Why are you doing this? Are you as spiritual pilgrim or a
tourist?
1. As pilgrims we are open to what the journey can do for
us. As tourists we are focused to what we can get out of it.
2. Sharing stories of relationship with Church there is a
common thread of the parish experience being unable to keep up with
adult maturing in faith. Education, prayer, liturgy, discipline are
inadequate to meet the spiritual hunger experienced. We need a
community/ies of faith to journey with; communities which respect our
personal experiences of the Divine as authentic. Where love of God,
self, and neighbour is more important than abiding by rules in living
the Gospel of Jesus. Less hierarchy, more ‘of the people.’
3. Vatican Council II has been a pivotal point for many as
it brought the institutional church out of dark and secretive ways. The
sexual abuse crisis with it’s coverup, the trauma of residential
schools, and exclusion of women who are called by God from full
ministry are but three examples that give witness to the engrained and
abusive kyriarchy and misogyny that infects the church. These are the
things that lead people to leave the pews.
4. Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community and the
other RCWP led communities are providing an alternative way to be in
community with others on the journey of faith.
5. Having our ministry as a married priest and a woman
called to priesthood rejected by the church has been very painful.
While the church will not support the call to ministry of these people,
the people themselves do and turn to them for pastoral services.
6. Mandatory celibacy and exclusion of women from
priesthood have deprived the people of God of pastoral ministry that
resonates with the everyday lives of people. Celibacy is regarded and
honoured as a charism or particular gift given to some people. It adds
texture and dimension to the community of faith as one way of living a
deep, personal relationship with the Holy of Holies.
7. In conclusion, we came back to the purpose of the Synod
journey. What we say may have little impact on the institutional
church. However, what will come of our conversations has the potential
of enhancing the way we in MMICC journey with one another. As we break
open our lives and share our experiences with one another in a
discipleship of equals, our companionship will be solidified and our
faith in a God who is in all, above all, and around all will continue
to sustain us as we travel through life not knowing where the road will
end.
1. Women who worked for the church shared their
experiences of journey with it. All felt a sense of call to ministry
and were grateful for the opportunity to serve to the extent allowed.
However, navigating the patriarchal, clerical system was a continual
challenge. There was a climate of suspicion and continual scrutiny.
Some comments: ”I felt pressured to over-achieve in order to be “good
enough.” “I always had to know my space. We journeyed along together as
long as we journeyed where told. ” “I felt under valued, and even
exploited in that my contributions were accepted as long as they “made
Father look good” or filled a void until another priest was assigned to
the parish. “I was given the task of serving a community, but not the
tools to do the work.”
2. Intentional community experiences such as Mary of
Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community have been soul-nourishing and
affirming. The principles and values of servant leadership in a
discipleship of equals and community dialogue allow space for anyone to
contribute according to their gifts.
3. Women’s ordination remains the “elephant in the room”
which the Synod must address if it has any hope of relevancy for the
People of God today.
How we journey together in our local church: At present we are online
Zoom to have Eucharist worship, which includes sharing, our magazine
The Review, and Ministry Teams to delegate the various aspects of a
Parish. Our Priest is available to any of us always to share
information and concern.
What experiences does the above question call to mind? In the future,
with increased attendance, does this warrant a larger physical space,
to gather? Where, when and what available resources? How do we continue
to relate to out of province and out of country members so they feel
included? How do we support our priest and other workers?
Promptings of the Holy Spirit expect “ push back” from the Roman
Catholic authorities. Learn to face conflict skillfully. Embrace
progressive change and defy “we have always done it that way”.
Remember: “Fear not, I am always with you”. Give thanks daily, and
rejoice with appreciation, for our Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic
Community.
My journey with the church be it in a local community or the wider
church has always been one in which I am not “enough”. Not that I am
not “good enough” as though there is some moral short coming which can
be overcome. Rather, it is about the essence of being. As a woman I am
not enough. This is the message relayed by institutional patriarchy
that exercises complete power and control.
In my childhood, society in general was very patriarchal. As I grew up
and became more self-aware I found the patriarchy of the church more
and more oppressive. Over the years I have been dismissed, diminished,
exploited and spiritually abused. Patriarchy says to girls and women,
“You aren’t enough.” It was a hard learning that it wasn’t that I
wasn’t “good enough”; that “goodness” had nothing to do with it. I
simply wasn’t enough. There was/is a defect. Thomas Aquinas called
women, “misbegotten males.” That attitude continues to prevail as women
are defined by men and denied the opportunity to respond to God’s call
to serve as ordained priestly ministers.
The church maintains a double standard of seven sacraments for boys/men
and only six for girls/women. Women are not regarded as created equal
to men and deemed, “very good” (Gen 1) or equal in Baptism which is the
first of the Sacraments of Initiation. Women are defined by the
patriarchal system as to who they are, and aren’t; who they can be, and
who they can’t; what they can do, and what they can’t.
I have been told more than once, “you can’t do that, you can’t be that,
you are a girl or a woman.” When I raised my hand in answer to a
priest’s question to our Grade 7 (or so) class, “Who wants to be a
priest?” I was immediately shot down. “Girls can’t be priests. Only
boys can do that. Girls can be sisters, though.” From then on, I found
myself being groomed for the convent. I spent many years of my life
working for the church in various capacities as a teacher, a volunteer
and a parish staff member.
I felt a call to serve even as it was limited by some oppressive rules
and regulations. In my desire to serve the church I gave my best. It
was often expropriated by men as their ideas or their efforts. My role
was to “make Father look good.”
My spirit has been crushed over and over again as I tried to answer the
messages of the angels sent to me in my life. With nothing left to
lose, I dared to listen to the Voice that called me from my youth. At
first it felt useless as well as hopeless to think I could make a
difference if I answered God’s call to ordained ministry. I was
retired, after all, and this is for younger, more qualified women than
me. But the inner urgings of the Spirit encouraged me to “be the change
you want the see.”
And I have Divine assurance that I am “enough” to be a priest. There is
a disdain for women who answer the call to ordained ministry that
permeates the hierarchical church. They are shunned by male priests and
people alike. They are bullied by the “punishment” of excommunication.
