A Need for Creativity: Synod Report for October 29, 2023
Listening in Simplicity: Synod Report for October 27, 2023
A United Witness: Synod Report for October 26, 2023
Students at the Table of Wisdom: Synod Report for October 25, 2023
Francis wants the synod in every parish. Here’s how to bring it to yours.
A Month of Sowing: Synod Report for October 23, 2023
A Coordination of Charisms: Synod Report for October 20, 2023
Today’s American Catholic
Healthy Decentralization: Synod Report for October 18, 2023
Making and Remaking: Synod Report for October 17, 2023
A School of Formation: Synod Report for October 16, 2023
Communio, Companionship, Consensus: Synod Report for October 14, 2023
What’s happening at the Vatican October 14, 2023
What’s happening at the Vatican October 13, 2023
More a Heartbeat Than an Institution: Synod Report for October 13, 2023
What’s happening at the Vatican Oct 12, 2023
Spiritual Ecologies: Synod Report for October 11, 2023
A Leaven for Positive Change: Synod Report for October 12, 2023
What’s happening at the Vatican OCT 11, 2023
Concrete Realities, Concrete Cries: Synod Report for October 10, 2023
Dear Friends,
We made it! First toe in the water, as it were, for the Pink Shoes on the streets of Rome. Thanks to our friends from the women’s network USA, women of Canada, and others, we staged the event and got people engaged as they were streaming in to St Peter’s Square for the Mass launching the Synodal Assembly.
Lots of interest, including from the police, who tolerated us for about an hour after the women’s ordination conference permit expired 8-9am), and then told us we had to remove the shoes but no problem with giving out pamphlets etc. And the little shoe key tags were a great hit! Lots of great conversations with women and men, some there for the church activities, but lots not… spirit unbounded in action!
Christina Reymer
As you read this, WOC is already on the ground in Rome, preparing to be present for this crucial, kairos moment for the church. Our presence is an extension of the synodal tent, where we can model synodality authentically, amplify the voices most silenced by the institutional church, and creatively and boldly ensure that there is no synod about us without us. As we get ready, we find our inspiration in our matron saint of women’s ordination, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose feast day is today. She once wrote in her diary, “I feel in me the vocation of PRIEST.” We are here because of her, and because of every other woman who has had a sincere vocation to ordained ministry denied or silenced. You have courageously entered the synodal process with many reasons to distrust it, and your Spirit-led honesty has contributed to the reality that women’s leadership and ordination is now a topic of the hour at the synod. We will carry our bold message of equality through the events we have planned, which you can participate in even if you are far from Rome!  On Tuesday, October 3, we will host “Let Her Voice Carry,” a prayer vigil featuring the voices and testimonies of women worldwide and praying for the courageous inclusion of women’s voices during the synodal gathering that begins the next day. The vigil will take place at 4:30 p.m. Rome time/10:30 am US Eastern Time, and will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.  On Wednesday, October 4, the opening day of the synod, we will deliver swatches of fabric to the Office of the Synod along with a message that “enlarging the tent” means including the voices of people who support opening all ordained ministries to people of all genders.  On Friday, October 6, we will march with our global partners in our “Walk with Women,” a procession through Rome to the synod hall to encourage the church to walk alongside women as equals throughout the synod and beyond. You can join one of our solidarity walks—9 and counting!—or participate as an individual by learning more on our website. We have other colorful surprises in store, and will be providing regular updates from the synod on our social media channels and via email. We believe in the premise of synodality and the promise of this moment, and commit to you that we will let your voices carry.  For equality, Kate McElweeExecutive Director Katie LaczProgram Director P.S. No matter what, we are especially grateful for your support in these ways: · By journeying with us in prayer. Below you will find WOC’s own synod prayer for you to use and share. · By making a donation to WOC. Your gift will go directly to ensuring our creative and bold actions in Rome will truly make an impact.  |
| Women’s Ordination Conference | PO Box 15057, Washington, DC 20003 |
