Clandestine Ordinations Roman Catholic Womenpriests 'Ordain' Four Bishops at Undisclosed Location, California Catholic Daily, April 23, 2009

Clandestine 'Ordinations'
Roman Catholic Womenpriests 'Ordain' Four Bishops at Undisclosed Location

California Catholic Daily
April 23, 2009

http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=7d66cde0-9806-46e9-be57-2e33dee8cda6

Sometime on Sunday, April 19, somewhere in Santa Barbara, four women were "ordained" as "bishops" by the group Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA. The exact time and place of the event was intentionally kept secret, a spokeswoman for the group said.

"One of the major reasons for not revealing the place is that we wanted a prayerful, quiet, non-media event," said Womenpriests national spokeswoman Bridget Mary Meehan in an email to California Catholic Daily. "Our focus is not on the bishops ordinations but on servant leadership to the Catholic community." Meehan was one of the four women "ordained" as a "bishop" on April 19.

In a statement provided to California Catholic Daily, Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA did not even name the city in which the "ordinations" occurred. But a separate news release from CORPUS, which describes itself as "the national association for an inclusive priesthood," identified the city as Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara "ordinations" represented the latest in a series of acts of defiance against the Vatican on the subject of women priests. On May 29, 2008, the Vatican declared that any women who attempt "ordination" or any bishops who attempt to "ordain" women are automatically excommunicated from the Church by their actions. The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was absolute, universal and immediately effective.

"Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA is pleased to announce the ordinations of Joan Mary Clark Houk, Andrea Michele Johnson, Maria Regina Nicolosi and Bridget Mary Meehan as Roman Catholic bishops," said a statement dated April 21. "These ordinations took place on April 19, 2009 in California. Officiating at the ceremony were Bishops: Patricia Fresen and Ida Raming from Germany and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger from Austria."

Joan Mary Clark Houk will serve as "bishop" in the Great Waters Region, one of six Womenpriests regions in the U.S. According to the group's statement, Houk has been married for 48 years, and has six children, eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild. She had the words "Faithful Servant" inscribed on her "bishop's ring," the statement said. Houk received a Masters Degree in Divinity from the University of Notre Dame, according to a biography on the Womenpriests website.

Andrea Michele Johnson of Annapolis, Maryland, was "elected to serve as bishop for the Eastern Region," according to the group's statement. Johnson, married for 39 years and the mother of three, "was pastoral minister in a priestless Catholic parish in the mid-1980s and also served as a former director of the Women's Ordination Conference," said the statement. "Andrea currently works in hospital chaplaincy."

"Maria Regina Nicolosi was elected by the members of the Midwest Region to be their bishop," said the statement. "Regina was born in the Rhineland, Germany, close to the Abbey of St. Hildegard and before she moved to the USA, she was a teacher. After raising her family, Regina worked as a senior housing manager and a nursing home chaplain. Currently, she celebrates Eucharist with small faith communities and has served as the program coordinator for the Midwest region. In this role she has helped prepare several women for priestly ordination. Regina is married and has four children and eight grandchildren. She and her husband Charles live in Red Wing, MN."

Bridget Mary Meehan will serve as "bishop" of the Southern Region, where she "presides at inclusive liturgies and sacramental services for vibrant faith communities in Sarasota, Florida and Falls Church, Virginia," according to the statement. "For fifteen years, Bridget Mary served as a pastoral associate at Ft. Myer Chapel in N.VA. She is the author of eighteen books including Praying with Women of the Bible, Praying with Visionary Women, and co-author of Praying with Celtic Holy Women."