Woman at the Altar: The Ordination of Women in the Roman Catholic Church

by Lavinia Byrne

Book Overview

"The conclusions of this book express the views of a growing and committed number of theologians, priests and lay people in the Roman Catholic Church: that the theological and pastoral framework for ordaining women as priests is already in place, and that not to ordain women would now be to compromise the catholicity of the Church."--BOOK JACKET.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814623506
• ISBN13: 9780814623503
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Threatening enough to trigger a book burning

An historical sidelight on this book (which is a must read on the short list of the women's ordination topic):the book was originally published by a "Catholic" publishing house owned by an order of Catholic monks. When the topic became a no-no for discussion according to the Vatican, the monks destroyed their 1300 remaining copies. The method of destruction however may (deniably, of course) have been a subtle answer to the Vatican clamp down on discussion. The monks burned the books in their furnace system, generating thereby for themselves "light and warmth". Painful as the experience was for author Sister Lavinia Byrne, she also could appreciate the humor.

a students view

This is a very good beginning point for those interested in women's ordination in the Catholic Church. Lavinia Byrne's writing is delightfully clear and quite readable. She speaks honestly from her own experience and includes enough theology that the reader can then go and learn more on their own. I myself cannot see what the Vatican found so threatening in it. . .

Beyond Academics

This book goes well beyond an academic treatise on Roman Catholic women's ordination. It discusses women's ordination as a fullfillment of God's presence both in human history and in individuals. Lavinia Byrne includes her personal experiences as she examines how the concpept of God the Father AND MOTHER have impacted her life and those of other Catholics. She is fairly explicit about the processes the Catholic church has used which not only deny women ordination, but even the awareness of a vocation for the priesthood. The language of this book is calm and thoughtful, but the thoughts and concepts are far-reaching. It is deeply troubling that the Vatican feels it necessary to mandate the destruction of this book , as wll as the severe harrassment of the author.