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A Woman's Parish By Fred Thys  Listen to story (Real Audio)
Around the country, 31 women now say they are Catholic priests, including two in Eastern Massachusetts. WBUR's Fred Thys went to Mass at Saint Mary Magdala's chapel, in Harwichport, to find out why some Catholics are drawn to a service celebrated by a woman. TEXT OF STORY: FRED THYS: Marie David says she always wanted to be a priest, and so, in 2005, she ignored all the warnings about automatic excommunication from the Catholic church, and took part in an ordination ceremony. David says she understands the contradiction between her own desire to serve as a Catholic priest and the Vatican's prohibition on women priests. MARIE DAVID: But when I die, I don't want to say they wouldn't let me do it. I want to approach God and say this is what I did, and this is why I did it. THYS: In Boston, a spokesman for the Archdiocese recently made it clear that women cannot be Catholic priests, and in a recent statement, the Archdiocese said the women who claim to be priests have excommunicated themselves by their actions. Still, David cheerfully welcomes worshippers every Sunday morning to a small chapel in Harwichport. David also challenges another convention about priests: she's married. She and her husband own the chapel behind their bed-and-breakfast. For the most part, David delivers your basic Catholic service, with some differences. DAVID, IN CHURCH SERVICE: Let us continue our prayer in the name of our God, who is mother, father, son and Holy Spirit. THYS: In a standard Catholic service, the priest doesn't ask for feedback after delivering the homily, but David invites the congregation to share their thoughts, and they oblige. The day's topic is fear. PARISHIONER IN CHURCH SERVICE: I think our fear comes from everything, and that we need to make sure everybody's okay. But the more I let God take over and trust God to take care of things, it's so much easier. THYS: The community announcements are also full of give and take. When one of the parents announces that her son is about to have a birthday, the whole congregation joins to wish him a happy birthday. [Congregation sings "Happy Birthday"] DAVID: And how old are you going to be? BIRTHDAY BOY: Six. DAVID: Six! Wonderful! Have a great day! THYS: Typically, several dozen people show up, representing a wide range of ages. There are families with children and there are gray hairs. They come because they want a Catholic mass, but no longer feel at home in the Catholic Church. Ann O'Callahan says her Church has let her down. ANN O'CALLAHAN: I just got so disappointed, especially with the handling of the sex abuse and finally, I just? I just couldn't go to church and listen to dribble. So we read about Marie in the local paper. We had moved down here, and I said well, let's give it a try. We haven't gone to church in a year, so how bad can it be? And it was like coming home. It did not feel strange to see a woman priest. It should not matter what sex you are to worship God. THYS: Carol Mitchell says she used to feel lonely in Church, but here, she says, she feels close to everyone else, and the fact that the priest is a woman is a bonus. CAROL MITCHELL: What we're looking for in a priest is compassion, intellect and a modeling of our devotion to the Lord. We can find that in either man or woman. Our women priests are perhaps modeling a closer walk with God, because we're suffering the excommunication from the church that we love. THYS: While it's only David who is excommunicated, worshippers do feel that they are fighting this battle with her. DAVID, IN CHURCH SERVICE: Loving God, our mother and father, hear these prayers and give us the courage to live responsibly in our lives. THYS: David believes she is living responsibly by challenging the Church, and her small congregation seems happy to join her. For WBUR, I'm Fred Thys.
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