By Rita McInerney

Members of the task force appointed by Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, in the fall of 1988 to study the bishops’ pastoral on women will continue as a permanent commission on women for the archdiocese.

This conforms with one initiative on behalf of women which the U.S. bishops expressed at the conclusion of the second draft of the pastoral. This just-released document is titled; “One in Christ Jesus: A Pastoral Response to the Concerns of Women for Church and Society.”

As one of 25 initiatives proposed to foster equality as persons in the church, the bishops pledged to establish in each diocese a commission for women that will assure the rights of women on a continuing basis.

Members of the task force met with Archbishop Marino on March 19. After the meeting he said they “feel they’ve completed their task” of gathering response from the archdiocese to the proposed pastoral on women and now see a need for a standing Commission on Women’s Affairs in the archdiocese.

He has designated the task force members as a commission and given them the responsibility to propose a charter, by-laws, terms for members and tasks of the commission.

Archbishop Marino said that, in his contacts with other bishops, many dioceses already have commissions that address women’s concerns.

In 1988 the task force organized a general session at which interested persons in the archdiocese were given the opportunity to respond to the first draft. This response, held Nov. 5 at St. Jude’s in Sandy Springs, was attended by 135 people. Archbishop Marino participated in the morning session.

Many of those attending and contributing their input had participated in parish meetings on the first draft. Everyone present Nov. 5 had been instructed to read the draft before the meeting.

Some of the concerns expressed at the meeting and in reports submitted by attendees afterward included: women’s ordination, sexism in the church, the need for inclusive language, failure to address women’s theologies, the desire of women to be ministered to by women, the need to include women in decision making, and the need for greater participation by women in the life of the church.

From the responses, task force members assembled a report that was submitted to the bishops’ committee in Washington, D.C., by Dec. 1, 1988.

Realizing that some women’s concerns were not being addressed in the archdiocese, the task force continued to meet and work on a statement of purpose throughout 1989 and early this year before meeting with the archbishop in March.

Co-chairpersons of the task force are Sister Barbara Baker, MHSH, representing the Atlanta Conference of Sisters, and Connie Sambrone, representing the archdiocesan Office for Black Catholic Ministry.

Sister Baker said the commission will work to help all women, both those who believe the church has not accepted their gifts fully, and those who do not think there is a need for a letter on women’s concerns.

“I’m, concerned that it not become a non-issue,” she emphasized.

She wants to see women better represented on parish councils and finance councils and believes women today are rapidly acquiring the skills, formerly mostly in the male domain, to qualify for such responsibility.

"Personally," she said, “My burning issue is that we all become concerned with the equality and mutuality of men and women in the church and in the marketplace.”

Other members of the task force are; Agnes Driskell and Anita Willoughby, representing the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women; Mary Wells, Office for Black Catholic Ministry; Tere Pages and Geraldina Dominquez, representing the Hispanic apostolate; sister Joan McCann, OP, representing the Atlanta conference of sisters. Irma Matson and Dr. Libby Blanton were appointed by Archbishop Marino. Dr. Blanton has resigned to work on the needs of the handicapped in the archdiocese.