On a brutally hot morning this month, Joan Clark Houk was preparing for out-of-town journeys, first to New York City and then to Minneapolis, Minn.

Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Joan Clark Houk, in her McCandless home, plans to attend several ordinations by Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Why Can't Women Be Priests in the Roman Catholic Church? Tradition and Sacred Scripture: Theological Sources for Understanding the Priesthood of Jesus Christ Previous coverage Diocese to report to Rome on women's 'ordination' Group ordains 8 women as priests

"This summer I have a lot of traveling with these ordinations," she said while sitting at her round pine dining room table.

The McCandless woman made news last summer when she joined 11 other women aboard the Majestic, a boat in the Gateway Clipper Fleet. There, Mrs. Houk and the other women were ordained as part of a movement called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which started ordaining women as priests and deacons in 2002.

During that Sunday afternoon river cruise a year ago today, the 12 women participated in the first ceremony of its kind in the United States. After three women dressed in white vestments laid their hands on the heads of the 12 women and anointed their hands with oil, eight were named priests and four became deacons.

While the Vatican does not recognize the ordinations, the Womenpriests movement, which began in Europe, has grown, with ceremonies being held this year in Santa Barbara, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; New York City; Minneapolis, Minn. and Toronto, Ontario.

Among the organization's bishops is Patricia Fresen, a former 45-year member of the Dominican nuns. She left her order in 2004 after being ordained in a secret ceremony in Barcelona, Spain.

She and other group leaders believe they are part of the church's valid apostolic succession because, they say, Roman Catholic bishops in good standing ordained them secretly. The women refuse to name those bishops, to protect them from reprisals by Vatican authorities in Rome.

To this day, Mrs. Houk has never received a formal notice of excommunication from the Diocese of Pittsburgh or the Vatican. But, before last year's ceremony was held, local diocesan officials stated that the women were, by their actions, walking away from the church.

John Heller, Post-Gazette Joan Clark Houk celebrates Mass at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Washington on Bailey Avenue. Click photo for larger image.

Last October, Mrs. Houk celebrated a Mass at Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church in Avalon. That's when diocesan officials said she had broken Canon 1378, which prohibits people who are not ordained from offering Mass. The penalty, called an interdict, bars her from receiving the sacraments.

On Sundays, Mrs. Houk attends Mass at St. Alexis parish in McCandless but she does not go up to the altar to receive communion.

"By attending weekly Mass at St. Alexis, I stay connected to the church, to the diocese," she said.

To demonstrate solidarity with his wife, John Houk, a retired civil engineer, does not take communion, either.

After last year's ceremony, Mrs. Houk became the administrator for the Midwest region of Roman Catholic Womenpriests.

"My function is to help coordinate communication among the women and plan ordinations. I did a full report on every aspect of the ordination to the 11 other women."

As a result, Mrs. Houk's phone rang frequently this year with queries from other women who were planning ordination ceremonies in North America.

The questions focused on logistics, such as, "Do you have the e-mail address for the woman who played the guitar? What did you do about the mikes? When did you send out that press release?"

Every Wednesday night, Mrs. Houk presides at a service at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Washington, where the pastor is the Rev. Bebb Wheeler Stone.

"She came on the boat for my ordination," Mrs. Houk said, adding, "In some ways, I have been amazed at the amount of support people have given me."

At last Wednesday's service atop Mount Washington, Mrs. Houk wore red vestments to commemorate the feast day of Saint James, the first apostle to be martyred. As usual, her husband assisted her on the altar. Typically, about six to 10 people attend.

In her ministry, Mrs. Houk carries a large poplar box made by her husband. The box, which was a Christmas gift, is divided into compartments that contain a chalice for the wine, a paten for the bread, a sacramentary and lectionary, the texts used at Roman Catholic Masses, and purificators, the cloths used to wipe the paten and chalice clean after each use.

On the top of the box is a passage from Galatians, chapter 3, verse 28. The words, carved into the wood, read, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.''

"I think if the other women saw it, they'd want one," Mrs. Houk said.

During the past year, disaffected Catholics have often asked Mrs. Houk two questions: "Why do I stay in the church? How do I stay in the church?"

Her answer: "I have never spoken out more in favor of our church than I have this past year. I can't be anybody other than a Catholic. It's who I am and how I live my life. I respect the other churches. I stay because I believe in this church. I know that this church needs to change and I believe the Holy Spirit will renew it.''

When she speaks with hurt or disaffected Catholics, Mrs. Houk said, "I encourage them to hang on. Some people are coming back because we are giving them hope.''

To those who ask her why she doesn't seek ordination as an Episcopalian priest or Presbyterian minister, Mrs. Houk says she stays because she believes the Roman Catholic church can and will change.

Among Mrs. Houk's many outspoken colleagues is Andrea Johnson, who lives in Annapolis, Md. From 1996 to 2000, Ms. Johnson served as executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference in Fairfax, Va. She says she was ordained in an invitation-only ceremony on July 14 at Judson Memorial Church in Lower Manhattan.

Ms. Johnson recalled that in 1979, Sister Theresa Kane, a member of the Sisters of Mercy, greeted Pope John Paul II at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Sister Kane asked the pope to ordain women.

Evem before Sister Kane made her request, various groups stood outside the annual convention of Catholic bishops waving protest signs and urging the ordination of women.

Members of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Ms. Johnson said, are united in their goal to break a church law that they believe is unjust.

"We're not doing this to protest or to make a point. We believe we're being ordained validly. Our purpose is to model a different way of doing priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic church. That's what we're about.

"Twenty-five years ago, we had protests. We held prayer services. We stood outside the bishops' meetings in Washington, D.C., and held signs asking for a change and asking them to ordain us. Now, we're in a different moment. It isn't a matter of protesting. It's a matter of doing what we're called to do," Ms. Johnson said.