Catholicism is on the rise nationwide, as well as in Ohio. Baptisms in the Cleveland diocese — a region encapsulating a number of counties in Northeast Ohio — have risen by 198% since 2020.
But as the Church attracts more new members, it is still dealing with a priest shortage. The number of Catholic priests dropped by 40% between 1970 and 2024. However, some religious organizations are trying to fill the gaps by making women priests, even as the institutional Church forbids women from serving in that role.
Susan Russell started working as a social worker in 2004, and even opened her own practice in 2024. But she always felt a deeper calling for her life. When an opportunity arose to go deeper into her faith and become a priest, she took it. She now works as a priest at the Community of St. Bridget, a faith community in Brecksville.
I want to start at the beginning. Can you tell me how your faith journey started? Did you grow up Catholic?
I did, I grew up in a home, my father was Catholic, my mother was from the Church of Christ, and it was kind of an interesting journey for me because when I was growing up they used to tell us not to associate with non-Catholics, which was impossible for me to do, but it also didn't make any sense, so I think my questioning of authority figures began way back then.
Fast-forward a couple of years, and you’ve been ordained as a priest with (by) an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, and that’s not officially recognized by the Church. But that journey started with Dagmar Celeste, a theologian and Ohio’s former first lady. Tell me how that story played out.
I was introduced to Dagmar Celeste by a friend of mine who used to own the Blessed Foundation here in Medina. And I came to a retreat of Dagmar's on Kelleys Island. And you know, sometimes I jump into things without knowing exactly what's going on, but this retreat I discovered was about exploring our call to ordination.
And at one point during the retreat, I had an opportunity to speak with Dagmar one-to-one in the morning, and she asked me if I felt called, and I told her honestly, I didn't feel like I was worthy. I had stepped away from the Catholic Church for a number of years after being divorced and just felt like ... people would see me as not a credible source.
But one of the things I really love about the Gospels is learning the various times that Peter has failed. You know, he denied knowing Christ. But the thing that I love about Peter is when it really mattered, when Jesus asked him, “Who do you say that I am?”, he said, “You are the Messiah.” And that's when Jesus named him the founder of his community.
What's the process like? Was there any education that goes into it?
When you're a certain age. At my age I wasn't required to get a master's in theology, but I chose to do so at John Carroll, but there's a series of segments that we learn about the sacraments and about the things that we'll need to be able to do for our parishioners or our people who attend our community.
We reached out to the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland just to get a statement, and they said the following: “The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland follows the teaching of the Catholic Church, which reserves priestly ordination to men, while affirming the equal dignity of women and their indispensable participation in the life and mission of the Church.” What do you think about the Church's rule on ordaining women as priests?
Well, I don't believe that the rule is valid, it is the law, but I know Pope Leo just named a few people to a committee or a commission that were pro-women's ordination. There is a shortage of priests, and we're here to serve.
Now, you’re living in a conflicting situation where, according to the Catholic Church, you’ve essentially excommunicated yourself from the Church by trying to represent that faith through ordination. Is that a contentious point for you?
It's not. I believe that I'm following what Jesus wanted me to do. I'll find out on Judgment Day whether I truly was, but I'm trusting that what I felt called to do was really from God.
Calling, that seems to be something that comes up a lot. This is not just you coming up with an idea and following suit, this is a calling from God for you.
I believe so, and sometimes people may expect a burning bush; it doesn't have to be that. It can just be a desire in your heart that you are meant to do that. And I think that's how God plants the seeds in us to do what we do — for you to be a reporter for Ideastream. Being a priest feels like a really beautiful step closer to God.
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