Bishop Paprocki declares excommunication of woman who attempted ordination

Following her invalid attempt to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders on May 5, 2014, His Excellency the Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, has issued today Decree Declaring the Excommunication Incurred Latae Sententiae [i.e., automatically] by Ms. Mary F. Keldermans and has cautioned the faithful that "those who knowingly and intentionally participate in these schismatic activities [attempted celebrations of the Mass by Ms. Keldermans, etc.] also incur automatic excommunication."

In the weeks leading up to her attempted ordination, the State Journal-Register published a story about Ms. Keldermans' involvement with the schismatic group that falsely calls itself Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Inc., which I somehow missed altogether.

In this article, Steven Spearie writes:

What’s missing, added Keldermans, is that for so long, Roman Catholics have only heard the interpretation of Scriptures, including the story of the lost child, from male perspectives, mostly through homilies.

I suppose neither Spearie nor Keldermans is familiar with the writings of many of the female Saints of the Church, four of whom have been named Doctors of the Church.

According to Ms. Keldermans, being a priest is "being a prayer leader in the community." In a certain sense, she is correct, though certainly not in the way she thinks. The Second Vatican Council taught:

Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the Eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist. They likewise exercise that priesthood in receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, in the witness of a holy life, and by self-denial and active charity (Lumen Gentium, 10).

This sharing in the common priesthood of the faithful is received in Baptism (cf. Lumen Gentium, 26).

I find it curious that "When Keldermans finally pursued the Womenpriests route," as Spearie writes, "she did so under an assumed name, fearing repercussions." A conviction of being called by God that must hidden seems to indicate it isn't actually from God.

Within the article, there is no mention of Ms. Keldermans wanting to absolve sins, or anoint the sick, or bury the dead, or witness weddings, or even baptism children or adults. There is not even a mention of her desire to celebrate the Eucharist, only to be "a leader of prayer." I know lots of Catholic who are leaders of prayer; some of them are priests, and many more are not. Parents are leaders of prayer in their families; teachers are leaders of prayer in their classrooms; coaches are leaders of prayer in their locker rooms, on their fields, and on their mats; countless lay men and women are leaders of prayer at their places of work, at Bible studies, in support groups, and in random encounters throughout the day.

She claims it isn't a protest, though she admits, according to Spearie, that "the final straw, she said, was hearing gays and lesbians being demonized as “morally intrinsic” and being told who to vote for by church officials." It should not be noted that the Church does not in fact call gays and lesbians as "morally intrinsic" or tell people for whom to vote. Both Spearie and Keldermans should do their homework more carefully.

Ms. Keldermans was warned about the consequences of her planned attempt at the reception of Holy Orders. She disregarded these warning and went through with her plannings, knowing the consequences.

Likely enough, Bishop Paprocki will soon be hearing from many angry people who refuse to accept the teachings of the Church, teachings which she has not made herself but which she has received from Jesus Christ. Please be certain to keep Bishop Paprocki, and those who work closely with him, in your prayers.

You might consider making use of some of these links to better understand what an excommunication is and isn't:

• Excommunication! An interview with canon lawyer Dr. Edward Peters by Carl E. Olson

• Strong Medicine: Canon Law and Excommunication by Pete Vere

• Excommunication? Hah! What Is It Good For? by Jimmy Akin

• Failing to name error because of some kind of fear of offending the person in error is neither compassion nor charity, by Bishop Robert Vasa
• Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (On reserving priestly ordination to men alone), by Pope Saint John Paul II
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  knowingly and intentionally participate in these schismatic activities also incur automatic excommunication - See more at: http://dio.org/communications/press-releases/358-statement-from-bishop-thomas-john-paprocki-regarding-attempted-ordination-and-invalid-masses.html#sthash.qrsQfw3N.dpuf

knowingly and intentionally participate in these schismatic activities also incur automatic excommunication - See more at: http://dio.org/communications/press-releases/358-statement-from-bishop-thomas-john-paprocki-regarding-attempted-ordination-and-invalid-masses.html#sthash.qrsQfw3N.dpuf