www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Nun to lead Penn Hills parish

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07142/788012-85.stm

the headline sounds stronger than the facts, but it's a sad fact when these things have to happen.

So consolidate parishes instead of this, to use a phrase used in a post by someone else...... tomfoolery......................
So is she the spiritual director as well or the priest that comes by now and again to say mass?

I like her title: Parish Life Collaborator

???? I guess she collaborates with the priest? or the people?

Here's a nice line, too:

"Sister Dorothy assumes her new duties July 9 and will be installed by auxiliary Bishop Paul J. Bradley in a July 15 ceremony."

Why does she need to be formally installed?

Because there is a special stall for her?

Alex

This topic hits home...very close to home.

This parish is not far from where I live and is part of a "cluster" of parishes in my area. I have met Father Bonnar on occassion and I feel him to be a very good priest. This parish will miss him, especially since another priest will not be assigned to the parish full time.

Consolidating parishes is not the answer, unless you want to see yet another church close.

There are too many Catholics in this area for another parish to absorb them all.

Many Easterners tend to scoff at the fact that there is more than one liturgy served on an altar on Sunday in the Roman Church. The parishes in this area would have to ADD Masses to their schedules in order to make up the difference and already there are three Masses being served on Sundays in the neighboring parishes.

This parish is fairly large and so are the parishes surrounding it. It has a school; a very good school that is well attended. Unless push comes to shove and God willing this parish will stay open for years to come and when a priest is available full time I'm sure one will be assigned.

I'm not sure what the dear Sister is in for but she is ready and willing to assume the duties and I will not squabble over what these duties might be not knowing what they will be. The administration of a parish with a school is a tremendous task. I for one WILL PRAY FOR HER.

In Christ,
Bill

PRAY FOR VOCATIONS!

Yes, indeed, it is sad that the Church lacks men who have vocations to the priesthood. However, we should be thankful that there are women who are willing and able to step into the breach.

I find it disheartening that so many of the posts on the Forum are negative in relation to women's roles within the Church. The Church is a LIVING institution. It can change to meet new challenges. The Widows: A Women's Ministry in the Early Church states:

Quoting Louis Weil, "Priesthood in the New Testament," in To Be a Priest, and W.D. Davies, Christian Origins and Judaism.

As the article indicates, Sr. Dorothy has advanced degrees theology, pastoral ministry and business - all of which will serve her and her parish well in the new position. She will not be saying Mass. She will not be hearing confessions, performing baptisms or marriages. In short, she will not be doing any of the things specifically reserved to priests. The things she will be doing could be done, and are in fact being done, by deacons in many RC parishes, but apparently this parish doesn't have a deacon who is available to do them. Moreover, one of the first things she will do in her new position is form a vocation prayer group.

I'm not sure why you take exception to her being "installed." Installation is not the same as ordination. Installation is a ceremony often used in non-ecclesial settings, e.g., universities. An installation ceremony will say to the parish that Sr. Dorothy has the full blessing of the hierarchy in fulfilling the functions of her new position. I would also imagine that the ceremony will include prayers and blessings for Sr. Dorothy and the parish.

May God bless Sr. Dorothy as she undertakes this new challenge.

There are things only a priest can do; for everything else, why not ask for help? Nuns are there to help. That is what they do. Many of them are quite well educated and quite equipped to help out.

A lot of what goes on day to day in a parish are very basic human interactions and business transactions. You don't need a priest to manage those. A nun with an advanced degree in business - hmmm, might help. I know a nun who was a military officer before becoming a nun in her 30s. She knows how to manage.

Two of my local SFO members are deacons. They are married men - with kids just hitting their teen years. It is not easy and they are serving in every capacity they can. Spreading the work - appropriately - is not a bad thing.

Being a nun she wil be able to devote herself full time to this position.

I'm sure there will be plenty of others around for help and support.

I will add the Pittsburgh diocese is 99% an "orthodox" Catholic diocese. We are without a presiding bishop at the moment but Bishop Bradley was an assistant to the pastor at a parish I belonged to years ago, when pastors had assistants. Many Years!

God bless Sr. Dorothy in her vocation.

And may God provide more priests for His Church!

Sophia:

Unfortunately these authors don't take into account the Book of Acts which specifically details St. Paul ordaining priests in the new churches he established on his missionary journeys. The author sounds like someone with an agenda. And there are those out there who wish to do away with the Apostolic priesthood.

In Christ,

BOB

I recall Paul preaching, making converts, doing miracles and getting himself into hot water throughout Acts. I don't recall any specific mention of ordination in Acts. Can you please give me a few citations?

I agree with Sophia; this is not a post about ordaining women anyway.

Would the response be as negative if a Christian Brother, or a Byzantine monk whi nwas not a priest, was to do this role? There is no difference really; they are all non-ordained religious stepping into the breach to fill a need, something religious have always tried to do.

Ned

It is clearly a sad situation. The head/spiritual father of the local church remains the bishop, and this poor (God bless her!) sister will help serve the common life of these parishes within the local church (diocese).

At the same time, and this is not a criticism of her service, the crisis of vocations, IMHO, is fundamentally a crisis of fatherhood. The situation should be seen as extraordinary because it is proper that a man - who images the fatherhood of God - lead the spiritual life of a parish community. We call priests (and deacons) "father" for a reason. They are icons of the sacerdotal and kenotic expressions of the fatherhood of the bishop who ultimately is an icon of God the Father. Thank God that this sister is willing to stand in the "gap", but it should not be seen as somehow normative for church life. It is rather an accomodation to a desparate situation.

Meanwhile, the ravages of mandatory celibacy continues in the Latin church. I can't help but just shake my head and wonder "why?".

Gordo

Gordo:

You state, "it is proper that a man-who images the fatherhood of God-lead he spiritual life of a parish community." Would you please comment about the way in which you understand a women to be in the image of God? Although I'm confident this is not the case, some might take your comment and conclude from it that you are suggesting that only men are made in the image of God, or that women are in the image of God, but in a manner inferior to that of men.

Thank you,

Ryan