January-February 2001

A meeting with Cardinal George about women's ordination

Anice Schervish, a graduate student in social work who spent a year in Chicago archdiocesan volunteer service, believes strongly in women’s ordination. At the CTA National Conference last November, she spread the word that she had an appointment for a face-to-face meeting with Cardinal Francis George of Chicago to discuss the issue. Through CTA and the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC), she received over 80 letters, and promises of prayer and fasting to invoke the Spirit on the encounter. She first shared this reflection via CTA-Hope, the Internet discussion group of CTA Next Generation.

I am having a great deal of trouble trying to write this reflection for the many people out there who had great hope about this meeting. I want to be able to say that we won, that he came over to our side. None of that happened, though. So, I’m not shouting from the rooftops and I don’t really know what to say when people ask me how it went. I am not sure what, exactly, I was expecting, but I guess the meeting went as well as could be expected. There were no Pauline conversions on his part, but I can say that he listened.

My aunt, who was fully supportive of me, still wanted to know why I didn’t pick a battle that I thought I could win. She didn’t quite understand why I chose to put my energy — and there certainly was a lot of energy — into this meeting. What were my goals? What did I expect to achieve? Was there going to be movement as a result of this meeting? Honestly, I don’t know.

I know that a year ago, the Cardinal cited so many arcane reasons that appeared set in stone about why women would never be priests that he moved me to tears of anger and frustration and confusion. He said we would be breaking our covenant with Christ if women were priests. The pain in my heart was so deep, and my confusion about my continued participation in this sexist organization — basing its sexism on Jesus’ teachings, no less — was so profound that I could do nothing but cry at the time. But I’m a do-er, a fixer, and so when the invitation for continued conversation came, I had to act. I’m also an organizer and community builder and I knew that I had to take this opportunity to involve more people than just myself.

So, I put the call out for letters. I knew there were people out there who wanted to be heard — who needed their stories to be told, and I was in a position to be the messenger. But these people didn’t know me. Why would they trust me with their stories — highly personal and risky stories? I didn’t know if anyone would respond.

But they did! Over the weeks between the CTA conference where I first started talking to people and midnight the night before the meeting, I received over 80 letters from women, men, religious, former religious, lay, married and single people sharing their stories. And what stories there were. I tried to e-mail everyone who sent a story, but by the end, along with being in the middle of finals, I couldn’t keep up!

I read each letter, each e-mail, and felt the pain, confusion, struggle and anguish of so many. I cried as I read of women feeling unwelcome in their communities, their gifts discounted. I shook my head as I read about parents not knowing how to teach their daughters — and sons — about ordination, remembering my own parents’ struggle with the same issue. I read about women who fight with male-dominated work environments all week and go to Mass looking for solace, only to find the same. I read stories of unfulfilled potential in the many women called to ordination — some who have left to minister in other traditions, some who are still fighting.

I took these stories to the Cardinal, and he was listening. He listened with respect to our experiences. I don’t want to bad-mouth him, because I am grateful that he took the time to listen, and I believe that he will take the time to read the letters. Then, however, he taught. He taught that while experience was important and real, one’s own experience is not, and cannot be, “normative” for the Church. I pointed out that those who have been determining the “norms” for 2000 years have all been celibate males. I challenged him to use his position to be prophetic. He said that prophecy is standing for the Truth that is Jesus Christ. I said that we are being prophetic. He disagreed, insisting that it’s not about experience, but about revelation. He said that we are being influenced by culture. He said we are not an enlightenment people, we are a people of revelation, which was closed with the death of the last apostle. I, personally, find that hard to believe, and I told him so. He wasn’t amused. He did, however, pledge to continue to work for more women in leadership roles in the church. He said that he sees no reason why women couldn’t be heads of curial offices in Rome. He was cordial and said he would continue to listen. It’s a start, at least.

Maybe the whole thing wasn’t about achieving goals — at least not that day. I think maybe the meeting was about witness, about presence. I received many e-mails from people expressing their support of this step on the journey. I sincerely thank everyone who was a part of this meeting. So many were praying and fasting for us, and that was a profound experience for me. For this reason, I went into the meeting with a deep sense of peace. I knew that whatever was supposed to happen, would. Whatever I was sent to say, I would say. Did I? I haven’t thought about whether or not I said the “right” thing. I truly believe that the Spirit was with us there at the meeting and that we were witnessing to the movement of her in our lives. There is still a long road ahead of us, but I believe that if we continue to work in community, and witness and prophesy and be present, the Spirit will be with us.

This reflection was published in the Winter, 2000 issue of “New Woman, New Church,” the Women’s Ordination Conference newsletter, and is reprinted here with permission. For more information about joining WOC, call 703 352-5181, or visit www.womensordination.org