Catholic Women Preach

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Catholic Women Preach episodes

January 03, 2025 January 5, 2024: "Pilgrims of Hope" with Elena Dini
Preaching for the Feast of the Epiphany, Elena Dini offers a reflection on embodying faith, charity, and hope:
"May we follow at the beginning of this Holy Year, this Jubilee, in which we are called to be pilgrims of hope, the example of these wise men, and all wise men and women of history, Christians and non-Christians, who made themselves pilgrims of hope listening to the voice of God and recognizing God’s action in their lives. "
Elena Dini is Senior Program Manager of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue. She holds degrees in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Communications, Catholic Theology and Interfaith Dialogue and is a PhD candidate at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in the field of interreligious dialogue. Elena is a frequent contributor to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, for articles related to Muslim-Catholic and Jewish-Catholic dialogue.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01052025 to learn more about Elena, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
December 31, 2024 January 1, 2025: "Rooted in Right Relationship" with Marie Dennis
Preaching for The World Day of Peace (also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), Marie Dennis offers a reflection on resetting and reimagining in this year of Jubilee:
"Sabbath, Sabbatical and Jubilee are rooted in right relationships. Neither people nor the earth were to be exhausted or exploited. The Jubilee year offers a time for the land and the people to rest, for forgiveness of debts, the return of land to its original owners, and the release of slaves. It is an economic, cultural, environmental, and communal reset that occurs every 50 years, signifying a time to renew nonviolent ways and to re-establish proper relationships with God, with one another, and with creation."
Marie Dennis is the senior program director of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. She was a member of the Pax Christi International board from 1999 to 2019 and co-president from 2007 to 2019. She is a Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace and was named a Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace in 2022.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01012025 to learn more about Marie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
December 27, 2024 December 29, 2024: "On Mutuality" with Ellen Romer Niemiec
Preaching for the Feast of the Holy Family. Ellen Romer Niemiec offers a reflection on mutuality:
"In a time when it may seem safest to preserve ourselves as individuals and avoid the risk of vulnerability, may we heed God’s radical invitation to love one another deeply and courageously. May we choose to trust that when we act out of love for one another, that love will be shared in return and enkindle in us the desire to only love more deeply."
Ellen Romer Niemiec currently serves in enrollment management at Catholic Theological Union, where she is also pursing a Doctor of Ministry. She has pastoral experience in retreats, international immersions, non-violence work in correctional facilities, program development, and spiritual direction. She has written prayers and other spiritual reflections for Wisdom’s Dwelling, Catholic Health Association, GIA publications, FemCatholic, and America Media.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12292024 to learn more about Ellen, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
6 min
December 27, 2024 December 22, 2024: "Stubborn, Sustaining Hope" with Sarah Simmons, CSJ
Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Sarah Simmons, CSJ offers a reflection on stubborn, sustaining hope:
"Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting is the prophetic defiant joy that God is not only among these women, but within these women. They create a space beyond the boxes and are filled with wonder at the miracle of God, the miracle of their bodies that carry stubborn and sustaining hope. Their defiant hope is happening now, among us, within us, if only we are vulnerable and aware enough to notice it. For we are a people of the incarnation, we believe that Christ is within all of us, including you. How do you long to express it?"
Sarah Simmons is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph and has lived in Chicago for five years. She currently spends her time as a student, chaplain and spiritual director. She is deeply passionate about embodied and creative practices that serve to co-create spaces of belonging and transformation.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12222024 to learn more about Sarah, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
December 13, 2024 December 15, 2024: "Do Less and Allow God’s Joy to Find Us" with Kate Ward
Preaching for the Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday - Kate Ward offers a reflection on letting God's joy find us in the stillness:
"Joy comes from resting in the presence of what is real: our God, our loved ones, the beauty of God’s creation. God help us to make do with less: less power, less wealth, less busy-ness and activity. On this Gaudete Sunday in Advent, lead us to the stillness where we find your joy."
Kate Ward is Associate Professor of theological ethics at Marquette University, working in areas including economic ethics, virtue ethics, fundamental moral theology and Catholic social thought. She lives in Milwaukee with her family, where they are parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence in the Riverwest neighborhood.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12152024 to learn more about Kate, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
December 12, 2024 December 12, 2024: "Among Vulnerable Communities" with Dermis de Jesús
Preaching for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dermis de Jesús offers a reflection on Our Lady's message of accompaniment:
