Waukesha resident Kathy Sullivan Vandenberg faces excommunication for seeking the priesthood in an unsanctioned ordination ceremony, Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan said in a statement handed out at weekend Masses at Vandenberg’s home parish.
Dolan wrote to parishioners at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waukesha that it was his duty to notify the Vatican of Vandenberg’s action. Dolan said her excommunication could come soon. The Roman Catholic Church prohibits women from becoming priests.
Vandenberg, 64, said Monday that she was "startled" by the letter and surprised that Dolan had "spent so much time and energy" on it when "other important things" might demand his attention.
In his letter to the parish, Dolan said he was "disappointed because Ms. Vandenberg and I had begun a fruitful dialogue on the matter last fall. At that time, . . . I had advised her that any attempted ordination would affect her relationship with the church.
"I believed her sincerity when she assured me that she was unaware of such a consequence, and did not want that to happen."
Vandenberg said Dolan requested the September 2005 meeting, and in a letter the month before it, he told her that "in the interim, you should not be exercising any liturgical or pastoral ministry in the Catholic church lest confusion or scandal arise among the people."
The next day, she said, she resigned her positions as a eucharistic minister and lector. "I cooperated with the archbishop," she said.
Vandenberg called her meeting with Dolan "very cordial . . . very respectful. . . . I told him about my call to ordination . . . and he was trying to give me some reasons to stay" in the church.
She was stung that Dolan made details of their talk public. "We both agreed that the meeting would be private," she said.
Dolan and Vandenberg disagree on what happened after the meeting.
"She promised she would confer with me about her next step," Dolan wrote to the parish. "In two subsequent letters, I have asked for her decision. Her regrettable participation in the protest gives me her unfortunate answer."
I didn’t realize the definition of startled included being warned ahead of time of an action and then that action occurring. I also find it strange that these groups of women who crave publicity for their actions get perturbed when a bishop "spends time and energy" over their actions. And if she realized that he was working with her for reasons to stay then it is obvious she was leaving the Church. Thankfully Archbishop Dolan is acting like a true shepherd in this case in his concern for both her and his flock.
9 comments
I agree. She seems confused that her little play acting is being treated so seriously. It is an affront to Church teaching and must be punished.
Way to go Archbishop Dolan!
Is he by any chance related to the Monkee’s Mickey?
I could see this wacky nun in a Monkee’s skit being chased around by the four loons on the church-river-cruiser-floatilla-of-excommunication.
Archbishop Dolan, Bishop Bruskewitz, Cardinal Pell, and Cardinal Arinze.
Adding him to the lineup sure makes me feel good.
I’m sure Ms. Vandenberg is shocked that an Archbishop is actually doing his job.
Meanwhile, in Red Wing, Minnesota, Regina Nicolosi, who was “ordained” in Europe a few years back still attends her local Catholic parish (where I have to assume she is taking Communion) and still says covert “Masses” and still has not been told to desist or else.
Ms. Vandenberg’s complaint’s about the Archbishop’s attention strike me as rather lame, as do her powers of reasoning and discernment.
The sin of scandal is most egregious when it issues from someone in a position of greatest trust, such as a bishop who fails utterly and deliberately in his most sacred duty to protect his flock. Fortunately, Archbishop Dolan has not so failed.
“I’m surprised you’re working so hard to stop me” is the excuse one falls back on when “Mind your own business” is clearly an inadequate defense. Or maybe more like when someone insults your mother, and then speculates that your ire was raised only because the insult was true.
I told him about my call to ordination
Maybe, the next time I go job hunting, I’ll just tell my interviewer about my call to work for his company. He’ll have to let me in. If not, I’ll start my own firm with the same name and tell people it’s all one company.
Ed – good one! 😉
WAY TO GO, Archbishop Dolan! Try to help her back in, and if she doesn’t come, make it clear to the flock that she ain’t t’ be followed! GO ARCHBISHOP!
I has been my understanding that in situations like this these women had excommunicated themselves as a matter of law and that ecclesiastical edict was not required. (If there is a canonist who reads here, please clarify.) On that basis, I applaud Archbishop Dolan for forthrightly addressing this scandalous situation with his diocese and this woman’s parish, but I am not sure he needs to actually do anything to excommunicate her. She has done it herself. By the same token, Cardinal O’Malley may be justly criticized for not more publicly and explicitely stating the churches condemnation of the act of a former member of his archdiocesan staff by participating in one of these mock ordinations, but the attacks on him for taking no punitive action seem unfair because there were no acts for him to take. She had cut herself off and he didn’t need to do anything.
I think its pretty important that people take a minute to go to the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese website & email Archbishop Dolan & send him a word of support. Its got to be hard to be a lone ranger. There’s no doubt that’s why this woman was “shocked”. Based on previous experience, who knew there would actually be consequences to her (heretical) action?