Rockin’ Georgia

(next post will be November 29.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you)

Did you hear the one about the former Catholic nun in Georgia who is pushing the Catholic church to allow women to be deacons?

Did you hear the one about the Georgia Baptist Convention ousting another church that has a woman as a pastor?

Well, if you haven’t heard about these stories that are Rockin’ Georgia, let me be the one to tell you.

This is the story of Diane Dougherty as reported in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on November 14, 2010.  You can read the whole story at http://www.ajc.com/news/newnan-woman-challenges-catholic-741285.html?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4ce1389477f201ff,0

Newnan woman challenges Catholic church

Diane Dougherty pushes to allow women to be deacons

“She hardly looks like someone flouting centuries of tradition, challenging the Roman Catholic Church.

Dougherty, 65, wants to be a deacon. But in the Catholic Church, the position of deacon — like that of priest and bishop — is held by men only.

The Newnan resident is in the forefront of a movement that seeks to change all that. In ordination ceremonies in the United States and across the world, nearly 200 Catholic women have declared themselves deacons, priests and bishops. A male priest whose support of ordaining women drew a rebuke from the Vatican calls the issue “unstoppable.”

The Vatican remains opposed to the ordination of women, calling it a “grave crime.” Church officials say women are highly valued and stress female equality in all areas of life. The example the church follows, officials say, was set by Jesus.

If she declares herself a deacon, Dougherty is nearly guaranteed to be excommunicated — removed from the faith she’s embraced since childhood.

Excommunication is not too high a price to pay, Dougherty said. She thinks the Catholic Church is behind the times.

“I want to give the next generation a vision” of the roles women could have in the church, Dougherty said. “Forbidding [positions of authority to women] is sexism, and sexism is evil.”

The Archdiocese of Atlanta, overseeing nearly 1 million Catholics, doesn’t agree.”

There is more, so read the whole story from the link above.

The second story Rockin’ Georgia is that the hallowed institution, Georgia Baptist Convention, has disfellowshipped yet another church because they have a woman co-pastor.  You remember they disfellowshipped First Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, last year because they had a woman pastor.

You can read this on the Associated Baptist Press website at http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/5876/53/

Diane Dougherty says that people tell her, ‘Why don’t you leave?” and she says, ‘I’m not leaving.’”

Yes!  You and me, Diane, we’re not leaving!  We are going to stand up and look them in the face and tell them that we are women and created to serve God just as they are!

I refer you back to my post Create in me a new song – Part 7 where I said “change for Catholics will happen, with their blessing or without it.  Women will be ordained as priests.  What they will be called as they come out of the Catholic church is yet to be decided

Won’t you join all of us women who have had enough and who are claiming our equality?