"Our Lady of Guadalupe recognized the dignity of the people of México, the color of their skin, their language, chose them as messengers. Her message of accompaniment- “Am I not here; I who am your mother?”- resonates with us today as it resonated with St. Juan Diego, and propels us to be courageous in how we respond to God’s calling, in how we spread God’s word and God’s love."
Dermis de Jesús worships and serves at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Philadelphia. She is active in various ministries, including lay leader of prayer, coordinating and directing the children’s choir, co-coordinating the Spanish language Mass, Eucharistic Minister and lector. She is a past recipient of the St. Vincent de Paul Award, nominated for exemplifying Vincentian values. A native of Puerto Rico, Dermis calls Philadelphia her second home, where she lives with her husband, Willhem, their children Sofía and Marcos, and their dog, Mario.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12122024 to learn more about Dermis, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
December 09, 2024 December 9, 2024: "Let our 'yes' mean yes and our 'no' mean no" with Jazmin Jimenez
Preaching for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Jazmin Jimenez offers a reflection on freedom and discernment:
"On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us remind ourselves that authentic discernment requires freedom and space. Let us ponder how we can imitate the freedom with which Mary discerned a big question. Loving God, draw us more deeply into the practice of discernment. Give us the freedom to listen to the stirring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Allow us to feel all the feels- let us be troubled, let us ponder, let us question, let us listen… and in the end, let our Yes mean Yes and our No mean No- all for your greater Glory. Amen."
Jazmin Jimenez (she/her) is the Director of Liturgy & Worship at American Martyrs Catholic Community in Manhattan Beach, CA. Before transitioning to parish work, she taught theology and worked in campus ministry at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy for a combined 13 years. She completed her Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12092024 to learn more about Jazmin, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
December 06, 2024 December 8, 2024: "Prepare the Way" with Colleen McCahill
Preaching for the Second Sunday of Advent, Colleen McCahill offers a reflection on "preparing the way" in our own time and place:
"What will we do, this Lukan Advent, to prepare a way in the desert?
We will see and seek reasons to rejoice, and we will share them.
We will keep kindling even the smallest, and most domestic lights.
And in our time and our place, we will be true partners in the Gospel."
Colleen McCahill has served as the Pastoral Associate for St. Vincent de Paul Church in downtown Baltimore, Maryland for nine years. There, she supports the parish life of a community devoted to worship and to service. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, a Master of Arts in Theology with a concentration in spirituality, and a Master of Arts in Church Ministries, both from St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute, Baltimore.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12082024 to learn more about Colleen, to read her preaching text and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
November 29, 2024 December 1, 2024: "God Who is Righteousness and Justice" with Valerie D. Lewis-Mosley
Preaching for the First Sunday of Advent, Valerie D. Lewis-Mosley offers a reflection on hope in God's righteousness and justice:
"When we seek a life centered in abiding in God’s way - we are walking humbling with God. It is then that God guides the humble to justice and teaches us in the way of truth."
Valerie D. Lewis-Mosely, RN, OPA, is the retired Director of Religious Education at the Church of Christ the King - Jersey City, New Jersey, a historical Black Catholic Parish. She now serves in various capacities across the nation as a mentor to youth and young adults; evangelist, retreat leader and revivalist and public speaker, life coach and Spiritual Director. Catechesis to children and youth and women’s spirituality and empowerment are a major component of her ministry as a pastoral associate. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Theology at Caldwell University, Caldwell, New Jersey, and Xavier University of Louisiana Institute for Black Catholic Studies.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12012024 to learn more about Valerie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
6 min
November 22, 2024 November 24, 2024: "Belonging to the Truth" with Olivia Hastie
Preaching for the Solemnity of Christ the Kind, Olivia Hastie offers a reflection on belonging:
"When Jesus says, 'everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,' I think he’s asking for more than simple obedience and piety. He’s inviting us to create spaces of true belonging by connecting through shared stories and experiences. I believe he’s calling us, not just to spread his message through words, but to embody and live out his teachings in our actions and relationships. To belong to the truth is to form genuine connections, where love, empathy, and understanding bring the Gospel message to life in a way that reaches others deeply and meaningfully."
Olivia Hastie (she/her) is a doctoral student in Theological Ethics at Boston College, focusing on how embodied experiences shape Christian thought, particularly through liberationist, feminist, and queer perspectives. She also serves as a Program Associate at FutureChurch, applying her research to advocate for a more inclusive and just Catholic Church.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11242024 to learn more about Olivia, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
6 min

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Catholic Women Preach offers the theologically informed perspectives of Catholic women on the Sunday readings readings and on some feast days. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org to view preaching…