Create a new lay lay ministry: The “ginacolitado” 271. The women of the Gospel occupy a primordial place in the genesis of the new humanity, because they are the first to receive the message of the resurrection. To them the resurrected Jesus appears first of all, and they are the first ones to whom the transmission of the paschal message to the other disciples is entrusted (Mt 28:7). But this pre-eminence in the experience of the encounter with the Risen One we believe is not accidental, for the women remained firm before the crucified one when all the disciples had abandoned Jesus leaving him alone in the decisive hour of death. It’s worth pointing out the pre-eminent place occupied by the Virgin Mary in the Gospel of John at the foot of the cross. Faced with evangelizing needs of the present time in our Church, you could think of a specific ministry of women, in a certain mode, similar to the diaconate, but called otherwise. Its identity as a singularly female ministry would include the character of disciples and followers, who continued with Jesus from Galilee (cf. Lk 23,49), who went up with him to Jerusalem (cf. Mk 15,41), who were there accompanying and as witnesses (cf. Mt 27,55; Mk 15,40) and who contemplated everything that happened (cf. Mt 27,55; Mk 15,40; Lk 23,49). They are also the first evangelizers of the Risen One (cf. Lk 24,23). For all these reasons, they could be called “gynacolytes”: (Sp. Ginacólitas), of the Greek “gyne / gynaikoi” (woman) and “akoloutheo” (follow). In this way, we highlight the feminine character of the ministry and its faithful and imperturbable (not even by death) quality of following.That is how the background to the idea is presented. It is scriptural and theological. In fact, I read somewhere that not only does the gospel shows the “gynacolate” to us but that the reality of today demands it. The functions of the ministry are then described as:
272. The profile and specific mission of the women, with the rank of ecclesial ministry, referred to as “gynacolate,” could have the following functions and ministerial attributions: Their specific functions would be: a. The proclamation and preaching of the Gospel in the Church and in the world, as deacons; b. The ministry of consolation before the vast world of pain in any of its multiple manifestations (attention to the sick, poor, incarcerated, refugees, marginalized, discarded of all kinds, that is, before “the crucified” of the present time); c. Co-responsibility with the parish priest, within the framework of the parish community, although, as with deacons, it is about co-responsibility, subordinate to that of the parish priest, whose attributions can be stipulated well in the functioning of the Parish Council. d. And they could celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and Marriage, just like the current deacons.Sounds exactly like the diaconate. And who would be these women? The document continues:
The gynacolyte women: 273. They would be women, religious, or lay, single, or married, who, after studying the same theological curriculum of priests, become theologians, like the priests, formed as such in Christian communities of shared life, with the appropriate demands, and receive from the Bishop the Ministry of the Gynacolate as well as the pastoral appointment for the parish or Christian community that corresponds to them.That’s all. As far as I know, the idea was presented at the Congress. I am not sure how much it was debated. What I can confirm is that when it was initially mentioned, the 3000 Congress attendees burst into thunderous applause.
I would love to hear your comments on this. Write to me pedro@saltandlighttv.org. I would like to publish some of your thoughts and continue this conversation. In particular, I'd like to hear from you if you are a woman who works for the Church. If you want to make your thoughts public, tweet them @deaconpedrogm. You may want to read more on what I’ve written on the female diaconate: Deacon-structing the Diaconate: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 (Women) and Part 5 (Women 2). You may also want to read this interview with Marta Rodriguez, Director of the Office of Women’s Issues in the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. You should also read the wonderful Encyclical Mulieris Dignitatem by St. John Paul II. And, you must watch the excellent Salt + Light TV production A Woman’s Voice: Stories of Discernment and Grace. It will give those of you who think that there is no place for women in the Church a whole new outlook.- Second image: Ann Clark washes the feet of Isabelle Joski, 9, during a Holy Thursday liturgy in 2009 at St. Mary Church in Algoma, Wis. Following a request by Pope Francis, the Vatican issued a decree Jan. 21 specifying that the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual can include women. (CNS photo/Sam Lucero, The Compass)
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