The Catholic bishops of Ireland have apppealed to parishioners to ignore a proposed boycott of Masses.
The call to boycott Mass this weekend was made by Catholic pensioner and women's rights campaigner, Jennifer Sleeman, who lives in west Cork.
She said her campaign had revealed a groundswell of women seeking equality within the Church.
Ms Sleeman, 81, said the bishops' response was an indication of how worried they were about the campaign.
She asked those who intended to attend Mass to wear a green armband to show their support for the ordination of women.
The bishops told RTE News that the celebration of Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation was "esstential to the practice of the Catholic faith".
They said the involvement of lay women and men in all aspects of Church life had increased significantly in recent years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11413860
Not the Church's decade, is it?
very well put.