The latest example it the amendments to the Code of Canon Law that
categorizes the ordination of women in the same class of extreme evils
as clerical pedophilia and sexual abuse of children and vulnerable
adults. There is no sense of the gravity of the sin that violates
another person. Whether a person is abused in body or spirit, is
serious. This revision to Canon Law adds to the spiritual abuse of
women who are called by God to serve as priests. It makes women the
criminals, not the ones who refuse to recognize the Spirit of God at
work in them. It is doubly offensive that this rule comes into effect
during this time when Synod conversations are in progress.
It is another example of men defining women in the most insulting way.
Much of what is coming out in the sexual abuse crisis in the Church and
the treatment of Indigenous children in the Residential School System
in Canada has a parallel application in the treatment of women. The
drive for power and control subjugates those seen as “lesser” and makes
them prey. Listening to those who suffered abuse is a good place to
begin in order to understand the devastation caused to a person by
patriarchy.
"Journeying together" does not really apply to the Catholic Church, if
you are a woman. As a woman, I don't walk "with", but I walk "behind"
or "separate". I am referring to the spiritual abuse of women in the
church. We are just not good enough to be given leadership roles. Even
though St. Paul tells us there is no separation - "no male or female,
no slave or free, we are all one" - the church demands otherwise and
demands that the power of the male hierarchy is what is most important.
The church will limp along until the rules are changed. And
unfortunately, the pews will keep emptying until women are allowed to
be ordained and to lead and to minister according to their gifts.
The church can drop its celibacy requirement. Married priests are able
to minister much better, than someone without a family and children.
Priests are not well prepared. 1/4 of priests left the priesthood after
Vatican II to marry. Church as institution has no feelings. Canon Law
is made by humans, not God.
The church does not have a copyright on Jesus; Jesus is found everywhere, not only in the church as was taught by the church.
I grew spiritually through the Catholic Women's League and many other
spiritual programs that I found outside of sitting in the pew.
I find many international priests (bless their hearts) so difficult to
understand. Faith cannot grow when you don't know what the priest is
saying. Ordaining women would solve this. As women, we are told we are
not good enough to be ordained, yet the years of pedophile sexual abuse
was hidden and male priests were still sent to parishes, even though
the church knew about the abuse.
My journey began with an experience of God at the age of 5. Jesus was
always at my side when I was young and I held his hand. In grade five,
I had a thirst for church, attended, and participated as a reader - all
this before school in the morning.
At the time, I lived with my grandmother who had put the first brick in
the building of the church in her community. She was the stronghold in
my life and church wasn't just attending but a community of people who
helped each other out in hard times. She was a blessing in my life.
In my early teens I was accompanied with my friends to mass. Being
teens, we didn't want to go with our parents so we went to the 4:30 pm
mass on Saturday - this was new and hip.
Anyway, looking back at the question, my past helps me to relate to
what this journeying means now in the MMICC. It's great. Total
acceptance. It is a respectful and loving community of which I am a
member and proud to be one! It doesn't judge anyone who expresses a
different opinion, thought, discussion, etc.
The inclusive readings and prayers are formidable and I can relate more
with them - they are loving and not commandeering. I enjoy the breakout
rooms after the Gospel reading and homily. I don't have to agree with
what is being said or taught and everyone in the group is respectful.
When I first joined, I was immediately accepted and there was an
eagerness for others to get to know me. I wasn't just a face in the
Zoom Eucharistic Celebration.
The woman priest presider is just awesome! I love the openness of the
community, and as a person, that gives me an opportunity to participate
actively if I want to. It reminds me a lot of my journey with my
grandmother because she was open - we would call her: une grand-mère a
la mode.
I was also saddened at one point in my life where my uncle divorced and
remarried. Because his brother wouldn't write that my uncle was
"crazy", the papers for annulment didn't go through. I was always
amazed that my uncle respected his older brother for his decision.
However, the Eucharist was an issue. Then, a new priest arrived and
invited my uncle and his wife to mass and to receive the Eucharist.
Life in faith was good. Until that priest was transferred and my uncle
was no longer permitted to receive the Eucharist. Sadly, this went to
the day he passed away. So much anger toward the Church. He died, was
cremated and buried the next day. No words of farewell and no family
present. Found out through Facebook.
Dignity USA, the organization for gay Catholics and their friends,
began in the early 1970’s. They hold biannual conferences. Canadian
chapters were started in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary
and Vancouver. They formed a region in the Dignity USA organization.
Two people from Regina attended conferences in Boston. Philadelphia,
and Seattle.
It is interesting in Seattle, Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen had agreed
to conduct the closing Eucharist but was suddenly called to Rome the
day before. I saw an ad in the paper for interested gay Catholics to
call this number, so I did. I met with the man who placed the ad in the
summer of 1983 and in November seven of us got together and decided to
form a Dignity Chapter We paid our membership dues to Dignity Winnipeg
at that time. In 1982 the Canadian group decided that they were large
enough to form our own Dignity group., starting at the end of 1984.
In July, 1984, three of us from here attended the convention in New
York, which would be our last one as a region of Dignity USA. In 1985,
we held our first conference in Montreal and the whole executive from
Dignity USA attended.
The closing liturgy was led by Auxiliary Bishop Leonard Crawley. In his
homily he shared that he was getting mountains of protest calls about
it and now he knew how we felt. But no one from Rome stopped him.
On Oct 31, 1986, Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith issued a 6-page letter to the bishops of the
world on the Pastoral Care of homosexual persons. In it he stated that
we are intrinsically disordered and self-indulgent. It also told them
to deny any use of church property to Catholic gay individuals and
organizations. It has never been rescinded, so Rome still teaches that
this is still the law.
A few years ago, I, representing Dignity Regina, with two members of
the United Church gay group “Affirm” and a gay Lutheran priest decided
to form a new inter-denominational group which we named Kononia. The
Lutheran received permission from Wesley United Church to use their
premises and were given our own key. We made use of the small chapel
and kitchen for our service and lunch. The organisation had no official
structure so no elected officers. Someone would volunteer to be the
leader for a year and would be responsible for finding volunteers to
lead the service each moth and people to provide lunch.
Early on we organized a weekend retreat at Prairie Christian Training
Center which the Lutheran Minster was in charge of. On the first
evening, we put together, pieces were already cut, a gay version of the
Ark of the Covenant, with a large pink triangle on top and slots on the
sides for poles to slide through.
