I just came to the Catholic Church last year as a divorced/single 38 year old woman and former “none”. Based on my experiences in life, there are no other teachings/beliefs that care about women more than the Catholic faith. It is all about dignity, integrity and respect for the human person. I admit that some parishioners don’t know what to make of a single woman my age, but I look right past them to the tabernacle and I know I am always right where I should be. I’ve never felt anything but pure, unconditional love from our priests. I think too many folks get tied up on titles and positions when they speak of women having a voice, etc. The faith is a different realm of thinking. It is not about climbing the ladder to a top position. In fact, the goal is to become small and put all of the attention on Jesus always. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Most priests and even the pope would probably rather be in adoration than making those decisions. Plus, we have countless female role models! From the past we have Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Therese of Lisieux. In more recent history, Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Mother Angelica. Right now we have Mother Dolores Hart, Sister Raffaella Cavallin and Mother Miriam. And those are just to name a few!!! There is no better place for a woman than in the Catholic Church! ❤️🙏❤️

I am a not a dominant personality but a good team player and a happy Catholic. I went to speak to my Parish Priest about doing something to serve the parish and how I have always been drawn to evangelize. He went on to to tell me I should probably just quietly pray and then told me he can “never find any volunteers” when I was literally sitting in front of him offering myself as a volunteer! I guess it’s because I am a 54 yr old woman, if I was still young I bet he would immediately sign me up for something. I am a loyal Catholic but there is serious blindness in the Church for women and our gifts. I am a convert with a tough background who survived a lot and is now very happily married with young adult children, I think I have a lot of life experience and resilience but I guess he just sees me as not the “type’ he’s looking for. Shortly after someone invited me to join the Lay (or Third Order) Dominicans and I have applied for Postulancy. Their charisms are preaching, community, prayer and study so most are active in evangelization. I am not giving up on trying to respond to God’s call even if my parish priest doesn’t value my contribution. Sometimes priests are blind to what laity have to offer. God used him I am sure to tell me that door is closed and the Dominicans instead were very enthusiastic about welcoming me, no wonder Dominican vocations are exploding.

Nice to hear from you this Sunday, Bishop Barron. Blessings on your head.

Thank you, bishop Barron.

Happy Easter Bishop Robert Barron May the Lord bless you and prosper you, amen

You are soooo awesome! Thank you. We will not accomplish the past again. It’s too radical today. It sucks!

I'm in Mexico and here women are more traditional (thank God). We're still a LOT of women very very active in the church (we're the majority). I'm very proud of my Mexico.

I am a woman and Happy with the way things are. Women not being able to become priest doesn't make us any less important. Jesus appointed 12 men disciples but he has honored women in many other ways, by allowing women even the lowliness of them to be around him and be his closest friends, by making them the first to see him resurrected and most importantly his mother. He made her the face of his Church as soon as she went up to heaven. Jesus had protected us women by abolishing stoning and encouraging men to love us correctly and not divorce us as they please , and respect us enough to not even think of another women outside of us. I am happy with the way things are . The same way men will never be able to bare children, certain things are made and best the way they are. Trouble starts when we start wanting more than we can bear. I agree with feminism but to an extent. I am certain that a certain Level of feminism as far as to want it even in church, a very well functioning church, is a work of the devil to break the church and make women leave knowing how essential they are in passing down the faith.

Thank You to God! 😇😇😇

Bishop Robert Barron always gives me the low down on everything Catholic. Cheers Fr.

Bishop Barron mentioned something which I wholeheartedly agree with. Name any segment of society within the church, be it the divorced, adopted children, etc. that need a voice, the set up an organization. I would even suggest that groups across parishes network together. Read Scripture and coordinate with the Priests and Bishops. This is another example of Organize, pray, and support. A suggestion to Bishop Barron would be to,bring this to the College of Bishops suggesting that a plan of action be developed. If the Bishops went through this point by point and determined a course of action, the Church could improve.

Bishop your message is the intellectual side of simple faikth

Paul wrote how Timothy learned by his mom and grand-mom. We have Doctors of The Church who are women like Catherine of Sienna, Teresa The Little Flower, and others. Mother Angelica was more 'savvy' than a simple review of her would entail. And she influenced the Church. And yes, by all means, I do see Nuns in Pastoral Care, Lay women, teachers and others who do communicate and influence at the Parish level.

Being a millennial, I have grown up supporting equality for women since I was raised in the Catholic faith. I still am Catholic and understand why it’s best that only men should be priests or cardinals. It’s the way Jesus intended it and the church is not a place where you can climb a corporate ladder. If you want a position of power, you won’t find it in the church. Being a nun, priest, Bishop, and even the pope requires humbleness, and a complete dedication to Christ and his church. Being a part of the Catholic Church is not about popularity, it is about serving God and others.

P.s. her name was Mary like my grandmother well Maria but Bishop is this one deep mind thing because every Maria I ever met I got along with so well with of every religion and work place

As a divorced concecratated lay woman, I can say it's pretty hard to walk into my Bishop's office and fill out an application, as it goes, so these statistics seem pretty silly sounding, to me 🤗. Grateful 🙏 for Word on Fire, and the Mass, and Hope, Bishop Barron!

