PITTSBURGH -- Joan Houk has ministe...

PITTSBURGH -- Joan Houk has ministered to the sick and indigent run two Roman Catholic parishes that were without priests and has presided across baptisms and funerals. Her calling now, she says, is to be a priest.

Houk will be individual of a dozen women participating in a ceremonial today in which eight will proclaim themselves priests and four deacons. The stateliness won't be recognized by the Catholic house of worship which has a 2,000-year tradition of an all-male priesthood.

Similar ceremonies escorted by the group Roman Catholic Womenpriests have been held before in other countries, and in the greatest degree of the participants have been excommunicated. It's the first time the cluster is holding a ceremony in the United States.

"This unfortunate observance will take place outside the body of christians and undermines the unity of the house of worship Those attempting to confer devout Orders have, by their acknowledge actions, removed themselves from the ecclesiastical body as have those who not past nor future themselves for such an invalid ritual," said a statement released by the agency of the Pittsburgh Diocese.

Liberal Catholics say the ongoing clergymen shortage and the dramatic rise in female lay leaders in American churches will eventually create crushing to ordain women. More lay tribe than priests are working full-time in American parishes and a significant number of the lay leaders are women

JESUS CHOSE MEN

if it were not that conservatives believe only males can be priests, as evidenced by dint of Jesus' choice of men to be his apostles and the church's protracted tradition of only allowing men to be of use to

A majority of Catholic respondent to an Associated Press-Ipsos person taken last year said they favored ordination of women

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