AmericanPapist Comments
Oh my goodness. What is wrong with people? Why didn't she just join one of the many protestant churches that allow women to be pastors or something. Seriously?! Seriously. Her poor child!
Yet another BRILLIANT example of why the media should not write about things they do not understand. She is not a Catholic priest.
What are the odds that she's voting for Obama?
Shame on her husband, who should know better about ecumenical issues like this.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Um... She's not a Catholic Priest, and probably excommunicated, right?
It's to me another example why women and priesthood don't go together. If you don't even understand anything about something as basic as baptism...
I am a former Protestant who became a Catholic, and I can tell that at least at this side of the pond, most orthodox Protestants would tell you also women cannot be ordained.
Talk about narrow mindedness of those advocating 'priestesses' in the Church. A woman priest is impossible, both theologically and semantically!
There are two images of pregnancy that are just revolting, a pregnant woman in priestly vestments, and a pregnant woman in military uniform.
Mr. Newton: Agreed that "the media" should not write about things they don't understand. Unfortunately, that includes so-called Catholic media. I first saw this story in a CathNews USA Newsletter I received via e-mail from Paulist Press. It's also there front and center on the CathNews USA web site. Of course, they've also got a story headlined "Does fewer Jesuits risk Georgetown's Catholic identity?", so I'm thinking the whole thing has to be a spoof, kind of like The Onion.
She should be excommunicated!
Isn't it just like the liberal media to mess this story up?
Everyone knows that Pope Joan was pregnant.
"She should be excommunicated!"
She is already, latae sententiae.
As much as I want to try and laugh at the stupidity of this, the whole thing actually is pretty sad. To think that Jesus actually went through the trouble of, uhm, dying on the Cross for our sake and these people turn around and mock Him and His Church like this. Ahhh...
Michelle, this is minor compared to all of the Catholic voters fondling themselves in the voting box over Obama.
"A little over a year ago, 26-year-old Jessica Rowley shattered the stained-glass ceiling excommunicated herself, so to speak, by simulating being ordained a Catholic priest.
Since she has a dalmatic on, isn't she really trying to play deaconess?
If she is a feminist minister, is she going to get an abortion? Obviously, this child will be a serious burden to her ministerial duties.
This is a halloween story right?
^
oops, guess the strike html tab didn't work ... the "shattered the glass ceiling" was supposed to be replaced by "excommunicated herself".
Planning to be a troll(but I won't) I went looking for any info on her. I found this at her "church" website:
We Are Catholic
Sts. Clare & Francis shares a common theology and liturgical tradition with the Roman Catholic Church. We are an independent faith community in that we are not under the jurisdiction of the Pope nor are we subject to the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church. (http://www.stsclareandfrancis.org/who.html)
BTW I won't troll, I promise! It just made me mad and I wanted to tell someone off. So working on the virtue of charity...
She should forego all the suspense and just name herself to be Pope and get it over with.
Why didn't she just join one of the many protestant churches that allow women to be pastors or something.
She did. They call it the ECC. Quite the new tactic, calling the protestant church "catholic" to gain legitimacy.
Great link, read the brief history! 5 years old. Very brief. LOL
Makes me want to start my own church too. That way I can have by own website with freaky Jesus "IKONS"
Please God someone tell me a letter was written to the editors of the River Front Times explaining that this lady is neither a Catholic nor a Priest.
"Mr. Newton: Agreed that "the media" should not write about things they don't understand. Unfortunately, that includes so-called Catholic media. I first saw this story in a CathNews USA Newsletter I received via e-mail from Paulist Press. It's also there front and center on the CathNews USA web site. Of course, they've also got a story headlined "Does fewer Jesuits risk Georgetown's Catholic identity?", so I'm thinking the whole thing has to be a spoof, kind of like The Onion."
I've actually written about the issue of our galactically ignorant media recently on my own blog. The press in general simply does not understand what it is talking about most of the time when it is reporting on the Church and her teachings. The fact that supposedly Catholic media outlets want to join in the stupidity is nothing new - as indeed AmP has pointed out more than once, and quite recently, on this very blog.