At daybreak next morning we took the ark up into the hills and had a
prayer service. We stored it at Wesley and used it for every service.
We stopped it a few years ago as numbers had dropped from about 35 to
5. I have the ark here.
Two of us from Dignity were part of a group that formed “AIDS Regina” after a friend of one of us was diagnosed with it.
We had no money, so the gay community association let us set up a phone
upstairs in the bar which was manned for a few hours every night to
give out information to worried people. We applied for and quickly got
a tax free number so we decided to use it by getting people to host
parties where everyone would pay $10.00 and I, as the treasurer, would
hand out tax receipts. They were very successful and allowed us to get
some pamphlets made -- until the federal Government decided to fund us.
For two years I was asked to lead the gay pride church service. Dignity
Regina had decided at the beginning that we would not ask the church
for anything but we let the archbishop know of our existence. He
assigned a priest to meet with two of our members and he gave them
three copies of the church book on lay-led services.
A few years ago, I got a letter from Archbishop Daniel Bohan in which
he stated that he felt the archdiocese was not doing enough for LGBT
persons and asked for my suggestions. I wrote down a list of things and
as I was placing the envelope in the mailbox. I was thinking this will
be the last I hear about this.
I got another letter, thanking me and requesting a meeting with me and
two other gay Catholics. We met twice before we started to meet with a
gay priest. He never knew but one of the ones who met with him is an
atheist, but in reality is more catholic than a lot I know.
The morning the archbishop died, two reporters from CBC radio and a
camera man showed up at my door wanting to interview me. They would not
tell me how they made the connection.
Regarding LGBTQ+, Rome must:
1. Recant that 1986 letter
2. Allow catholic adoption agencies to allow gay couples to adopt children
3. Recognize same sex marriage as just another form of marriage
4. Forbid bishops from firing staff members when they discover they are gay
5. Quit pushing COURAGE as a solution to being gay. Courage teaches gay
men (not women) that they were not born gay, but acquired this as they
got older. It is as if they woke up some morning and decided they would
be gay. It is a dangerous form of brain washing which convinces the
person that he is not gay. The person is very happy about that but in a
lot of cases, overtime the old urges and desires resurface and in a lot
of cases they cannot cope with this and choose suicide.
Truth telling, change, change, change. But the local church cannot heal
from the bigger injustices stemming from systemic dysfunction because
of the gendered and hierarchical structure of the church.
I am not sure where this is going. I am not convinced that any of this
Synod stuff will ever reach Rome. I do, however, think that the process
of inviting us to share locally with one another is in itself a good
start. I am looking forward to the other faith sharing groups.
As a Core member of the Renew process thirty-six years ago I heard
Msgr. Bill O'Brien begin his address to Renew Core groups with these
words, "To be alive is to be in a position of search."
In time I would hear another old sage of a priest call me to a window
to view post-communicants leaving church after Mass across the street.
He said in his French accent, "Look at all those people there; they are
all suffering from Eucharistic indigestion." He could have said this to
no one else of that parish. He knew I was separate from the 'party
line'.
Around the same time my wife and I were challenged to stare down the
secrecy of a so-called in-camera meeting to warn the new in-coming
pastor about us (we were members of the parish liturgy committee).
Having been warned of such a meeting we forced a meeting with the new
guy who, after listening to our story, looked for hair on his bald head
to pull out. He found it incredible that we were willing to be devoted
to such a pre-Vatican II community. He left after three months. There
is so much more to relate to the 'search'.
Spirit was inviting us to cry. We were rescued by nuns who took us to
Call To Action, an organization of Catholics across the U.S. and Canada
hoping to actualize Vatican II. The spirit invites us to be inclusive
so that no one is outside the community. Understanding that people
belong to a host of different communities because of their ethnicity,
culture, political views, gender roles, economic interests, etc.
It is important for persons embarking on a spiritual community to put
these other considerations aside so as to be able to welcome everyone.
It is incumbent upon everyone to find ways to communicate with the
local churches so as to focus on loving God and loving our neighbour.
Mary Magdalene Inclusive Catholic Community has been fortunate in
fulfilling this mission because of its small size and, during this time
of COVID, its non-physical space/its electronic platform, thus drawing
in people from all over the country in a focused liturgical experience.
Within the broader community, religion sometimes acts as a divisive
element for various reasons: e. g. a turning back to a narrow view
which promotes literalness and exclusivity, the paucity of religious
formation within younger people, the confusion between political
spheres and spiritual ones; it is a blessing when the church
demonstrates the mercy of God which allows us to change and grow and it
is a joy when there is openness in which all are welcome.
There is a need for healing conversations which cannot take place where
there is oppression and coercion. If the Church recognizes every life,
every person as sacred, why do people in need feel their insignificance
in relation to the Church?
I was overwhelmed when considering the conversion of the Church – it
seems daunting. A priority is listening to the marginalized and let the
Church’s listening be informed by Gospel values rather than Church
rules.
My niece, a new Catholic, struggles in two ways: seeing her mother’s
tremendous challenge with getting an annulment. The rules that are
there are not clear and enforced differently – they weren’t married in
the Church, so why all the blocks?
That leads me to being more open to social justice rather than the
personal sin that is focused so much on sexuality. There are so many
bigger social justice issues.
My niece’s experience with her children in a Catholic school where
conflict and bullying arise over her being a single parent. That
invites us to get out of our own ghettos as white people to meet people
who are different and to listen to their stories.
Can the Church shift focus, rather than have us follow along like sheep
and to foster personal faith growth – reading and learning in varied
ways. I read different writers from Nouwen to Rolheiser and at MMICC we
hear from others like Hildegaard of Bingen and Teilhard de Chardin.
Pope Francis had a fundamental insight when he wrote that we each need
to meet Jesus. It is not only about meeting the expectations of the
faith, which is broadening, but it is about Jesus and who He is for us.
I was impacted by my formation in Grade 8, writing a paper on religious
life and the model of perfection which really didn’t teach me to
discover who I am inside. That’s a fundamental issue, probably for all
of us. These norms complicated personal growth. It seemed an easy way
out, just doing what I’m told. Being healed is not a once-and-for-all
thing. It is very deep. We need to live with awareness and walk with
ourselves in acceptance. Communities like L’Arche empower us to be open.
