At a methodist church? do they have women priests?
Well brought up. Ever since I read ‘Caritas in Veritate’, that phrase constantly comes to mind.
Thank you for responding. Yes, I was taught all of the above both at home and in Catholic schools, in fact it was pounded into us. I think I must be the only one who got the message because the priest left and married a nun! Not fair!
And God bless you for your faith and your search, even under those trying circumstances.
Thank you-- again! I need the prayers, and I definitely need the understanding you show here. Maybe God will help me use my mixed up life to somehow help others…?And God bless you for your faith and your search, even under those trying circumstances.
Wow --you surely got pasted. You’re my sister’s age and she never got that message either. . .we must have been lucky not only in our families but in our church location etc.
We were built to be capable of bearing children IF that was what God called us to do. Plenty of consecrated virgins who offered that to the Lord --I’d say in a sense that’s what you would up doing, so you aren’t ‘wrong’. Even though the reason (or a reason) you never married was that you were given wrong information, still, one teaching is certainly that we don’t live ‘unchastely’. . .and you’ve followed that teaching well.
If you haven’t checked out the Catechism of the Catholic Church (it’s online, one of the best sites is the Vatican one), it might be a good idea. Heck, even the old Baltimore Catechism doesn’t speak of women as inferior or men as ravening beasts (thank goodness). . .all that you got ‘extra’ was from some very, um, biased and ill-educated people. I don’t care HOW sincere they might have been, they were dead wrong and what they taught you was never official Catholic teaching.
You have many years left (I hope) on earth and I’m sure that your loving witness to God is what’s important, not your marital status. In fact, with no pesky husband, children or grandchildren in your life, you are able (as St. Paul said) to ‘concentrate on pleasing the Lord.’ So go for it! We’re all praying!
Yes, what he said. Here is a Catechism link.
The Church doesn’t allow for women to become priests for historical and relational issues. It has nothing to do with emotions and being unable to change with the times.
Our priest is a “sacramental minister” and we have a “parish life coordinator”. There are no sisters (nuns) even though we have Catholic school. There are more women who are actively involved in the parish, more women who show up for just about everything, but who have no “voice”…except for the choir (one male member, fifteen females). Most ideas are quickly quashed by the PLC. And then there are all those rutabagas warming the pews.
that is what happened when different faiths come together, different beliefs. we all need to be at peace with each other. how are we to be at peace with each other? we must stop bothering others with our faith, our beliefs. everybody is free to worship whatever they like. i wonder who started this line of thinking?
i agree. in my Parish women has taking over the Church. it is a sad situation. we have one of those friendly father who wants to look cool to everybody. after the Eucharist, the priest sits down and the women finishes the job. they take back the Eucharist and placed in teh Tabernacle. and i thougth this is against the Girm.
I don’t think that is against the “Girm” (?). The priest is supposed to sit down and that portion of the Mass is called Meditation. The women aren’t “doing the dishes” so to speak. I doubt that Father sits down in order to look cool, and trust me, those women “doing dishes” aren’t trying to take over!
See. Isn’t it a fun word. Did you read Paul, BTW? It is good to reflect on those parts of the body that seem to be honored, yet without the other parts, they are nothing. The priests, without the women in the Church, would soon have an empty parish. Remember, one does not need to be a leader to be a leader. The last shall be first and a child shall lead them, etc.
This has been very helpful to me today, between the responses of people on the forum, and knowing at least one is praying for me!
Agreed. I would clarify by saying the sad part isn’t simply the participation of women. It is that the lay ministry culture of many parishes (in USA at least) are not very welcoming to men. This seems like a huge pastoral opportunity.
WHY is this? There is a shortage of priests! And if the men won’t step and do the job, i.e., enter seminaries, who else will?
Well, we don’t have that problem in our archdiocese. We had a great Arcbishop Burke who relied on the Holy Spirit and called many of our institutions back to true Teachings of the Church. Our seminary has doubled in size. All the seminarians are required to learn the TLM. One of seminarians is praying to have his first mass at the Oratory of St Francis de Sales, which is TLM only.
I think you hit an important point. My wife was discussing this with me last night. We are turning over some of duties proper to an acolyte and lector to two deacon candidates that are in formation and assigned those roles. We have a seminarian that is back in the states this year and will be taking on liturgical rules. Our response was “Whew!!” There are some that may enjoy the prestige of lay ministry, but most of us work because there is more work to be done than a single priest can do. It is one of the good problems of growth. Twelve years ago we had four Masses and 600 families. Now we have 1000 families and five Masses (weekend). The laity need to roll up their sleeves, men and women. For at least a while we will have three deacons and the laity can turn over the visible roles, those of leadership over to them.