About the Community of St. Bridget
We are a member-led Catholic Eucharistic Community rooted in Catholic tradition and guided by the Holy Spirit. We welcome you to join us, especially if you feel marginalized by an institutional church.
Seeking truth and justice, we support Catholic women who have been called to the priesthood by God and their communities. In the Cleveland area we have three active priests and a deacon. Since 2014, women priests have presided at liturgy with the worshiping community known as the Community of St. Bridget, an inclusive Catholic community. Housed in the Brecksville United Church of Christ, the community celebrates in person and zoom liturgies.
“Inclusive” is important to the Community of St. Bridget. We like James Joyce’s famous sentiment: “Catholic means: Here comes everybody.” When we say that all are welcome, we mean that all are welcome! No matter your marital status, sex or sexual orientation or identity, your age, race, national origin or religion, we would love to have you come worship with us!
In addition to regular liturgies, our priests are also available to preside at home liturgies, and have a full sacramental ministry that also includes visiting the sick and homebound and presiding at funerals. Please contact them to make arrangements.
Seeking truth and justice, we support Catholic women who have been called to the priesthood by God and their communities. In the Cleveland area we have three active priests and a deacon. Since 2014, women priests have presided at liturgy with the worshiping community known as the Community of St. Bridget, an inclusive Catholic community. Housed in the Brecksville United Church of Christ, the community celebrates in person and zoom liturgies.
“Inclusive” is important to the Community of St. Bridget. We like James Joyce’s famous sentiment: “Catholic means: Here comes everybody.” When we say that all are welcome, we mean that all are welcome! No matter your marital status, sex or sexual orientation or identity, your age, race, national origin or religion, we would love to have you come worship with us!
In addition to regular liturgies, our priests are also available to preside at home liturgies, and have a full sacramental ministry that also includes visiting the sick and homebound and presiding at funerals. Please contact them to make arrangements.
About Cleveland area Catholic women priests
We deeply believe that women are called by God and their communities to the priesthood. We are fortunate to have several ordained Catholic Women Priests in Northeast Ohio: Mary Eileen Collingwood * Rose Gordyan * Dagmar Celeste * Susan Guzik
About ordained Catholic women
An international movement to ordain Catholic women began in 2002 with the valid ordination of seven women, now known as the Danube Seven. In the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America, Africa and Asia, the movement currently consists of nearly 300 ordained women priests and about a dozen ordained women bishops. Most ordained Catholic women in the US are affiliated with either Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA (RCWP) or the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP).
If you would like to learn more about the women priest movement, there is an award winning documentary, Pink Smoke over the Vatican, (Watch YouTube trailer) that can be made available for you or your group to see and discuss. Please contact us.
If you would like to learn more about the women priest movement, there is an award winning documentary, Pink Smoke over the Vatican, (Watch YouTube trailer) that can be made available for you or your group to see and discuss. Please contact us.
About St. Bridget
Brigid the Saint, as well as Brighid, the great triple goddess of the Celtic people, became most famous as St. Brigid of Kildare, known to the Irish as “Mary of the Gael,” and is venerated as the patron saint of Ireland.
St. Brigid is the patroness of Ireland as well as the ancient Brighid, the “High One”, who creates, heals and guides her lands in peace. The Celtic Brighid was not only patron of the arts, midwifery, farming, wood and metalworking, but she was first and foremost a visionary community builder.
Some say that there are three Brigids: one in charge of poetry and inspiration who invented the Ogham alphabet, one in charge of healing and midwifery, and the third in charge of the hearth fire, smithies and other crafts. This indicates the separate aspects of her trinitarian nature of maiden, mother and crone.
Brigid was born in County Louth, in the province of Leinster and may have been baptized by St. Patrick. She founded the Monastery of Kildare, the first religious house of women in Ireland, which later became a center of learning and religion for both women and men. St. Brigid was known for her concern for the poor and the hungry, always giving to those in need.
Many legends are told about Brigid. Her mantle was said to be the color of tyrian purple and when spread at the order of her bishop to determine the size of land he was going to gift her with, it grew until it covered such a large territory that she became the most powerful abbess in all of Ireland. Furthermore, when Bishop Mel celebrated her installation as the Abbess of Kildare, he used the wrong formula and consecrated her a bishop instead. Brigid remained a validly ordained bishop for the rest of her days. We claim her together with St. Therese of Lisieux as patron saint of all those women called to ordination, especially those still denied access to this sacrament by their churches, as well as those still denied full participation in other religious and spiritual communities.
Many different spellings of Brigid have come down through the ages. The Community of St. Bridget uses the most popular spelling in the Western Hemisphere. We celebrate her Feast Day each year on February 1. Crosses made from the rushes of Kildare, Ireland, are often used as a symbol of her ministry. As such, the Community of St. Bridget uses her cross as the symbol of our local ministry in Northeast Ohio
St. Brigid is the patroness of Ireland as well as the ancient Brighid, the “High One”, who creates, heals and guides her lands in peace. The Celtic Brighid was not only patron of the arts, midwifery, farming, wood and metalworking, but she was first and foremost a visionary community builder.
Some say that there are three Brigids: one in charge of poetry and inspiration who invented the Ogham alphabet, one in charge of healing and midwifery, and the third in charge of the hearth fire, smithies and other crafts. This indicates the separate aspects of her trinitarian nature of maiden, mother and crone.
Brigid was born in County Louth, in the province of Leinster and may have been baptized by St. Patrick. She founded the Monastery of Kildare, the first religious house of women in Ireland, which later became a center of learning and religion for both women and men. St. Brigid was known for her concern for the poor and the hungry, always giving to those in need.
Many legends are told about Brigid. Her mantle was said to be the color of tyrian purple and when spread at the order of her bishop to determine the size of land he was going to gift her with, it grew until it covered such a large territory that she became the most powerful abbess in all of Ireland. Furthermore, when Bishop Mel celebrated her installation as the Abbess of Kildare, he used the wrong formula and consecrated her a bishop instead. Brigid remained a validly ordained bishop for the rest of her days. We claim her together with St. Therese of Lisieux as patron saint of all those women called to ordination, especially those still denied access to this sacrament by their churches, as well as those still denied full participation in other religious and spiritual communities.
Many different spellings of Brigid have come down through the ages. The Community of St. Bridget uses the most popular spelling in the Western Hemisphere. We celebrate her Feast Day each year on February 1. Crosses made from the rushes of Kildare, Ireland, are often used as a symbol of her ministry. As such, the Community of St. Bridget uses her cross as the symbol of our local ministry in Northeast Ohio
About our Sister Community
In 2020 we established a Sister Community relationship with Sunday’s Bread Inclusive Catholic Worship Community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
About our relationship with the Roman Catholic Church
Many of us in the Community of St. Bridget identify as Roman Catholic people. However, according to current canon law, the Community of St. Bridget has no legal relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. We do follow Roman Catholic ritual and faith tradition.