The subject of female priests in the Catholic Church is a hot-button issue.

We are not church leaders. Nor are we theologians. We will not take a stance on whether the church should ordain women as priests. However, with the rouge ordinations of female priests taking place across the country, we do believe that the church can use this opportunity to discuss and enhance the role of women in the church, outside ordination.

In a 2005 essay for The Washington Post, Pia de Solenni, a Catholic theologian and director of life and women's issues at the Family Research Council, wrote, "In the case of women, the Catholic Church has clearly set forth that women have a role in every aspect of society, including the church."

We couldn't agree with her assertion more.

The church has a myriad of positions available to women. Of course, there is the traditional avenue women can take in joining an order. But the church also provides roles for women that do not require them to be cloistered or forgo having children. Women can serve in many of the church's ministries—from being eucharistic ministers, to acting as choir or musical directors, to contributing to parish or diocesan leadership teams as lay ecclesial ministers. Many parishes ask girls to act as altar servers.

Beyond participating in parish leadership or assisting with Mass, women have many roles open to them in Catholic education. Women are needed as staff, teachers and principals in Catholic schools at all levels. Further, women can—and do—receive degrees in theology and contribute to theological debates within the church. In 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed then-Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon as president of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. She was only the second woman to be appointed as president of a pontifical academy.

We believe diversity ultimately enhances the church's message of inclusiveness and acceptance. But women have to take hold of the positions available to them. We encourage female students of every faith to get involved with their communities. For Catholic women, that means taking an active role in the church, its ministries and education.

On Sunday, Nov. 16, the Department of Theology will present its inagural Theotokos Lecture—dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Rev. Brian E. Daley, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, will speak on Mary's role in church tradition. The lecture, titled "Woman of Many Names: Mary in Eastern and Western Theology," will be held at 2 p.m. in the Tony and Lucille Weasler Auditorium. The event is free, and we encourage both male and female students to attend.

Whether women should be ordained as priests is a question that is up to others to answer. Catholic social teaching tells us that we as human beings are both sacred and social. The church calls all its members—men and women alike—to participate in society and to seek the well-being of all.