The Church needs to be open rather than a “silo” in terms of
listening—like “trauma-informed” listening and other insights that the
Church has yet to integrate. With MMICC the zoom format every other
week is an adjustment. I belong and so I want to show up every week. I
miss that physical continuity with weekly gatherings and miss the
in-person connections.
The Spirit invited us to step into Mass on Zoom where communities
formed. This was an interactive walk with others outside my parish. It
coincided with my association with the Roman Catholic Women Priests and
also my look into women and the Early Church and the historical and
theological study that is surfacing in regard to women priests and
bishops active and documented in Church floors and wall frescoes in
Italy and Israel that were covered up for Centuries.
In addition, the Bible scholarship leads me to ask, how is it a living
Word? The Spirit is inviting me into “Story” –how the Hebrew people and
Jesus valued the Story over fact. The Indigenous wisdom invites us this
past year to work on truth first, then trust and how we as settlers are
to shift from self-centred living to thanksgiving-based respect for
Mother Earth and God’s voice speaking by the land, its plants and
creatures. In terms of wounding, judgment is strong in my parish since
I have answered the call to priesthood and the bishop has asked that I
stop my involvement with music, the Word, the office and any other
ministry, giving retreats, etc.
The joy for me is in the relationships with parishioners who are
curious and open to hearing my story. If my light cannot shine there,
it makes no sense to show up. Another hurt is the clergy’s
unwillingness to speak with me or listen to me, to recognize that my
call to priesthood as a woman is of value.
In our group we spoke of the way, after two years of Mass on Zoom, we
stand before the traditional Church and observe. We choose to stay in
the Church, but leave the parish. We need to define our relationship
with the canonical church.
There are themes of rejection based on Church rules in family and
personal situations. The exclusion comes because of divorce, single
parenting, ordination vocation as a female.
We spoke, too of a desire to gather with MMICC every week during covid
for that sense of belonging to community and gathering meaningfully
together.
There's also a joy in learning about Indigenous wisdom and hearing
works of Church mystics read at liturgies. This is related to a
yearning for adult learning and growth in our relationship with Christ,
the church and others.
Who are our prophets and what is our responsibility in prophetic
obedience and relationship with Christ? More and more, relating to the
marginalized is fruitful in living out the gospel values.
In my group these are some of the points that were made in response to second meeting questions:
* continue to be welcoming and to walk the talk of the good news
* as the community organically grows, that we
continue to be welcoming and encouraging of the utilization of people’s
gifts
* education of people – word of mouth and
one-on-one; there is a lot of mis-information about participating in
our liturgies.
* One person was asked if one would be automatically excommunicated by participating.
* what kind of input is MMICC putting into the diocese?
* we’re journeying together, there has to be a mutuality
* in terms of inclusive language, how the church talks to us in terms of God
* God is bigger than language
* who is this wonderful source of life and knowledge
* hangup is that as a woman I was never enough
– not that I wasn’t good enough, but that I didn’t have the right parts
- nagging pain of patriarchy, wound that I carry
* church has shortchanged itself so much by not accepting women as full partner
As we move within our communities we need to do three things:
1. pay attention – looking and listening, observing, with all our senses;
2. There are things that are a cause for celebration, gratitude
3. need to speak about this with our friends, neighbours,
Our gift to synod discussion: the big church is in need of some
necessary reforms – large and small and RCWP is our reform movement
within that larger reality of big church.
* Mission statement trying to live out some necessary reforms.
* Cultural sensitivity
* in every mass there should be a territorial
acknowledgement WITHIN the liturgy and not just tacked on in the
announcements or on the bulletin
* inclusive language and gender equity
* biggest gift or way to package is the values of
the values of RCWP, which encapsulate the necessary reforms - we are
open to continuing to reform ourselves
* What joys or difficulties have you experienced?
* while I was working for the church, I didn’t feel I could participate in the RCWP
* joy is being in a place where I can be who I am, and whatever I have to offer is valued and encouraged
* Zoom has been a joy, and joining other
communities; we can attend any of the RCWP gatherings and be welcomed
and feel as if we are part of the community
* having other communities join us or vice-versa shows us how we are in fact catholic or universal
* in person gatherings were a joy, having local
like-minded people to meet and share; it was like putting on a glove
* as more and more people became aware of us and
stayed with us, we could provide nourishment to the broader spectrum
and communities join together
* each separate community has a different style and
presentation, but overall atmosphere of belonging shows we are one
* haven’t felt that anywhere else, in any other parish, oneness of mind and heart
* not disgruntlement with the other, but the Spirit
is drawing us together and pulling us into deeper relationship with
Christ and God, and it is being manifest in the community
* corresponding sadness is . . . why isn’t everybody excited as we are?
* How do we share the good news?
* There is a fear and/or reservation about being connected with us, about what kind of power is held over
* Where is the Spirit leading us? The Spirit opened
the door. A barn door or a Zoom window has opened. A few of us were in
the barn but never noticed the window . . . Going through the window
moves us into a new relationship, micro communities that exist right
across the land.
* delight, excitement, joy – willingness, enthusiasm is qualitatively different than where we were before
* use of the word Oneness – two parts. There is a oneness of communities of when we gathered in person.
* even though the communities are sprinkled geographically, we still are one
* the other part is that there is an invitation to
bring ME into the community, a newness, an integrated personality, to
be in this community in a way that is different
* invitation to bring all aspects of my life into
the community – whoever I am, piece by piece, we reveal ourselves to
each other
* we bring all of ourselves and I feel like I’m doing it more willingly
* we want to know the result of the input we provide
* this process helps in taking us into our spiritual futures
* sessions have to be life-affirming for us, more than just information gathering, etc.
* I want to be able to say, those questions were worth it
* is it more of the same? Or did someone listen and something changed.
The Spirit invites us to listen and learn in order to grow in our
journey as a community. She leads us onto new paths. We need to take
the time to re-think what is required for the journey and to make is
all worthwhile.
There's a need to look at the future rather than trying to hold on to
the past where in the past the church and those who were in power
attempted to silence the laity or the voices calling out for justice
and experience the fullness of life. I'm not asking the Church to
change as that is already happening -- just take a look at the empty
pews.
