Affiliation: Guilford College
Title: Evolving RCWP: Ministerial Modeling and Practicing New Priesthoods
Abstract:
The Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) movement started in 2001 with the contra legem (“against canon law”) ordinations of 7 women to priesthood. To date, roughly 250 women have been ordained through RCWP. While the women in the movement are not recognized by Rome and are in fact excommunicated for their ordinations, womenpriests adhere to Roman Catholic rituals, retain apostolic succession, and practice priesthood through sacraments, ministries, and community leadership.
Five years following the publication of the first academic book on RCWP, titled Womanpriest: Tradition and Transgression in the Contemporary Roman Catholic Church, Peterfeso revisits her research into the movement and offers new observations and insights. What does today’s RCWP tell us about religious identities in the North American and European church? What does RCWP model about religious change and creativity? And what does RCWP reveal regarding women’s leadership in patriarchal institutions?
While not even 25 years old, RCWP is evolving quickly, all the while keeping its focus on using Catholic faith, sacraments, and theologies to meet the needs of today’s (often disaffected and spiritually seeking) Catholics.