Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Clarification on Womyn Priestesses

Hey! Well, one of the commentors on my last "post" made a really good question up. He/She asked "what are you supposed to call womyn priestesses?" Well, there's a lot of confusion on this topic, so let me address it:

Think about the term "Doctor"... if you've got a man doctor who's last name is "Smith," you just call hym "Doctor Smith." Right? Well, if you've got a womyn doctor who's last name is "Smith," then you call hyr "Doctor Smith." Is there confusion? No, because Doctor Smith knows if he/she is a man or a womyn. So it should be the same way with priests/priestesses. Except that the word "Father" is a loaded word, carrying with it the oligarchical and patriarchical oppression of 2007 years.

This topic came up on my European Pilgrimage, and frankly, there were a lot of really good ideas thrown around. But did you know something? Up until about 100 years ago, priests in America weren't even called "Father." Instead, they were called "Dom", like "Dom Plarvik" or "Dom Kane." Even the word "Dom," though, has gender bigoted connotations, so the good peoples gathered at the Womynkirk conference had a really great idea. One, gender-neutral honorific for all priests/priestesses. There was a vote, and people thought that the best way to handle this was to use the gender-neuterfying letter "y" in place of the "o". So the movement has agreed that the honorific for all priests & priestesses is to be "Dym."

Thanks for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to share!

-Dym Plarvik

5 comments:

Sir Rev. Leonard Feeney, HKTTC said...

"what are you supposed to call womyn priestesses?"
How about "the funniest damn thing heretics have ever thought up?"

I mean, really, the weaker sex doing anything but birthing babies and making vittles? Preposterous!

Ye verily, I laugh myself silly anytime I see a woman in vestments--it's like seeing a horse in a wedding dress! Good for laughs, but little else...

Anonymous said...

Sir Rev Leo- my poor misguided soul,
you need to get bodhichitta or a "connection" if you will,with all beings. Feel the unlimited spaceousness of the SPVII and be one with us. I will save a seat for you on the bus. The sisters and I are going to Hippy Fest in NY. We are going to hold a peace mass complete with tye-dye vestments!See you there!

Sir Rev. Leonard Feeney, HKTTC said...

"Sister" peacetruck,
I assure thee, I will feel "one" with ye heretics after my sword makes firm contact with thy neck.

Yeh, I be most surprised ye hippie heretics be using petroleum-fueled buses for thy blasphemies. Don't those smelly fumes hurt thy mighty Mother Gaia?

Anonymous said...

Sir Rev Leo,
The sisters and I ride in a solar/wind powered ecobus. We had a lovely "sacristy sale", and managed to sell some gold nicknacks we found hanging around one of the "old fashioned" type churches in the parish. We even pawned some of those pesky altar rails! We call our bus "The Ark of the New Church". Sort of a "Gospel on Wheels" if you will. Cheers!

Mother Tissier de Mallerais, CRBLSSL said...

Oh, by the ghost of the Blarney Stone, sister, but I am a' gonna be sick!

Whatcha doin' pawning off God's altar rails! Next ya'll be sledehammering altars like a Lutheran heretic! Click, click! Bad form, indeed!