On December 29th the Kansas Reflector, a left leaning nonprofit, online news operation ran a story about a Kansas woman who claimed to have been ordained as Roman Catholic Woman Priest. The problem is that in the Roman Catholic Church, women cannot be priests.
The article is honest in telling us that she belongs to an international group that has tethered itself to the Catholic Church but isn’t officially recognized by the Catholic Church. She tells us that the organization says its ordinations are valid because they have abided by apostolic succession, which refers to the transition of power from bishops and popes that originated with the Apostles. Each person who performs an ordination is connected to that line of authority.It also tells us as she got older, Tina Thompson drifted from the church because she did not condone its views, including those against divorce, women and same-sex marriage, and condemned its handling of cases of sexual abuse. She stayed away for roughly 20 years, but she does love the Catholic Church’s sacraments, celebration of the Eucharist and singing.
The article is basically a hit piece against the Catholic Church, its authority and its teachings. The author who is supposedly Catholic, fails to present both sides of the story. She fails to tell what the Catholic Church actually teaches. A core journalistic principle is to research and present the whole story. She had one job. Do the research. Check the facts. Print the truth. She failed at that. That is extremely important when reporting on theology and Catholic Church teaching. Instead the article continues to call her a Roman Catholic even though she doesn't believe everything that the Catholic Church teaches. The title of the article is also misleading... Kansan returns to the Catholic Church as the state’s first woman priest
https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/
It doesn't tell us that to be Catholic is to believe everything that the Catholic Church teaches. The Catholic Church is not a cafeteria where you can pick and choose what you want to believe. Our "Amen" when receiving Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is a profound affirmation, meaning "Yes, I believe," signifying belief in the Real Presence of Christ (Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity) in the Eucharist and a commitment to the Church's teachings, uniting the believer with Christ and the entire Church. It's a personal "yes" to Jesus and a declaration of unity with His teachings and His Body, the Church, expressing readiness for deeper spiritual transformation.
More importantly, it doesn't tell us that her ordination is invalid, because women can't be priests. There is no apostolic succession when the ordination is invalid. But the article fails to explain why the Catholic Church believes this.
Pope John Paul II confirmed this teaching in his Apostolic Letter, ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS on May 22, 1994. Pope Paul VI reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church.
He concludes his letter by making it clear that the Church has no authority to ordain women. "Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."
http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html
Joe Heschmeyer of Catholic Answers explains why the Catholic Church can’t ordain women. "And the simplest answer to that is because Jesus doesn’t give us a mixed gender priesthood. In the Old Testament, the priesthood was reserved to men alone. When Jesus found the New Testament priesthood beginning with the apostles, he chooses men alone. This is a pretty clear, deliberate act and we take it as a binding practice." And it has lasted 2,000 years. It has never happened and it will never happen that women will become priests.
It's not just Jesus going along with the cultural norms of the time. Heschmeyer points out that often, He actually went against the culture. He ate dinner with tax collectors and sinners. He healed a leper by touching him. Gentiles could worship alongside of Jews. And he actually did have women in his ministry. He was not afraid of how the broader culture would receive it. Yet he didn’t make them priestesses, he didn’t make them apostles. What does the male only priesthood reveal about priesthood? Heschmeyer suggests that it reveals that priesthood is a vocation and not an occupation. What does the male only priesthood reveal about God? The priest serves as a representative of the people to God and is God to the people. There's ’s no problem with a woman praying to God on behalf of the people, but there is a problem with her representing God to the congregation. God is neither a man nor a woman, but simply God, the creator of man and woman. So why do we call God Father? We pray to God as our Father in Heaven. This is how God reveals Himself? We refer to the church as the bride and Jesus Christ is the bridegroom. The priest stands in persona, Christi in the technical sense in the person of Christ.
