University of St. Thomas “The Reservation of Priestly Ordination to Men: An Analysis of the Catholic Debate” October 16, 2009

University of St. Thomas Msgr. William Steele Lecture Presents Sister Sara Butler, Women in the Priesthood

UST Msgr. William Steele Lecture presents Sister Sara Butler, MSBT, STL, Ph.D., “The Reservation of Priestly Ordination to Men: An Analysis of the Catholic Debate.” The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16 at Nold Auditorium, St. Mary’s Seminary, 9845 Memorial Ave, Houston, TX 77024.

Women’s ordination was openly discussed for decades, but in 1994, Pope John Paul II declared priestly ordination is reserved to men and the Church has no authority to change the priesthood to admit women. The lecture will show how the apparent conflict between the doctrine of women’s equal rights and dignity and the Catholic doctrine of the priesthood was resolved in favor of the Tradition.

Sister Sara is a professor of dogmatic theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in the Archdiocese of New York. She recently published The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the Church. She serves on the International Theological Commission, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, and is a consultant to the Baptist-Catholic International Commission. Sister Sara belongs to the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity.

The Msgr. William D. Steele Lecture began in 1986 to honor a great humanitarian, distinguished alumnus and faculty member of the seminary. Msgr. Steele attended St. Mary’s Seminary when it was located in La Porte, Texas, and was ordained at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Galveston in 1956.

He served the diocese in a number of locations and in varying capacities. In 1982, Msgr. Steele served on the formation faculty at St. Mary’s Seminary until his death in 1984. He also wrote a popular column for The Texas Catholic Herald for many years.

The lecture is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the School of Theology. For more information, contact Nita Sacco at 713-686-4345 ext. 225.