April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.

Diocese in vanguard in involving women in Church


By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Leaders in the Albany Diocese commenting on the U.S. bishops' recently released document on women's role in the Church said the Diocese is already doing much to promote women.

"In the Albany Diocese, there have been real efforts to include women," said Rev. Geoffrey Burke, chancellor for personnel and public information. "The inclusion of women in ministry is a part of who we are. The document doesn't break new ground for us."

"From Words to Deeds: Continuing Reflections on the Role of Women in the Church" was released by the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Women in Society and the Church (see Oct. 15 issue). The document calls on Church leaders to appreciate and incorporate the gifts of women in the Church, appoint women to Church leadership positions, and promote collaboration between women and men.

Leadership

Father Burke said that over the past 20 years, more women have been appointed head of diocesan departments -- positions previously held by priests. "These are primary positions in the Diocese," he said, such as superintendent of Catholic schools, director of religious education and head of Catholic Charities.

In fact, the document itself highlights the Albany Diocese for promoting and mentoring women as key diocesan leaders, and for having a woman as one of its three chancellors.

In addition to taking on roles on a diocesan level, Father Burke said women now serve as parish life directors, hospital chaplains, campus ministers, parish council presidents and parish trustees, positions formerly held by clergy or lay men.

Men and women

While women have brought their gifts and their perspective to their ministry in the Diocese, Father Burke and other diocesan leaders stressed the importance of the involvement of all Catholics.

"It is important for us to promote ministry for men and women in the Diocese," Father Burke said. "Balance is very important."

Sister Kathleen Turley, RSM, chancellor for planning and pastoral services, agreed, noting: "We're a Church of men and women dedicated to proclaiming the mission of Jesus. Recognizing women's gifts is important, [but] we all have gifts and need to minister together."

C. Elizabeth Rowe, director of the Formation for Ministry Program, concurred. "The important thing is that the mission of the Church gets done," she said. "The major teaching here is that we are all called and we're all gifted, and that we're always in collaboration."

Education

The document calls for those preparing for pastoral leadership positions to be educated on the Church's teaching regarding women. Ms. Rowe said one way people in the Albany Diocese learn that teaching is by seeing it in action.

"People preparing for leadership see a Diocese where women have been appointed to leadership," Ms. Rowe said. "In a lot of ways, we have an advantage over other dioceses."

Those in the Formation for Ministry Program at times bring misconceptions with them about the role of the laity, not just the role of women, Ms. Rowe said. "There are misconceptions because of a parish experience," she said. For example, some people don't know that a lay person can read the Gospel at a communion service.

Collaborative

The document also calls for the promotion of collaboration between men and women in the Church. Sister Kathleen said the Diocese is modeling that from the top down. The Albany Diocese, for example, is the only diocese to have three chancellors. The interesting aspect, Sister Kathleen said, is that they are a priest, a woman religious and a lay man.

Collaboration has been an emphasis in the Diocese, she said, but admitted that the Diocese's progress has been uneven. Areas where it is beginning to work include parishes and clusters sharing youth ministers and sacramental programs.

"We haven't mastered collaborative leadership, but we'll get there," she said. "We're much more collaborative now than five years ago."

Family life

The bishops' document also suggests that marriage preparation is an appropriate time to discuss the changing role of women and men as well as how they can work effectively in the family, parish and wider community.

Mary Moriarty, associate director of the diocesan Family Life Office, said marriage preparation programs in the Diocese address those issues.

"The general attitude is that women and men are equal in the eyes of God and in marriage," she said. "Both are responsible for the well-being of the household. Marriage is a partnership."

In both the training program for marriage preparation couples and in the Pre-Cana program hosted by the Family Life Office, dual-career families are addressed as well as the changing roles of women and men. These programs also address communication, planning and goal-setting, which are part of collaboration.

Language

The bishops also encourage the use of inclusive language in order to help build a foundation for collaboration. Inclusive language is urged in the Albany Diocese in homilies, Prayers of the Faithful, other spoken and written prayers, and catechetical materials.

According to Cathy Ann Lavender, director of the diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship, "we encourage the use of language which includes both men and women whenever possible."

As an example, she noted that while it was once common during Mass to refer to those participating as "brethren," most presiders now use the phrase "brothers and sisters."

More to come

The Church's use of inclusive language is also in a stage of ongoing development, she said. On Nov. 1, the New Lectionary, approved by the Vatican and using inclusive language, will be introduced to English-speaking Catholics.

"Learning to use inclusive language is like learning any new language," she stated. "It takes time, patience, effort and practice. And as with any new language, it may feel and sound funny at first," like the shift from "thee" and "thou" to "you."

The use of inclusive language is modeled for those preparing for leadership positions in the Formation for Ministry Program, Ms. Rowe said. Each FMP session begins and ends with prayer that uses inclusive language. "Language that is exclusively male doesn't speak to the whole Church," Ms. Rowe said.

(10-22-98) [[In-content Ad]]


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