As women around the world were being celebrated for their accomplishments during Women’s History Month, the Pope formally recognized the contributions of Catholic laywomen in the Church. 

     On Jan. 11, Pope Francis published an update to the Canon Law in the document “Spiritus Domini,” using the phrase “lay people” rather than “laymen,” and inviting all Catholics to assist ordained leaders during Mass, regardless of gender. This idea of equal opportunity is described with the phrase “Priesthood of baptism.”

     “I thought that was a beautiful context of the priesthood of baptism,” remarked Ottilie Valverde, who has been involved in Riordan’s Campus Ministry program for many years. 

     She continued, “I think the reality of today’s Catholic Church in the United States is that women are the backbones of the parish. There’s a partnership between women in ministries and the ordained ministers just the way there’s a partnership in families…created in love and carried out for the well-being of the flock.”

     Although it is important to clarify that only men can still be ordained as priests, bishops, etc, Maya Torres ’22, member of the ARHS Core Team, believes that this is a “step in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work that needs to go into moving forward.”