Women’s Ordination Conference

Women’s Ordination Conference
Name	Women’s Ordination Conference
Formation	1975
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Leader title	Conveners

Women’s Ordination Conference is a Roman Catholic lay-led advocacy organization founded in 1975 that campaigns for the ordination of women to the priesthood and for structural reform within the Roman Catholic Church. The organization emerged amid broader movements including Second Vatican Council, Women’s Liberation Movement, National Organization for Women, and National Conference of Catholic Bishops debates, aligning with feminist theologians and dissident clerics. Widespread actions by the group have intersected with events such as the Vatican responses to ordination, disciplinary measures by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and activism linked to ecumenical and social-justice networks.

History

The origins trace to gatherings of Catholic feminists in the mid-1970s influenced by figures like Elizabeth Farians and institutions such as Mt. Holyoke College, reflecting currents from the Second Vatican Council reforms and the Women's Ordination Movement in Protestant contexts. Early conferences drew participants connected to organizations including National Assembly of Women, Archdiocese of Chicago activists, and theologians influenced by Mary Daly, Dorothy Day, and Joan Chittister. The group organized its first national conferences during the era of debates over Humanae Vitae and in proximity to activism around Roe v. Wade. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Women’s Ordination Conference coordinated with clergy and laity involved in controversies at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, actions related to the Roman Curia, and public debates involving the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Mission and Objectives

The stated mission emphasizes ordination parity, ecclesial equality, and structural reform within institutions such as the Vatican, Diocese of Rome, and national episcopal conferences like the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Objectives include advocating theological arguments from scholars like Rosemary Radford Ruether, promoting liturgical inclusion akin to reforms from Second Vatican Council, and seeking canonical change engaging bodies such as the Pontifical Commission. The organization frames its goals in conversation with movements including Feminist Theology, Liberation Theology, and networks such as Catholics for Choice while addressing pronouncements from authorities like Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.

Activities and Campaigns

Campaign tactics have included annual national conferences, actions at ecumenical gatherings like the World Council of Churches meetings, public demonstrations at landmarks including St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York City), and symbolic rites that parallel decisions by groups such as the Danube Seven and independent ordination ceremonies involving advocates comparable to Roman Catholic Womenpriests. The organization has published position papers and liturgical materials referencing scholars from Harvard Divinity School, Boston College, and Fordham University, and has coordinated with legal and human-rights actors engaged with institutions such as the American Civil Liberties Union and international fora like the United Nations Human Rights Council. Campaigns have responded to Vatican rulings by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and papal letters, organizing petitions addressed to bodies like the Synod of Bishops.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Women’s Ordination Conference operates through conveners, steering committees, and regional coordinators linking chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe, with collaborations reaching activists in Australia and Latin America. Leadership has included laypersons, theologians, and former seminarians associated with institutions like Georgetown University, Villanova University, and the Graduate Theological Union. Governance combines consensus models used by grassroots networks such as Network of Christian Churches and organizational practices paralleling advocacy groups like Call to Action (U.S.). The organization engages advisory boards drawing on theologians and canon lawyers conversant with documents from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and ecclesial scholarship from universities like University of Notre Dame.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have included hierarchs within the Roman Catholic Church—notably statements from the Holy See and officials of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—who cite doctrine articulated by figures such as Pope John Paul II in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. The group has faced criticism from episcopal conferences including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and religious orders such as the Society of Jesus for alleged challenges to magisterial authority. Controversies have arisen over public rites similar to those performed by Roman Catholic Womenpriests, disciplinary actions like dismissals from institutions such as Catholic University of America, and tensions with parish leadership in dioceses like the Archdiocese of Boston. Secular commentators from outlets covering debates involving The New York Times and National Catholic Reporter have amplified disputes and internal debates about strategy and theology.

Impact and Legacy

The organization has influenced public discourse on gender and ministry, contributing to scholarship and activism intersecting with theologians such as Elizabeth A. Johnson and Margaret Farley, and inspiring parallel movements in Anglican contexts like the General Convention of the Episcopal Church and the Church of England debates. While doctrinal change within the Vatican has not occurred, the group’s activism affected pastoral practices in some dioceses, informed seminary curricula at institutions like Boston College and Fordham University, and helped catalyze interfaith dialogues with bodies including the World Council of Churches and feminist networks tied to UN Women. Its legacy persists in ongoing debates within forums such as the Synod of Bishops and in academic study across departments at Harvard Divinity School and Yale Divinity School.

Category:Roman Catholic organizations Category:Religious organizations established in 1975