The Church as it exists today is in deep trouble. I'm asking for a new
and inclusive Church in line with the teachings of Jesus. To recognize
that we are all called to the table and to ecognize the ordination of
women. Our woman priest is awesome and serves the community well! I've
met another woman priest who continues to serve and lead her community.
We need to recognize that if the Church remains the same, the
consequence will become stagnant and will not be able to survive.
Membership will drop.
On the other hand, the MMICC has brought me into a modern journey with
the Spirit inviting me to participate. It is not just a community of
feminists -- to my surprise many men support the community. Although I
am new to the community, I have been led by the Spirit to embark on a
new journey and not look back, unless called to do so.
A desire to serve and move forward.
Love exists -- love and respecting one another -- no judgment whatsoever.
A loving and supportive community -- it doesn't get any better than that!
The community allows you to be part of it if you want to.
What is most bothersome from my local church is the lack of
participation, lack of inclusive language, lack of new volunteers. Even
when the parish priest asks for volunteers, he really prefers the
people he's known for 15 years to continue to serve him. What's the
point? If you always have the same people, others notice and stop
volunteering their time.
Doing church differently is how we feel the Spirit is inviting us in
order to grow in our walking together as a local small faith community
and walking with the Catholic Church.
Eucharist on Zoom is valid according to our experience and according to
several theologians. Faith is what counts, not magic words.
The Spirit appeared to be calling us through Google. News of small faith groups kept popping up on our computers.
Change in the Church is palpable in people we speak to and in what we
see in the worshipping of small faith communities. Inclusivity is
valued in small faith communities and is evident there. Some of us are
torn between a canonical parish and a small faith community. Some are
comfortable with either or both.
It is frequently expressed that Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic
Community, a small faith community within the Catholic Church, is
life-giving. Hope is expressed that this community will continue on
Zoom even after the pandemic ends.
We are learning new things with our small faith community: I am loved; I love myself; I love others.
Inclusive language is important in combating patriarchy. It is not
frivolous. For centuries the exclusion of inclusive language and
feminine images of God have cut negatively into theology with a
detrimental effect.
Through our participation in our small faith community, we feel we are really celebrating the Eucharist.
Our group thought that the Spirit is clearly pointing us in the
direction of Jesus' teachings-- social justice, gender, racial and
economic equality and that the traditional Church is not-- and has not
enabled us in this. In fact, it was felt by our group that the
traditional Catholic Church has returned to pre-Vatican II times with
emphasis on original sin, and gender inequality. Attitudes that
Catholics are "better" than other religions and know the path persists.
We know that the Spirit has many paths pointing to the face of God. In
social justice issues we have felt thwarted by the clergy, who obstruct
and dictate to those of us who have quite a bit of experience in
resettling refugee families.
There is consensus that there are difficulties with clergy attitude
towards women; as long as women follow whatever the priest dictates,
all is well. Many people wish to contribute in differing ways and do
not want to be limited to reading, praying, or cleaning church linen.
The Church needs to change its attitude towards women to rid the woeful
imbalance in hierarchy. It feels like "spiritual abuse" to forbid the
contributions of women in leadership and decision making roles in the
Church.
We believe the Catholic Church needs to change its liturgies to reflect
a more inclusive world. We all have found meaningful liturgies in our
RCWP Mary of Magdala community. Our desire is to be part of a community
voice that clearly, peacefully and persistently a voice in calling for
change to gender injustice, social and economic disparity in the
traditional Church.
The spirit (partially through Archbishop Don) invited MMICC to walk
together through this synod process. We are learning so much as a
community about each other's journeys to get to this point in our
spiritual life. Covid has been a silver lining. If it had not forced us
onto to Zoom, many might not have connected to MMICC and the other RCWP
communities. We are able to do church in a different way, more like
original house church, with people who are interested and concerned and
love the church. We believe our spirits are linked to each other.
One person had been in synod conversations with a like-minded community
but they were hesitant to send comments through traditional parish
hierarchy. Afraid of backlash from priest and upwards, so sent comments
directly to the Vatican to Nathalie Becquart.
Some examples of old ways that were restricting rather than promoting freedom and community and suggestions for new ways:
* One person encouraged coffee time after mass in
order to talk more about church and God but found people only wanted to
talk about football or how to move church back to pre-Vatican II days.
* Another person was involved in building a new
church building in her parish. She wanted to incorporate Vatican II
ideas. Big meeting/greeting space (“made to justify waste of space").
Men were all assigned to be heads of the committees; women perceived as
slowing down the process by asking too many questions.
* Ideas forward: Promote inclusive language.
Important to think of God in feminine terms (God as mother) as well as
masculine.
* Also, to embrace creation spirituality. God is
everywhere – taking us closer to indigenous wisdom and incorporating
their knowledge and spirituality into our communities.
* As well as other world religions.
* Link to other groups – CWL perhaps or better yet
the Catholic Women's Council – a new organization (2019/20) of RC
networks for the full recognition of the dignity and equality of women
in the Church.
* Another thought more emphasis on Mary would be helpful.
* Old structures need to changed. Grateful to women
who have been called recognizing that they will be judged more harshly
than their male counterparts.
My family was immersed in Church and parish life. My husband, children
and I were involved in many ministries in our parish. There was
richness and a desire to belong and to be part of our parish. We
participated in many great liturgical celebrations. I never questioned
-- I listened, listened, listened. I admired my children who are
opinionated and questioned our priests and church rules. Therefore, I
never felt a freedom to truly state who I am and what I believe. Rome
knows all the answers. The Pope, the cardinals, Bishops. etc. make the
rules and they are correct, or so the laity is told.
As a recorder, I submit the following:
* I have no parish, but am still part of Catholic
life. You can't remove the Catholic from me even though I struggle with
the beautiful, broken church.
* The Truth and Reconciliation process is not
handled well in the Catholic Church. Other churches have paid and
provided reparation, but the Catholic Church puts conditions on their
payments which doesn't respect the individual's needs.
* Liturgies in the Mary of Magdala Inclusive
Catholic Church are affirmative, inclusive, welcoming and nourishing.
They encourage dialogue of community members and accept the
participation of members according to their gifts. There is a freedom
of being the child of God who I am meant to be.