No good Christian would display sexism. The Church needs our prayers.

The women I grew up with were very active in the parish...when we lived overseas...it seems there was a definite need for active participation as we were all mothers of young children...now...our children are preparing for confirmation and working with aging parents. The balancing of these two priorities can only be shared with like minded mothers of faith.

I wonder If a better gage question on the survey would have been "Do you accept the sacrament of marriage as an icon of Christ and his Church, I.E. Donation Vs. Receptivity/ Authority Vs. Obedience as articulated by St. Paul?" That issue is at the heart of the question of women's place in the church. It touches on Marriage, Apostolic Succession, Liturgy, and Priesthood. Of course, women should be helping to make the decisions in the Church. No brainer. But whether or not they accept the teaching on Marriage should be the barometer for how seriously we take their suggestions for the Mystical Body of Christ. Otherwise, we run the risk of taking suggestions from a feminism which is antithetical to Catholic teaching. I would have loved for the good bishop to have emphasized that facet a little more. Otherwise, his excellency is killing the game here! Prayers and Masses for his ministry.

The most important work in the Church all can do through our Baptism and mission of the Church, which all can share (Matthew 28:19,20, CCC 1040, 1041).

here in cebu philippines, cathechists are mostly women who volunteer teaching catechism to all public schools the whole school year.

If as a woman you’re only looking at the church for what kind of position you can have. Actually man or woman, if your sole intent of being involved in the church is for what position you can hold, then you have missed the whole point.

I love being a woman and a dauggter of the King cuz it makes me a princess i may be a small person in the church i only attend mass and pray but i want to be like Mama Mary and im honored by that i think its an honor to have a beautiful model to follow as Her the Mother of God lived in a hidden life pondered things in her heart 🌹💝i will too if Jesus wants more from me i will bcuz He wants it but other then that im satisfied no greater love then Jesus Christ who loved me to life

Edits included in brackets (): I have a theory about this: The Church is by nature a feminine institution (more obviously feminine character and role). We see the Church referred to as Christ's Bride over and over again, as a submissive body that accepts God's will. In the Catholic Church especially, (and this coming from a new Catholic) almost everything seems to be geared towards the feminine (with its strengths in terms of humility, social cohesion and focus on caring). I used to think Christ on the cross was an interesting juxtaposing of this female environment with a masculine (figure at its) heart, (much like a woman's heart contains the love for her children, or like Christ was surrounded by Mary's love), but it could also be argued that the self-sacrifice of Christ is something not at all out of place with the self-sacrificial nature of women, especially as can be seen in Mary. (Then again this seems the ignore the self-sacrifice of millions of men through the ages who died on battlefields, often in their youth, for unselfish reasons). From the moment you enter a Catholic Church you are (-at least on the surface of it-) in a feminine environment. The holy water, the candles, the songs, the beauty of the art and decor, the incense. This is the polar opposite of an environment that will make most manly men feel at home. Men are more attracted to (things than people,) tools, channeled aggression and power. (This makes it difficult for men to feel at home within the church, unless they are quite beta/effeminate already.) I believe the Church Fathers knew this. They knew that the Church would not attract men if there wasn't some kind of role modeling for men that would demonstrate how the masculine could fit or (function) survive within such a feminine atmosphere. Thus positions of power were allocated to men, so they could see their masculinity at work within such a context. (not the only reason, but one of the reasons). (Men associate submission of will with weakness. But a position of power within a submissive church might counter-balance such a believe.) But it goes deeper. Women are drawn to the mystical and spiritual much easier that men. Men are far more likely to be atheists. We also know that Pride is the root sin from which all other sin branches off from. The whole Church and family structure was thus set up along the following lines: Women, already spiritual, submit to their husbands, demonstrating to the men how men will have to submit to God. (Thus giving them power, but more like a token form of power, since men would have to submit their power and authority to God in the very next breath or lose it all). The male clergy then demonstrate the same, by being servants of God, submitting to his will, within an institution that is seen as the Bride of Christ (submissive to God's will). Men, being supported by their wives, find themselves in a catch 22. There is a mix of great responsibility and power from being married to a woman who submits (not to your will, but to your final say in 50-50 decisions), but that wife does not live such a life in vain, for her husband will now be forced to follow her example and submit to the Church's teachings (which includes how he will have to honor and care for his wife and children - thus benefiting her!). Between the authority of God and the example of women.... that is where the man finds himself. Turn away from God, and he endangers the very faith of the woman with him, which enables her to be the ultimate wife. It is almost like a vise. The male clergy further demonstrate how a masculine man looks and acts within this feminine world of the Church. (at least in those places where masculine clergy still exist) Looking at the churches today, where are the young men? They are outnumbered by young women by a wide margin. Especially now that the Church's societal power is vanishing, how are you going to pull men into the Church? By removing positions of power within the Church to make way for women who are already more willing to 'bend the knee' to God? I had to type fast. Still need time to formulate this better.

