non denominational.

by the way, what denomination do you belong to (if any)?

Dear Bonofied:
First I'd like to thank you for taking time out to type an extensive response to my op-ed

You are a very sweet lady but I think you are taking many things out of context, I'm not sure where to begin but you make a point on Mary Mageline being the first human person to see the risen Jesus....Jesus sent her a message to tell his apostles that He would meet them, how you can extrapolate that into "a Gospel" I do not fully understand when it was simply a message to her from Jesus to His Apostles. Also you speak of women being or not being allowed to preach the good news...very few men that were Christians were educated to preach and with women that was practically nil.
On what do you base their criteria to have the education to preach?

As Catholicism evolved many women did teach as Nuns in the Catholic Faith. As our country was colonized and progressed into an Independent country Elizabeth Hughes Seton was born in the United States of America...She went on to found The Sisters Of Charity in Baltimore and St. Joseph's Catholic School For Girls.

Dedicated to following the will of God, Elizabeth Ann had a deep devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture, and the Virgin Mary. The 23rd Psalm was her favorite prayer throughout her life. She was a woman of prayer and service who embraced the apostolic spirituality of Saint Louise de Marillac and Saint Vincent de Paul.

Statue in Saint Raymond's Cemetery, Bronx"We must pray literally without ceasing—without ceasing—in every occurrence and employment of our lives . . . that prayer of the heart which is independent of place or situation, or which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him." Elizabeth Ann Seton.

On December 18, 1959, Elizabeth was declared Venerable by the Sacred Congregation of Rites of the Catholic Church. She was beatified by Pope John XXIII on March 17, 1963, and canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975, making her the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized. Her feast day is January 4. It is on her that the Catholic Parochial School structure is based. A revered woman who did not decry how women were treated in the structure of Catholic Faith and dogma but set about doing God's will. I guess that is my paramount point in my response to your comment to my op-ed.

There are many other women that are prominent in the Catholic Faith I merely pointed out one particular example. My point is that you need not have to be a priest to have a profound impact on the Catholic Faith and the Vatican itself. And it may just be that some Catholic female Saints may be called to Heaven before many male Catholic Clergy. One should not get so wrapped up in the status one holds or does not hold in the hierarchy of the Catholic or any Christian Church but on following the word of God, one leads by example rather than status. If we coose to be called first in the Kingdom of God we must deny our very selves, we must be the humble servant of all.

Dear Bonofied you are a sweet person with your heart in the right place but do not allow yourself to be caught up in in liberal theology of women's rights in scripture or dogma, remember one does not need a priest's collar to be an imitator of Jesus Christ. May God Bless you always

Sincerely,
Heather

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! - John

I am afraid that the people of America havebeen watching a select few show God the door for a long period of time now and didn't really care or didn't see what was really happening until recently. Now it is much more of an up hill battle but a battle that can and must be won.