Two women who profess to be Roman Catholic - Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, 67, of Festus, and Elsie Hainz McGrath, 69, of St. Louis
- are to be ordained by a former nun as part of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, a small movement that began in 2002 independently from the Roman Catholic Church.
The Reform congregation's rabbi, Susan Talve, informed her friend and colleague, the Rev. Vincent Heier, who directs the archdiocese office for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, of the decision.
Heier told her it was unacceptable.
"It's not appropriate to invite this group, to aid and abet a group like this, which undercuts our theology and teaching,'" Heier said he told Talve.
The Roman Catholic Church is framed in hierarchy, which sets rules and offers guidance for the faithful. The Jewish tradition has no centralized leadership, and congregations operate autonomously, answering to their own mission statement.
It was precisely that mission that Talve and her congregation's board relied on when considering the request of the two members of Roman Catholic Womenpriests.
But the ceremony defies Catholic church doctrine that reserves ordination of priests and deacons to men only. The women say it is unjust and discriminatory.
The two women are ignoring the warnings of Archbishop Raymond Burke who this week said they will be excommunicated if they proceed with the ceremony.
Of the roughly 100 women who have been ordained as priests or deacons worldwide in the Womenpriests movement, including 37 in the U.S., only the first seven were officially excommunicated by the Vatican, said spokeswoman Bridget Mary Meehan. Others have received letters from their bishop like that sent by Burke, she said.
Talve was in her office when the women approached her this fall.
"They said they were looking for a sanctuary, and that got my attention," Talve said. "As Isaiah said, we are a house of prayer for all people."
The congregation's board voted unanimously to serve as host, drawing on its core values and principles, which include hospitality and providing sanctuary.
Heier and Burke pressed Talve and the board to withdraw their offer, saying the act would "cause pain" to the church.
"It's akin to us inviting a group that is contrary to Jewish life," Heier said. "She didn't understand."
Heier said he and Talve disagree on abortion and gay marriage, "but this is the straw that broke the camel's back."
