Most people in the US reading this headline this week might think of a certain jury verdict in New York City. I think of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of New York. They announced April 27 that their congregation is on a “path to completion.”  I am shocked. Everybody knows that…
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Oh, our dear, impulsive Pope. I have long felt that if women could get Francis’ ear, we would see change. I wonder who got to him about women voting at the Synod. Maybe he saw the photo of the German Benedictines from 2018, and was reminded of the scandal of sisters who lead religious orders…
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[Mary Grace Puszka is a faith communications expert whose work has given her a window into the world of diverse faiths across the globe. She serves Episcopal Ministries of Long Island as communications manager. You can follow her on Twitter at @MGPuszka.] Sitting behind the cantor podium in a candlelit chapel adorned with poinsettia and pine,…
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[This post was co-written by Matthew Casey-Pariseault and Bernadette Raspante. Incidentally, no artificial intelligence technology was used in the creation of this post.] Father Tavárez sits staring into the bluish glow of his Macbook Pro. It is half-past midnight and the fact that it is now technically Sunday, April 30 adds to the pressure building…
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Sometimes the African American spirituals say it best. Today I think of “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me ’round” because of the lines ending the refrain: “I’m gonna keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’, marching down to freedom land.” There was a whole lot of talkin’ this week about women’s ordination, and I will share…
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Kate McElwee’s letter to WOC members commenting on the North American Final Document for the Continental Stage of the 2021-2024 Synod emphasizes that the use of the word “ordination” is in the context of the co-responsibility of all the faithful because of our baptism. Part of paragraph 19 says: While clarity is still needed around exactly what…
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Holy Week readings in the Catholic Lectionary leave out the story of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Here at WOC, we embrace Mary’s role as the Apostle to the Apostles, the First Evangelist, the first to interact with the Resurrected Christ, the one without whom we’d have no news of the resurrection.  Before the…
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Maybe it happens every year for Easter, but I don’t notice it. Or maybe not. I am moved this year by articles in my usual sources that bring to life the way I understand the liturgical and theological basics of our celebrations. Daniel O’Hanlon’s was the second article I read (the first, by Mary E.…
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The full quotation is not an April fool’s joke. Sometimes we feel like holy fools, but our mission here at The Table is to reassure us all that we are not alone, nor are we the first: “It has sometimes seemed to me that, in the Church today, there are three perishable stones dangerously committed…
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We are gathered in front of my childhood church. The sky is bright blue and the big Sun shines radiantly on us. The yellow building is freshly painted and red flower baskets adorn its corners. The stone-paved courtyard is bustling as people dressed in bright colors of blue, green, purple, and gold, pour in from…
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