About Us

OCW was founded in 1993 by Dr. Marie Louise Uhr and Zoe Hancock.

Sadly, Marie Louise died 28 July 2001, having led OCW for eight years as national convener. In memory of Marie Louise OCW is using a bequest made by her to endow an award for a woman student of theology.

OCW’s annual conferences, publications, media releases, lectures, seminars and public actions are undertaken to support women’s call to ordination within a renewed ordained ministry.

OCW provides spokespersons for television and radio news and talk-back shows, and material for print journalists.

OCW sees opportunities to shape change in the Church and increase the participation of women in decision-making in the Church.

`Women Baptized, Women Ordained`

In recent years the purple stole has become an internationally recognized symbol for Women’s Ordination. OCW members wear purple stoles in precincts on significant days, for example the International Day of Prayer for Women’s Ordination.

OCW maintains links with international organizations committed to the ordination of women OCW representatives have attended conferences in the United States and Europe. OCW is a signatory to the eleven resolutions passed at the inaugural conference of Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) held in Dublin, July 2001. OCW has a representative on the WOW Committee and attends annual international meetings.

If you support OCW’s efforts for change in the Church please join us.

Membership form

National Convenor 2008 Marilyn Hatton BA. App Sci, M. Litt, RN Mother of three, Marilyn Hatton's professional background is in public and social policy. Her interests include education, sustainable societies and environments, and transference of the Catholic faith to future generations.
Associate Convenor Josie Gregory BA, Grad Dip Rel Studies, MA Theol Josie has been married forty years and is mother of 5 adult children. She has been a church organist on and off, since the age of 14, hence she has a passionate interest in vibrant, authentic liturgy and worthwhile liturgical music. Her current interest is in the field of Spirituality and retreat giving, which is the content of her MA in Theology.
Associate Convenor Joelle Battestini MA Joelle Battestini,a mother and grandmother, is a retired lecturer still engaged in research on French/Australian expatriate women. Trained in adult education in London, Joelle came to Australia and taught French at the University of NSW for 22 years. She also lectured at Uni NSW on non-verbal language and cross-cultural communication. Joelle is committed to gender equality in the Catholic Church, to inclusive language, and to a spirituality which reflects feminine aspects of the divine.
Editor/Webweaver Ruth Dunnicliff-Hagan BSc(Hons), MSc, Grad. Dip. Ed., MA (Theol) Ruth is a musician, and a proud mother of one. She teaches high school part time. Ruth is passionate about ecumenism, spirituality and social justice. A calling to ministry led her to work in university chaplaincy and as Contemporary Worship Co-ordinator in a Uniting Church parish in Canberra. She and husband Anthony worship in two parishes - one Catholic, the other Uniting Church. Ruth hopes to pursue further theological study in the near future.
Executive Council Ann Ryan Dip.Theol. Membership Convenor Ann Ryan was born in Sheffield in the UK and was educated by the Notre Dame Sisters and at Sheffield University. Ann and her husband moved to Tasmania where she worked in science education and in academic research. After a series of family tragedies, Ann began studying theology. She holds a Dip Theol and is currently working towards her Diploma in Pastoral Ministry.
Elisabeth Dunnicliff Treasurer
Judi Vassarotti Public Officer
Gabrielle Wright Secretary
Frances Moore Web Manager

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