Category: Feminism

Vocation can be a tough subject in the patriarchy dominated hierarchical structures of the Church. Going to Catholic schools as a child, vocation was explained to me in a few very specific ways. Men could be called to a vocation of the priesthood, religious life, the diaconate, single life, or married life. Women could be…
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The first person who taught me how to make altars out of stumps may have been Mary Oliver. Oliver’s poetry is known for its compelling mix of spirituality, natural imagery, contemplation, and sensuality. She is able to see the sacred in the world around us in a way that helped me redefine and reorient church…
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It seems almost surgical, the excision of women’s ordination from the conversation. This week, when I watched the BBC documentary “The Women Fighting to be Priests” on YouTube, I was thrilled with the stories of two Roman Catholic Women Priests, Fr. Anne and Olga Lucia Alvarez. Then Kate McElwee of WOC calmly presents the Vatican situation,…
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“Francis is Stuck. Let me count the ways.” That was my first title for this blog. I saw no change in what he said to a gathering of people who work at America magazine. Deliberately diverse, the group posed questions one after another. Executive editor Kerry Weber was third and set up her first question:…
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Author’s note: I initially wrote this piece in September 2019, in response to the article referenced in thefirst paragraph below. The “spousal metaphor” is back in Catholic news after yesterday’s interview with Pope Francis in America Magazine, in which he exploited the metaphor to dismiss the sincerely discerned vocations of women to the priesthood. Given…
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We are so grateful to those of you who replied to the survey about The Table, and especially those of you who might think about writing for it. You are absolutely welcome to share your insights. We look forward to hearing from you all. I am listening to Fresh Air on Tuesday as I write…
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Jane Varner Malhotra and Lizzie Berne DeGear are both members of WOC, and this summer we were introduced to each other by Kate McElwee just before heading to Mexico City on pilgrimage with Discerning Deacons. A few zoom calls in the weeks before the trip had us bonding on everything from questions over what to…
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Doors are cracking open. Forbidden topics (Women’s ordination!) are open for discussion. As the just newly released Vatican document says in so many words: ”Spaces in our tents are enlarging!” I am going to resist the temptation to say an exasperated ”finally!” and jump to celebration instead. It’s early days, of course. Nothing “magisterial” has…
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Kate McElwee strikes exactly the right note in her letter to WOC members on Thursday: “We have reached a touchstone moment on the synodal path, and thanks to your efforts, women’s ordination is still a major part of the conversation,” except I would emphasize “thanks to your efforts.” So many people who support women’s ordination showed…
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In the Roman Catholic Church, feminist theologian and scholar, Rosemary Radford Ruether, was a prophetic pillar. She shares the same status as the early church Fathers—Origen, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Cassian, and St. Augustine; Women Doctors of the Church—St. Hildegard von Bingen, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Ávila, and St. Thérèse de Lisieux; and well-known…
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