Can Pope Francis open himself to an encounter with women with a calling
like mine and listen to our stories, something his predecessors have
never done? What if the vocations we bear are of the Spirit? The first
century Church could dispense with male circumcision; can we dispense
with a male-only priesthood? With the help of that same Spirit.
Following are suggestions that would demonstrate a willingness to
journey with women toward inclusion of women in all ministries of the
church based on Baptism into Christ in whom there is no distinctions,
and dismantle patriarchy:
1. All clergy study patriarchy and gender discrimination
and the harmful effects it has directly on women and girls and gender
diverse people. It also harms men and all of society suffers.
2. Every time a priest/deacon vests for liturgy, he should
be aware of the fact that women who are called to ordained ministry are
denied the opportunity to answer God’s call. Not acting against
patriarchy is complicity with its evil.
3. Create opportunities for women to talk about their
experiences of patriarchy and how it has affected them much like
opportunity has been created for victims of clergy sexual abuse and
survivors of Indian Residential Schools. These issues are all related
as the root is abuse of power and control
4. Use inclusive language in prayer and conversations
about God. This can be done on private and personal level. Even in
liturgy and public prayer it is important to do so. God is neither male
nor female; God is spirit. All language is analogy. As we pray, so we
believe. If we pray only to God the Father and talk only about God as
Father, that is what we will believe. If we pray to God in a broad
range of metaphors, we will believe in a expansive, multi-faceted God.
The Spirit invited me to change paths. I was drawn to the RCWP by
Google. At first I thought it was just a pop-up ad and ignored it. I
went to bed and reflected on this, and decided I would look into it the
next day. I wrote an email and told myself no one will ever contact me.
That same day someone did. The Spirit invited me to look at things
differently. So, here I am. I have not only begun a journey in a new
authentic community, but I am getting to know my sisters and brothers.
I am journeying with a family. And not all members of the family agree
with one another, as we are all different, so I really like the fact
that the community is so inclusive. We are truly the people of God/de.
One person said something about youth, that their spirituality may not
be in sync with ours. We need to be patient and let them be who they
are. The Institutional Church is less responsive to them.
“Driven away Caholics” are the second biggest USA church population
now. That’s because of the superficial confidence of the Church. It
relies on a conservative sentiment to keep it going especially in the
USA and Canadian Church.
There’s a problem with the might of clericalism. The youth are reactive
to irresponsible clericalism. Speaking to it doesn’t help. I get kicked
out of the Roman Churches – they’re really NOT Catholic. MMICC is more
catholic, inclusive, universal. It became very uncomfortable for us to
stay with the local parish.
Covid has been positive in that we joined a developing community at MMICC. Good things happen there.
With belonging to associates or other affiliated Church groups, the
sooner you sign-up the sooner you’re caught in the aspirations of that
clericalism. We don’t need, but we want a priesthood. A community is
responsible for leading a priest—the priest is NOT the “Father”. We are
all in this together. Something is wrong when we are more worried about
crumbs from the broken host than about our ailing or hungry neighbours.
Since Covid, I’ve had very little that I’ve done directly with the
Church. I have a very small group for Mass, but no in person contact
for some time. I am known as a Roman Catholic Woman Priest. Quebecers
appreciate it. 80% of Catholics in Quebec don’t practice because of
control over parishioners and the quiet revolution that happened in the
province. The new generation knows nothing about the institutional
church. Covid presents challenges and opportunities. Being who I am,
where I am – I do get questions. I hang out with Anglicans. Anglophone
Anglicans tend to be conservative. The French are more liberal. The
media approaches from time to time.
Cleaning church urinals some years ago, I reflected that I found it
strange the hands of a pedophile hands over the Eucharist, while the
woman whose hands clean the urinal and is morally pure yet denied
handling the Eucharist as priest. There is a lack of authenticity there.
The Archetype of permission. We are shuffled by the Spirit. We were in
a four-year diaconate program. Our vocalization, questioning, got us in
trouble in year three. We questioned the model of the Church of
authenticity, and whether that’s still relevant. For me, authenticity
is that which makes sense.
Many years ago there was a break-in in the church and thinking the
tabernacle was a safe those who broke in smashed it. People were
understandably upset, but we do this same thing to people every day in
our society. Jesus can take care of himself. Another example of
inauthenticity is the Pope’s January 1dy homily. Someone sent it to me.
He spoke about the manger becomes our food. That the Church is feminine
– and yet women can’t be priests! I told my friend this is
inauthenticity. She said I shouldn’t criticize someone she so highly
regards. Well, what do you do with that?
The Spirit invites us into alternatives to watching the priests eat on
TV. I was invited to Mass on Zoom where people come to know one
another, where there are opportunities to ponder different styles of
translation and alternative readings. To worship in a non-canonical
space is rich in the Spirit and in community. I welcome the stranger. I
also sense a stronger pull to the marginalized and issues of social
justice since moving into Mass on Zoom with MMICC and other RCWP
communities. Our stewardship of the environment is emphasized more
there than in the local parish which seems stuck on devotions of the
rosary and adoration in its own world without a balance of reaching out
to the poor, and saying yes to gay marriage.
Our group got into a conversation about the history of the Church as
human history. We noted how fear dictates the rules in the canonical
Church. The Spirit has to go elsewhere to move and that's one reason
why the Early Church historians and biblical scholars are revealing
powerful examples of women at the altar and changes in manuscripts of
copied biblical text and translations -- like changing Junia to Junius
and Maria to Martha (to reduce Mary Magdalene's confession of faith in
Jesus as the Messiah).
The Roman Catholic Women Priest worship is more inclusive and
non-dualist. Some people expressed an understanding of "God in every
atom".
Hope is a theme that seems stronger than love or faith during Covid.
Change is another theme that is strong since the closing of the church
doors in early Covid and the possibilities for seeing and hearing new
ways, like Mass online -- or going further afield. It is like the
Spirit closing one door behind us and opening up many possibilities for
change from the stagnant medieval liturgy.
One person spoke about her experience as "Remembering the past and
imagining the future". Another person questions whether "Belief", which
is about the head is as important as what we sense in our hearts -- a
flexible, malleable way that the Spirit can influence and bring about
transformation rather than stagnation. Someone else mentioned how
creating an ever-virgin belief was a slap against women's sexuality in
favour of something so impossible to achieve. The bible mentions
Jesus's brothers by name, and sisters.
