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RCWP History
Early RCWP History
Roman Catholic Women Priests is a renewal movement within the Roman Catholic Church that began in Germany with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River in 2002.
In 2003, Gisela Forster and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger (two of the original Danube 7) were ordained bishops and in 2005 Patricia Fresen of South Africa was also ordained a bishop. Women Bishops ordained in Apostolic Succession continue to carry on the work of ordaining women in the Roman Catholic Church.
Since 2007, women have been ordained in the USA, Europe, Canada, South America, and South Africa; and, in 2017, the first Chinese woman was ordained. Womenpriests are ministering in over 34 states across the USA.
Click here for a detailed history of the international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement.
RCWP Canada History
Ordinations
Until RCWP Canada had a Canadian resident bishop, Bishop Patricia Fresen of Germany conducted ordinations of Canadians.
The first Canadian woman to be ordained to the priesthood, Michele Birch Conery, was ordained on the St. Lawrence River in 2005. In 2007, at the first ordination to be held on land, Marie Evans Bouclin was ordained to the priesthood. Monica Kilburn Smith and James Lauder were ordained to the priesthood in 2008. In 2010, Kim Sylvester, Rose Mewhort and Linda Spear were ordained to the priesthood. In 2011, Marie Bouclin was ordained bishop for Canada in a liturgy held near Stuttgart, Germany. Co-presiding bishops were Patricia Fresen, Gisela Forster, Ida Raming, Joan Houk, Andrea Johnson and Regina Nicolosi. Since then, Marie has ordained to the priesthood Roberta Fuller (2011), Ruth Wasylenko (2012), Victoria Marie (2012), and Catherine O’Connor (2013). In 2013, Marie welcomed into RCWP Canada two former Anglican priests, Carol and Ray Canton. Subsequent ordinations are: Jane Kryzanowski (2015), R. Roth (2016), Patricia Cook (2016), and Teresa Hanlon (2022).
Ordination of Teresa Hanlon to the Priesthood - April 30, 2022
Ordination of Teresa Hanlon to the Diaconate - October 14, 2021
Ordination of Jane Kryzanowski as Bishop for RCWP Canada - July 21, 2018
Ordination of Pat Cook to the Priesthood - November 6, 2016
Ordination of Pat Cook to the Diaconate - January 31, 2016
Ordination of Jane Kryzanowski to the Priesthood - July 11, 2015
Ordination of Jane Kryzanowski to the Diaconate - September 11, 2014
Ordination of Catherine O'Connor - November 16, 2013
Welcome to RCWP Canada of Ray and Carol - January 27, 2013
Ordination of Ruth Wasylenko - March 31, 2012
Ordination of Vikki Marie - July 29, 2012
Ordination of Marie Bouclin as Bishop for RCWP Canada -- October 9, 2011
Ordination of Linda Spear - October 9, 2010
Ordination of Kim Sylvester - April 17, 2010
Ordination of Monica Kilburn-Smith - May 29, 2008
Ordination of Marie Bouclin as Priest - May 27, 2007
RCWP Canada Activities and Events
Five RCWP Canada members - Danielle Whissel, Judith Pellerin, Felix Kryzanowski, Jane Kryzanowski, and Marie Bouclin - attended the Women's Ordination Worldwide conference in Philadephia, PA in September 2015.
In 2016, members of RCWP Canada developed and ratified a new constitution.
Bishop Marie Bouclin and Jane Kryzanowski, both priests of RCWP Canada, concelebrated the funeral liturgy of one of our own at Trinity Funeral Chapel, Edmonton. Ruth Wasylenko, who celebrated five years of priesthood within RCWP Canada died Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017.
On July 21, 2018, in Calgary, AB, on the eve of the feast of St. Mary of Magdala, Jane Kryzanowki of Regina was ordained bishop for RCWP Canada. Ordaining bishops were retiring bishop Marie Bouclin of Sudbury, ON; Joan Houk of South Bend, IN; Nancy Meyer of Brownsburg, IN; Jane Via of San Diego, CA; Michele Birch-Conery of Windsor, ON.
