Celebrating Women and their often-conflicted roles in our Church

Voices Rising for Reform -Catholic network for Women’s Equality present at Nurturing Synodality session March 3 by Christine Way Skinner

On March 3rd a large group of folks gathered to consider the role of women in the church from a synodal perspective. The conversation was led by members of the Catholic Network for Women’s Equality (CNWE). We began with a walk through history led by Professor Susan Roll. She illustrated how, despite not being valued and even treated with contempt, women’s leadership in the early church and throughout history has been vital. “Women are not roles in the church, they are women,” was one of Susan’s most striking points. She then outlined the discussions around the ordination of women in the contemporary church. It was surprising for some of us to learn that in 1971 the Canadian bishops, led by Cardinal Flahiff, petitioned Rome to consider ordaining women. Recently asked by a male doctoral student if she saw any “cracks in the stained-glass ceiling,” Roll replied, “a hairline crack, yes.”

 The second part of the presentation was led by Mary Ellen Chown, who explained the history and work of CNWE. It was in January 1981, a time of great hope for “the possibility of a co-responsible church,” that Sr. Ellen Leonard and four female theology students decided it was important to have a Canadian organization to work for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church. Since that time, CNWE has expanded to embrace a wider vision which includes empowering women in the church, advocating for women and families throughout the world and caring for creation. CNWE, Mary Ellen explained, “is rooted in the Christian belief that all persons are made in the image of God. We embrace the Vatican II vision of a renewed Catholic Church that honors the gifts of all the baptized. We lament the exclusion of women from ministry and leadership in the church and the sexism misogyny and clericalism that undergirds it.” Members, therefore, engage in the tasks of networking, learning, acting and celebrating for a more inclusive church.

 Following Mary Ellen’s presentation, we heard from Lynne Lavictoire, a master’s student at Saint Paul University studying women and synodality. She outlined for us the way in which the question of women has been included (or excluded) in the synodal process. She pointed out that all seven continental assembly reports reflected concern regarding women's participation and leadership in the church. Furthermore, “There was universal recognition of the valuable role, women play in the church” and there was agreement that “there can be no true co-responsibility in the church without fully honoring the inherent dignity of women.”  Lynne asked, “So, where do we go from here?” Referencing Sr. Elizabeth Davis, a Canadian delegate to the synod, Lynne said that we have an opportunity that is unlikely to come again for generations. Now is the time. We should embrace this chance to transform the church.

 The presentation ended with a reflection led by Rev. Roberta Fuller who read out the famed words of Bishop Kenneth Untener: “We are prophets of a future, not our own.”

 The small group discussions that took place for the next half hour were rich and meaningful.

You can watch their presentation on our YouTube channel using this link: Nurturing Synodality: A Conversation with the Catholic Network for Women's Equality of Canada

CNWE invites you to visit their website where you can find out more about their work: https://cnwe.ca/.