UPDATE: Burke and the "Priestesses"

As I reported earlier, Archbishop Burke of St. Louis was set to excommunicate some women if they went through a faux ordination ceremony over the weekend.

St. Louis, Nov 13, 2007 / 10:36 am (CNA).- Two women who took part in a ritual they claimed was an ordination ceremony have been placed under interdict, the Associated Press reports.

Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, 67, and Elsie Hainz McGrath, 69, underwent the ceremony at a St. Louis synagogue. The ceremony was led by a South African former nun who claimed to have been ordained a bishop by a German bishop in communion with Rome. The two women plan to "co-pastor" a community, starting December 1, in a space offered by a local Unitarian church.

Mmmm, interdict. There's a word I haven't heard in a while. This is why I like Burke, he will use to full Canonical Vocabulary when chastising these wackos.

Read that last line, though. They are going to co-pastor a community in a Unitarian Church. In a sense, I'm glad they had to resort to using a space occupied by a "you're good, I'm good, everyone's good" crowd.

Archbishop Raymond Burke of the archdiocese of St. Louis sent a three-page letter to the women after they underwent the ceremony. He ordered the women to "renounce any attempts" to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, or officiate at any other sacrament. The letter summoned them to appear before a church tribunal on December 3.

In the archdiocesan newspaper on Friday the archbishop wrote that the women would confuse and lead astray the faithful by their "sinful action."

Ms. McGrath claimed the two women are helping to "bring about badly needed reforms," to heal the church's "dysfunction."

Reverend Arthur Espelage, executive coordinator for the Canon Law Society of America, said the actions of Archbishop Burke are "extremely formal" measures.
He said each rite the women preside over creates a deeper separation from the church.
"He knows the law very well," he said, speaking of the archbishop. "He's a very conservative archbishop, he's going to take a severe stand here. But even if you had a very liberal bishop, you'd have the same response.
"Civil disobedience doesn't change laws in the church."

Think they will show up to their tribunal? Again, an awesome Canon Law word. I really hope that the example can be made, and they don't lead too many people astray. I'm sure Burke has a plan of action in place.

Episcopal Split

The Anglican Church is coming apart at the seams. To that end, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has voted to separate from the national Episcopal Church, and align themselves with "a more traditional province in the Anglican Communion."

And so it begins, the Anglican Church is beginning to disintegrate. It doesn't help that they picked a bishopess to lead them and made a divorced gay man a bishop, who, incidentally, will be getting gay married soon.

I predict here that the Catholic Church will see conversions on the rise. I've always held that there can be no such thing as a "thinking Anglican" because they will think themselves Catholic. They must; after all, their Ecclisal Community started when King Henry VIII wanted a divorce. This whole event will make those who aren't crazy activist liberals re-examine what their religion means, when their leadership had gone so far astray. We can only hope they see that the only Church that has remained consistent for the past two millenia is the Catholic Church.

Womenpriests and Abp. Burke

Sometimes you encounter an article that you just can't pass up.

St. Louis, Nov. 8, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has warned two local women that they face excommunication if they go through with plans for a Sunday ceremony at which they will claim to be ordained as priests.

The archbishop sent personal letters by courier to Rose Marie Dunn Hudson and Elsie Hainz McGrath, reminding them that they would incur the "censure of excommunication" if they participated in the ceremony, which is being held at a Jewish synagogue under the auspices of the "Womenpriests" organization.

I'm glad we're still excommunicating women who try to be ordained. After the first round of excommunications, we just started letting them be, which is troublesome, and sends the wrong message to the Church. Bravo, Archbishop Burke.

Archbishop Burke noted that the fraudulent "ordination" ceremony, held in direct violation of Church teaching and authority, would constitute an "act of schism." He warned the women that additional penalties could be used against them, along with the excommunication that would be automatically imposed.

McGrath told an AP reporter that she would ignore the archbishop's warning, which she characterized as a "form of intimidation."

Two interesting points, first of all, what will be these additional penalties. In a sense, I hope they go through with the "ordination" just so I can see what Burke has up his sleeves. Second, how is this intimidation, this is really just a final warning before the canonical excommunication, the "turn back now" sign. The excommunication will happen. I just can't see what part of "and this is to be held by all christian faithful" people don't understand.

Interestingly enough, they couldn't find any Catholic space to have the "ordination" "mass", and so some reform Jews stepped in. Abp. Burke is understandably upset, and he appealed to the Jewish community to change their mind. (From the Curt Jester)