From Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan re Womenpriests.

I was appalled by the hostile commentary of Donna O'Conner-Hunnisett, O.C.D.S. in your online publication ("The 'ordination' of 'womenpriests,'" October, 2005, pp. 10-15). She states: "the actions undertaken by the Womenpriests sect is neither sincere nor admirable." So you think this judgmental attitude reflects Christ's attitude in the Gospels? As Catholic Christians, our attitude should reflect Christ's attitude of unconditional love and devoted service.

Your letter indicates a lack of knowledge of the early Church. One example, Paul's letter to the Romans praises Phoebe, the deacon, an ordained woman. "I commend to you our sister, Phoebe, a deacon of the church of Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well," Romans 16:1-2. St. Mary Magdala was called by Christ to be the apostle to the apostles and played a prominent role in proclaiming the Good News. She is the first witness to the Resurrection.

The truth is that women functioned in ordained ministry for several centuries. There is abundant archaeological evidence of women deacons and priests in the catacombs in Rome. For example in St. Priscilla's catacomb, there is a fresco depicting a bishop ordaining a woman priest, a woman deacon with hands uplifted, and Mary, mother of Jesus, who is seated in a bishop's chair and dressed in bishop's vestments. The mother of Jesus is watching over both the woman deacon and priest. In St. Praxedis Church in Rome, there is a beautiful mosaic of Episcopa (bishop) Theodora standing in a group portrait with women leaders of house churches. Mary, mother of Jesus, stands in the middle of these women.

If you'd like to read a scholarly work on women deacons and priests in the early Church, I recommend Dr. Ida Raming's book, A History of Women and Ordination and Dr. Dorothy Irvin's archaelogical research.

Women deacons, priests and bishops in the Womenpriest movement are reclaiming our ancient heritage as Catholic Christian women who are called to priestly ministry. I encourage you to study the history before you write your next commentary.

Falls Church, VA

Editor: About being judgmental, it is the task of the Church to instruct the faithful about what belongs and what does not belong to the deposit of faith.

Historical research of the last decades has confirmed that no woman ever functioned in the ordained ministry in the Catholic Church. Without a shadow of a doubt there were many women who achieved holiness in the history of the early Church, but the call to holiness is directed to all men and women, not just the clergy.

For the truth about the role of women in the early Church see Aired Martimort's Deaconesses: An historical study (from the French, 1982), Ignatius, 1986, PP. 268; Manfred Hauke, Women in the priesthood? (from the German, 1986), Ignatius, 1988, pp. 497; Jean Galot, S.J., Theology of the Priesthood (from the Italian), Ignatius, 1985, pp. 274.