As a Georgetown alumnus, I am more uncertain about the future of a less-Jesuit university on the Hilltop than I am about the fact that this woman is not now, nor was she ever a Catholic priest. She can proclaim herself Queen of the Spider People if she wants, but that is far more likely to become true - if in fact there are Spider People who will accept her rule - whereas the Church will never accept her as a priest.
I thought I heard about this woman before.
Here is a Newsweek article about her, and a parody of the Newsweek article by a certain very funny Jeff Miller.
NEWSWEEK ARTICLE:
Vivian Lodderhose
Rowley: 'To be a pregnant priest will just add a whole other dimension'
Higher Calling
A woman is ordained to the Catholic priesthood. Not surprisingly, the hierarchy does not approve.
By Karen Springen | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Sep 12, 2007 | Updated: 12:09 p.m. ET Oct 11, 2007
Last week 25-year-old Jessica Rowley became one of about a dozen women nationwide to make a highly unusual career move: she was ordained a Catholic priest. Rowley's ordination—which took place at Eden Theological Seminary, a progressive institution in Webster Groves, Mo.—is approved by the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, a group of churches that decline to recognize the authority of the pope but see themselves nevertheless as Catholic. This week Rowley—who is also married—begins working full-time as an associate pastor at Saints Clare & Francis, a breakaway parish in Webster Groves.
The Roman Catholic Church, not surprisingly, does not recognize Rowley as a priest. "The Church does not see itself able to ordain women, following the long and constant teaching of the church," says Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (It does, however, recognize the more than 100 already married men who became priests after a conversion to Roman Catholicism.) NEWSWEEK's Karen Springen talked with Rowley about how she views her role.
Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: What made you decide to become a Catholic priest?
Jessica Rowley: It was a long process that started at a very young age. I [grew up Roman Catholic and] was always attracted to the church and to things spiritual. I was always affirmed by my youth minister that I had gifts for ministry.
NW: Your husband, who is Protestant, helped you realize that you wanted to be a priest. Tell me about that.
JR: I began going to church with him, and he began going to mass with me. At his church there were female pastors. He's a member of the United Church of Christ. It's a progressive, mainline Protestant denomination. They ordain women, and they're open to gays and lesbians in their congregation.
NW: That's when you thought the ministry might be possible for you?
JR: That's when I decided to go to seminary. I figured I couldn't be Roman Catholic anymore. When I was in seminary, I found the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. It resonated with the sacraments I grew up with, and I knew this was the place I was called.
NW: Have you heard from the Roman Catholic hierarchy?
JR: The community I belong to hasn't felt anything from the bishop, but local Roman Catholic pastors have warned their congregations not to attend [ECC churches].
NW: How has your family handled your decision? Are they still Roman Catholic?
JR: They are. They are actually incredibly supportive. My
(continued)
NW: How has your family handled your decision? Are they still Roman Catholic?
JR: They are. They are actually incredibly supportive. My immediate family came for the ordination. My grandmother bought me all the vestments.
NW: How many people are in your congregation?
JR: We have 80 registered members. And we have a number of people who come who are also part of the Roman Catholic churches but who come to worship with us as a place to refresh their souls—a lot of Catholic sisters and ex-priests.
NW: How does being married affect the way you do your job?
JR: It's been nothing but a blessing in my ministry. It isn't so odd if we look at the Episcopal Church or other denominations that have had married clergy for a long time. Being exposed to those traditions made me see that it could be possible. Married priesthood was a reality in the Catholic Church in medieval centuries. It wasn't until later that celibacy was mandated. [In the Ecumenical Catholic Communion] we have married priests. We have women priests. We have out gay and lesbian priests in partnered relationships. We see the benefit of intimate connections. That helps us relate to couples. We also receive the kind of emotional support that so many Roman Catholic priests have to live without because they're mandated to be celibate.
NW: Are you going to have kids some day?
JR: We're really looking forward to this symbol. "This is my body given for you." To be a pregnant priest will just add a whole other dimension to those words.
NW: So will you be the first-ever pregnant priest?
JR: Probably the first Catholic pregnant priest. I'm sure there have been Episcopal priests who've been pregnant.
NW: Do you know the other female Catholic priests?
