Catholic speaker and author Katie Prejean McGrady recently responded to an article creating a lot of buzz in the Catholic spectrum.
America Magazine published, “I’m a Catholic woman who was allowed to preach at Mass—until it was banned.”
Prejean took to Twitter to defend the Church’s reasoning for prohibiting women from delivering a homily during Mass. She also explained how much the Church needs women outside the liturgy.
Code of Canon Law 767 states, “Among the forms of preaching, the homily, which is part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or deacon, is preeminent; in the homily the mysteries of faith and the norms of Christian life are to be explained from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year.
Here’s the Katie Prejean’s response: (text below screenshots)
Here’s the text for Prejean’s tweets:
“Just want to say: / I’m a Catholic woman who ‘preaches’ a lot and I’ve never wanted to do so at Mass or felt marginalized because I haven’t been “allowed” to. / Voices proclaiming the Gospel outside of liturgy are so needed. It’s clerical to think we have to be there to be valued.”
“At a parish mission, Father asked if I’d like to give a reflection during each Mass. I told him I’d prefer to do an announcement before or after Mass and he do the homily, as normal. / He insisted. / I refused. / With just my short little announcement, we had a full house each night.”
“I am all for empowering women in the Church. It is the song I sing (ask anyone who has ever worked with me). More women sitting at the table, dare I say at the head, is my dream. / But to insist we take on priestly roles is to posit that we have to be priests to have influence.”
“And let me tell you… / Women don’t need collars to lead in, serve, influence, and make a difference in the Church. / We simply need people who recognize our feminine gifts and insights as valuable, raise up our voices, listen to our ideas, and give us a place and space to work.”
“I’ve seen this done really well. I’ve experienced it. / I’ve seen it done not so well. I’ve experienced that too. / In it all, I’m convinced: women have gifts the Church so desperately needs and we can’t just assume those gifts will only shine forth if we’re allowed to be priests.”
“Those gifts shine forth when we shine, as women, in roles far beyond the ordained priesthood of Jesus Christ. / Also, by virtue of my baptism, I’m priest, prophet, and king. And lemme tell you: that is all I need to go do the work of Jesus Christ. / No collar needed. Just Grace.”
What do you think of Prejean’s response?
[See also: Empowering Women in Holiness: The 4 Female Doctors of the Church]
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