Letter to the editor (continued)

Fast forward seven years... my daughter recently celebrated a beautiful First Communion day but as the European news and Vatican messaging hit our papers, we found many reasons to not attend Sunday mass (Denial + Avoidance!). As a volunteer teacher in our parish CCD program, I have become aware of how families interact (or don’t) with our parish. Many of my students do not attend mass regularly and some don’t even know our priest. If one definition of a leader is a person with followers, what happens when priests (bishops, popes, etc.) turn around and find no one there?  Perhaps we should look to our youngest members to find our path forward?

For starters, I would like church officials to provide an explanation of the “grave sin” of ordination of women that will make sense to the vibrant, intelligent third grade girls I will see this September.  In 2002, I thought the church was so shamed and shocked that a major change was unavoidable. I reasoned that by the time my daughters were of confirmation age, the church would be closer to genuinely, consistently living the Gospel because of the crisis of abuse and cover-up.

Will this church ever be worthy of my children’s profession of faith? A far graver sin than ‘ordination of women’ is a mother giving her children to an organization that would devalue or abuse them. I took a leap of faith in 2002, but eight years on, I fear I am guilty of not acting in the best interests of my daughters... but to whom should I confess?  I truly hope this ongoing dialogue provides seeds for lasting change. I applaud the writing, organizing, and praying everyone in VOTF does so passionately. I am blessed my faith hasn’t wavered but as I grow more doubtful about keeping with this church, I thank you all for giving me a reason to hang on. Perhaps instead of having women stop donating or attending services in October as one writer suggested, parish donations could be used to send parishioners to Rome to ask (again and again) just what it is about women that the church can’t abide. At least this way, people might enjoy the art and architecture even if their words fell on mere stone.

 Peace,
 J. Lambkin