Women's Ordination Conference
A United States Catholic reform organization advocating the ordination of women as deacons, priests, and bishops.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) is a United States-based Catholic reform organization devoted to opening the Catholic Church's ordained ministries to women. Its stated focus encompasses the diaconate, priesthood, and episcopate, and its work combines public advocacy, conferences, theological discussion, historical research, coalition-building, and demonstrations. The organization operates within debates about women's roles in the Catholic Church rather than as a commercial brand or conventional service company. The initiative that became WOC began in 1974 when Mary B. Lynch asked people on her Christmas mailing list whether it was time to publicly ask, "Should Catholic women be priests?" Thirty-one women and one man responded affirmatively. Their response led to the creation of a task force and the planning of a national gathering. The first Women's Ordination Conference took place in Detroit, Michigan, over Thanksgiving weekend in 1975 and attracted nearly 2,000 participants. The scale of that meeting established the organization as a visible voice in the United States Catholic discussion about women's ministry. WOC increased its public profile during Pope John Paul II's first visit to the United States in 1979. Three of its leaders, including Ruth Fitzpatrick, organized an overnight candlelight vigil near the pope's lodging in Washington, D.C., before his appearance at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. At the basilica, Mercy Sister Theresa Kane, then president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, publicly urged the pope to permit women to serve in every ministry of the Church. Although Kane was not identified as a WOC leader, the episode illustrated the broader environment in which WOC pursued its advocacy. The organization has convened or co-convened additional gatherings in Baltimore in 1978, Washington, D.C., in 1995, Dublin in 2001, Ottawa in 2005, and Philadelphia in 2015. The international meetings in Dublin and Ottawa were organized in conjunction with Women's Ordination Worldwide, as was the Philadelphia gathering held shortly before Pope Francis's first visit to the United States. These conferences have provided settings for activists, theologians, and supporters to discuss biblical interpretation, church history, vocation, ecclesiology, and the political and social consequences of equal participation in church leadership. In October 2018, WOC organized a peaceful demonstration outside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome during the Fifteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, whose theme was young people, faith, and vocational discernment. Its "Votes for Catholic Women" campaign called for female leaders of religious communities to receive voting rights alongside male religious superiors at the synod. The campaign attracted support from both liberal and conservative quarters on that specific voting question. Reports described clashes between demonstrators from WOC and allied Catholic reform groups and Italian police. WOC's arguments draw on scripture, early Christian history, theology, and contemporary understandings of equality and vocation. Its leaders have cited the Pontifical Biblical Commission's 1976 conclusion that scripture does not provide a valid basis for excluding women from priestly ordination, and have argued that the pope could rely on that conclusion in reconsidering the issue. The organization also points to women's participation in Jesus's ministry, evidence of women's leadership in the early Church, the idea that women can represent Christ sacramentally, historical changes in Catholic ministry, and the authenticity of women's calls to ordained service. The organization is distinct from Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which is associated with women who have undergone purported ordinations outside the canonical structures recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. According to the referenced material, WOC members who attempt female Catholic ordination incur automatic excommunication under church canon law. As of June 2022, Kate McElwee was identified as WOC's executive director. WOC's records are held in the Marquette University Special Collections and University Archives, reflecting the organization's place in the history of Catholic feminist and church-reform activism.