Reading the comments on this video is extremely telling why women are leaving the Catholic church. Reading comments stating that women are "not humble enough to appreciate that they are not naturally suited to assume leadership roles in the Church's apostolic hierarchy" is a comment that saddening and disturbing. Is it any wonder that a group of people deemed to be "not humble enough" or "power hungry" (in reference to an earlier video by Bishop Barron), is leaving? Before blaming the people leaving the church, take a look at what you are preaching. I must applaud the Catholic church for holding so tight to the society of a bygone era, it's like a living history book.

Maybe a follow up video on someone like St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross's writings from her Essay's on Woman ? That I've found wonderful on the authority and role of women in the church. I would imagine Bishop Barron is a fan of her writings

Not to mention that Worldwide the Church is growing, despite shrinking in the USA.

Nicole have no idea but we'd always wear a hat or scarf to church as a sign of respect.

People usually do this when inequality in the church comes up. Instead of addressing where the inequality is (official, hierarchal positions such as holy orders) they say, "Well, women fill most ecclesiastical positions." That's another subject from the imbalance of authority in official positions. Women may work out the liturgy and run the bakesale at your local parish, but this is quite another thing from a woman bishop. This is an overall good video, but going this tired route disappointed was disappointing.

I now attend a TLM low Mass. No nonsensical songs and the priest reads the gospel and epistle. And yes I wear a mantilla. Nothing against the new Mass when done reverently, but still believe women should not be in the sanctuary. There's plenty of other roles for them to play, especially as catechists.

Wow. Those numbers seem strange to me. At my parish its mostly women in the pews, working the ministries and raising the kids in the faith. If all the women decided to just sit in the pews instead of running everything I think the church would fall apart.

When I was growing up, far from being sexist, my mother worked at a high end job at night while my dad worked during the day. She was a real role model. My sister is a chair at an Ivy League college. I worked in the telecommunications industry before retiring. The mins and lay teachers we had encouraged us to pursue education and goals. True feminism doesn't exclude women pursuing careers but also believes in raising families, and loving the Church and its teachings. I'm not sure why some women consider this as sexist unless they believe women should be priests. LOL, the priests were very much afraid of crossing the nuns in the parish schools or the parish! Sexist? I think not. The fifties tv series didn't represent all American families.

What is your opinion of Cardinal Raymond Burke and his assertion that the presence of women in the alter is the cause of the decline in church vocations? When I hear things like this, it makes me want to turn away from religion. He was not the only one to express such opinions.

Cradle Catholic, living a sacremental life, and I concur. The first time I went to an Episcople Mass and saw a woman as priest I was overcome for days with the feeling of empowerment and inclusion it gave me. This feeling so surprised me. I thought it didn't matter to me that only men were priests. Having said that, I also think our women and girls have a misperception of exclusion as well. There is a perceived devaluation of them as female. Do they know they are common priest by virtue of their baptism? Do they know what that anointing means for them and their importance within the church? How often do we see female theologians on these panels that dominate you tube? How often are Hildegard and other female doctors of the church referenced, given value in sermons? Not often. Finally, it's a hard sell when we live in a country that has rightly outlawed discrimination based on sex, and yet we ask these young women to accept it within their church. I don't know of any of my peers (60+ practicing Catholics, whose daughters stayed within the church, including my own).

Brilliant

I respect wahmen! Real talk, women have a lot of responsibility in the church.

I would like to see a woman, especially a mother comment on the Gospel during Mass from time to time as well as a father. I would love to hear a reflection on the word of God from a female point of view rather than from a male point of view all the time. Here i Ireland Mass is attended mainly by women

I get the same vibe listening to this as I do listening to an Islamic apologist talking about how Islam gives women so many rights.

I grew up in the fifties and women were always active. They cleaned the church, sang in the choir, had bake sales, were active in the parochial school as teachers and yes cooks! And that's not even counting the nuns. I'm 74 and Father women unless they're the progressives who want to be nuns, are leaving the church because of modernism. We see EM women who don't need to be assisting as long as there's priests and deacons. I was a lector for many years and felt uncomfortable doing this but but was because not enough men volunteered. I do not see why we need lay people, especially women to do this especially if there's a deacon available. They and the priests belong on the altar, not women! Women can serve as catechisms, secretaries in the parish office and maybe on the church councils. We re active in Catholic women's groups also. The more women are "called" to some of these things, the more men are being emasculated. Why not use men( who used to be servers) instead of girls! I know many women who would gladly exchange these roles as lectors and EMs if men would only step up and volunteer.

Can you make a video on the anti intellectual movement in the Church, Bishop? There seems to be a trend going on in this society to leave one's brain at the door of faith and believe in God intellectually blind rather than approach God through both faith and reason. I think the trend was born from a common misinterpretation of a few bible verses like "We walk by faith not by sight," and "Trust in God and do not rely on your own understanding." Would love to see your perspective on this problem as I believe anti intellectualism to be a serious heresy, for as God Himself states in Hosea 4:6: "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." Not to mention the first commandment which says to love God with all of your MIND too.

