National News and Actions Archive

Purple Stole Action
Toronto CNWE
April 11, 2006

On a beautiful, cool early spring evening, approximately 40 women (and one man) gathered across from St. Michael’s Cathedral to be silent witnesses to our exclusion from full participation in our church. Whether we came because we hear God’s call to ordained ministry, support those who hear that call, or hope for an inclusive restructuring of ministry, we joined together to express our longing, pain and support.

Never is our exclusion so blatant as when we have all the clergy from the Archdiocese of Toronto vested and walking in procession followed by the Cardinal and his entourage. It is wonderful when Holy Week occurs during daylight saving time because then for that hour of prayerful vigil we are visible!

Following the vigil, we enjoyed the hospitality of Our Ladies’ Missionaries at their Maryglen residence. After greeting, eating, chatting and laughing we celebrated our own liturgy based on the parable of the lost coin. We anointed each other to give us continued strength and support for the journey and ended with this commissioning prayer:

“Let us go into the workplace
and into the streets
and reveal God’s saving Spirit
through the quality of our lives,”

On behalf of Toronto CNWE, thank you to the organizers of the Purple Stole Action and the life-giving gathering and liturgy that followed.

TORONTO NEWS
January 23, 2006,
Toronto Ontario
CNWE Toronto

Greetings CNWE Members!
November and January Gathering Overview
These brief overviews are for the benefit of members who were unable to attend these workshops.
Prophets of All Sorts: Women Prophets and Wisdom – Wednesday, November 24, 2005. About 25 CNWE members and friends gathered on this snowy evening to enjoy a workshop facilitated by Toronto CNWE member, Elaine Guillemin. Elaine began by having us reflect on the notion of prophet in our own experience and then went on to flesh out the stories and wisdom of biblical women prophets, Miriam and Huldah. Throughout, we were encouraged to use Critical Feminist Hermeneutics of Liberation as a process for interpreting the largely androcentric, partriarchal/kyriocentric language of the bible. We drew on the methods of Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza’s Seven Hermeneutical Dance Steps (from Wisdom Ways). We were then invited to connect prophecy then and now with a creative project using a variety of materials. These lovely creations were then shared with the larger group as we closed the evening in song and prayer…”You are the heart, you are the hands, you are the voice of Spirit on earth. And who you are, and all you do, is a blessing to the world… “

Prophets of All Sorts: Speaking Out – Saturday January 14, 2006
We began our Saturday workshop with coffee and muffins and time to greet one another and peruse Joanne Kelly’s books before starting. We then opened the day singing Everyday God to a moving slide presentation by Cathy Gross that included photos from her time in Malawi. Joan Melanson, Executive Producer of CBC Radio Toronto then facilitated a session on effective communication, particularly as it relates to media. In Joan’s experience, the media are looking for current, compelling stories from passionate people capable of engaging the interviewer and the listener. From our discussions, we decided that a further workshop to practice specific communication skills would be beneficial and we look forward to that with Joan in the fall of 2006.
After lunch and announcements (see below), we enjoyed a session facilitated by Toronto CNWE member, Christina Cathro. Christina began with Come Sing a Song with Me as we enjoyed her beautiful ‘rose in the wintertime’. We then enjoyed a courage stone ritual in which we were invited to rub courage into our stones and then pass them along for others to do the same.

Thanks to Christina Cathro for facilitating our afternoon session and also to Lenore Sullivan for coordinating lunch details.

Singing Circle

• The Singing Circle met together for 6 evenings this fall, enjoying singing the songs of Carolyn McDade. They concluded on December 13 with an evening of song to which all CNWE members were invited.
• The Singing Circle is continuing in 2006 with evenings of song. Many thanks to Rita Patenaude for this joyful and musical initative!

Jim Loney and family

• A letter of support was sent to Jim Loney’s family on behalf of Toronto CNWE. Many CNWE members will be familiar with Jim’s articles in Catholic New Times and his work and subsequent kidnapping in Iraq as a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Seedkeepers, Books and Buttons
Need a good gift for a friend? Consider giving them a gift subscription to Seedkeepers, our CNWE Publication, or buying some food for thought in a book from Joanne Kelly’s book offerings at our CNWE gatherings. We also have “Ordain Women” buttons for sale for $3 – guaranteed conversation starters! All are available at CNWE gatherings.

Greetings from Fr. Ed Cachia
The following letter from Fr. Ed Cachia is passed along to CNWE members via Mark King and is entitled “Looking forward to the Future”. As most of you will know, Fr. Ed was fired with $2000 severance after 20 years of service in the Peterborough diocese for requesting that the church dialogue on the issue of women’s leadership and call to ordained ministry in the Catholic church.
Dear Friend
I trust that you had a blessed and Holy Christmas. Now I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year. Over these past months I have through prayer discerned what the Lord is calling me to do. First of
all I am going to Malta to be with my parents to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. When I come back from Malta I will be making a public announcement with respect to my future. I want to assure you that this
time has been a very positive experience for me and that I am well. I cannot
find the right words to begin to tell you how much your support has
encouraged and consoled me during this time. I am so blessed. I thank you for your patience. May God continue to bless you and all of your family and those that are dear to you. I look forward to being in touch with you when I
get back from Malta.
All my love,

Father Ed.

Contacts:

Cathy Gross cathygros@gmail.com
Kathleen Gallivan kathleen.gallivan@sympatico.ca
Marie Cerny mcerny@interlog.com

Dr. Ellen Leonard Honoured

Dr. Ellen Leonard CSJ will receive the Ann O'Hara Graff Annual Award for 2004 on June 10 in Reston, Virginia at the annual convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America. The Women's Seminar in Constructive Theology, the awarding body, looks for "women whose accomplishments include both womanist, feminist or other woman-defined scholarship and liberating action on behalf of women in the church and in the broader community." The award honours the late Ann O'Hara Graff who made significant contributions to women both in the academy and beyond.
This award recognizes Sister Ellen's longstanding commitment to women throughout her academic career. She will receive a plaque and a vase. A flowing shrub will be planted at the Toronto School of Theology.

CNWE member Christina Cathro addresses the issue of Cardinal Ambrozic refusing to confer her doctoaral degree