Two Palm Coast women will be ordained priests Saturday in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, an independent group that claims ties to the Roman Catholic Church.
Miriam Picconi and Wanda Russell will be ordained by Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan of Sarasota at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Ormond Beach, said a press release from the association.
Picconi spent 25 years with the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity and has a Masters in Religious Studies, according to the press release.
Russell, who has a married daughter, has a degree in psychology and has been a social worker for 25 years.
Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the Catholic Church's ban on women priests in a sermon on Thursday, according to media reports.
In 2008, The Vatican declared that any bishop who attempts to ordain women and any women who attempt to be ordained are automatically excommunicated, according to an
article at the Catholic News Agency website.
The Catholic Church disavows any connection with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.