Word: ramerman
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...mystified by people who choose to be confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church and then demand that it drastically change, as described in your article "Not Doing as the Romans Do" [AMERICAN SCENE, Nov. 30]. When Mary Ramerman joined the church in 1983, I'm sure she knew what its beliefs were. If all she wanted was a church that ran itself to her liking, she had many to choose from. If she wants to be a priest, the Episcopalians should be happy to accommodate her. But Ramerman may not be going to church to worship; she may be interested...
...stolen moment of authority for Mary Ramerman, one of many that she has shared with the rebels of Corpus Christi as they stand up to Rome. After joining the church in 1983, the 43-year-old mother of three ministered to her flock, preaching on a weekly basis, hearing confession and presiding at Mass. And though she neither granted absolution nor consecrated Communion, five years ago, the congregation recognized her leadership by vesting her with an alb and a half-stole. It was a gift that unleashed a host of hidden enemies...
Stoles have a very particular meaning in Roman Catholicism: they signify ordination. But Ramerman is a woman and, according to church doctrine, cannot be ordained. It did not help that she stood next to the priest during Mass, read the preface to the Eucharistic prayer and raised the chalice of wine at the end of the prayer--activities that are the purview of the ordained. For years the Vatican peppered the Bishop of Rochester with complaints about Corpus Christi and probably made its feelings clear during his official visit to Rome this year. The message: Such heresies must...
Clark asked Ramerman to modulate her role during Mass, in part by desisting from "priestly gestures" and by removing her stole. She refused and was dismissed on Oct. 15. But she is unrepentant. Says she: "The Vatican holds women back when it sends the message that we're not good enough to approach the altar, not good enough to read the Gospel, not good enough to be a priest...
Despite such hostility, Ramerman hopes that "God will part the Red Sea so that I can do what I love to do." But in the meantime she's not waiting for divine intervention. At United Presbyterian she has formed an impromptu priesthood of her own: about 100 worshippers are wearing stoles. One is shot through with glitter, another with gold lame stars. They are all purple, the color, confides a congregant, of the Resurrection. (Actually, purple symbolizes penitence, an unintended irony.) Garbed in forbidden raiment, the parishioners rock to the lyric, "You allowed us to come together one more time...
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