I went to a Bible study last night too. I was the third man, there were 8 women. The session was lead by a woman. Two comments - the woman leading the session was in the model of those mentioned in Romans 16, who were mostly nuns. Because Romans 16 doesn't refer to the holy sacrifice of the mass.
Second - an 8:3 ratio doesn't bode well for the health of the Church.
Tyrone,
If they were nuns Romans was written much later then Christians claim.
I don't think they were formal nuns, belonging to orders like Carmelites, but they did take vows of chastity like nuns. They probably performed works of mercy and charity like modern nuns. It's probable that they even performed miracles. But Romans 16 doesn't say what they did, they could have simply been great at serving coffee to the men, although I believe their roles were greater than something that simple.
We do know that women did not receive the sacrament of Holy Orders like men and therefore were not comparable to modern deacons in the RCC.
