Seven Women Attempt Ordination–And No, They’re Not Priests

Seven “well prepared” women attempted to be ordained Catholic priests in Morristown, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 24.  I say “attempted” because women cannot be ordained Catholic priests. It is a theological impossibility. They are not priests.

I just read the report of the event on the blog of “Rev. Dr. Judy Lee,” a self-described Roman Catholic Women Priest who is co-Pastor of the Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community in Fort Myers, Florida.  According to Dr. Lee, there were 200 joyful supporters in attendance at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, where the event was held.

The seven women, who hail from Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, had been ordained to the diaconate (she claims) in 2013 or 2014. All had completed the Women Priests’ Program of Preparation.

The women, who have all incurred excommunication for their participation in the illicit event, are Barbara Ann Beadles, Norma Harrington, Patricia Shannon Jones, Susan Marie Schessler, Kathleen Gibbons Schuck, Ann Therese Searing and Mary Steinmetz.

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What does the Church teach about who can receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,

1577 “Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination.” The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

The Catechism continues, explaining why simply wishing to be a priest does not confer the ability to participate in the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

1578 No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God. Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God’s call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received only as an unmerited gift.

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An old co-worker of mine, a Jesuit priest, used to joke that if they ever approved the ordination of women, he thought they should automatically drop the first 200 female applicants from the list.  He was joking, of course–he didn’t really believe that women could be ordained, but the point he was making was this: The priesthood is not a “crown” for the deserving; it’s a “cross” for the called. The priesthood is a life of service, not of glory. There is no place for Pride, which makes these women and the “woman bishop” who “ordained” them think that they know better than Holy Mother Church.