KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman hopes to be Kansas City’s first female priest, even though her ordination will not be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Georgia Walker said she will be excommunicated from the church next week.

Walker said the Catholic Church is dying and she wants to restore the life in it. She told FOX 4 the first step is to make sure the church has an equal voice and is using its most untapped resource: women.

“Women are not permitted to bring their gifts to the church,” she said. “It’s a grave thing to be excommunicated from the church, and so some feel sorry for me, others support me.”

Walker told FOX 4 she feels like many Catholics leave the church because they don’t feel welcome. She said she wants them to return to their faith and feel accepted for who they are. She said she will find a place to hold masses and also plans to serve at area prisons. She said she has support from The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.

“This movement for women priests is saying no we’re not leaving the church we’re staying and we’re helping a very sad church move forward in the future,” she told FOX 4 on Friday.

FOX 4 reached out to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Jospeh for comment on Friday. In an e-mail, its director of communications, Jack Smith, said he couldn’t comment because the ordination isn’t valid under Catholic faith.

On January 3rd Walker will be ordained at St. Mark Hope and Peace Lutheran Church by Pastor Donna Simon.