The priest who wanted to "make it rich" in oil fields fights for peace- Father Roy: the Value & Role of Women in Religious Leadership

Again, there is no time today for me to properly reflect on and to comment regarding the topic proposed in the subject heading for this post - yet I must note here the amazing breakthroughs that have become now possible in the Roman Catholic branch of Christianity for women in a large way because of one humble man who has worked tirelessly for justice and peace. This spirited yet rather ego-less man, Father Roy Bourgeous,co-founded the School of the Americas Watch movement which may soon finally have achieved the closing of the torture center, a military school which has trained in the name of the USA, military persons from other lands to DISRESPECT both democracy and human rights. lATELY, he's also speaking out clearly and with deference to his Lord, Jesus as well as with respect for other Catholic and religious throughout history for the ORDINATION OF WOMEN IN THE PRIESTHOOD.

This is amazing event for balance between male and female leadership as well as peace-making with justice of which leaders among all the faiths and more would do well to take heed and follow suit...

LET'S BEGIN A CONVERSATION NOW to continue through-out 2009....

Go here to find out more...note the many interesting COMMENTS as well...

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Here's just a collage of early to recent bio items about Father Roy

(This one is pretty old yet quite enlightening...)
Roy Bourgeois was raised in a small town in Louisiana. When his quest to "make it rich" in the oil fields was cut short by the Vietnam war, Bourgeois enlisted in the Navy and was awarded the Purple Heart after he was wounded in a bombing raid that killed several of his friends. After being discharged, he "decided to put the life of a warrior behind" him, and entered the seminary of the Maryknoll Missionary order and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1972, while continuing to support the war in Vietnam. However, after four years in the seminary, he joined with a group of veterans opposing the war, eventually turning in his Purple Heart in Washington D.C. After receiving death threats for speaking out against human rights abuses in Bolivia-where he worked with the poor for five years-Father Roy returned to the U.S. and became increasingly aware of the atrocities in El Salvador and their link to the School of the Americas.

Leading hunger strikes, entering Fort Benning illegally, holding peaceful vigils, demonstrating on the steps of the Capitol, and traveling the country to talk to anyone who would listen, Father Roy has helped to educate the public and Congress about the rippling implications of U.S. military policy in Latin America. He asks the public to consider that if soldiers at Fort Benning are being trained to engage in counter-insurgency warfare, who are these "insurgents" who speak out against non-democratically-elected governments? He says they are the poor, the reformers, the landless peasants, the healthcare workers, the human rights organizers. And just who are the esteemed graduates of the School? The roster includes Bolivian dictator General Hugo Banzer; former Panamanian "strong man" Manuel Noriega (now serving 40 years in a U.S. prison); and the leader of El Salvador's infamous death squads, Roberto d'Aubuisson.

While few of the School's murderous alumni have been brought to justice, Father Roy has served over three and a half years in jail for his non-violent protests. On January 21, 1998, he was sentenced to serve six months in prison and fined $3,000, joining 21 "repeat offenders" (having been previously barred from the military base), the majority of whom are over 60 years of age.

As FATHER ROY: INSIDE THE SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS profiles Father Roy Bourgeois, it examines how the undaunting determination of a single person can help enlighten and inspire thousands against a system that has specialized in preserving secrecy, proffering denials and wrongfully claiming innocence.

ROBERT RICHTER (Producer, Director, Writer)

Mr. Richter has received death threats if he reveals the identity of one of the interviewees and where he was filmed for this documentary. Richter has three Academy Award nominations for best documentary short, and won numerous other awards and accolades including Emmy Awards, three duPont-Columbia Broadcast Journalism Awards, the Peabody Award and several national and international film festival prizes. Richter has produced and directed for PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC as well as many overseas television outlets. He is one of the few producers from the famed Edward R. Murrow-Fred Friendly CBS Reports unit still actively producing documentaries. His independent series on globalization policies include: For Export Only: Pesticides and Pills; Hungry for Profit; Can Tropical Rainforests be Saved?; The Money Lenders; and Increase and Multiply? In 1989, he was honored with a Global 500 Award from the United Nations Environment Program for his broad range of environmental productions, the only independent producer in the world to be so recognized. Previously for PBS, he produced Ben Spock-Baby Doctor; Who Shot President Kennedy; A Plague on Our Children; and Incident at Browns Ferry for the "NOVA" series. Among Richter's most recent projects are Banking on Life and Debt; The Cronkite Report-Outer Space: Can We Afford to Go?; and Backlash in the Wild.

Find more items here:

Recent Interview on Democracy Now!
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