Posts Tagged ordained women’s diaconate
The synod could change whether women can be ordained as deacons or priests. These women are hopeful / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Pope Francis, Synod on Synodality, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church, Women in the Church on September 19, 2023
Discerning Deacons co-directors Ellie Hidalgo and Casey Stanton told NCR they would like to see proposals about women’s participation emerge from the October meetings, especially since the topic surfaced in listening sessions around the world.
By Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter
“Advocates for women’s ordination — to the diaconate, the priesthood or both — say they are hopeful about the upcoming synod in Rome, despite some high-profile opposition to the possibility of expanded leadership opportunities for women in the church.”Advocates for women’s ordination — to the diaconate, the priesthood or both — say they are hopeful about the upcoming synod in Rome, despite some high-profile opposition to the possibility of expanded leadership opportunities for women in the church.
While they would like to see concrete proposals that increase women’s participation, those who spoke to NCR said they are also excited about the process of synodality itself and believe the Oct. 4-29 series of meetings will surface fruitful conversation and dialogue.
“My hope is in the commitment of all of us to be a synodal people,” said JoAnn Melina Lopez, director of faith formation at St. Basil Parish in Toronto, who will travel to Rome for a Sept. 30 ecumenical prayer vigil ahead of the synod. She will be part of a 17-member delegation of young adults affiliated with Discerning Deacons, a group that advocates for the restoration of women to the diaconate in the Catholic Church.
Documents summarizing two years of listening sessions in advance of the October series of meetings have included previously taboo topics, including women’s ordination, LGBTQ relationships, married priests and clergy sex abuse. In addition, for the first time in history, lay men and women will be included as full voting members of the synod.
By Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Synod raises hopes for long-sought recognition of women in the Catholic Church / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Future of the Church, Synod of Bishops, Synod on Synodality, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on August 21, 2023
‘It’s remarkable the shared cry that came through in ‘Enlarge the Space of Your Tent’ around the deep connection between creating a new synodal path in the church and a church that more fully receives the gifts that women bring,’ (Casey) Stanton (co-director of Discerning Deacons) said.
By Claire Giangrave, National Catholic Reporter
‘When Pope Francis called two years ago for a worldwide discussion among rank-and-file Catholics about the main challenges and issues facing the church, the question of women’s ministry and leadership echoed loudly in parishes and bishops’ assemblies.
“The question is resounding more loudly as the summit of bishops and lay Catholics known as the Synod on Synodality, scheduled for October, draws near. Participants and observers alike recognize that any conversation about reforming church hierarchy or promoting lay involvement, Francis’ twin goals for the synod, has to include honest exchanges about the role of women.
“‘It’s not just one issue among others that you can tease out,’ said Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons, a group committed to promoting dialogue about the female diaconate in the church. ‘It’s actually kind of at the heart of the synod and we need to take a step forward that is meaningful, and that people can see and feel in their communities.'”
By Claire Giangrave, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Catholic Church ‘robbed’ of richness of women deacons / The Tablet
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful, Women, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church, Women in the Church on April 26, 2023
From the twelfth century up to Vatican II, she (Dr. Phyllis Zagano) said the diaconate was essentially on hiatus and this ‘robbed the church of the richness of the charism.’
By Sarah Mac Donald, The Tablet
“The Catholic Church has been ‘robbed’ of the richness of women in the diaconate, according to a senior academic and author.
“Dr. Phyllis Zagano, adjunct professor of religion at Hofstra University, said, ‘There is not now and never has been any doctrinal finding that women cannot be restored to the diaconate.’
“In her reflection on women and ministerial service in the Church at a Loyola Institute’s symposium: ‘A Servant Church on the Synodal Way,’ she said, ‘Women can receive the sacrament of order as deacons, just as they did for hundreds of years in the early Church.’
“Dr. Zagano has just launched her latest book, Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality and Women.
“From the twelfth century up to Vatican II, she said the diaconate was essentially on hiatus and this ‘robbed the church of the richness of the charism.'”
By Sarah Mac Donald, The Tablet — Read more …
Called to Contribute: Findings from an In-depth Interview Study of US Catholic Women and the Diaconate / By Tricia Bruce,
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Future of the Church, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church, Women in the Church on September 22, 2021
“Women comprise the majority of US Catholics and the majority of lay ministers in the U.S. Catholic Church. While the ordained diaconate remains the exclusive realm of men, women engage in expansive service that overlaps core diaconal functions in word, liturgy, and charity. Many women feel specifically called to be deacons or express an openness to discerning such a call should the vocational path become available to them. Escalating global attention to the question of women and the diaconate compels social scientific research to enhance knowledge regarding how contemporary women experience and fulfill their felt call in the Catholic Church.” By Tricia C. Bruce, Ph.D., author of “Faithful Revolution: How Voice of the Faithful Is Changing the Church”
Why does Francis’ passion for justice and unity stop short of women? / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on May 13, 2019
Francis’ boundless energy and dedication to peace and justice stands in stark contrast to the dithering way he is handling question of women deacons in his own church. His passionate cause for unity among churches and with people of other faiths, it seems, stops short of the women of his own church who are asking simply for more inclusive ways to serve. (National Catholic Reporter)
In June 2016, just after Pope Francis announced he would create a commission for the study of the history of women deacons in the Catholic Church, he joked to journalists, ‘When you want something not to be resolved, make a commission.’ Apparently, he wasn’t kidding after all.
“On May 7, while aboard the papal flight from Macedonia to Rome, Francis announced that, after three years of study, the papal commission was unable to find consensus and give a ‘definitive response’ on the role of women deacons in the first centuries of Christianity.
“He claimed that what remained unclear was whether women deacons received a sacramental ordination.
“‘It is fundamental that there is not certainty that it was an ordination with the same formula and the same finality of men’s ordination,’ he said.
“Anyone who has ever listened to Francis speak about women knows why this would be such a crucial distinction for him. Like popes before him, Francis believes strongly that women are not entitled to sacramental power or authority and that it is God’s intended purpose that men and women have different roles in the church.”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
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