JR: In the Ecumenical Catholic Communion there are six other women priests. I know all of them. In the Ecumenical Catholic Communion we no longer claim that we're underneath the authority of the pope. [There's also a group called the Roman Catholic Women Priests, which ordains some women priests.]
NW: When are you getting started in your new job as a pastor?
JR: Really, as soon as I was ordained, so this week. I've been serving the parish full-time for a few months now, part-time while I was in seminary for the past two years.
NW: Have you received any hate mail?
JR: I personally have not received hate mail, although there are plenty of blogs that I have found online that like to slander my name when they get hold of information about my ordination and ministry. It's unfortunate and sad. The people I serve are excited to see a place where men and women can serve side by side.
NW: The Ecumenical Catholic Communion doesn't think it's a sin for people to be gay, right?
JR: As far as moral teaching goes, we stress the primacy of conscience. It's important for people to form a moral conscience with the help of a church and a faithful community. Ultimately God helps us with our conscience to
@Taquoriaan:
Hey, plenty of women understand baptism. There have been female Doctors of the Church. Women can't become priests, but it's NOT because our pretty heads just aren't smart enough to handle basic theology. That's offensive.
Learn the real reasons why women can't become priests, and don't scandalize onlookers. Many already erroneously think that the Church is misogynist. We don't need confusion on this sensitive issue.
(continued)
NW: The Ecumenical Catholic Communion doesn't think it's a sin for people to be gay, right?
JR: As far as moral teaching goes, we stress the primacy of conscience. It's important for people to form a moral conscience with the help of a church and a faithful community. Ultimately God helps us with our conscience to make moral decisions. Homosexuality is not inherently sinful. Love in all of its forms can be for the glory of God.
NW: Will you raise your kids Roman Catholic?
JR: We'll raise our children Christian because we belong to two different church traditions. We'll let them decide where they want to call their church home. But they'll be baptized Christian, likely in a joint service.
NW: Are you pro-choice?
JR: We go to back to the primacy of conscience. We stress the formation of conscience in moral matters, such as the pro-life/pro-choice debate. No one is excluded from the table in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. Jesus never turned anyone away at the table, so neither do we. We feel it's our responsibility to help people make responsible choices, but that no single person can dictate what God's will is.
NW: How do you feel about divorced people?
JR: Divorced people are not excluded from our communities.
NW: Is there anything else you wish people knew?
JR: It's important to me that people see that I did what the men do who prepare for the priesthood. I took that traditional path. I got my master's of divinity. I was a deacon for 10 months. I just wish more Catholics who find themselves alienated from the church could find a church home. If the ECC could be that church home for them, I'd be so excited for them.
William,
The only people in her congregation are Spider People.
Jeff Miller Parody:
By
Jeff Miller
on September 15, 2007 2:20 PM Comments (27) | TrackBacks (0)
I have quite an announcement to make. I am now a reporter for Newsweek magazine! I always felt a call to be a reporter for Newsweek magazine so this is something very important for me. I can't tell you how thrilled I am at this news and the impact this has on my life and hopefully the lives of others.
The hierarchy of Newsweek magazine though doesn't recognize my call to be a reporter for them. So I had to have reporter credentials given me by an Ecumenical magazine group that also see themselves nevertheless as Newsweek employees and don't recognize the authority of Newsweek's editors to make hiring decisions.
So for my first article as a Newsweek employee I am going to interview myself, this way nobody can charge me with making up interviews as in the case of ABC's Alexis Debat.
NEWSWEEK: What made you decide to become a Newsweek reporter?
Jeff Miller: It was a long process that started at a very young age. I grew up reading bad religion reporting and was always attracted to Newsweek's egregious reporting and I was affirmed by others that I had gifts for bad reporting.
NW: Have you heard from the Newsweek hierarchy?
JM: The reporting community I belong to hasn't felt anything from the editors, but local stringers have informed others not to read my reporting since I wasn't a "validly credentialed" reporters for Newsweek.
NW: How has your family handled your decision? Are they still Newsweek readers?
JM: They are. They are actually incredibly supportive. My immediate family came for my giving a Newsweek credentials. My grandmother bought me an old typewriter.
NW: How many people read your Newsweek articles?