One of my obstacles to enthusiastic, non-skeptical participation in
this synod is summarized in an essay by Gregory Baum called "Religion
and Alienation" first published in 1975 -- almost 50 years ago, in the
aftermath of the second Vatican Council. He quotes from this essay in
another essay entitled "Dialogue with Sociology" from his 2017 book,
The Oil Has Not Run Dry. Here is Baum:
“The renewal initiated by the Second Vatican Council has failed to
produce the anticipated results because a certain heaviness of the
institutions opposed it. Despite the good will of the officers, the
institution has largely resisted the new spirituality. The Church's
central bureaucracy was totally unable to open itself to the new
spirit. The English theologian Charles Davis thought that the
institutional Church was so unwilling to listen to the truth, so afraid
of new ideas proposed by the believing community and so attached to its
inherited structures that it remained indifferent to the well-being of
individual persons and no longer deserved the name of Church.”
It appears to me that little has changed in the institutional Church
over the past 50 years that would foster much optimism about the
outcome of the Synod initiative in 2021+. I have only so much time and
energy left in my 69-year-old life to devote to the search for a mature
spirituality that integrates Christ-like values of inclusion,
ecumenism, gender equity, and social justice in daily life. I don't
want to waste precious energy in initiatives with predictable, and
possibly predetermined outcomes.
I continue to participate in the Synod to listen to and share the faith
stories of my RCWPC companions on our journey. Building community in
these small ways is more fruitful and relevant than being concerned
about whether or not the institutional Church is going to listen and
respond to the truths and new (old) ideas of believing communities like
RCWPC who are the beating heart of necessary church reform.
Although I was born and raised Catholic, I had lost my way, my joy. It
was hard to follow the ever-growing set of “rules”, especially after I
retired and joined a more conservative parish. I tried to ignore the
things that didn’t sit well with me, treatment of women, lack of
inclusiveness, the sexual abuse and subsequent coverups. I started
doing pastoral care, communion services and training other parishioners
in the diocesan pastoral care training sessions. It only made my dance
more difficult. When I learned that my sister-in-law had been called to
be a priest, I quickly followed her and my brother to this inclusive,
spirit filled community. I no longer pick and choose what I believe in.
RCWP is life giving, life saving; the spirit flows in me and through
me. Now I journey together in love with this community.
After realizing that RCWP is my community, I had a discussion with the
local bishop of the Catholic Diocese about continuing with my pastoral
care. He had “dis-ease” at my continued participation both as a trainer
and as a participant and told me I could no longer perform those
functions in his diocese. There was both freedom and sadness that
followed that conversation but I have directed my time and efforts to
other causes. God is not a boy’s name. RCWP allows us to be recognized
for how much women contribute and bring to the church. Allowing women
to be full members of the church (with all the rights and privileges)
is necessary now more than ever.
In our breakout room several themes came up:
1. Excluding people not conforming to rigid rules leads to seeking
spiritual practice with groups where inclusivity is a priority. There
needs to be a fuller embracing of community. Church needs to open to
women's ordination, less obstruction for LGBTQ2+ who want to marry,
adult faith formation and opportunities. i.e. people are dropping the
"Roman" from their Catholic identity.
2. What does give life in the local parish is the music ministry, the
Word and the Eucharist -- but it needs to be open to everyone present.
3. There is guilt and fear and a lack of freedom with the canonical Church. This is painful.
4. There are feelings of not being good enough from so many rules and regulations.
5. the canonical church seems unable to accompany us into adult faith.
Pastors perform sacraments and don't seem willing to let go of power.
6. women preaching and presiding is good.
7. MMICC and other RCWP Mass celebrations with inclusivity is a balm.
8. There needs to be a Land Acknowledgement at every Mass in every parish in Canada.
9. We need to learn how to be with the land from the Indigenous peoples.
10. Our adult children no longer attend because the Catholic Church is
irrelevant to what is meaningful in their lives and can no longer be
trusted to be honest or transparent
11. Meeting people is a positive aspect of gathering as church. MMICC
does this well, especially at Mass on Zoom through the pandemic.
I was reflecting on the church as mother today? She hasn’t felt too
motherly to me . . . more like a CRABBY grandmother. It seems almost
ironical that this synod has begun . . . is it meant to help us journey
together, or are “us kids” being asked to help our floundering, tired
old ‘mother’ out? Is this a last attempt to save the sinking ship? As
our SJ friend said three years ago . . . ”Rome is just painting the
Titanic . . . it is going down!”
I cannot see an opening for local church, but only dilapidated
buildings falling in on themselves like barns no longer able to offer
meaningful, real shelter. New farmers.are needed. An entirely different
structure for them to work in.
Realize the majestic gift of Hope!
The
annulment “process" alone was so healing to guide me through
remembering the whole 25 years, to help me come to recognize that my
spouse and I were two good people who did the best we could with what
we knew st that time. Even if I had been denied an annulment, the
process itself would have been worthwhile. Of course I also had good
support from clergy and family who knew both of us at that time . . . just a positive note on the annulment process.
What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to walk together?
- courage to stay the course, to ask, to speak, to listen
- be faithful to who you are, who God has made you, and in that faithfulness be led and
confident in that even if the goal or destination cannot be seen/known
- We see the star, get a glimpse then lose sight -- are we on the right road? Sometimes it gets
clearer, then again not so clear. Spirit invites us to investigate our lives in ways we have not
done before, and to integrate new understandings/practices into our lives in a meaningful
way. Not a rejection but a growing into a new reality.
What joys or difficulties have you experienced?
- felt committed to becoming a Catholic early in married life, to raise children in the faith. As
time wet on, different experiences led to growth in faith, but at same time feeling more and
more an outsider in own church. Now feeling led and found this is where she needs to be.
Grateful for examples of leadership.
- When still involved in Parish Council, at one time suggested they talk about the issue of
ordaining women and met with significant pushback. In the end, they did send a document of
their discussion to the diocesan level but never got feedback. So, feeling cynical about this
process. However, appreciative of our own Bishop Don and the openess he has to listening,
and the invitation to the MMICC community to participate.
