Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger
Encyclopedia
Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger (born 1956 in Linz
, Austria
) is a teacher
and former Benedictine
nun
who was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church
when she and six others were allegedly, though not canonically or validly, ordained as priest
s by an Independent Catholic Bishop in 2002, called herself a Roman Catholic priest and refused to recant. She was ordained a bishop
in 2003 along with Gisela Forster, although the identity of the supposedly Roman Catholic bishops who allegedly ordained them remains a secret. Her motivation is to promote the ordination of women
within the Roman Catholic Church. This "ordination" was invalid, as was her "ordination" to the priesthood, because the Catholic Church does not and cannot ordain women.
. When she was 14, she was allowed to serve unofficially (against liturgical regulations at the time, though now permitted) in her local parish as an altar server
, though she was not allowed to wear the cotta
.
of the Benedictines of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Steinerkirchen and was given the religious name of "Marie Christin". Though she wanted to study theology
, after her initial two years in the convent she was instead sent back to Linz to study to become a religion teacher. During her final year of study, she was working at a school for special needs children where she met a divorcee whom she fell in love with. After completing her studies, she left religious life without dispensation and married him in a non-Catholic ceremony. As such, her marriage is not recognized by the Catholic Church. Because she had abandoned the convent and married a divorced man, she was unable to find subsequent work with the Church.
teachers and then as a teacher in a special needs school. Though she was in some ways outcast, she continued to be active in her local parish and with volunteer work. It was at this time that she began to perform liturgies and to volunteer as a priest at the local hospital and for those that wanted her services. Gradually, she became bolder and, although she was not ordained to any order, she began to celebrate mass with friends and perform other priestly functions.
, a former Roman Catholic bishop from Argentina
who left the Roman Catholic Church out of disagreement with the anti-liberation theology of the Vatican to join the Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of “Jesus the King”
. In the media, the ordained women were called the Danube Seven
because they were ordained on the Danube River near the town of Passau
on the border between Germany
and Austria. On 21 December 2002, after refusing to acknowledge the Vatican decree declaring these ordinations void, she and the others incurred excommunication. It is of note that she had already been acting as a priest before this ordination, an act which many even in the Independent Catholic communities find inappropriate.
In 2003, Mayr-Lumetzberger took the next step, despite her excommunication, and was ordained a bishop at a secret ceremony. It has not yet been revealed which bishop ordained her or even if the bishop is a Roman Catholic bishop and if there were any witnesses to such a consecration.
After being ordained a bishop, she subsequently ordained several other women priests over the years, including an ordination of women from the United States and Canada on the St. Lawrence River in 2005. These ordinations are not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Many Independent Catholic jurisdictions would not consider their ordinations unique as many of the Independent Catholic jurisdictions have been ordaining Catholic Women Priests since at least the 1990s.
On Sunday, June 28, 2009, Mayr-Lumetzberger was refused communion by Bishop Ludwig Schwarz
in the Parish of St. Peter in Linz
, because of her excommunication. Mayr-Lumetzberger, who was dressed as a bishop, was suggested by the Bishop Ludwig Schwarz not to come to receive communion, because he could not distribute it to her. Regardless of the bishop's suggestions she came and took the host from the ciborium herself.
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) is a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and former Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
who was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
when she and six others were allegedly, though not canonically or validly, ordained as priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s by an Independent Catholic Bishop in 2002, called herself a Roman Catholic priest and refused to recant. She was ordained a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in 2003 along with Gisela Forster, although the identity of the supposedly Roman Catholic bishops who allegedly ordained them remains a secret. Her motivation is to promote the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
within the Roman Catholic Church. This "ordination" was invalid, as was her "ordination" to the priesthood, because the Catholic Church does not and cannot ordain women.
Early life
Mayr-Lumetzberger grew up in Linz with religious parents and attended a Roman Catholic school run by the Holy Cross Sisters. Though she and her parents did not always see eye-to-eye, she was very active in her local parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
. When she was 14, she was allowed to serve unofficially (against liturgical regulations at the time, though now permitted) in her local parish as an altar server
Altar server
An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian religious service. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell and so on....
