The time has come for ordaining women

said Bridget Mary Meehan in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel op-ed from last week, now online.

Girls were allowed to become altar servers once the job lost most of its significance. That turns out to be the strategy.

The clerical structure needs to be transformed into an open participatory model that honors the gifts of God in the people of God. The present gap between clergy and lay needs to be eliminated.

We advocate a move from an unaccountable, top-down hierarchy to a people-empowered discipleship of equals. The group Roman Catholic Womenpriests offers a collaborative community model of ministry based on co-creation with the people we serve.

Expect the result to be a cross between Dilbert and Golden Girls.

At their web site we find,

MYTH: These ordinations as women priests are not recognized or valid.

TRUTH: The group "RC Womenpriests" receives its authority from Roman Catholic bishops who stand in full Apostolic Succession. These bishops bestowed sacramentally valid ordinations on the women listed above. All the documents pertaining to these ordinations have been attested and notarized. All minutes of the ordinations, including data about persons, Apostolic Succession, and rituals, together with films and photos are deposited with a Notary Public.

In Wisconsin, at least, the office of Notary Public requires one be 18 years old, have an eight grade education, have no arrests or criminal convictions, and pay a $20 fee, Wis. Stat. sec. 137.01. Attestation refers only to the signature's genuineness. It adds nothing to the accuracy or authority of the document. It's obscure, at best, what this group thinks the involvement of Notaries Public adds to their claims.