An October 14, 2021, article in the National Catholic Reporter, by Jeannine M. Pitas, was titled, “Future woman priest ‘Father Anne’ blames God for leading her towards ordination.” For sure many Catholics will be surprised, to say the least, hearing the name “Father Anne,” particularly in the Catholic Church. They probably, as well, are wondering, is this all wishful thinking? Or if actually true, then how could that ever happen within our Catholic Church?
The now “Father Anne,” belongs to an organization called Roman Catholic Women Priests. What exactly gives this group the right to ordain other Women Bishops or Priests? It all started out on the Danube river back in 2002, where a Catholic Bishop, ordained seven women to be Priests and Bishops. These Ordinations were based on
Apostolic Succession, going back to the early apostles. What this means for a Woman Bishop, is that it gives her the power to ordain future Woman Bishops and Priests. Yes, this Bishop took a huge risk in performing these Ordinations, knowing if this was ever divulged, then he would be the one excommunicated from this Church, just as the former Father Roy Bourgeois, was excommunicated for officiating on the altar during a previous Woman’s Ordination. Currently, worldwide there are 250 Ordained Women in this group.
From the time I was a little girl in the Catholic Church to our present day, there still remains that one seemingly ironclad statement, “there never were Women Priests in this Church’s history.” Yet Biblical research directly shows an early history of Women Bishops, Deacons, and Priests. The most famous Woman Priest is Mary Mother Of God, who was called Mary Priest. Her title, ‘The Model For All Priesthood in the Catholic Church.’
Our Catholic Church Hierarchy, needs to get out of its own way in preventing any women from answering their own call to serve God. Rather, they should be following the 1976 findings of the Pope’s own Biblical Commission, “there is no Biblical reason to prohibit Women’s Ordination.” Our Church would really come alive, if half of it, representing women, could regain their own participation in that lost religious heritage of women being in priestly positions. What better role model could we ever have, other than Mary Mother of God, herself for any woman in our Church? Between Mary Priest and the other Father Anne’s or Bishops amongst the Association for Roman Catholic Women Priests that previous dream only is being played out in reality today. The only reason, it is not a reality in our Catholic Church today, is because our hierarchy is not following its own Commissions findings of absolutely no biblical reason to keep Women from becoming priests in our Church right now.
To learn more about this topic, be sure to opt-in for Chapter 4 of the book, Scandal in the Shadows. Click the image to the right.