It sounds like you’re saying that because women do most of the work in a Parrish they should accept that they have no role in the actual leadership, because their role is still “substantial.” Would you accept doing most of the work for something but getting no role in leading it?

Grace it's St.Martin de Porres in Salt a Lake City.

I would like to hear Bishop Barrons thoughts on female altar servers.

Cher Père je vous supplie de sous titrer vos enseignements pour notre bien. Dieu vous le rendra. Merci

The Church is first and foremost in the holiness business and the hierarchy is there to serve that purpose in their capacity. If people want the satisfaction of leadership opportunities there are legitimately great options from MBA’s, business, academics, politics, professions etc...I don’t think Church hierarchy is a good place for that, it’s just too dangerous for you and others. And this isn’t even about the sexes but I feel like the Church is treated like any old worldly institution when these sort of conflict theories color the lenses with which we see Her. I’m a guy, I’m not a good person, but I try to pitch what I can to my parish. I don’t have a leadership position and I try to say yes when my parish needs help. My lack of a leadership position doesn’t make me feel less of anything, it doesn’t make me question my dignity, it doesn’t make me think I should stop what I do, it doesn’t make me think I’m being treated poorly or discriminated against. My sins do that. They ruin my life, and that’s why I’m thankful to God He gave us these Fathers who confess us and sanctify us with the sacraments they confer to us. Thank you fathers.

I think one reason why many women stay away from the Mass is because of the priests performing the Mass; the fact that they are all male. Personally I think that is a shallow reason to stay away, but it does make the whole thing seem pretty male, and off putting, quite frankly. Personally, I really don't care if it is a man or woman up there as long as the Mass happens. It is a ceremony,though, and does communicate that we are a "male" organization (which isn't totally true I know.) Also, the stat about there being a lack of sexism experienced just must be wrong. As a woman I can tell you that I have been treated dismissively within the church structure. I have experienced sexism in the secular world as well. I don't focus on it. It is not a big deal to me. If someone has a problem with women, that's their problem. But please do not say it is absent within the structure of the church. Again, I really don't care, my life isn't about status or being recognized or anything like that-but it is there, and quite pronounced.

The main take away from this video is that if women want to participate in the source and summit of the Christian life they need to participate first and foremost in the Mass.

Dear Bishop Barron please make a video on women by the Altar !!!!!!! Would be good to see the Church’s and your opinion?!?!?!

I think the problem for women is not having a sufficient sacramental role as they see it. Are there theological reasons for this?. The church announce/promotess God's revelation in Christ. To listen to many priests one might get the impression that we are saved by good works.

So this survey was hosted and published by America magazine? How many women were surveyed? From the few times I have read or listened to anything from America, it seems to be a pretty political, liberal leaning group, so I question the balance of responses gathered. The graphic shown in this video for example, of the differences between Republicans and Democrats, and attitude for "giving to the poor"? That was a part of the "women in the Church" survey? Really? So many Catholic news outlets, especially in written form, are trending down this path. An important discussion nonetheless, from a 60 year old nun I met with yesterday feeling stuck with the (wrong) pastors making decisions for her grade school, to my 10 year daughter asking about women being involved in the Church, we can't talk about this enough ... though as with race or any other "group identity" issue, we just need good, faithful people, good faithful leaders, it shouldn't always come down to the gender of said leader. Though every priest needs a strong woman at his side (or in his head) ... God bless all of the sisters and mothers of our priests out there;)

Bishop, there's a plethora of reasons that Ordinary Form parishes are emptying and aging, while FSSP parishes and diocesan parishes with the Latin Mass are filling. One of the reasons is because actual Catholic teaching and understanding of gender are lived in those places. Modernism, a declared heresy, is strangling the faith in the West. We need real, faithful, traditional leadership to assert itself and restore order. Equality among the genders is not Catholic: complementarity is. We are equal spiritually before God but have different roles to play in life, including in the parish. Women can and should play roles in the parish but it should be fully in line with traditions of the faith. Political correctness has no place in the Church.

Rogue shot. I sponsor two girls in the third world. One is in India and graduating from College and other other is in Columbia. Both of their mothers through this organization are learning crafts and seeing clothes (Saris) to supplement their families income. The organization helps these women get started, and no they aren't working in sweatshops. One father is suffering from diabetes so these sponsorships help the entire families. Blane this on my fifties upbringing.

The temptation is very verry near ,women in service in church lets be practical, its very obvious,keep distance,away to temptation,God bless......!!!

