Philadelphia 11 And Brigid of Ireland

St Brigid of Ireland. Abbess, Priest { though not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as such} and allegedly a bishop! Today I am grateful for ALL the " Brigids " in my life. Original artwork By Sarah Beth McCarren entitled " Brigid: Priest"

Today is a special day. On this day ,the traditional Feast Day of Mary & Martha of Bethany, eleven brave women were " irregularly ordained " to the priesthood in 1974. 

Today, in honor of these brave women who defied their bishops and sought to fulfill God-given calls to ordained life, I recall St Brigid of Kildare, Ireland. She's known as being both abbess and PRIEST { although the Roman Catholic Church still refuses to even entertain the idea of women clergy. 

Brigid, the daughter of a Christian mother and a Druid chieftain father,, grew to bridge the gap between the Irish Druids and this " new religion" of Christ's Way Of Love. Although St Patrick {a  man} is the person in history who is credited with bringing Christianity to Druid Ireland, It is Brigid-- a daughter of two separate worlds who is really responsible for converting most of Ireland to Christianity. St Patrick was British, and therefore did not possess the innate knowledge of Druid ways as did Brigid. Brigid understood her people, and with that knowledge, built her community at Kildare . 

I recall St Brigid today because she was not afraid to break some barriers in order to fulfill her vocation from God. Much to her father's frustration, Brigid refused to marry. I'm mindful today that the Church Universal, as well as my own life , benefit from the bravery of eleven women who could not let God's  call to them stay unfulfilled. I've known and loved several outstanding clergy who happen to be women and am grateful for their faithful servant-leadership. 

Today, the 46th anniversary of these women, is important to me because I'd never understood some people's aversion to women as clergy. Throughout much of my growing-up years-- my biggest issue with the Roman Catholic Church is refusal to see people of my gender as potential priests in God's Universal Church.  It was not until I was in my thirties and living in Florida that I met my first " "womanpriest".  I remember walking into that little coastal parish and seeing --- for the first time-- someone of my gender celebrate Mass.   Tears of joy welled in my eyes as I received Communion from Betsy+s hands.  

Up until that morning, I'd never felt worthy enough to receive Communion--  due to my " mixed blood"-- Irish Catholic and Ashkenazi Jewish. Like St Brigid, I am the daughter of a mixed union who could not accept the rules that the Roman Catholic Church wants women to follow. There was so much Roman doctrine that did not sit well with me-- as much as I'd wanted to receive Communion, the Roman Church insisted that I -- a strong-willed, woman--- was not welcome as God made me.. 

God created people of different genders. Therefore , no human-made rule should keep people who are truly called from ordination based on gender { or sexuality} Of course I know many fine priests who are men. Yet it is the women clergy who know that they had to wait centuries for their calling to become valid-- and in the Orthodox & Roman Catholic tradition are still not valid.  

I'm forever grateful to the brave women who were ordained on this day back in 1974-- for the ordained ministries of so many other women benefit from the struggles of these pioneers. 

In the Name of the Holy Three...

Sarah

Feast of St Mary & Martha of Bethany 

Commemoration of the Philadelphia 11. 

29 July 2020