February 24th, 2014
In the Celio neighborhood of Rome, on a quiet street behind the Colosseum, there is a small shrine dedicated to the legend of Pope Joan, Papessa Giovanna. Fact or fiction, legend or parody, the flowers are fresh on this small shrine. Perhaps appropriately there is a triangular construction site, sectioning off a hole in the…
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February 22nd, 2014
Today is my 3-year anniversary on staff at the Women’s Ordination Conference! Hoping you’re the nostalgic-type like me, and will enjoy a little walk down memory lane together. It is because of our members that I have the opportunity to do so many incredible things around the world, with such amazing colleagues — thank you…
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February 17th, 2014
For the past four weeks I have been in Italian immersion classes, while living with an Italian host family in Rome. The school, DiLit, prioritizes listening and speaking practice over grammatical exercises, complimented with cultural seminars and excursions throughout the city. Empowering students to open their mouths and build brain connections prior to writing (a…
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January 20th, 2014
The Eternal City calls! It’s true: the Women’s Ordination Conference is going to Rome, and staying awhile! In our effort to change the structures and representation of women in the Roman Catholic Church, we at WOC believe we must be firmly situated within the Italian context to better highlight the global necessity of women’s ordination.…
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August 7th, 2013
Returning from World Youth Day, Pope Francis made headlines when he both said, “Who am I to judge?” gay priests who seek Christ in good faith, and “the door is closed” on women’s ordination. Because of his candid and humble style, the world is listening and talking about women’s ordination. Read More: WOC responds: Pope…
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February 26th, 2013
While flocks of men will gather in Rome to choose the next Pope, a very different meeting will be held at the same time in New York at the United Nations Headquarters. From March 4-15, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) sessions will bring together representatives of U.N. Member States to evaluate progress…
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October 16th, 2012
“See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” –Isaiah 43:19 Last Thursday, October 11, was the 50th anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council. That night, I was at Holy Wisdom Monastery, recovering from a red-eye flight from California and preparing for the start of WOC’s fall…
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March 1st, 2012
Just as sexism is a sin, it is also a sign: the Church must change. Sign of Peace Just minutes after touching ground in Rome, Erin and I spotted a familiar face behind a handwritten “Ordain Women!” sign near the baggage claim of the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport: Fr. Roy Bourgeois welcomed us with his…
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October 26th, 2011
Published on Monday, October 24, 2011 by CommonDreams.org Challenging the Old Boys Network in the Vatican by Bill Quigley We never thought it would end up on a hard wooden bench inside a police station in Piazza Cavour. Maryknoll priest Fr. Roy Bourgeois, young Erin Saiz Hanna of Women’s Ordination Conference in the US and Miriam Duignan…
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October 10th, 2011
For a third time in just a few of years, the Women’s Ordination Conference is traveling to Rome to bring your voice to the Vatican. You may recall that last time I witnessed at St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican banned me from ever entering again. Well, it’s a good thing that the hierarchy’s threats have…
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