I am constantly being told that my role in the church is to fill a seat during mass. Most active women are elderly. I spent my teen years and young adulthood, looking for a place to belong in the Church, first thinking it was a monastic vocation. I studied theology. I was in love with God and with his Church. I spent 16 years... half my age chasing something which I am now realising... no there is no place for me. I never belonged. I knocked and insisted to serve the Church and to be available with my knowledge of theology and my spirituality... no She never wanted me. Today I look back and think I was the most stupid person. The Church killed my hope... killed my love... killed my spirituality. Probably, everything was an illusion - a lie... even my love for God... probably even god is.

in my little parish circa 80 percent of the congregation was women. they ran practically everything of the day today affairs of the parish. they regularly bought me coffee and brought me chocolates just for being patient to listened to them

I wish priest or educators would give some etiquette classes and education wen it comes to the blessed sacrament. I am sorry to say this but today I was about to scream to see how badly our Lord gets treated. I think dogs get treated better, I know cus how the society is today. Ive seen people when they go to the chapels etc. with the lord, texting, writing, etc. and your know what I mean, exept praying contemplating talking to the lord. I dont know if people know who are they with, and to see people ignoring him like if he was nothing it hurts me in the hart. i mean dont have to pray, at least talk to him, gaze at him. the blessed sacrament is not a stomp or a book, its a living God and our father.

Bishop Barron - I was literally commenting on a thread, an appropriate one that you also had commented on, when it disappeared completely. Is your staff censoring your comments? Are you censoring your comments? OP just deleted? (Happens.) What's going on?

I wish I had been born early to see the Church in its high points, not its decay. This is the worst time in modern America to be a young Catholic

If it wasn't for my mom I wouldn't of known how to say the rosary even when I wasn't a Catholic i said the rosary my mom was a Baptist but she never got rid her rosary and Catholic books that I enjoy even that little 1972 Catholic mass book I think that has prayers how to bless water and like a study guide for the mass I he she confessed for the book but maybe she knew in the future after she passed away and I would find it and come back to Catholicism after years of leaving all religions

Today Mon.Apr 9, 2018, as you know, we celebrate 'The Annunciation.' I thought this relevant post on the web could be tied in, in relating we are all in the image and likeness of God. Yes, Christ, like us in all things but sin was Announced by an Angel. But aren't we all? source of the following: theperfectbirth.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/the-himba-namibia-the-birth-song/ "[T]here is a tribe in Africa where the birth date of a child is counted not from when they were born, nor from when they are conceived but from the day that the child was a thought in its mother’s mind. And when a woman decides that she will have a child, she goes off and sits under a tree, by herself, and she listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to come. And after she’s heard the song of this child, she comes back to the man who will be the child’s father, and teaches it to him."

Hey Bishop Barron - can you put a good word in for us at St. Paul Street Evangelization? We have helped tens of thousands come back to the Church.

I am Orthodox but starting to believe that Rome is the true Church.Too much in fighting.Constantinople and Moscow always at odds.We need the Pope!

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active power of the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of a woman comes from defect in the active power. The active power in the male is intended to produce a perfect image of itself, a masculine sex. When a female results it is either because of a weakness in this active power or because of some indisposition of the materials, or even from a change produced by an outside factor - for example, from south winds, which are humid.

The claim where he says that “parishes have structured themselves so much around married and family people”, such that only those populations are served, is just so stunningly out of touch with reality. IF ONLY If anything all of the parishes Ive been to across the United States to are overwhelming structured entirely around youth culture and single people. There’s almost NOTHING in parish life that is about or for families with children outside of CCD classes (which we avoid) or cry rooms (which we also avoid). Ive tried to get Church’s to agree to family events, Christmas parties, or Easter egg hunts....to no avail. Ive seen a few traditionalist parishes with things such as this but Ive never been so lucky. It’s crazy that a bishop could know so little about the lives of the faithful....the faithful who are strangers not only to the clergy but to each other. We’re closer with the people at our kid’s wrestling school and not by choice, it’s because the Church makes it this way

As a child, I always felt that a patriarchal church had no exciting place for me. It makes a big difference to kids when they only get to see men behind the pulpit. You can say there’s a place for them till you’re blue in the face and it won’t matter-you exclude them from any significant office and so your words and actions do not align. The psychological effects of representation are well documented. Excluding women harms the faith because it harms the way little girls see themselves and relate God.

Women are great influencers in the parish church, but they are not empowered to be the decision makers. Our diocese requires all bible study material (selected by our parish women’s bible study group) to be approved by the bishop before we can start. While some appreciate the education behind these decisions, the diocese office seems condescending in the way the study is denied. Perhaps a visit by a representative to explain the issue with the selection would have helped. However, this resulted in several members gathering outside the church to complete the study. Such attitude of dominance certainly does not seem like shepherding. If women are respected by the church, it does not always come across that way. Please forgive my frankness. I would love to see a change in attitude as I very much love my church and the Catholic faith.

90% of women state they don't experience sexism in the Catholic Church. That's an interesting number. As an Anglican looking into these debates, I disagree with Catholic doctrine on issues like the ordination of women. At the same time I do feel many liberal critics of the Catholic Church tend to be very selective in their critique of Catholicism, particularly on the issue of women.