History
The Women's Ordination Conference emerged from a question posed by Mary B. Lynch in 1974. She asked people on her Christmas list whether Catholic women should publicly seek admission to the priesthood. Thirty-one women and one man answered yes, prompting the formation of a task force and the organization of a national meeting. The resulting gathering took place in Detroit during Thanksgiving weekend in 1975 and attracted almost 2,000 people. This meeting is treated as the foundation of WOC and gave the women's-ordination movement a prominent national platform in the United States. WOC's early public activism became especially visible in 1979, when Pope John Paul II made his first visit to the United States. Three WOC leaders, including Ruth Fitzpatrick, held an all-night candlelight vigil near the pope's overnight location in Washington, D.C. The following day, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Mercy Sister Theresa Kane—then head of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious—asked the pope to allow women to participate in every ministry of the Catholic Church. The event connected WOC's campaign with a broader movement among Catholic women religious and reform advocates. Fitzpatrick served as WOC's national coordinator in 1977–1978 and returned to the position for a decade beginning in 1985. The organization continued to use conferences as a principal means of movement-building. It held meetings in Baltimore in 1978 and Washington, D.C., in 1995. It also developed international links through Women's Ordination Worldwide, co-hosting conferences in Dublin in 2001 and Ottawa in 2005. In September 2015, the two organizations held another gathering in Philadelphia shortly before Pope Francis's first visit to the United States. The organization's advocacy is grounded in a combination of biblical interpretation, Catholic theology, church history, and arguments about equal leadership. WOC has emphasized Jesus's inclusion of women among his ministry partners, historical evidence of women's leadership in early Christian communities, and the claim that women can represent Christ in ordained ministry. Its leaders have also invoked the Pontifical Biblical Commission's 1976 finding that scripture does not establish a valid reason to exclude women from priestly ordination. WOC presents women's vocations as authentic and argues that the Church's forms of ministry have changed over time. In October 2018, WOC brought its activism to Rome during the Fifteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Its "Votes for Catholic Women" initiative sought voting rights at the synod for female religious superiors alongside male religious superiors. The campaign received support from people with differing positions on other church issues, but the protest became contentious when WOC members and other Catholic reform activists reportedly clashed with Italian police outside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. WOC remains an advocacy and educational organization rather than a sacramental authority within the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Its work should be distinguished from the activities of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, whose attempted ordinations are not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. The referenced account states that WOC members who attempt female ordination incur automatic excommunication under Catholic canon law. By June 2022, Kate McElwee was serving as executive director. The preservation of WOC's records at Marquette University places the group within the documented history of Catholic feminist organizing and church-reform movements.
- 2018
Rome protest for women's synod voting rights
[1]WOC organized the "Votes for Catholic Women" demonstration during the synod on young people, faith, and vocational discernment.
- 2015
Philadelphia conference
[1]WOC and Women's Ordination Worldwide organized a conference in Philadelphia before Pope Francis's first visit to the United States.
- 2005
International conference in Ottawa
[1]WOC and Women's Ordination Worldwide held a joint conference in Ottawa, Canada.
- 2001
International conference in Dublin
[1]WOC and Women's Ordination Worldwide held a joint conference in Dublin, Ireland.
- 1979
Candlelight vigil during papal visit
[1]WOC leaders organized an overnight vigil in Washington, D.C., during Pope John Paul II's first visit to the United States.
- 1977
Ruth Fitzpatrick becomes national coordinator
[1]Ruth Fitzpatrick served as national coordinator from 1977 to 1978 and later returned to the role beginning in 1985.
- 1975
First Women's Ordination Conference held in Detroit
[1]The inaugural national meeting took place in Detroit during Thanksgiving weekend and attracted nearly 2,000 participants.
- 1974
Founding idea emerges
[1]Mary B. Lynch asked members of her Christmas mailing list whether Catholic women should publicly seek ordination, leading to a task force after 31 women and one man responded affirmatively.
Products and positioning
A Catholic feminist and church-reform advocacy organization focused specifically on women's access to ordained ministry and equal participation in Catholic leadership.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Votes for Catholic Women
Italy · International Catholic Church
The campaign called for female superiors of religious communities to receive voting rights at the Synod of Bishops alongside male religious superiors.
Outcome. The campaign received support from both liberal and conservative constituencies on the voting issue. The associated protest was followed by reported clashes with Italian police.
- 1979Washington candlelight vigil
United States
WOC leaders held an overnight vigil during Pope John Paul II's first U.S. visit to publicly draw attention to women's exclusion from ordained ministry.
Outcome. The vigil increased the visibility of the women's-ordination question during a major papal visit, though no change in Catholic ordination policy followed.
Recent events
- 2018
WOC organizes 'Votes for Catholic Women' protest in Rome[1]
Campaign · Other
During the synod on young people, faith, and vocational discernment, WOC organized a demonstration outside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith seeking voting rights for women religious superiors. Reports described clashes between protesters and Italian police.
- 1979
WOC holds candlelight vigil during Pope John Paul II's first U.S. visit[1]
Campaign
WOC leaders, including Ruth Fitzpatrick, led an overnight vigil in Washington, D.C., during the pope's first visit to the United States.
- 1975
Women's Ordination Conference founded after first national gathering[1]
Other
The inaugural conference was held in Detroit over Thanksgiving weekend and drew nearly 2,000 participants, establishing a national organization devoted to women's ordination in the Catholic Church.
Sources2 sources
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