Local officials react to possibility of women deacons in Catholic Church
Representatives of two female religious orders who serve the district are glad to hear Pope Francis is willing to create a commission to study whether women can be deacons in the Catholic church, a ministry currently open only to men.
Sister Ruth Plante, provincial for the Byzantine Catholic Sisters of St. Basil the Great at Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, commented, “I think it’s a wonderful idea because the early church did have women deacons. It’s not something new. It’s the restoration of a practice from the early church. I’m happy to hear he’s looking into this.”
Sister Mary Pellegrino, congregational moderator for the Roman Catholic Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, issued a statement, saying, “We are encouraged and grateful to Pope Francis for his decision to create a commission to study the possibility of women serving as deacons in the Catholic church, as well as his acknowledgment of the church’s need to expand the involvement of women in other leadership and decision-making roles in the church.”
She continued, “Women contribute in significant leadership and decision-making roles in every aspect of life and culture and many women are eager to enrich the life of our church in similarly significant ways. Throughout history and continuing today, women courageously place their lives in service to the Gospel where human life is most vulnerable and human dignity most obscured. An expanded role of women in church leadership and decision-making would allow the church’s expression of the Gospel to be enriched by the unique experience of women.”
The Sisters of St. Basil live at Mount St. Macrina where they maintain several ministries, including an annual pilgrimage to Our Lady of Perpetual Help every Labor Day weekend that attracts pilgrims from throughout the country.
The majority of Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden serve in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, which includes Greene and Washington counties, but a few continue ministries in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, which includes Fayette and Westmoreland counties.
Sister Barbara Einloth, provincial councilor for the Roman Catholic Sisters of Charity in Greensburg, who serve the Greensburg diocese, could not be reached for comment.
The pope agreed to look into expanding this role for women last Thursday after talking with 900 superiors of women religious orders who were meeting in Rome. His response came during a question-and-answer period in which Pope Francis was asked about the possibility of an official commission to study the issue.
Women now serve the church in positions that include being nuns and Eucharistic ministers.
The Greensburg diocese explained the role of a permanent deacon last June in a press release when four men were ordained into this position.
“The four will accept the call to serve the church through various ministries — including proclaiming the Gospel, teaching in the name of the church, leading prayer services, officiating at baptisms and weddings, conducting funeral services, assisting with pastoral duties, and engaging in spiritual and charitable works. Permanent deacons are not able to celebrate Mass, consecrate the body and blood of Christ, hear confessions or anoint the sick,” the release explained.
Neither Bishop Edward Malesic of the Greensburg diocese nor Bishop David Zubik of the Pittsburgh diocese have issued statements regarding the pope’s decision to study women deacons.
Jerry Zufelt, managing director for the diocese’s Office for Communications, however, said, “Pope Francis’ proposal shows that he continues to be open to discussions about many issues in the church today. But, until a commission is formed to study whether women can be deacons in the Catholic church, a study is conducted and a report is compiled and presented, it is too early to speculate on what the outcome might be.”