Women 'ordained' priests in invalid ceremony on St. Lawrence Seaway

Published: 2005-07-26

GANANOQUE, Ontario (CNS) -- The first so-called ordination of women as Catholic priests and deacons in North America took place aboard a tour boat on the St. Lawrence Seaway, although the ordinations are considered invalid under church law. The ceremony was held July 25 in sweltering heat on an enclosed deck and was attended by about 250 people and a large contingent of journalists. Performing the three-hour ceremony were two women, Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger and Gisela Forster, who claim to have been ordained bishops by an unidentified Catholic bishop. Patricia Fresen, who also considers herself to be a bishop, preached the sermon. Of the nine, four now claim to be priests and five say they are deacons. Five of the women -- including Mayr-Lumetzberger and Forster -- at the ceremony were among seven women "ordained" in a 2002 ceremony held on the Danube River on the German-Austrian border; all seven were later excommunicated by the Vatican.

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