Here at St. Bon’s when we hear the morning prayer there is always something new that we are asked to pray for. But you know that time in April when we are all asked to “pray for priestly vocations?” Well, that topic made me think. What exactly am I supposed to be praying for here? That one of the guys in my class will be called into the priesthood? Last year, I took the liberty of praying for something a little bit different, change.

I find it troubling that if the boys in my class wish to live a life as a priest, to lead a church, to say mass and inspire people, they can. No problem! But what if I had that same calling? Sure I could become a nun or become very involved at my parish or in other religious organizations but I can never reach the same level of authority in the church, simply because I am a girl.

The Catholic Churches doctrine on the Ordination of Women states that “Only a baptized man validly receives ordination” and that this is a matter of divine law that most likely will not be changed. However Jesus, our divine leader did not create this law. In fact according to scripture Jesus did not ordain any priests in His time. Not women and not men. This structure of the church came much later in approximately 1000 AD. Today, a millennium later it is time for change. 

The role of women in society has changed drastically since that time. The role of women in the church could be the next change in the long history of the fight for women’s rights.

“Catholic Women’s Ordination” (CWO) is an organization of Catholic women based in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1993. Their purpose is to create a church where both women and men have equal opportunity to join the priesthood. The CWO holds peaceful protests outside local churches and holds large meetings to bring awareness to Catholic Women in the UK. The CWO is one of several organizations that promote women’s ordination. Catholic women and even men around the world have only recently begun this movement towards a more equitable church.

Pope Francis may be listening to organizations such as the CWO. Recently Pope Francis said “The church cannot be itself without the woman and her role, The woman is essential for the church… We have to work harder to develop a profound theology of the woman. Only by making this step will it be possible to better reflect on their function within the church. The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.” The Pope is the highest power in the Catholic Church. This could be interpreted as the start of big change towards gender equity in the Catholic church.

Here at St. Bon’s we are fortunate enough to be educated in the Jesuit tradition, learning the importance of social justice and being men and women for others. We are encouraged to adopt higher level thinking, and this particular topic is one which I have thought a lot about. Catholic women and Catholic men should have equal opportunity to pursue a life of service as a Catholic priest. While I do not necessarily have a calling to the priesthood, I would greatly appreciate the comfort of knowing that I do have that choice in my own religion. However in order for this choice to be made available to Catholic women, change must occur. So I encourage you to pray for the future girls and women of the Catholic church, to pray for change.