Author: Kate McElwee

WOC, RCWP respond to attack on woman priest

For Immediate Release Jennifer O’Malley,  RCWP-USA Board President (310) 408-9122 Erin Saiz Hanna, WOC Co-Director (401) 588-0457 Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) and Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) are deeply saddened by the violent attack that Alexandra Dyer, a Roman Catholic Womanpriest in New York City, experienced when leaving work on Wednesday evening.  As she was getting in her car,…
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“Reasonably Catholic”

Listen to Kate McElwee on WESU’s program, “Reasonably Catholic” with Maria Johnson (20:10 minute mark)

Jacqueline Straub, the Woman Who Would Be Priest Read more: Jacqueline Straub, the Woman Who Would Be Priest

Last September, Jacqueline Straub wrote a letter to the pope. (First off: People still write letters?) But Straub wasn’t fishing for a papal pen pal. While some might argue she was using pen and paper to beat her head against a wall, Straub, a 24-year-old theology student, would likely counter that she was taking a…
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On being ‘doubly othered’

By Margery Eagan: On Spirituality columnist, Crux August 12, 2015: Read the Full article on Crux “Doubly othered.” That is how Gina Messina-Dysert describes her life as a faithful feminist and a faithful Catholic. She is suspect within Catholicism for her feminism. She is suspect among feminists for her Catholicism. “Doubly othered.” What a perfect name,…
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Sr. Joan Chittister and Martin Sheen endorse WOW 2015

“The reason some questions cannot be suppressed, do not go away–regardless how many people think they should–is because the human heart knows they must be asked or have yet to be clearly answered.  When that question concerns the quality of the discipleship of half the Catholics in the world, it cries out for attention. And will continue to…
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Women’s ordination: Can we be public?

July 14, 2015: Read the full article by Sr. Jeannine Gramick on the NCR’s Global Sisters Report  In mid-April of this year, I was one of 38 Catholic leaders from 22 different Catholic reform organizations that met in Limerick, Ireland, in a four-day conference to discuss the state of the church. Hosted by the Irish…
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Warm welcome for Pope’s ‘significant’ climate change message

Read the full article by Patsy McGarry on the Irish Times … Radical rethinking In Dublin, Christian Aid’s head of advocacy and policy Sorley McCaughey praised Pope Francis for his call for a radical rethinking of humanity’s relationship with the earth and urged both people of faith in all walks of life, and especially politicians, to…
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WOC responds to Pope’s Encyclical

For Immediate Release Contact: WOC Co-Executive Directors Erin Saiz Hanna, (USA) +1 401.588.0457 Kate McElwee, (Italy) +39 393.692.2100 The Women’s Ordination Conference applauds Pope Francis for awakening global consciousness about the exploitation and suffering of our natural and spiritual world in his encyclical Laudato Si’. Integral ecology has long been the study of feminist theologians.…
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Open letter to Pope Francis: “You need vibrant parishes…”

From the Windy City Times Representatives from 22 international Catholic groups working for a more just and compassionate church have written an open letter to Pope Francis asking him to focus his attention on the task of revitalizing local parishes as a way to allow for joint decision-making and greater accountability of church leadership. The…
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International Catholic Leaders Call on Pope to Revamp Parish Structure and Management

For Immediate Release: May 12, 2015 Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, 240-432-2489 Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, National Coalition of American Nuns, 301-864-3604 Kate McElwee, Women’s Ordination Conference, 202-675-1006 Deborah Rose-Milavec, FutureChurch, 216-228-0869 International Catholic Leaders Call on Pope to Revamp Parish Structure and Management Representatives from 22 international Catholic groups working for a more just…
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