I am a French woman, born in Paris in 1950. Since my parents were not
believers, I was neither baptised nor brought up in a faith. My conversion came
through a Christian friend, and I was baptised at the age of 18.
As soon as I believed and knew God’s love for me, I experienced the
desire to become a priest. At that time, this vocation meant a life consecrated
to speaking about God and being able to give the life of God to people through
the sacraments. There was a time when I hesitated in my choice between the
Roman Catholic Church and a Church from the Protestant reform movement. This
hesitation arose precisely because of the issue of ministry, knowing that it
would be possible for me in the reformed Churches. Nonetheless, I chose the
Catholic Church, in the hope that the situation would change, and also because
I felt that in her I would find the fullness of Christian faith.
While waiting for things to move on, I had to find a way of starting to
answer the call I felt: as a lay person, I studied for a theology degree at the
Institut Catholique in Paris. At the age of 30, I joined a religious
Congregation whose mission is close to that of the priesthood, and this gave me
the opportunity to serve Christ and the Church through a ministry of spiritual
direction, retreat-giving, preparation for sacraments and catechesis. At the
age of 30, I joined a religious Congregation whose mission is close to that of
the priesthood, and this gave me the opportunity to serve Christ and the Church
through a ministry of spiritual direction, retreat-giving, preparation for
sacraments and catechesis. For the last nine years, I have been a University
chaplain. In this post, I have had pastoral care for a people, small in number,
but very real.
I am very grateful for the existence of my Congregation, which since the
19th century has given women the opportunity to put their God-given
gifts at the service of the Church; and has allowed me for the past twenty
years to live out to a certain extent the call I still hear. I am convinced
that God is calling women to the ordained ministries, but that at the present
time the male hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is closed to the voice of
the Holy Spirit. It may seem like a pretentious thing to say, but we do know
that this is not the first time that such obstacles to the Spirit have been
encountered: A church of fishermen, that has trouble in being transformed by
the new message of the Gospel.
I strongly believe that the ordination of women would be a potent force
for renewal, it would enrich the ministry with a female way of living.
Differences between men and women are found not in living different functions
(the Roman position) but in different ways of living out the same functions. I
will give just one example. Only a short time ago, the idea of a woman leading
a retreat or preaching a homily would have been inconceivable. Nowadays it is
possible (though sadly still rare enough!) After I have preached or given a
homily, people often say to me: "It’s a very different way of speaking to
that of a man." And it’s not a complaint!
The refusal to ordain women is a terrible waste for the Church, a
serious loss of energy.
