ARE YOU A NON-CELIBATE PERSON CALLED TO ORDINATION AS A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST? CORPUS WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU. Contact: Ray Grosswirth - CORPUS Media Liaison CORPUS (the national association for an inclusive priesthood) is seeking single and married women and married men who are called to ordination as Roman Catholic priests. For the past thirty-one years, CORPUS has been a primary voice for inclusivity in the priesthood. While the letters of our organization originally stood for Corps of Reserved Priests United for Service, we have come to realize in recent years that our membership has attracted people far and wide who believe that the policy of mandatory celibacy and the corresponding celibate, male-only priesthood are both discriminatory and sexist. The universal call to follow Jesus and to be ministers of the Gospel must be recognized, minus blanket ordination barriers that are based on marital status, gender or sexual orientation. CORPUS membership is now inclusive of the following: 1.) Married priests; 2.) Wives of married priests, who may or may not be called to ordination themselves; 3.) Married men who have never been ordained, but are nevertheless called; 4.) Single and married women who have never been ordained, but are nevertheless called; 5.) Diocesan and religious order priests, deacons and women religious who support the inclusive goals of CORPUS. CORPUS continues to support ordained Roman Catholic priests who have transitioned into marriage and we are making a special attempt at reaching out to all who are called to ordination, regardless of gender, marital status or sexual orientation. It is estimated that there are approximately 25,000 married priests in the United States and perhaps 120,000 worldwide. Recognizing that a cohesive effort has never been launched to identify all persons called to ordination, who have not been recognized by the Vatican because of a non-celibate-male status, CORPUS is now taking the initiative to create a roster of names that can be sent to the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. Ray Grosswirth, CORPUS Media Liaison, is himself a married man who has never been ordained. Yet, he received an M.A. in Theology and M.Div (Master of Divinity) and would like to finish the rest of his life as a priest. It is estimated that there are perhaps thousands of men and women in similar situations. Therefore, we would like to hear from you, so that we can establish a data base and work toward ordination strategies. We would also welcome your membership in CORPUS. If you would like to be part of the CORPUS sub-group described above, please contact Ray Grosswirth at: rgrosswirth@corpus.org
Information relating to CORPUS membership may be obtained by visiting our website at www.corpus.org


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