The majority of women leaving the church are feminists who want to be priests, which is an impossibility and can not happen. They think way above their station in life. For instance we always had a male sacristan as it should be, then in the mid to late 1990's we end up with a middle aged woman, who could not ring the bell, so facilitate her the bell was recorded and now we have an electronic bell that can not be heard across the parish, while the real bell is never used. She retired a few years back and now we have a male again but that electronic bell is still used. I'm also tired of all the Eucharistic ministers , way too many of them and they have no right to handle the Body of Christ only during an emergency. Vatican II or the spirit of, has caused so much anguish within the church and it needs to be rectified. I'm a 51 year old woman born and raised and still living in Ireland, I'll never forget the dismay about 1978 when it was reluctantly announced the we lay people could receive the Blessed Sacrament in our hands , the congregation became very upset, Thank God I've never been guilty of doing that. In 1975 new priests arrived and started to remove the statues, well the women of the parish told them to put them back and they were put back. After our very dutiful parish priest was retired in the 1990's the new one moved the Holy Tabernacle to the side of the alter outside of the main sanctuary , the women of the parish including my Mother (Lord rest her) and me demanded it be put back in it's rightful position , and Thank God it was, where it remains to this day. We went through having alter girls for about 6 months we put a stop to that most stupid of ideas too. Then in 1988 or '89 reluctantly again it was announced the there would be Saturday evening Mass, we are not Jews our sabbath is Sunday it does not start on Saturday evening. Since 1975 we have had a folk group while they are very reverent they have no place at any Catholic Mass, even at 8 years of age I knew that and refused to go to the mass they played at, The real choir with the organist, all singing the beautiful hymns glorifying God was the mass I went to along with my family. I thank God every day for our parents (Lord rest them both) who thought us the traditions of our Catholic faith , I also Thank God for the priests we had in those early years and for Our wonderful Parish Priest I mentioned earlier, (Lord rest them all too) Without them I'd be in a crisis of faith , but thank God I'm not, I may be novus ordo ( a term I hate I might add) but I'm a traditionalist at heart , I was called a fundamentalist by one of the priests in my parish two months ago because I told him he should not be preaching the Sunday sermon or any sermon on how wonderful the quran is, as it is a satanic book. Islam is an enemy of Holy Mother Church and always will be. I really do not care what these feminist women want done with the church , but I do know what I want, I want this mess sorted out that has been going on for over 50 years, I want Pope Francis to get his act together and to stop preaching heresy, this mercy trip he's on has gone too far, I want all homosexual priests defrocked and those agreeing with the homosexuals defrocked too. I want all pedophile priests defrocked and sent to jail. I want all this every so called religion is ok nonsense to stop too. I want Our Lady of Fatima to be listened to and her requests carried out. I'm only one very tiny person but if I could I'd get every Catholic to march on Rome and demand that Holy Mother Church be put back to where She was before Vatican II.

“Men Make the decisions” yes but women can be enormously influential, and have been over the centuries.

Ecclesiastical roles irrelevant Bishop handling secretarial roles doesn't cut it

3:15 - That's why we lost the battle when we accepted, rather than fought Marxist ideals. Anyone with real knowledge with the parish operations will point you to the woman running the place. Women are everywhere in the parish and therefore the church. We just forgot to point them out.

Sorry but you dont know, obvioustly that woman can serve in Mass. And they do. For example in Germany one woman got at the altar and raised the Eucarist bread with the priest. And she gave comunion to herself and then the others. There was a little number of people in church. Priest didnt need any help. Also in Croatia often woman are giving comunion. Priest gives the chalis to them and they go amongst the people and give Holly Eucarist bread to people.

God wanted to show his presence. Let me tell the story about the God. His angels and might .

I don’t think for one minute priests, understand how difficult it is for divorced women to remain within the church.

I think there's much more of a crisis concerning men in the church. Women are much more involved. Look around how many men do you see, especially in leadership. I think they're conflating women with the role of laity in general. The laity have limited decision making capabilities. But of course, they have influence on the decision making process

Roman Catholicism is still 1000 years behind the times

I think a lot of woman are extremely involved in the church. Most of parish executives I know are woman. Woman tend to make a larger number of the congregation

THE HUGE ROLE OF THE WOMAN IN CATHOLIC CHURCH ITS .*RAISING MEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD*...LIKE HOUR HOLY MOTHER MARY RAISED THE HIGH PRIEST JESUS OF NAZARETH

This I am sure will be just my thoughts on this. But it would seem the women that are complaining about the role of women in the church. Seem to have gotten hung up on a title and their own ego to boot. I know a few women at my church that if they were not there. And no disrespect to my priest. But I have a feeling he would be in a world of hurt with out them. I think those people need to see it is not about them or even me for that matter. It is about god and spreading the word.And they themselves need to find a way to get over themselves. And stop acting like children that don't get their own way. And that is not to say I don't have my moments. But its not all about you ladies (or even me for that matter)

One problem I have personally with evangelization. .(and I mean me myself) is that,as a new Catholic I'm woefully unqualified! I could do more harm than good. .would you want a first year medical student performing a procedure on you (I think not) @bishopbarron

On a weekly basis I witness mistakes made by priests when serving/administering at the parish level. These mistakes are in relation to understanding/identifying/upholding the best interests of women and children. It is not fair to expect men to fully understand the worldview and best interests of women, just as it is not fair to expect that women will always understand manhood in all its intricacies and nuances. I fully understand why women do not go to Mass, and why they would stay away from Church. Just remember that when women turn away from the Church, they take their children with them. And that means no future for the Church.

