Anybody home?

By Fr. Paul Mankowski, S.J. ( articles ) | Apr 08, 2003

A Milwaukee parish staged a mock-Mass two weeks ago where a sacramentally-vested woman directed the agit-prop as part of a "World Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination." That's only a symptom. Here's the deeper problem:

St. Matthias agreed to host the prayer service, according to pastor Fr. David Cooper, only after consultation with staff members and parishioners. "St. Matthias Parish was only a host for the prayer service," said Cooper. "The parish has no official or unofficial position on the question of the ordination of women."

A parish that has no "official or unofficial position" on defined Catholic doctrine is, for this very reason, not a Catholic parish. Once that fatal step is taken, why should it matter whether the parish provides a podium for Cardinal Ratzinger or a stage for Wicca street theatre?

(Note that the link and quote come from the diocesan newspaper. By a coincidence, one of those gathered for prayer had a camera ready and was able to submit a photo to the editrix.)