Diocese in vanguard in involving women in Church

"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

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

"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

"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

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

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

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

"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.

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