Spirit of a Liberal

Over 2,000 progressive Catholics are expected to gather today in Milwaukee for the opening of the annual Call to Action (CTA) conference.  The CTA slogan is “Catholics working together for Justice and Equality,”, and the conference theme is “Everyone at the Table: Rejoicing as People of God!” 

The day will be filled with arrivals, registrations, miscellaneous workshops and seminars, a hall full of exhibitors, and an opening liturgy this evening.  Today’s keynote address will be offered by Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois who has been ordered by the Vatican to recant for his unrelenting support of women’s ordination, but he has refused.  His address will be entitled, “A New Model of Being Church”.

The exclusion of women from the priesthood in the Catholic Church is a grave injustice against women and a grave injustice against the God who calls women to be priests. In his keynote address, Bourgeois will explore the roots of sexism in the Church’s history and how an all-male clergy has led to a crisis in our present-day Church. Since justice is an integral part of our faith, Bourgeois will reflect upon what each of us can do to reform our Church and create a new model of being Church.

Here are links to blogs that reference Call to Action:

YoungAdultCatholics – a blog of NextGen at Call To Action

Catholicism in the 21st Century

Local Catholic Reporter (St Louis)

Bridget Mary’s Blog