Fr. Marek Bozek
Fr. Marek Bozek of St. Stanislaus Parish, St. Louis, Missouri, attended the ordination of two women in November 2007 with the Roman Catholic Womenpriest movement. 600 other Catholic laity, clery and women religious also attended.
In a letter to Call to Action, Fr. Bozek explained why he attended the ordination ceremony: “I only have one answer - I could not tolerate the abuse of my sisters any longer. I could not remain indifferent to the injustice being done to all those women graced by with the priestly vocation.”
Archbishop Burke called Fr. Bozek to a disciplinary hearing on February 5, 2008. During that meeting the Archbishop did not agree to the reconcilliation offer that Fr. Borzek proposed. Another meeting has been scheduled for March 5.
Information on the meeting between Fr. Bozek and Archbishop Burke is featured on the Archdiocese of St. Louis home page. It includes a videotaped statement by the Archbishop and a FAQ. Read the prequel here.
Fr. Bozek is a brave and caring pastor, and an idealistic young priest. We don’t want to lose him. As an authority on Canon law, Archbishop Burke may be able to find a little wiggle room to craft a peaceful resolution. I hope he’s more of a Brehon than a stubborn Irish cleric.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I am in awe that this priest will not let fear of any system or any person stand in his way of exhibiting and living out his authentic call.
My prayers are with you.
As I am considering ordination by womenpriests and discerning where this call will take me, I deeply appreciate the stand you have taken.
In the NCR article you ask “Where are the other priests?” My question as well.
Many prayers go with you
Christina
March 7th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Dear Fr. Bozek,
I pray that your actions shall be an instrument of change for the people of God. My prayers are with you. Unfortunately the hierarchical institution is over-riding the HOLY SPIRIT. We know what happened to Lot’s wife when she looked back. The people of God cannot look back. We,like Christ have put our hand to the plow and we shall never look back. Follow “The Way” that He has given with unconditional Love.
Peace be with you!
Margaret Barry
May 20th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Before my conversion, I wondered what the reasoning was behind a male only priesthood and mocked Catholics as sexist. Once I accepted Jesus and the authority He gave the Church, all of my objections to its teachings have fallen away. The pithy apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II, On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone (free on-line), clarifies the problem with women priesthood very well: we have no authority to change any of the teachings of Jesus. If there are remaining objections after this definitive letter, the objector needs to be considered protestant, not Catholic.
Sincerely,
A Former Altar Girl
May 28th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
If these women officiate at the Eucharist, is not a certainty–that of the Real Presence–replaced with a doubt, at best? What if the Church has been right these many centuries and these ordinations and the “sacraments” these women administer are invalid? Isn’t that too high a price to pay, people thinking they are receiving valid sacraments when they are not? The pre-Christian temple priesthood,the forerunner of Christianity, was also exclusively male. The burden of proof is on those who advocate his change, and they haven’t met it.