Martha Sherman

When asked as a young woman if she was better suited for the priesthood, Martha Sherman’s answer was simple: “The Catholic Church does not ordain women.” Follow Martha’s powerful journey from those early boundaries to regional leadership and the episcopacy, proving that priesthood can also be lived on the front lines of social justice.

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My call story has evolved since I first began the application process for RCWP in 2010. If I told you my story back then, I would have shared my story about entering religious life. When I was preparing to enter the convent, I asked for the blessing of my matriarchs—the unmarried aunties. My Aunt Sis said, “Don’t you think you are better suited for the priesthood?” My reply was, “The Catholic Church does not ordain women.”

As I tell you my story today, after years of service in regional and national leadership of our movement and four years of serving as bishop of the Midwestern Region, I reflect on how so many experiences have shaped my priestly life. I was born in 1963, and growing up across the street from St. Peter’s Catholic Church had a huge influence on my life. After the Second Vatican Council came a time of liturgical experimentation. Attending Catholic School in the early 1970s, I went to daily Mass. One day a young priest invited my whole class of squirmy 7-year-olds to surround the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer. I had never been in the sanctuary. The only female I had ever seen in the sanctuary was Mrs. Buse, who arranged the flowers.

While standing at that altar, I felt my call to priesthood. In that moment, I came to know we do Eucharist together. I experienced the faith of those gathered, transforming the simple bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. I was never the same. The songs we sang reinforced what I experienced. “We are the Body of Christ.” “Here we become what we eat.” “We are one body in this one Lord.” No need to stand in a male body behind the altar, as the Vatican insists. In Christ we live beyond gender identity. Through Baptism, we share in the priesthood of all believers. This is why RCWP invites everyone to say the words of institution when we celebrate the Eucharist. This is also why RCWP truly welcomes all of you to receive at this table. You do not have to be Catholic to be nourished by the Body of Christ.

Hindsight helps us see more clearly. As I look back, I see that the early journaling workshops, an internship with the Motherhouse liturgist, time learning about BASE communities in Honduras, hospital chaplain training, spiritual director training, studies in Theology and so many more events and people formed me for priesthood. When I put on my chasuble and stole to ordain deacons and priests, it is obvious that I am a priest. My prayer is that my priesthood is equally obvious when I demonstrate at No Kings Marches, hold vigil at the county jail for immigrants unjustly detained by ICE, work on anti-racism training or feed the hungry in my local community. May RCWP renew our church through the ordination of people who want to be the Body of Christ to all people, everywhere.