– COMMUNITY –


Local woman ordained priest by rogue movement


knees and beg for forgiveness.” The Roman Catholic Women


Priests have been excommuni- cated from the church due to their breaking of church laws. How- ever, according to Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, they are following teachings and literature of Christ that have been forgotten. “Our movement is a bridge to-


wards being more inclusive. A justice movement,” Bishop Bridg- et Mary Meehan said during the ordination. Following her ordination, El-


ztron intends to create and lead her own church within the Ashe- ville community. So far there has seen support for this goal by fel- low women priests in the area and locals. “Core teaching: God is Love.


What God does is Love,” Elztron said. “Everything beyond that is detail.”


Asheville Pet Supply


Since 1991


Holistic Foods & Treats


Herbal remedies Flower Essences


Homeopathic Remedies


Pet Relief CBD Oil & Edibles


Organic Mushroom Supplements


1451 Merrimon Avenue Just North of Beaver Lake


828.252.2054


Kaitlyn Buckner WALK-INS WELCOME


at New Creations Salon


635 Carl Eller Rd #4 Mars Hill, NC


(828) 689-4122 TUESDAY-FRIDAY 10-5 | SATURDAY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY


We are so Pleased and Excited to Welcome Joe Sommerich, DVM to our practice starting April 2017!!


(828) 645-1616


Weaverville’s Abigail Eltzorth, a female priest was recently ordained in Asheville Weaverville – The Catholic


church has not been known to have female priests. Often female members of the church go into the nunnery, and none are tru-


BY Erin Dalton


ly ordained like their male coun- terparts. “The Women Priests movement


began in 2002 when seven women were ordained on a boat on the Danube River,” said Weaver- ville’s Abigail Eltzorth, a female priest recently ordained in Ashe- ville. “That’s a great story, isn’t it? They found a rogue Roman Catholic bishop to ordain them.” The purpose behind the rogue


priest’s actions was to spread the movement of women serving as priests, equal to the men of the church. Eltzorth has been a member of


the church all her life, attending seminary at Washington Theo- logical Union


in Washington,


D.C. Even in those years, there was a noticeable difference in how the male students were treat- ed in comparison to the women, according to Eltzorth. Following


www.leicesterleader.com


her schooling she became a jail chaplain in Saginaw, Michigan and then a pastoral associate at Fort Peck Indian Reservation. “Even in those undesirable as-


signments, it felt like the stained glass ceiling was always present,” Elzorth said. “The hierarchy, the seemingly opaque arbitrary deci- sions were always there.” The


experiences themselves


were not undesirable or bad, Elz- tron explained. It was the element of the hierarchy and not being permitted to be a priest, despite her devotion and talents she of- fered to the church. She would al- ways be considered number two, according to Elztron. Coming to this understanding, Elztron left the Catholic church to join and attend school for the United Methodist’s ministry. After her schooling she was recruited to work in Nebraska as a pastor. “I never considered that I ac-


tually left the Catholic church,” Elztron said. “I think it’s very dif- ficult to actually leave. I just may be considered a bad Catholic by some.” After a few years working as a pastor in small towns, the female


priest would leave United Meth- odist and return to the Catholic church. During that transition, she moved to Asheville where her daughter currently lives. Once in Asheville, she found the Women Priests, and began their ordina- tion program. “They are very progressive,


very welcoming, and very inclu- sive,” Elztron said. “Also it’s a wonderful tradition, and there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to stand up and proclaim ourselves leaders of that church.” The Women Priests of the Cath-


olic church have over 145 Ro- man Catholic women worldwide within their movement, according to the Roman Catholic Women Priests website. Elztron joined this order officially as of April 30, 2017 when she was ordained by a fellow female bishop at Jubilee on Wall Street in downtown Ashe- ville. “They embrace a theology that


we are original blessings,” Elz- tron said, “that we are not origi- nal sins. That’s just a wonderful, wonderful theology that we are already blessed by God, and we don’t have to get on our hands and


Compassionate Care


Providing Progressive


For Your Pet


He was raised in the St Louis area, went to high school in Omaha and did his undergraduate work at University of Colorado in Boulder. He attended veterinary school at NCSU in Raleigh, and graduated in 2000. He has practiced small animal medicine in WNC for the past 16 years and he expects to spend the rest of his life here. Although his main focus as a veterinarian has always been to help pets live long and healthy lives through good preventive medicine, his special interests include surgery, dermatology, oncology and internal medicine. His family includes his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Emily, as well as four dogs, three cats, five goats and a flock of chickens.


Weaverville, NC 28787


Open M-F: 8AM-5PM 18 Moore Street


You


YOUR TRUSTED REAL ESTATE ADVISOR Jan Rector ABR, CRS


jrector@beverly-hanks.com 828-712-7437


May 4 - May 10, 2017 - THE TRIBUNE/LEADER 3


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16