Call to (Fr)action is having a conference and of course it contains the usual suspects (read dissidents) and strange titles for focus sessions and presentations. The conference starts on November 3rd so that must be the Feast of All Dissidents.
Jumping Without A Chute imagines an suitable itinerary, though the real one though parody-free is pretty funny.
Now I thought I had read the majority of pro-women’s ordination arguments, but I guess I missed this one. "Personal to Political: How Women’s Ordination Impacts the Global Community" to be given by Joy Barnes. We also get to learn that "Mary of Nazareth, Jewish peasant woman of faith, has been released from her role as a submissive handmaiden and restored to her place as a powerful, prophetic woman." So since when did submission to God to become something that you must be released from? “I am the powerful prophetic women of the Lord” just doesn’t parse that well. We are the tallest when we kneel and the most powerful when we humbly submit to God’s will.
I will never understand the progressives love of the use prophetic. After all the prophets were the ones that denounced sin and kept calling Israel back to faithfully following the Covenant. They attacked liturgical abuses like offering lambs that were sick or had other defects. John the Baptist went in over his head when he denounced Herod’s invalid marriage. Repentance was a big thing with prophets and Elijah was not the most ecumenical figure. They did not go around telling the Church to change. For example demanding the opening the priesthood to all the tribes of Israel. They were the faithful who were calling dissident kings and Levitical priests to repent and to follow God’s law. In short the prophets were the opposite of progressive dissidents who demand instead that God’s law to changed and not followed.
"Earth Spirit and You: A Spirituality for the 21st Century" Yeah you knew that one was coming. "Why Do Men Need the Goddess? Gender and the Creation of Goddesses in Western Religion" and "The Most Holy Eucharist: Source and summit of our faith" – well I was kidding about the last one. After all concluding the year of the Eucharist and the recent synod you wouldn’t want to have a conference that mentioned the Eucharist you know. But there is a report on a synod – that is how they tried to deliver petitions at the synod for of course women priests.
Praying with Teresa of Avila, a Woman for Today
Gloria Ulterino and Judith Boyd lead this prayer service. Like us, Teresa lived in a time of oppression and resistance to change. Called by Christ from her tomb of fear, she stood tall.
That would be the same St. Teresa of Avila who helped to reform the Carmelites who had mostly lapsed and fallen into wordy ways. She called the Carmelites not to some new fad, but back to the beginnings of the first Carmelite rule. The Discalced Carmelites went shoeless not habit-less. Sure we all live in a time of oppression and resistance to change. We are all oppressed by our own sins and our resistant to change. We would much rather that the world come into conformity with our sins than for us to repent of them. Though I take comfort for myself and others that St. Teresa was not exactly a model nun and for a long period of time did not even pray. She was luke-warm but later burned with the love of Christ especially in his humanity. May the same happen for all of us including the members of CTA.
All Saints pray for us.
14 comments
My question is why do they always have this in Milwaukee? At least for the past several years it has been in that city on the lake. My guess is that when they first moved it there, they had a sympathetic bishop, but I cannot imagine H.E. Arcbishop Timothy Dolan tolerating too much of this – then I guess there is nothing (civilly) he can do to stop them.
My question is why do they always have this in Milwaukee?
Because “Tipping Over Patriarchy” always starts with The Fonz.
Damn frustrating to attempt to parody CTA’s program, eh?
I’ll be safely 20+ miles from them. That’s a little too close…
As to Abp. Dolan: he certainly is not encouraging these bozos, except that in the three years of his reign, he has NOT cancelled McBrien’s bizarre screed/column from the “Catholic” Herald.
As a result, we have NOT subscribed.
I shall put on my dissident hat (aluminum foil) in an attempt to answer good Fr. Totton’s question on “Why Milwaukee?”
As every good dissident knows, the name “Milwaukee” comes to us from the Potawatomi word �Mahn-ah-wauk,� meaning “council grounds,” though these origins are in some dispute. The disputation making the location even that much more desirable for dissident gatherings, of course.
She is also know as the land of cheese, formerly the land of beer, and everyone’s favorite TV personality: Tom Snyder… well, actually “favorite” is in dispute.
By the way, I’m finding it interesting that contemporary “prophets,” unlike their predecessors, really love being prophets. The old ones didn’t really like the job and/or felt a great deal of unworthiness. But our modern-day prophets feel MORE than worthy of their call!
sigh.
All you Holy men and women pray for us indeed.
I live in Milwaukee, and this conference takes place right downtown. There isn’t good parking. I don’t know if they can handle all of the walkers and wheelchairs that CTA participants need.
It’s not like this is World Youth Day with young people!
Jeff, I had to laugh at this gem:
“CTA Needs Ethnic Diversity
We are very much aware that the membership and leadership of Call To Action fall short on ethnic diversity… Please help us reach leaders and members of other racial and ethnic communities. Invite them to the conference! (As an added incentive, see below about bringing two newcomers and getting a free registration for yourself.)”
So all you have to do is rope in two poor unsuspecting souls and you can be a freeloader!
Aussie, you hit the nail on the head! They are becoming the religious equivalent of Amway!
I guess they can simply ignore how St. Theresa placed so much emphasis on OBEDIENCE. Not that she didn’t struggle, but it was always foremost on her mind. Her obedience to God and her confessors. Funny, I guess I missed the part in her collected works about wanting to become a priest.
Are you sure the CTA site isn’t the real parody? I thought it was hilarious.
Call To Action: Getting Prophetic All Over The Furniture And Throw Rugs Since 1976.
Ha!! By “furniture” I’m thinking Dale wants us to visualize bean bag chairs and shag throw rugs. Established in the 70’s and stuck in the 70’s.
Call to Action is not dead yet? Well it appears to be heading to the grave with the crap they will be presenting. Come on, do men need the goddess to live a full Christian life. I would be really interested in hear what the Bible really says about homosexuality, too. That should be a good bit of smoke and mirrors.
What an excellent set of speakers! If only I could have made it to the conference. But I had to work this week as we have been very busy around here thinking up new ways of reminding the Holy Father that we are in charge here in America, not the fudy dudy curia in Rome. Besides I have to the CTA conference many times in the past and it was time to allow some of the others around here a chance to attend. But I do wish I could attend this presentation on our new sacrament:
Opening to Grace
Carolyn Gantner leads morning prayer of gentle yoga and pranayama or breathing. Yoga is a sacrament, a symphony of soul and motion that emerges from the inside out. We bless the new day through sun salutation, half moon, mountain and other yoga postures. This gentle exercise requires no yoga experience, and we may participate sitting in a chair or on the floor. Gantner gives area retreats and workshops and teaches yoga weekly in four locations in Madison, Wis. Sat. (4.04) & Sun. (12.04), 7:45 AM.
I can’t wait to start practicing out new sacrament! It truely affirms the universal priestess in all of us.
In need of ethnic diversity, huh? Yeah, them and quite a few liberal institutions. My sister worked for Feminist Majority for a year, and even she made fun of the fact that they were all white girls from expensive liberal arts colleges. Of course, if you’re not from a priveleged background, you have better things to do than work a very low-paying job involving getting people to sign petitions. I bet WalMart pays better than FM.
Next the CTA will be noticing their need for age diversity… I wonder if any of them have noticed that this is the same group of people that were hippies, who have never left off being hippies and are becoming more obviously pagan. Let’s see, calling ourselves “other Christs”, talking about how men need goddesses, “spirituality for today”. Yeah, that sounds like something that will really draw the kids. Oddly, all the Pope has to do is to celebrate Mass and he can get thousands upon thousands of young folks to show up. Hmmmmm.