A good talk yesterday

[Michael16]

My mom, my sister and I had a good talk yesterday about comparative religion. We enjoyed ourselves.

They brought up some interesting questions that I couldn’t answer.

They asked me how priests get paid and the basic hiring process of how priests get hired by the diocese. The other question we addressed was women ordination.

In their Lutheran tradition, women can be ordained into their clergy. They think it’s sexist that the Church doesn’t ordain women or let them read the Gospel and deliver the homily at Mass. I explained to them that it wasn’t and then my sister said something interesting.

She works at a hospital and she says that there’s a Catholic woman who works at the hospital that prays for people. She said she asked her questions and my sister said the woman said she’s ordained.

So, my question is: How do I answer that?

I know the Church doesn’t ordain women and I figure this woman must be some sort of lay person that’s perhaps trained and commissioned for some sort of work while not being in Holy Orders.

 

[Wesrock]

She works at a hospital and she says that there’s a Catholic woman who works at the hospital that prays for people. She said she asked her questions and my sister said the woman said she’s ordained.

So, my question is: How do I answer that?

We really don’t have enough information to say what she is, other than that she’s not a deacon, priest, or bishop of the Catholic Church (Latin or Eastern rites).

She may be part of a “progressive catholic” group which ordains women but is not in communion with the CC, or she may be a good Catholic and there was a misunderstanding over what she meant. Only the woman could clarify what she meant.

 

[Dorothy]

There are many Catholic lay men or women who are on prayer teams and visit the sick and pray for their peace and comfort if the person gives them the permission to do so.

 

[Michael16]

You raise some good points. I’m thinking my sister just misunderstood her.

 

[Michael16]

Makes sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just that.

 

[chessnerd321]

I don’t know if I’d say this to your sister or not, but women can’t be ordained anymore than someone can be baptised with milk, or grape juice and Oreos be consecrated at mass. It’s impossible, metaphysically, to ordain women.

When this comes up I always point this out/ask this question: What do you think the highest office in the church is? They usually say “the pope”, “bishops”, “priests”. Nope! Saints. Saints change the church more than anyone else. And we’ve got plenty of female saints.

 

[Michael16]

That’s what I’ve explained to them. I told them about Saints Catherine of Siena and Joan of Arc and they still didn’t understand.

 

[chessnerd321]

Ask them this: If it was so important to Jesus that we also ordain women, why wasn’t his own mother ordained? Perhaps remind them that she’s the most important created being in the universe to Catholics.

 

[Michael16]

I’ll do that, thanks!

 

[1ke]

They asked me how priests get paid

In the US:

The diocesan bishop sets the salary schedule for priests as well as other compensation, in compliance with IRS regulations for clergy. This includes food allowance, mileage allowance, housing, and salary. Additionally, the parish pays medical insurance.

the basic hiring process of how priests get hired by the diocese.

Priests aren’t hired in the way employees are hired.

Priests go through seminary and are incardinated in the diocese. Diocesan bishops may also make agreements with orders to place their priests in some parishes.

How do I answer that?

She may have misunderstood the woman. She may be a religious or some sort of pastoral associate charged with spiritual care of those in the hospital.

If she indeed did say she is “ordained” then she is either confused or she is not a Catholic in good standing with the Church.