In a few days time I fly out to the States to begin my speaking tour. This tour is organised by the network of Church Reform movements in the United States. The title they have given to the tour is The Catholic Tipping Point.
In all I will be speaking in eighteen different cities over a period of thirty days. So it will be hectic. Lucky for me, it is all organised from there, so I don’t have to worry about any of the details.
Today (Saturday) an open meeting took place in the MacWilliam Hotel, Claremorris on the topic of womens voices being heard in the Church. 247 people attended. The attendance was made up largely of women, with maybe about a dozen clergy present.
The meeting was chaired by Monica Morley (of ‘Faith Alive” in Midwest radio). The two speakers were Kathleen McDonnell of the ‘Killaloe Women’ and Gerry O’Hanlon, Jesuit.
Kathleen was undoubtedly the ‘star turn’ of the afternoon.
Maybe I am being over-optimistic, but I am greatly encouraged by what I am reading about the first two days of the Synod.
Clearly Francis has created a very different mood and atmosphere from previous Synods. His encouragement to all speakers to speak their truth without fear, or without concern about what people might think of them, or if the Pope might be offended, is a great help. And it seems to me that it is already working.