Jointly with Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Marie Bouclin and Roberta Fuller of RCWP Canada attended and presented at the Parliament of World Religions conference in Toronto in November 2018.
On behalf of RCWP Canada, Jane Kryzanowski, in February 2019, attended the funeral of RCWP-USA bishop Regina Nicolosi in Ladera Ranch, CA.
In May 2019, in Pickering, ON, Bishop Jane Kryzanowski ordained a priest with catacomb status.
At Wellesley, MA in June 2019, Felix Kryzanowski and Jane Kryzanowski, an ordaining bishop, represented RCWP Canada and participated in the ordination of Jean Marchant, bishop for the Eastern Region of RCWP-USA.
In October 2019, RCWP Canada sent a delegate to the Women's Ordination Worldwide steering committee meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. Before the founding of RCWP Canada, Marie Bouclin was on the WOW steering committee which organized the 2005 WOW conference in Ottawa, ON.
In 2020, members of RCWP Canada reviewed and revised the RCWP Canada Constitution.
As the pandemic, Covid-19, continued during 2020-21, priests of RCWP Canada offered the Eucharist on Zoom for their local communities and many others who joined in. This outreach service came via Zoom from the following local communities: Our Lady of Guadalupe Tonantzin Community, Vancouver, BC; St. Brigid of Kildare Catholic Faith Community, Calgary, AB; Mary of Magdala Inclusive Catholic Community, Regina, SK; Sourdough Faith Community, Sudbury, ON; and St. Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle Catholic Faith Community, Pickering, ON.
On June 11, 2022, Bishop Jane Kryzanowski, Emerita Bishop Marie Bouclin, Priests Linda Spear, Roberta Fuller and Felix Kryzanowski, all priests of RCWP Canada, concelebrated the funeral liturgy of one of our own at The Simple Alternative Funeral Centre, Mississauga, ON. Patricia Cook, who celebrated six years of priesthood within RCWP Canada died May 22, 2022.
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the “Danube Seven,” a celebration was held in person on June 29, 2022 in Berkeley, California featuring those who continue the tradition of prophetic obedience to God’s call, speaking on the topic “Celebrating 20 Years of Prophetic Obedience: Breaking Unjust Laws to Become Priests.” Video recording available here.
Other celebrations were held online and in person, originating with, St. Brigid of Kildare Catholic Faith Community Hildegard Haus, and Washington Home Inclusive Monthly Mass.
Washington, Iowa resident Martha Sherman was ordained bishop October 22, 2022 for the Midwest Region of the U. S. at an ordination ceremony in Coralville, Iowa. Participating were Bishop Jane Kryzanowski and Felix Kryzanowski of RCWP Canada.
RCWP Canada members' retreats
In recent years, retreats have been held in conjunction with a priestly ordinations, or if there were no ordinations, to limit travel expenses retreat locations were alternated between East and West every two years.
In the early years, ordinations were held in the context of a CNWE annual conference (Toronto 2007 - Marie Bouclin; Victoria 2008 - Monica Kilburn-Smith and Jim Lauder)
In 2010, Rose Mewhort and Kim Sylvester were ordained in conjunction with a speaking tour by Bishop Patricia Fresen.
Linda Spear was ordained later that year in 2010, by Bishop Andrea Johnson of RCWP-USA East Region. There was no retreat mostly because the Diaconate ordination was held the day before.
Neither was there a retreat prior to Roberta Fuller’s ordination in 2011, nor Victoria Marie’s in 2012, nor Cathy O’Connor’s in 2013.
A Canada East retreat was held in Mississauga, ON at the time of Pat Cook’s funeral in 2022.
Year and place of retreats
2013 Cochrane, AB
2014 Toronto, ON
2015 Fort Qu'Appelle, SK
2016 Cochrane, AB
2018 Calgary, AB
2019 Pickering, ON
2021 On Zoom
2022 Lethbridge, AB and Toronto, ON
2023 Winnipeg, MB
2024 Arnprior, ON