Members of the New Brunswick local chapter of CNWE invite all those who believe in and work for women’s equality in the Catholic church to join us in a great act of hope – our annual Purple Stole Vigil.
The Vigil will take place on Tuesday April 3rd in front of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 91 Waterloo St., Saint John from 5:30-6:30 pm prior to the Mass of Chrism.
We wear purple, the colour of reconciliation, to stress the need for change of heart on the part of the institutional church for its oppression of women. We ourselves repent for the times we have not stood in solidarity with one another and for the times we neglected to act on our own behalf.
We wear a stole as a symbol of our dignity as baptized Christians called to ministry. We affirm the Church’s teaching about the holiness of all the baptized, which is fulfilled as women experience and claim their equal call to ministry, including priestly ministry in its fullness.
We stand in protest, angered and dismayed in the face of present decision-making structures in our diocese and in the church, and we call for radically new and collaborative models of ministry and governance in which women play their rightful part.
We stand with confidence, for we believe that the theological and pastoral framework can be expanded to include women among our ordained clergy; to continue to exclude baptized gifted women called to ordained ministry compromises the catholicity of the Church.
We maintain silence for no word can express our pain and suffering at women’s subordination and exclusion.
We keep vigil in prayer, confident that Christ walks with each and all of us, clergy and faithful women and men. We pray that in Him we may begin to walk together in the way of justice.