The Annual Pat Reif Memorial Lectureship was created in 2002 in honor of Patricia A. Reif, IHM, PhD. A scholar, educator, and activist, Reif taught philosophy and chaired the graduate department in religious studies at Immaculate Heart College. In 1984, she founded the MA program in feminist spirituality at Immaculate Heart College Center. Active in many social justice issues, including domestic abuse, poverty, immigration, welfare rights, and the anti-nuclear movement, Reif co-founded the Interfaith Hunger Coalition and the Southern California Interfaith Task Force on Central America (SCITCA).
The funding of the Patricia A. Reif Memorial Lecture Fund is a joint effort of CGU, the Immaculate Heart Community, the Immaculate Heart College Alumnae Board, the Immaculate Heart College Center, the MSMC Religious Studies Department, and the MSMC Office of the Graduate Dean. The lecture fund is dedicated to advancing the ideals she represented.
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22nd Annual Pat Reif Memorial Lecture
Moving a Mountain:
One Woman’s Quest to Restore Women’s Ordination in the Roman Catholic Church
“Amen, I say to you,
whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in their heart,
but believes that what they say will happen,
it shall be done.” (Mk 11:22)
Please join us for the 22nd Annual Pat Reif, IHM, Memorial Lecture on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Our Speaker will be Bishop Jane Via of Roman Catholic Women Priests.
Her-story:
Bishop Jane Via (pronouns: she/her) is a Roman Catholic Woman Priest and Bishop. How could this be since women are not allowed to be ordained in the Roman Catholic Church? The answer is that since 2002, conscientiously defying Canon Law 1024, over 140 women have been ordained in the Catholic Church. It all began with seven courageous women ordained in “apostolic succession” on the Danube River in 2002. They have become known as the Danube 7.
Jane Via is one of those women. When she learned of the Roman Catholic Womenpriest (RCWP) movement in Europe, she recognized her call to become an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic rite. Rather than leave the church, her love and faith led her to call the church to change. Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Jane’s action honors his quote for the Church. Since that time, Jane has accomplished much as an ordained priest and now, as an elected bishop in the RCWP:
2004 – ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic rite on the Danube River
2005 – founded with Rod Stephens the Mary Magdalene the Apostle Catholic Community (MMACC) in San Diego
2006 – ordained a priest on the Bodensee off Swiss shores
2017 – elected Bishop
With woman priest Nancy Corran, they wrote an inclusive Comprehensive Catholic Lectionary in inclusive language, modifying the Roman Catholic Lectionary by adding passages and references to women in the Bible throughout all three cycles.
Born in St. Louis, Jane was mesmerized as a young girl by a large statue of St. Joan of Arc, her head and standard held high. Her sword is in a scabbard at her side. St. Joan’s demeanor captivated her. Today, Jane sees this parable as a different sort: Joan was burned at the stake for heresy in 1431. In 1920, she was canonized as a saint and is the patron saint of France. Bishop Jane is the hopeful sign that the church can change—it often has and does
Monday, Oct. 21, 2024 | 7:00 PM—9:30 PM PDT—Harper Hall Board Room—150 E. 10th St, Claremont, CA 91711—CGU Campus
The event is free and open to the public. Zoom link: https://cgu.zoom.us/j/87227512413
Contact: Janice Poss, Pat Reif Memorial Lecture Coordinator, at janice.poss@cgu.edu for more information.
Past Speakers
- (2023) Rabbi Mira Rivera, BCC, Kehillat Romemu in New York City, Are my Ancestors your Ancestors?
- (2022) Shannen Dee Williams, University of Dayton, America’s Real Sister Act: The Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States
- (2021) Valarie Kaur, Revolutionary Love: Seeing No Stranger
- (2020) Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Chicago Theological Seminary, The Information Apocalypse is Here: Our current technology rewards information that is false or misleading, corrupting thought and debasing society. How can we fight back?
- (2019) Kim R. Harris, Loyola Marymount University, Welcome Table: Liturgical Justice Through Sacred Song
- (2018) Kwok Pui Lan, Emory University, Metaphor, Moral Reasoning, and Women’s Protest Movements
- (2017) María Pilar Aquino, University of San Diego, Feminist Theology: Overcoming Violence, Embodying Liberation
- (2016) Ivy Nallammah Josiah, You Can’t Beat a Woman: Violence at Home and Violence by the State
- (2015) Margaret Farley, Yale University Divinity School, Gender, Sexuality, and Ethics: New Perspectives
- (2014) Lisa Isherwood, University of Wales
- (2013) Amy-Jill Levine, Hartford International University for Religion & Peace
- (2012) Rev. Rita Nakashima Brock, Saving Paradise: Moral Conscience, Beauty, and the Glory of Humanity
- (2011) Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Trinity Theological Seminary, Ghana
- (2010) Riffat Hassan, University of Louisville & Kebokile Dengu-Zvobgo, Pitzer College, A Praxis of Social Transformation: The Feminist Scholar as Activist
- (2009) Ivone Gebara, the Brazilian Sister of Notre Dame, Happiness and the Construction of Right Relationship – A Feminist Perspective Feminism & Religious Identities
- (2008) Venerable Dhammananda (Ven. Dr. Chatsumarn Kabilsingh), Path to Ordination of Women in Buddhism: Challenges and Opportunities
- (2007) Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Harvard Divinity School, Scripture and Power: A Feminist Exploration
- (2005) Musa Dube, University of Botswana, HIV + Feminism in the Global Aids Epidemic
- (2004) Beverly Jean Wildung Harrison, Union Theological Seminary, New York
- (2003) Chun Hyun Kyung, Union Theological Seminary, New York
- (2002) Mary E. Hunt, WATER (Women’s Alliance for Theology and Ritual)
For more information contact Janice Poss, Pat Reif Memorial Lecture Coordinator, at janice.poss@cgu.edu.