Probably only a few Catholics would recognize the Mary Magdalene Apostle Faith Community as truly “Catholic” (they most certainly are not “Roman” Catholic. Any remaining family likeness to the Roman church will be diminished even further now, after the congregation ordained a female priest Saturday. Now read that again – the congregation ordained her. Unlike the Roman Catholic womenpriests movement, which has at least credible claims to valid apostolic succession for their bishops, which makes the ordination of their priests “valid, but not licit”, this congregation did not bother with even a pretence of a bishop.
They are not simply in “dissent” from Vatican teaching, they are in open defiance: a pastor very explicitly reminded the congregation of the Vatican’s recent dire warning on women’s ordination. I liked the response:
Associate Pastor the Rev. Rod Stephens opened the evening with a warning: Any woman attempting to be ordained, or anyone who ordains a woman is automatically excommunicated. “Right on!” one woman cried out.

Picture from "Womenpriets", http://www.womenpriests.org
Filed under: Church Structures / Ecclessiology | Tagged: Church History, episcopal power grab, ordination, women priests | 1 Comment »