Stowe proceeds despite USCCB not approving a change in its national policy.
Nearly four years since Pope Francis changed canon law to allow women to be installed as lectors and acolytes, some dioceses are now moving ahead with ceremonies to formally recognize women in those instituted lay ministries.
“I waited long enough to get any direction from the USCCB,” Bishop John Stowe said, referring to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has yet to promulgate new guidelines and norms on the expanded lay ministries.
Stowe installed three women as acolytes during Mass on Nov. 24 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in his Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. Following his homily, Stowe imparted a blessing onto the acolytes, who typically assist priests in distributing Communion and preparing the altar during Mass.
“It was a nice day to recognize the ministry that these women have already accomplished,” Stowe told National Catholic Reporter. “I would have liked to have done it sooner.”
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