Womenpriests and Archbishop Wuerl

Whenever I do not have access to the 'net, something like this happens.

It seems that one of the so called "womenpriest's/wymynpriest's" will hold a "Mass" at the Dorothy Day Center in Washington DC. Here is a description by Fr. Joe:

(September 5, 2008) at 7:30 PM. The so-called Roman Catholic (married) “Womanpriest” Janice Sevre-Duszynska, who recently attempted ordination, will offer her first invalid and illicit Mass at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Northwest Washington, DC. This dissenting priestess belongs to something called the Central Kentucky Council of Peace and Justice. The local Catholic Worker Blog states: “A former prisoner of conscience for the School of the Americas Watch, Janice’s homily will reflect on the connections between sexism and violence, and explore ‘waiting on the Spirit’ in civil and ecclesial resistance.”

(Fr. Joe also has some good commentary and comments on the issue.)

Fr. Z has posted a letter by Msgr. Barry Knestout has issued a letter to all priests regarding the request by the Archdiocese that this not take place. However, the Dorothy Day Center will go ahead with it.

Now, there are a couple of things which come to mind:

1. Don't you just love the "prisoner of conscience" phrase? Solzhenitsyn was a prisoner of conscience. Aung San Suu Kyi is a prisoner of conscience. Janice was most likely held in the tank for a couple of hours, and told to come back for a hearing/sentencing in a couple of weeks for trespassing. The worse that probably happened to her was a fine.

2. In her bio, she is listed as the co-chair of the Ministry of Irritation of the Women's Ordination Conference. Sounds a lot like something you would find in Monty Python.

3. Note the term "ecclesiastical resistance." It the whole radical leftist movement, where there is always some sort of resistance to something.

4. This should have been issued in the Archbishop's name, not Msgr. Barry Knestout. This is serious enough that a note should have come from the Archbishop. (BTW, this is not a criticism of Msgr. Barry Knestout. According to a number of parishioners from his past assignment, he is a good and holy priest, who really cares about about the faithful.)

5. This type of scandalous situation comes up over and over again (Sen. Pelosi at Trinity College, former Lt. Gov. Townsend speaking at Stone Ridge). Each time, there is this "We don't want you to do this" request but the offenders do it anyway. Why? Because they know that their is no penalty.

The real question is once they do it, will they really revoke their status as a recognized Catholic organization in the Archdiocese? Will they also refuse to provide grants to them? Or is this just part of the "dance."

Let's wait and see.