ASHEVILLE — A dissident group recently attempted to ordain a woman as a Catholic priest at a non-denominational church in Asheville.
Abigail Eltzroth went through a simulated ordination ceremony April 30 at Jubilee Community Church that was presided over by Bridget Mary Meehan, who presents herself as a Catholic bishop. The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, a Sarasota, Fla.-based group that does not accept Catholic teaching on the priesthood, organized the event.
Eltzroth, 64, reportedly identifies herself as Catholic, having converted from Presbyterianism in her 50s. She told the Charlotte Observer that she intends to start a community in the Asheville area.
"I hope that Catholics in the diocese will understand that it would be sinful to receive a fake sacrament from a woman priest and that includes attending a fake Mass," said David Hains, communication director for the Diocese of Charlotte.
The Church follows the will of Jesus Christ in selecting only men to receive the sacrament of holy orders. Because God chose to become incarnate as a man and He chose 12 men to be His apostles, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord Himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible."
The Church recognizes a priest to be an "alter Christus" (“another Christ”) who is called by God and ordained by the Church to act "in persona Christi" (“in the person of Christ”) in building up the Church. Because Jesus Christ was a man, those who act "in persona Christi" and are an "alter Christus" must also be men. Only a validly ordained priest can celebrate a valid Mass.
The Church’s understanding of ordination is rooted in Scripture as well as the writings of the Church Fathers, who battled heretical groups that also attempted to ordain women early in Church history.
St. John Paul II reiterated Church teaching in 1994, when he declared in his apostolic letter "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis," "The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful."
Attempted ordination of a woman is automatic excommunication for both the person attempting the ordination and the person attempting to be ordained.
The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests traces itself back to the attempted ordination of seven women on a ship cruising the Danube River in 2002. According to its website, the group has 16 "inclusive" communities in California, Kentucky, Florida, New Hampshire, New York and Ohio.
— Catholic News Herald. CNA/EWTN News contributed.
Photo from the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests website.
Catholic Charities Week May 1-6
Catholic Charities Week May 1-6In his Easter “Urbi et Orbi” message, Pope Francis reminded Christians, “In every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life’s troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast.” Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte endeavors to accompany those persons in need of assistance in just such a way.
“Our program participants come from different places and different faith experiences but they found a home here at Catholic Charities,” says Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
“We are humbled that they placed their trust in this faith community to be that source of help and support. They knew they could turn to us, the Church and all the people of goodwill, who they discovered would accept and assist them with dignity and respect.”
Last year, more than 500 volunteers offered their time and talent to assist an array of program participants. “If we had to replace our volunteers with paid staff, we’d have to hire an additional 15 full-time employees,” Carter noted.
“But it’s more than just the nearly $700,000 saved through volunteers. What is equally important is that so many people of goodwill here throughout the diocese are putting their faith into action to make this world even a bit better for those in need.”
“Thank you so much for partnering with Catholic Charities, so that many wonderful people see that they’re not alone and abandoned in the world. That the world is still a place where there are faith-filled people who genuinely care, with a care that cuts across all of the divisions in our world. And those people who genuinely care are you.
“Thank you.”
NEW CENTRAL REGION OFFICE PLANNED
We are very excited that the agency is expanding to open a new regional office. The Central office will coordinate the efforts of Catholic Charities’ services to ensure that they reach the people in need in: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Iredell, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Rowan, Watauga, and Wilkes counties.
We have spent the past 10 months meeting with pastors, parish staff, service leaders and community leaders to gain insight on the region that would help to determine the immediate services that will be offered. We expect a physical regional office to be open in Catawba County by this summer. Initial core services will be a Wee Care Shoppe, immigration services and the coordination of intentional and needed support for parish outreach services that already serve the poor and vulnerable.
Parishes in the region are already providing incredible supportive services to people in need, so we would like to help parish efforts and offer whatever support is needed. Because the region covers such a large geographic area, we fully expect to open satellite offices that will prevent people from driving over an hour to reach one of our offices. We have a two- and a five-year plan for the continual growth in services in the area. The office is working with staff from other agency services including Advocacy and Social Concerns, Respect Life and Elder Ministry to make sure those services reach the parishioners within the Central counties.
To make such a large effort successful, volunteers are needed to launch services.
If you are interested in volunteering, receiving the region’s monthly newsletter or learning more about services, call 828-270-3067 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Diane Bullard, Central Region director
NEW PIEDMONT TRIAD OFFICE OPENS
After nearly 27 years at the current location on West Second Street, the Piedmont Triad Office’s move to a new location will bring all staff and services under one roof rather than spread across three buildings.
The new office includes a larger food pantry, more space for the Wee Care Shoppe and ample space for food pantry clients to wait inside, and it locates all staff in the same area of the building.
Although the staff have worked well together, locating staff offices together will facilitate greater coordination of services to better serve the needs of people and families served by Catholic Charities.
The new office provides the space for staff to focus on the future and provides opportunities for expansion of services or the development of new services and programs that will transform the lives of people we serve. The increase in space will allow the office to provide more food for more families in need, more baby clothes for more families with limited incomes, and more case management services to strengthen and stabilize families.
As we imagine the possible new ways we can positively impact the lives of the people we serve, we see a bright future for Catholic Charities in the Piedmont Triad Region.
— Becky DuBois, acting director, Piedmont Triad Office
TRANSITION OUT OF POVERTY PROGRAM UPDATE
The Transition Out of Poverty program has assisted more than 50 households with intensive case management services in the past year. Many participants have moved toward stability in the five focus areas of housing, income, food, health care and education.
We have been able to join with community partners to provide services that address the challenges the participants face. Participants report having one-on-one engagements with their social worker has helped them to set and reach their goals.
This has been accomplished through the collaborative efforts of our program participants, case managers and community partnerships.
TOP is making a true difference and is helping to transform lives.
— Sharon Davis, Social Work/Program Assurance director
