Why, yes! Very exciting indeed! (Hint: I made this question up so I could answer it). As a matter of fact, one of my heroes is coming to town, to OUR church, this week with the Castelot Summer Scripture Conference. I still remember the first article I read written by her, copied on salmon colored paper and given to me by a trusted spiritual guide back in 1995 or so. In 10 minutes it changed my life, my spirit, my relationship with God, my self-understanding as a woman, a minister and as a child of God. In a word, Dr. Sandra Schneiders, IHM is a treasure.
She also is an internationally known biblical scholar, esteemed professor at Berkley’s Jesuit School of Theology, author of 10 books, and holds an S.T.L. license from the Institut Catholique in Paris and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; she is a scholar of the highest order. Her feminist interpretation of our sacred scriptures and insights on how to view our church history in order to “remain” in the best sense of the word have been immeasurably valuable to me.
I, like virtually every Catholic female I know, have some pretty strong feelings about being a woman in the church. For me, some are good. Very good. I am grateful to have worked for visionary and forward thinking priests in all my 23 years of formal employment in the church; men who value, listen and actively support women called to ministry and empower us to do the work we feel called by God to do as unencumbered as the organization will allow, up to and including our own Fr. Joe.
I am grateful for my Vatican II loving Dad who taught my sister and I (with gusto!) that we, even as women, are baptized “priest, prophet and king” and that through our baptism each of us share in the priesthood of Jesus. I am deeply thankful for dedicated and fearless scholars such as Dr. Schneiders in speaking truth to power with unflinching courage, brilliance and grace. And I am grateful for you, the community of CTR (and my former parish of SJF). Not all Catholic churches embrace their female leaders like you do. This is no small thing! Sincere gratitude to each of you for your kind acceptance. Let’s hope it continues as I move on to this next paragraph! <insert nail-biting here>
Though I am grateful for the Catholic Community who has formed and nurtured me all my 48 years, I am also lovingly critical of it, which I believe is not only my right as a contributing family member, but also my responsibility. My rose colored glasses fell off when I was a young woman teaching 2nd grade “catechism” (as it was called back in the day) and I asked the children “How many sacraments are there?” and one little girl answered “There are 6 for girls and 7 for boys.” I was momentarily speechless and then with great sorrow I told her she was quite right. Formative.
Our progress since the 60’s does instill some hope, but it continues to anger me, disturb me and break my heart that even at our most local level of church leadership, the Presbyteral Council, the main consultative body that assists Archbishop Vigneron in his pastoral care and governance of the Archdiocese of Detroit, out of 34 seats, not one is offered to a woman. Not one woman’s voice (or even lay person) is heard.
As the mother of three strong-willed daughters, there is nothing I wish more than that my girls would be steeped in Dr Schneiders redeeming scholarship. A few of Dr. Schneiders quotes that are well worn in our home (in sentiment if not exact language) are: “No matter how entrenched in the imagination of the average Christian the image of a male God might be, our theological tradition has never assigned sex to God.” “The gender of God, God's presumed masculinity, has functioned as the ultimate religious legitimization of the unjust social structures which victimize women.” Despite appearances, God has not prescribed that men are to have a monopoly of leadership and authority in our church – and there is a “flip-side” to the experience of oppression that we women have and continue to experience that is akin to Jesus’ death and resurrection.
President Jimmy Carter once wrote "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable. The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives…it is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these outdated attitudes and practices.”
Sincere gratitude to Dr. Schneiders for her consummate, life-giving work spanning over 4 decades in doing just this!
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
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