The Church is not a career opportunity. The Church give us the Eucharist...Christ present within us! That give us closeness to God...and promise of eternal life. We then give the Church care for the poor, and evangelization. I feel marginalized as a woman by the secular world...but never in the Church!

There so many ladies in church I didn't know they were missing even more on Christmas Ash wensday and Easter week but what I have problem is when I was a kid every women and every young girl had a scarf now u one or 2 old ladies bring back the Scarfs Catholics ! bring back the Scarfs Catholic ! BRING BACK THE SCARFS Catholics! Hey that would make a great T-Shirt for the Faithful in different colors like the scarfs ! Ive GIVEN An Extra Donation I didn't even know it !

Some woman are angry that being a nun is not a sacrament. So men that are priests can have 6 of the 7 sacraments and married individuals can have 6 of the 7 sacraments but, women who dedicate their whole lives to the church can only have 5 sacraments. That is sexism right there!

i'm still upset that Bishop Barron made a video on Jordan Peterson. whatever that doesn't take away from the other video content.

Only 90% of women says they have not experience sexism... I still did not hear ONE speach about womens dressing code in the Catholic Church.I'm far away from fundamentalism but it's impossible for me not to see that every Catholic speaker is trying to be as liberal as possible this days.

I think women are powerful in the church but because they aren't obviously part of the hierarchy, from outside the Church it looks like they aren't. It's because the world sees the Church like a big corporation and women need to break that glass ceiling. And most women have been influenced to think this way. But the Church, for all its faults (and it has many), isn't supposed to work like that. Women play their own role which only they can bring, but it isn't being a priest, though they can have lots of influence in other ways as religious or professors, etc. The problem I see is that the women who are clamoring for more power in the Church seem pretty steeped in the heresy of modernism. So even as a woman myself, who is not particularly conservative, I think it is pretty obvious that most of the women who want change, can't be trusted. If some day women do gain a bigger role (or more spectacular role, they already play a very large role, but it is more hidden) it would have to be after we've shaken off the strange times we are in.

A lot of words, very little substance.

Why leave? It isn’t moral relativism and the loss of shame. Its cultural Jansenism, just as the crowd cheered to “crucify Him”. It’s built on shame. Just as in Jansenism people are seen as not having free will. They are born that way; people will just smoke pot and fornicate. Some are just born with more grace. The holy priesthood is of higher grace. They hand out the commandments that can’t be fully followed and over moralize. As long as you own a gun you’re now complicit in all crime and suicide. What are the goals? Can one truly live up fully to global warming; as long as there are poor we are guilty of not carrying for the poor; if we want any limit of immigration we are always guilty of hating immigrants and the poor; if you’re white you will always have white privilege; if you’re male you’re always guilty of desiring power. Of course no one is ever held responsible for their actions. It is culturally forbidden to hold people responsible for leaving the church. In this age of false moralism, people don’t have free will… Ya, right. None of this is coming from God. The answer to the problem isn’t so much intellectual, its people taking on this unholy secular Jansenism. Having been in Poland and see the cultural difference, it seems obvious to me.

Last Thursday, thousands of Catholic leaders washed the feet of their parishioners. This includes priests, bishops, even the pope. Every Sunday they preach that the first shall be last, give all you have to the poor, blessed are the meek, become like a child, and they live these things out themselves. I wonder what “power” they have that seems so enticing. We have a hierarchy of shepherds and the higher a leader is, the more responsibility he has to shepherd his people. Women also have a very big role in shepherding the people just as Fr. Baron said. Women are also just as able to influence theology and the ways that we evangelize just as much as any man, assuming they’re brining truth to the table. The pope is just the poor sucker giving himself a heart attack trying to put those practices in place.

To bad women lost their way. I pray more priests become fishers of men. Get the holy men back.

To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, "I didn’t leave the church, the church left me." To borrow from Phyllis Schlafly, we need "A choice, not an echo." In the U.S., the church has assimilated so much postmodernism that many self-described Christian laymen, pastors and priests now believe ideas clearly in conflict with Christ. The church does not disciple these people toward truth. It doesn't provide the Biblical knowledge or the secular tools needed to reject postmodernism. The church would rather avoid any direct conflict with postmodernism because that might risk their 501(c)(3) status. Any direct confrontation with postmodernism would also be perceived by today's culture as intolerant and unloving. And the church desperately wants to maintain appearances. The church would rather remain conveniently muzzled by the government's Johnson Amendment than have the freedom, and therefore the responsibility, to enter the culture war. Too often, the church avoids precisely those Gospels and commentary that are most needed for our decadent times. From feminism to socialism to identity politics and everything else postmodernist, it is hard to see a clearly defined alternative in the church.