JM: We have 80 registered members. And we have a number of people who come who are subscribe to Newsweek but who come to read with us as a place to refresh their souls—a lot of them are ex-Newsweek readers who are uncomfortable with Newsweek's discriminatory hiring practices.
NW: Do you know the other Ecumenically credentialed Newsweek reporters?
JM: In the Ecumenical Newsweek Communion there are six other reporters. I know all of them. In the Ecumenical Reporters Communion we no longer claim that we’re underneath the authority of the editors. [There’s also a group called the Roman Newsweek Reporters, which also credentials some reporters.] During the last several years there have been organized giving of Newsweek reporter credentials primarily on river boats.
NW: Have you received any hate mail?
JM: I personally have not received hate mail, although there are plenty of blogs that I have found online that like to slander my name when they get hold of information about my credentials. It’s unfortunate and sad. The people I serve are excited to see a place where men and women can read my articles side by side. Just because I wasn't actually hired by Newsweek and I receive no salary from them or actually turn my sto
(continued)
NW: Have you received any hate mail?
JM: I personally have not received hate mail, although there are plenty of blogs that I have found online that like to slander my name when they get hold of information about my credentials. It’s unfortunate and sad. The people I serve are excited to see a place where men and women can read my articles side by side. Just because I wasn't actually hired by Newsweek and I receive no salary from them or actually turn my stories over to them to be published doesn't prevent me from being a validly credentialed Newsweek reporters. Defenders of Newsweek's reporter tradition says that since founders of Newsweek (Ward Cheney, John Hay Whitney, and Paul Mellon) didn't allow people to call themselves Newsweek reporters without actually being hired by them that this can't be changed. There has been recent archaeological evidence in Newsweek headquarters of a statue of a reporter who does not seem to have ever been on their pay role. I think this is evidence of self-named Newsweek reporters in the early history of the magazine. If only people would get with the modern time and to understand how discriminatory Newsweek's present hiring practices are by not hiring everybody that would apply.
NW: Is there anything else you wish people knew?
JM: It’s important to me that people see that I did what the others do to prepare to be a reporter. I took that traditional path. I got a certificate from an online journalism school for a reasonable fee. I forced myself to cover local news of minor happenings to prepare myself. I just wish more reporters who find themselves alienated from the magazine could find a magazine home. I am taking this step forward so that others in the future will have the opportunity to be a Newsweek reporter without having to face their discriminatory hiring practice of only hiring those with a journalism degree and having the ability to write and to act as a reporter.
"Queen of the Spider People" - ROFL!
and GW.... *no more* double-posting unless it is YOUR comments. links are just fine.
I guess some people dress up for Halloween a little early.
Oh wait... that isn't a costume? My bad. :P
Miserere nobis.
what, she isnt going to abort ?
"You can paint a pumpkin black, that doesn't make it a bowling ball." -Vic Henly
It's like how Oprah had the first pregnant "man" on her show. It was a transexual that had some of her hardware still intact.
I don't get how people can just reject reality.
I know this should be serious, but I just can't stop laughing. And they say laughter is good for the soul. Thanks for the uplift!
It should be pointed out that St. Francis sought permission from the Pope for his work, and never was anything but obedient to him. And frankly, St. Clare was consistently obedient to St. Francis as her religious superior, although obviously hers was not a zombie-like obedience.
Maybe we should send these nice people quotes. Obviously they missed that part of their patron saints' story.
Amen, Maureen!
Why baptize the child? Aren't they imposing THEIR choice on the child?
I mean if they can create their own reality out of fantasy by merely willing it, isn't it unfair to impose that fantastically willed reality on others?
PS I am in favor of infant baptism since I actually believe what the Church teaches and not what I think it should teach. But I do not want this twisted woman wishes to perpetrate such a sacrilege of two baptisms. [I wonder if they'll use the proper formula for a valid baptism.]
She is as much a priest as Guido Sarducci.
First we had the first pregnant man, with Thomas Beattie.
Now we have the first pregnant priest. Wow, times are achanging.
of course baptize the kid in both churchs! how silly we'd have to be to think that that would be wrong!
My God... what are these womyn "priests" thinking????
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