, though she was not allowed to wear the cotta
Surplice
A surplice is a liturgical vestment of the Western Christian Church...
.
Convent period
After leaving school, Mayr-Lumetzberger left to join the conventConvent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of the Benedictines of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Steinerkirchen and was given the religious name of "Marie Christin". Though she wanted to study theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, after her initial two years in the convent she was instead sent back to Linz to study to become a religion teacher. During her final year of study, she was working at a school for special needs children where she met a divorcee whom she fell in love with. After completing her studies, she left religious life without dispensation and married him in a non-Catholic ceremony. As such, her marriage is not recognized by the Catholic Church. Because she had abandoned the convent and married a divorced man, she was unable to find subsequent work with the Church.
Teaching career
In her professional life, Mayr-Lumetzberger eventually got a job training kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
teachers and then as a teacher in a special needs school. Though she was in some ways outcast, she continued to be active in her local parish and with volunteer work. It was at this time that she began to perform liturgies and to volunteer as a priest at the local hospital and for those that wanted her services. Gradually, she became bolder and, although she was not ordained to any order, she began to celebrate mass with friends and perform other priestly functions.
Ordaination
On 29 June 2002, Mayr-Lumetzberger and six others were ordained priests by Independent Catholic Bishop Rómulo Antonio BraschiRómulo Antonio Braschi
Rómulo Antonio Braschi is an Argentine Independent Catholic bishop, not in communion with the Vatican.Born in Buenos Aires, and ordained a Roman Catholic priest in August 1966, he was associated with members of the worker-priest movement in Argentina and the Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer...
, a former Roman Catholic bishop from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
who left the Roman Catholic Church out of disagreement with the anti-liberation theology of the Vatican to join the Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of “Jesus the King”
Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of “Jesus the King”
The Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of "Jesus the King" is an independent international religious association of Catholic origin and character, with headquarters and legal recognition in Munich, Germany.It has been described as a derivative movement of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church...
. In the media, the ordained women were called the Danube Seven
Danube Seven
The Danube Seven are a group of seven women from Germany, Austria and the United States who were ordained on a ship on the Danube on 29 June 2002 by Rómulo Antonio Braschi, an Independent Catholic bishop whose own episcopal ordination was considered 'valid but...
because they were ordained on the Danube River near the town of Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
on the border between Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria. On 21 December 2002, after refusing to acknowledge the Vatican decree declaring these ordinations void, she and the others incurred excommunication. It is of note that she had already been acting as a priest before this ordination, an act which many even in the Independent Catholic communities find inappropriate.
In 2003, Mayr-Lumetzberger took the next step, despite her excommunication, and was ordained a bishop at a secret ceremony. It has not yet been revealed which bishop ordained her or even if the bishop is a Roman Catholic bishop and if there were any witnesses to such a consecration.
After being ordained a bishop, she subsequently ordained several other women priests over the years, including an ordination of women from the United States and Canada on the St. Lawrence River in 2005. These ordinations are not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Many Independent Catholic jurisdictions would not consider their ordinations unique as many of the Independent Catholic jurisdictions have been ordaining Catholic Women Priests since at least the 1990s.
On Sunday, June 28, 2009, Mayr-Lumetzberger was refused communion by Bishop Ludwig Schwarz
Ludwig Schwarz
Ludwig Schwarz, S.D.B. is the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Linz, Austria.-Life:Ludwig Schwarz was the first of nine children and grew up in Most pri Bratislave. After the expulsion of his family from Slovakia in 1945, he arrived in Vienna, where he attended primary school...
in the Parish of St. Peter in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, because of her excommunication. Mayr-Lumetzberger, who was dressed as a bishop, was suggested by the Bishop Ludwig Schwarz not to come to receive communion, because he could not distribute it to her. Regardless of the bishop's suggestions she came and took the host from the ciborium herself.