You can read Heschmeyer's article here: https://www.catholic.com/audio/sp/why-the-church-cant-ordain-women
Father Chris Alar tells us "the reason that women are not ordained as priests is not sexism or favoritism. From the altar comes the life giving seed, the Eucharist. And how is life created? It's between one man and one woman. We can't do it between two men. We can't do it between two women. And who provides the life giving seed? The man. Now it goes nowhere unless it's received and nurtured and given birth by the woman. So once that happens, the man becomes the father and the woman becomes the mother. What do we have? The priest at the altar is called the father. And who is the Church called? Mother. So when the priest produces the life-giving seed from the altar, it's received by the church. No matter if you're a man or a woman in the congregation, the church is feminine. We have always referred to the church as feminine, never as masculine. We call her mother church because she receives that seed. You take it into you. You nurture it and go out into life and you give birth to virtue and example of faithfulness. And once you give birth to that it gives life. This is why we call her Mother Church."
https://youtube.com/shorts/vByOCYgwtY4?si=7aUQfyUW7BUB29Ub
In conclusion Ms Thompson was ordained at Unity Church, a religious movement founded in Kansas City, Missouri, while claiming to be in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. And she admits that she's "just a schism". The problem is that the Unity Church doesn't maintain apostolic succession. She rejects the Episcopal Church because "it's not the same". She wants the Catholic Sacraments and tradition but rejects Apostolic Authority and submission to Church teaching. She wants legitimacy without obedience. Basically she wants it both ways, but that's not how it works. The end result of her act automatically excommunicated her from the Roman Catholic Church. Nobody had to tell her that. She did it to herself.
The article concludes with this... “Faith is about being together,” she said,” and celebrating in community and recognizing the gifts that we each have to offer to make the world a much better place.” No! Faith is more than that. Faith is submitting to Jesus Christ, and being obedient to all of the teachings and to the authority of the Church which Jesus Christ started. If you disagree with those teachings, there are approximately, 30,000 different churches in the United States. Go find a church that more closely aligns with your beliefs. Nobody is forcing her to stay in the Catholic Church. What she can't do is redefine Catholicism to match her personal ideologies.
What does this mean for women in the Catholic Church?
The Church teaches men and women are equal in dignity, created in God's image, but traditionally assigns distinct roles, with men uniquely ordained to priesthood. Women's roles are seen as vital to nurturing life (physical and spiritual), reflecting Mary, Mother of the Church, and embodying Gospel values through service and education.
Women in the Catholic Church, while barred from priesthood, hold vital roles in leadership (lay & religious), education, charity, and pastoral care, with recent reforms under Pope Francis expanding their participation as lectors, altar servers, and in decision-making, recognizing their equal dignity and essential contribution to evangelization and Church life, though the path to ordained ministry remains closed.
Lay Ministries: Women serve as readers (lectors), extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, catechists, ushers, and parish office staff, similar to men, with Pope Francis formalizing roles for women as lectors and acolytes (altar servers).
Religious Life (Nuns & Sisters): They form the majority of consecrated women, leading convents, monasteries, schools, hospitals, and charitable works, providing spiritual guidance and education.
Leadership & Decision-Making: Women hold significant authority in Vatican dicasteries (departments) and dioceses, involved in Church governance, canon law, and communication.
Theological & Spiritual Influence: Influential women theologians, mystics, and saints have shaped Church history, with women contributing profoundly to spiritual formation and community building.
It doesn't tell us that to be Catholic is to believe everything that the Catholic Church teaches. The Catholic Church is not a cafeteria where you can pick and choose what you want to believe. Our "Amen" when receiving Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is a profound affirmation, meaning "Yes, I believe," signifying belief in the Real Presence of Christ (Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity) in the Eucharist and a commitment to the Church's teachings, uniting the believer with Christ and the entire Church. It's a personal "yes" to Jesus and a declaration of unity with His teachings and His Body, the Church, expressing readiness for deeper spiritual transformation.
More importantly, it doesn't tell us that her ordination is invalid, because women can't be priests. There is no apostolic succession when the ordination is invalid. But the article fails to explain why the Catholic Church believes this.
Pope John Paul II confirmed this teaching in his Apostolic Letter, ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS on May 22, 1994. Pope Paul VI reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church.
He concludes his letter by making it clear that the Church has no authority to ordain women. "Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."
http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html
Joe Heschmeyer of Catholic Answers explains why the Catholic Church can’t ordain women. "And the simplest answer to that is because Jesus doesn’t give us a mixed gender priesthood. In the Old Testament, the priesthood was reserved to men alone. When Jesus found the New Testament priesthood beginning with the apostles, he chooses men alone. This is a pretty clear, deliberate act and we take it as a binding practice." And it has lasted 2,000 years. It has never happened and it will never happen that women will become priests.