- Last 50-60 years in the Catholic church has been a time of formation, now find self on a path
where that piece (Church involvement) is past and invited to new path.
- Faith and hope are not certainty but unfolding pattern in Mystery.
- “Star” is disappearing -- sometimes it disappears in the presence of some evil, sometimes
have to recognize the evil is hiding the star and deal with that. Own journey as a young
person with little faith in a Church that had no room for questions (had high school education
by Benedictines), then later when had a family became involved in Church but could still not
accept some teachings ( eg: confession -- forgiveness comes from God when I am sorry, not
when I tell a priest) so felt like a “pick and choose” Catholic! Am really a fed-up Catholic!
- still searching, sometimes in a good space then not. Took a long time to feel worthy.
What wounds were revealed and what insights has your journey elicited?
- Church teaching on original sin has us believing we are not born good, yet in the creation
story in Genesis it has God saying at the end of each day of creating that “This is good!”
- accepting that “I am loved, beautiful, smart”-- helps me get past “I am not worthy”
- one wound was a priest who for 5 years preached how we were inadequate, don’t know how
to pray, his job was to “improve” us. Hearing that for 5 years was not affirming, and did not fit
with world -- came away from that experience resentful and angry
It was suggested
that themes 6, 7, and 8 should be combined and given a different title,
something like “Experience of MMICC”, but keep the three as sub-titles.
A statement
submitted earlier seems to be missing: “I've been nourished by
various community groups alongside the Church, including MMICC.”
It was suggested
that the summary document emphasize the maturity that MMICC has
compared to the local parish. e.g. inclusivity, everyone welcome
to the table.
Like other small faith communities,MMICC is not well know. Should we have more publicity? Advertise? How?
It was mentioned that the total number of people counted as members of MMICC is now 170.
The recent story
submitted by email regarding a positive experience of the Church's
annulment process should be noted in the summary document. It is
in the All Stories document.
The number of pages
in the summary document was questioned. Another person felt that
the number of pages didn't matter as long as the formatting and titles
were well done.
From searching the
various Vatican Synod Secretariat websites, it was suggested that the
MMICC reports could be located in several places. As well, the
Archdiocese of Regina, the CCCB, and WOC should receive copies of our
Summary and All Stories reports. Maybe others.
In the summary
document, it should be emphasized in various places that the priesthood
should be open to men and women, married and single.
The lack of outreach
from local parishes was lamented. It was suggested that parishes
and small faith communities should have a team of people charged with
visiting homes.
It was emphasized that parishes should be smaller in size.
The group
felt a need for a strong statement of who MMICC is and how we are
journeying together living the Gospel through the values we espouse as
a community led by an RCWP Canada priest. Values of Equality, Justice,
Inclusion, Prophetic Obedience, Accountability.
If the Archdiocesan
team doesn’t read beyond our introductory statement, they will hear us
define ourselves. Let them be amazed!
Emphasize in the final report:
•“Where is the Spirit leading us.”
• Dismantle patriarchy
• Inclusive language
• Equality of all by Divine creation and in Christ
• Vocations – anyone can be called by God, who is any human to reject. Discernment of spirits.
• Ecumenical Open Table practice – Eucharist food for hungry, not reward for obeying rules.
• Adult faith & conscience(ness) formation/development
Our input but a drop in the tsunami wave of calls for reform of the Magisterium.
Key question for us: How have we been changed by this process? How can
it help us live more fully into who we are as community? The outcome of
our sharing is a tool to shape our pastoral visioning.
A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, "journeys together." How is
this "journeying together" happening today in your local Church? What
experiences of your local church does this question call to mind?
Mostly our journey together is faithfulness to the Sunday Eucharist and
the sacraments. The local church has groups for involvement like
CWL, the Knights, St. Vincent de Paul Society and offers missions and
occasional evening sessions which invite faith sharing. Music
ministry has been a life-giving way for me to participate in worship
and in the parish.
Through the church I received my original catechesis which gave words
to my experiences of God as a child. As an adult I’ve lived and been
supported in my faith in communities along side the church, the
Catholic college I attended, L’Arche, a Spiritual Director’s Peer
Group, a centering prayer group, Spiritual Direction and retreats and
sessions offered by retreat centers and the Ignatian Apostolate.
I’ve also been strengthened, supported, and challenged to grow by
Catholic writers such as Joan Chittister, Ronald Rolheiser, Richard
Rohr, Thomas Keating, Cynthia Bourgeaus, Ilia Delio, and now the
communities led by women Catholic priests like Mary Magdalene Inclusive
Catholic Community.
In MMICC and other communities of Roman Catholic Women Priests of
Canada I have participated in faith sharing and have been nourished by
a broad and inclusive theology with readings from Pope Francis,
Teilhard de Chardin, and women saints and theologians. I have
participated in book studies and faith sharing regarding solidarity
with people on the margins, indigenous people and people of color,
challenged to grow in awareness, advocacy and reaching out.
I am grateful for this universal church, where I can continue to grow
in adult faith and service, and I hope the mainstream Catholic church
will respond to the call to better respond to this need in lay people
to be nourished and called to adult faith which bears fruit in witness
and service in our world.
Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community is fortunate to not
have buildings to maintain and repair. This enables the community
to have a relatively large amount of money to give to charity.
The synod process has been an exercise that enriches MMICC.
Especially of value to the members is its inclusivity and its respect
for women, as compared to the negative experience in former parishes.
In MMICC a deeper spirituality is experienced, has helped to expand our
idea of church, has helped needed spiritual growth, and heal hidden
traumas of the past.
Belonging to MMICC is a gift. It is evident now that there was a
gap between what the Church teaches and what it practices.
Books recommended to help with healing include: Richard McLaren, “faith after doubt” and Henri Nouwen, “Wounded Healer”.
The preamble to the summary document describing Mary of Magdala
Inclusive Catholic Community seems like the kind of document other
groups are placing on the Vatican Synod Secretariat website.
One member said she would continue her ministry of irritation.
Total attendance at six MMICC Synod meetings was 109.
Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community
people work in teams to teach and serve others; great connections and
learning and then love blooms! We gain in skill and grace as
needed. No money required, no building to maintain and use at the
expense of our charitable givings! A good deal for all!
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