Boycotting the Mass
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
By Megan Sweas
Comments (73)
An 80-year-old Irish woman won't be attending Mass on September 26 and she wants other Catholic women to join in her one-day boycott.
From the Irish Times:
Jennifer Sleeman from Clonakilty in Cork said she wants 'to let the Vatican and the Irish church know that women are tired of being treated as second-class citizens.'
She has called on the Catholic women of Ireland to 'join your sisters on Sunday, September 26th. On that one day boycott Mass. Stay at home and pray for change. We are the majority. We may have been protesting individually but unremarked on, but together we have strength and our absence, the empty pews, will be noticed.'
She said: 'Whatever change you long for, recognition, ordination, the end of celibacy, which is another means of keeping women out, join with your sisters and let the hierarchy know by your absence that the days of an exclusively male-dominated church are over.'
Some women in the U.S. are taking notice of this protest as well. I was forwarded an e-mail about a protest in Chicago that linked to an announcement about a protest in Portland. Rose Marie Berger of Sojourners has created a map of places where women are boycotting the Mass for her personal blog.
Questions abound with such an idea. As our commenter wsxyz will remind you, missing Mass is a mortal sin, so is it worth it to willfully take a week off? But even if you do, will enough women boycott that you'd actually be able to see a difference in the pews? Would it make any difference? How is a boycott going to signal that "the days of an exclusively male-dominated church are over"? It doesn't take a protest to know that women dominate the pews--and ministry.
The journalist in me wants to go to many Masses at different churches on September 26 just to see if other women don't show up! Would you join this protest?
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Just The Reverse
By The Reverse (not verified) on Sunday, November 14, 2010After moving from parish to parish we have finally found one with no liturgical abuses! They are conservative, there are only male alter servers, they sing the Salve Regina (in Latin) after communion. Twice a month a 1962 Latin mass is offered. My wife and I love it! And...
...it is PACKED, and growing exponentially! While the other parishes around that are building are having a hard time coming up with the money, our new parish has raised enough for a beautiful new church in only 3 years.
Long live the TRUE Catholic Church! If you want goddess worship go start your own religion.
Hooray for the Portland boycott
By Right Matter Ms. (not verified) on Sunday, September 26, 2010God bless Jennifer Sleeman for her prophetic call. I stayed away from the Saturday vigil mass at the Portland cathedral. I went instead to the Episcopal cathedral on Sunday morning, where I prayed for us women whose voices are stifled in the Catholic Church. At that service a woman deacon read the gospel, a woman priest preached, and another woman priest assisted. God's wrath did not befall us, we sang the praises of God with great enthusiasm and received the sacrament with due reverence. Wake up, Catholic women, to what Protestants have been protesting for hundreds of years: not Catholic faith, but tyrants in miters! Keep protesting, especially with your closed purse. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Excommunication
By The Reverse (not verified) on Sunday, November 14, 2010Right Matter:
I hope you realize that this woman was not only not a priest but was no longer even a Catholic--she excommunicated herself at her ordination. She now belongs to a heretic splinter group.
By even attending an abomination such as this, you have objectively commited a grave sin yourself.
It is just this sort of sinfully narcissistic pride that these people share with the athiests.
mis-stating both
By Anonymous (not verified) on Monday, September 27, 2010You persist in not only mis-stating Catholicism but have moved on to Protestantism as well. LOL
" Wake up, Catholic women, to what Protestants have been protesting for hundreds of years: not Catholic faith, but tyrants in miters!"
This was hardly what moved Luther. It is certainly not what moved Henry VIII either.
Mary Magdalene certainly recoils in horror, in heaven, at your use of her to justify your lack of faith in anything other than yourself.
sad sad sad
By beth in PA (not verified) on Monday, September 27, 2010And we are supposed to be the smarter of the sexes?
LOL
If you see no difference between these two services, why would you stay.
Keep scourging the Body of Christ sister. It is just what the enemy wants of you.
Mercy
At that service a woman
By wsxyz (not verified) on Monday, September 27, 2010At that service a woman deacon read the gospel, a woman priest preached, and another woman priest assisted. God's wrath did not befall us
You have incurred God's wrath, but He is longsuffering, and desires your repentance.
we sang the praises of God with great enthusiasm and received the sacrament with due reverence.
You received no sacrament, since neither female nor male Episcopalians have valid orders. You ate a cracker. Congratulations.
Not joining boycott
By Melanie (not verified) on Thursday, September 23, 2010I just stumbled on the information about this boycott. As a recent convert to the Catholic church, I am disheartened by this boycott! I spent several years researching the teachings of the Catholic Church before joining, so I know what the Church teaches. I believe that this boycott is based on people 1) not understanding true Catholic teaching on the value and equality of women and 2) accepting our post-Christian society’s incorrect definition of ‘equality’ as meaning ‘able to fulfill the same roles.’ Real equality is not based on what you DO but who you ARE. For example, most of us have both hands and feet. They perform completely different tasks and are not interchangeable; however, I would not want to choose whether to keep my hands or my feet. I need them all! (This illustration is from Sacred Scripture.) In addition, the most revered person in the Catholic Church, aside from Jesus, is Mary. And she is not venerated for being a priest! In the same way, women are of equal value in the eyes of God and of the Church, but we have different roles. Having different roles does not mean having lesser value. Having different roles does not mean having lesser intellect.
Not joining boycott cont.
By Melanie (not verified) on Thursday, September 23, 2010Part of the beauty of the Catholic Church, I believe, is the fact that it does not change based on the fads and whims of the times. It remains steadfastly true to Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
All that being said, I will NOT be joining this boycott and will be in attendance at my home parish, St. Joseph the Worker in Portland, Oregon.
said with grace and thoughtfulness
By beth in PA (not verified) on Monday, September 27, 2010TY Melanie! Welcome to the Church and there are more of us for it than against it.
You said beautifully what I have also said elsewhere.
women boycotting mass
By Anonymous (not verified) on Tuesday, September 21, 2010Don't you think comitting a mortal sin by not attending mass, sends the wrong message??? Why is it so important that Women play more of a role in positions that are so traditionally filled by men anyway...?
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