Becoming Fr. Anne: A Festival of #JoyfulResistance

Anne Tropeano, known as Father Anne, was joyfully ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at the Cathedral of St. John. She is defying the Vatican and breaking canon law, which automatically excommunicates women who attempt ordination. 

Anne Tropeano holds a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA, and ministered with the Jesuits for twelve years.  Recently profiled in The New Yorker, Fr. Anne is quoted saying, “You say women can’t be priests? Watch me.”  

Prior to the ordination, WOC and other supporters of ordination justice gathered on Friday, October 15th for a “Festival of #JoyfulResistance” to learn more about the movement for women’s ordination, how to become an effective advocate for change, and to celebrate the upcoming ordination of Father Anne.

“The inequality of women in the Catholic Church is simply an injustice that must end. When women courageously step forward and claim their equal place at the altar, it sends a message straight to the Vatican: Women are called to be priests and no man-made law will stop that.”

— Kate McElwee, Executive Director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.  

You can read more about Anne and her future ministries in the Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico woman plans ordination to dismay of Catholic hierarchy