We Are Church has produced a prayer and video for International Women’s Day.

Click here for the video on YouTube. 

NO WOMAN, NO CHURCH

The patriarchal church is spiritually crucifying women:

Jesus treated women and men as equals

Station 1:                                    Rachael Alphonso (India)
Mary held the infant Jesus in her arms and said: “This is my body, this is my blood”

Station 2:                                    Rocío Figueroa (New Zealand & Peru)
At the Wedding feast of Cana Mary told Jesus: “They have no wine”. And Jesus turned the water into wine.

Station 3:                                    Nontando Hadebe (South Africa & Zimbabwe)
A group of women were also disciples of Jesus and followed him and provided for him out of their own resources.

Station 4:                                     Martha Heizer (Austria)
Martha said to Jesus: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.”

Station 5:                                     Kate McElwee (Italy & USA)
At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples to “Do this in memory of me”.  That was for the women as well as for the men.

Station 6:                                      Cristina Lledo Gomez (Australia & Philippines)
The women gathered at the foot of the cross when all the men ran away.

Station 7:                                     Miriam Duignan (UK & Ireland)
Mary of Magdala was the first witness to the risen Christ. She was the Apostle to the apostles.

Station 8:                                     Kay Mulhall (Ireland)
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on all the disciples,  the women as well as the men.

Station 9:                                    Jacqueline Straub (Switzerland & Germany)
For centuries women have led Christian communities and presided at Eucharists.

Station 10:                                  Christina Reymer (New Zealand)
St Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake for wearing men’s clothes.

Station 11:                                   Deborah Rose-Milavec (USA)
St Thérèse of Lisieux is the Patron Saint of Women Priests. St Thérèse believed she would die before the age of 25, the age when men were ordained to the priesthood. Of course, she did die before the age of 25. St Thérèse believed she was called to the priesthood.

Station 12:                                  Paola Lazzarini (Italy)
Today women are still excluded from church language in liturgy and papal and conciliar documents. They remain invisible.

Station 13:                                   Virginia Saldanha (India)
Today women are still excluded from decision-making roles in the church. Men in the church continue to dictate their familial and personal lives.

Station 14:                                   Penelope Middleboe (UK)
Domestic violence remains one of the largest issues for women all over the world because women are seen as secondary to men as modeled by church practices.