It's not just Jesus going along with the cultural norms of the time. Heschmeyer points out that often, He actually went against the culture. He ate dinner with tax collectors and sinners. He healed a leper by touching him. Gentiles could worship alongside of Jews. And he actually did have women in his ministry. He was not afraid of how the broader culture would receive it. Yet he didn’t make them priestesses, he didn’t make them apostles. What does the male only priesthood reveal about priesthood? Heschmeyer suggests that it reveals that priesthood is a vocation and not an occupation. What does the male only priesthood reveal about God? The priest serves as a representative of the people to God and is God to the people. There's ’s no problem with a woman praying to God on behalf of the people, but there is a problem with her representing God to the congregation. God is neither a man nor a woman, but simply God, the creator of man and woman. So why do we call God Father? We pray to God as our Father in Heaven. This is how God reveals Himself? We refer to the church as the bride and Jesus Christ is the bridegroom. The priest stands in persona, Christi in the technical sense in the person of Christ.
You can read Heschmeyer's article here: https://www.catholic.com/audio/sp/why-the-church-cant-ordain-women
Father Chris Alar tells us "the reason that women are not ordained as priests is not sexism or favoritism. From the altar comes the life giving seed, the Eucharist. And how is life created? It's between one man and one woman. We can't do it between two men. We can't do it between two women. And who provides the life giving seed? The man. Now it goes nowhere unless it's received and nurtured and given birth by the woman. So once that happens, the man becomes the father and the woman becomes the mother. What do we have? The priest at the altar is called the father. And who is the Church called? Mother. So when the priest produces the life-giving seed from the altar, it's received by the church. No matter if you're a man or a woman in the congregation, the church is feminine. We have always referred to the church as feminine, never as masculine. We call her mother church because she receives that seed. You take it into you. You nurture it and go out into life and you give birth to virtue and example of faithfulness. And once you give birth to that it gives life. This is why we call her Mother Church."
https://youtube.com/shorts/vByOCYgwtY4?si=7aUQfyUW7BUB29Ub
In conclusion Ms Thompson was ordained at Unity Church, a religious movement founded in Kansas City, Missouri, while claiming to be in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. And she admits that she's "just a schism". The problem is that the Unity Church doesn't maintain apostolic succession. She rejects the Episcopal Church because "it's not the same". She wants the Catholic Sacraments and tradition but rejects Apostolic Authority and submission to Church teaching. She wants legitimacy without obedience. Basically she wants it both ways, but that's not how it works. The end result of her act automatically excommunicated her from the Roman Catholic Church. Nobody had to tell her that. She did it to herself.
The article concludes with this... “Faith is about being together,” she said,” and celebrating in community and recognizing the gifts that we each have to offer to make the world a much better place.” No! Faith is more than that. Faith is submitting to Jesus Christ, and being obedient to all of the teachings and to the authority of the Church which Jesus Christ started. If you disagree with those teachings, there are approximately, 30,000 different churches in the United States. Go find a church that more closely aligns with your beliefs. Nobody is forcing her to stay in the Catholic Church. What she can't do is redefine Catholicism to match her personal ideologies.
What does this mean for women in the Catholic Church?
The Church teaches men and women are equal in dignity, created in God's image, but traditionally assigns distinct roles, with men uniquely ordained to priesthood. Women's roles are seen as vital to nurturing life (physical and spiritual), reflecting Mary, Mother of the Church, and embodying Gospel values through service and education.
Women in the Catholic Church, while barred from priesthood, hold vital roles in leadership (lay & religious), education, charity, and pastoral care, with recent reforms under Pope Francis expanding their participation as lectors, altar servers, and in decision-making, recognizing their equal dignity and essential contribution to evangelization and Church life, though the path to ordained ministry remains closed.
Lay Ministries: Women serve as readers (lectors), extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, catechists, ushers, and parish office staff, similar to men, with Pope Francis formalizing roles for women as lectors and acolytes (altar servers).
Religious Life (Nuns & Sisters): They form the majority of consecrated women, leading convents, monasteries, schools, hospitals, and charitable works, providing spiritual guidance and education.
Leadership & Decision-Making: Women hold significant authority in Vatican dicasteries (departments) and dioceses, involved in Church governance, canon law, and communication.
Theological & Spiritual Influence: Influential women theologians, mystics, and saints have shaped Church history, with women contributing profoundly to spiritual formation and community building.
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