I think your viewpoint about women decision-makers is a little too rose-colored, and it's this kind of narrow sightedness that makes it hard for me to reconcile my faith and my understanding of God with my Catholic religion. For example, I'm heavily involved with my church choir. My director is a woman. A constant frustration is the negotiation between my director and our pastor about music during liturgy. The music my director chooses is written for the Catholic mass, yet a lot of it seems incongruous with the vision of the mass my pastor has. So yes, a woman directs the choir and women sing in the choir, but the power of decision-making is not ours, nor is their room for negotiation. Women do not have an active role in the celebration of the Eucharist, sometimes even in the smallest ways. I want to clarify that in my mind, active participation is more than just participation-- naturally we have a right to celebrate in the Eucharist-- but to make decisions and by doing so to shape the celebration into something we find spiritually fulfilling and validating. We're definitely not there, and the longing for a larger role has worn away a hole in my heart that prevents me from fully understanding and accepting my place in the Catholic church.

I'm a little scared about this you say about "the smile of Mary awakening the faith of Jesus". Jesus is God, he doesn't need no awakening of any faith because faith is only needed by non-God-body+human-soul beings.

This videos comes across as severely condescending and out-of-touch with the laity.

Thank you for your response, Your Excellency. With regard to the decision-making, I agree with you in the majority of cases. Ultimately, though, the average woman would be thinking about the high levels of governance within the church. We need to see women more *visibly* as leaders like parish administrators, diocesan chancellors, Vatican offices, and cardinals. I'm happy to say that my diocese is making strides on the former 2. Additionally, we need more men in the "lower levels" of faith formation, to be father figures. God bless your ministry. You're in my prayers.

The church doesn't pander (yet) to divorcees because divorce is clearly defined by both Moses and Jesus Christ as a sin. The time and place to discuss your divorce in church is at confession. I struggle with Catholicism because I find it fantastically foolish to give one human being so much credence and faith even if what he says contradicts scripture and one's own beliefs thereof other than Jesus Christ himself. However I do believe despite some of the things recent popes have said that Catholicism is the most biblical and also the most deeply theological in every facet. Stay that way, and God will provide by His word. Do not become the Church of England. A modernist social justice tool and social services provider working on the whim of the moral majority (the chaff) with God and the Bible taking a backseat. Where would Christians go then to be baptized and to engage in communal devotion to God if not the catholic church? The other denominations simply do not seem adequate. People remain faithful to the church because they are faithful to God but surely there is a better way than to give the church and indeed one man, whoever happens to be pope, such leeway and such tremendous power? Nobody should take precedent over Jesus Christ but it seems that the pope potentially could and if he decides to pander to sinners by saying they have not sinned and to throw away biblical traditions then sooner or latter that is what will happen. Have Catholics really progressed much further tan those who believed what the pope told them about murdering infidels being the path to heaven when the Christians tainted the Holy Land with rivers of blood over and over again? Simply because the commands these days might have a nicer gist to them is irrelevant to the Christ-like status that is in my view unduly given to the pope who is a sinner like the rest of us. As for the women leaving the church issue, what exactly is the solution? To pander to female concerns? Perhaps to soften the stance on abortion? To soften the stance on divorce so as to glorify single mothers? That would be a church as rotten as the others.

Unfortunately I don't find a role for women on the bible or church. The fact is, Jesus only had 12 male apostles, not one woman is found on his followers. If we look at the rules of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, when women had children or are in the monthly cycle, are consider unclean and not consider worthy to go to the temple of god. Mary role was to give birth, that is it. If we look at how can women serve the church, yes it is usually by serving, cleaning and nothing else. If we are women of a certain age, yes it is even worst. Many times I wonder if God does look at women as anything else that just one more thing put on this world to serve men and that might be the real truth in the end.

While I don't mean to trivialize the plight of women in the church, it seems like it's time for the pendulum to swing over to the other side, that is, to address the problem of men. While you briefly mention it, I am a little tired of hearing about women not having enough influence. You rightly pointed out that in parish life, women are running many, if not most, of the ministries as well as serving on many committees. This is true in my own parish in Kansas as well as it was when I lived in Florida and Indiana. What about the men? It appears to me that the Church is kind of floating along with the culture with this idea that women need to be more involved in everything (which isn't a bad thing). It's like when some women cry out against oppression when they have it better than they ever have. Women are outnumbering men in college and graduate school. They're also getting better jobs than ever before and at a higher rate than men. In many parishes, there are only female altar servers, lectors, etc. Yet, there is still a cry that more needs to be done. Meanwhile, men are walking away from anything involving a commitment or sacrifice. Women are doing great right now, which is wonderful, but my brothers are struggling big time. This is in the Church and in society. Sometimes all this about women seems to be a distraction because women are enjoying great influence, but the men are sitting on the sidelines.

If they want women priests look no further than the Episcopal Church. However, as far as a Jewish pope is concerned I'd welcome him. After all, Jesus head of the Church was Jewish. Peter our first Pope was Jewish, and I'm sure a few others after him were. Anti Semitism does not belong in these comments.