Since 1988, the Catholic Church has allowed its members to celebrate the Eucharist without the presence of a priest. At 6:30 p.m. today, students can participate in a service aimed at showing how women can lead church members in celebrating communion.

Jocelyn Sideco, assistant director of University Ministry, will lead attendees in a prayer and communion service during the "When She's Called: In the Absence of a Priest" event held in the Chapel of the Holy Family, located in the Alumni Memorial Union.

A communion service is a celebration of the Eucharist that is somewhat like a Mass, she said. Unlike Mass, however, any non-ordained man or woman can lead a communion service.

As the number of priests declined, the church developed the ritual as a way to allow communities to celebrate the Eucharist when priests are not present to do so, Sideco said.

During a communion service, hosts that have previously been consecrated by priests are reserved and distributed during communion services. For instance, many consecrated hosts were left over from Holy Thursday, and these hosts are saved for communion services.

"A lot of things in a communion service are similar to a Mass," Sideco said. "In a communion service, there are prayers and readings from Scriptures, but the liturgy of the Eucharist is different."

However, there are certain rituals only a priest can perform, such as leading a Mass and consecrating the Eucharist, she said.

The service is the last in a series of three events planned for the Women in Faith Series, said Natalie Gross, interim assistant dean for multicultural programs in the Office of Student Development. The series is part of the Women in Diversity Celebration, which lasts until April 9.

"The Women in Faith Series was created to highlight the varying roles women have or are allowed to have within religion," Gross said.

Tonight's communion service is sponsored by University Ministry.

"The service will give students a different perspective as to what different things are acceptable in the church," said Emily Schumacher, a College of Communication sophomore. "It will open their eyes about what can be done within the perimeters set out by the church. Just because we do something the same way every time doesn't mean we always have to do it that way."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 5 2005.