Catholic Women Preach

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Catholic Women Preach episodes

January 19, 2024 January 21, 2024: "Compelling Invitations" with Marissa Papula
Preaching for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Marissa Papula offers a reflection on discerning God's call in our lives:
"I wonder when in our lives we receive invitations that turn everything upside down, and we’re left with little else to do then pick up our nets and leave it all behind for God: the job layoff, the positive pregnancy test, the diagnosis, the love at first sight. God’s call to us and our compulsion to respond might not involve a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Still, it might very well involve the minutiae of our daily lives: parenthood, partnerships, jobs, the humanness of living in a body that is fragile and mortal. From within our lives but beyond our expectations and imaginations come invitations that compel us out of all we know and into a wilderness of holy surrender."
Marissa Papula (she/her) serves as the Director of Campus Ministry at Loyola Marymount University in California.Formed and transformed by Jesuit education, Marissa holds her BA from The University of Scranton, and her MA and Post Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation from Boston College. Her academic and pastoral interests, and subjects of her speaking, writing, and presenting include Ignatian spirituality, theological anthropology, feminist theology, racial justice and LGBTQ+ ministry.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01212024 to learn more about Marissa, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
5 min
January 12, 2024 January 14, 2024: "Living into our God-given Potential" with Laura Boysen-Aragón
Preaching for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Laura Boysen-Aragón offers a reflection on living into our God-given potential:
"God always sees our full potential. But living into our full-God-given potential can be perceived as a threat to some...Society won’t change unless we speak out and act out and live into God’s potential for us - even when we are scared."
Laura Boysen-Aragón (she/her) is the Development Director at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality (LIS) in Orange, CA. Laura is passionate about the intersection of spirituality and antiracism, and she is active in antiracism education and advocacy. She holds an M.A. in Theology from Loyola Marymount University, a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and a B.A. in English from Gonzaga University.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01142024 to learn more about Laura, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
January 05, 2024 January 7, 2024: "Our God Disrupts Power" with Nontando Hadebe
Preaching for the Feast of the Epiphany, Dr. Nontando Hadebe offers a reflection on God's disruption of our notions of power:
"As we celebrate Epiphany we need to look for the presence and sign of God in those places that will disrupt all our categories. And like the delegation of the East, let us have the courage to respond with faith to the disruptive messages around us from the poor, the underclass, those that have been rendered invisible in our communities and in our families. It is there that we will encounter the living Christ."
Dr. Nontando Hadebe is an African Catholic woman feminist theologian based in Johannesburg South Africa. She is currently coordinating gender justice projects at Side by Side and Bread for the world. She is on board of Future Church and hosts a weekly radio program with Radio Veritas.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01072024 to read Dr. Hadebe's text and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
December 31, 2023 January 1, 2024: "Messengers of Peace" with Michelle Sherman
Preaching for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God and the World Day of Prayer for Peace, Michelle Sherman offers a reflection on holding and living a message of peace:
"So today, as we remember the message of the shepherds, and consider who the messengers of peace are in our own communities, perhaps we might choose a message of peace for this new year that we can both keep in our hearts and live into for the next 365 days. May this year be a year of peace with justice, each of us contributing in ways that embrace and endure."
Michelle Sherman (she/her) is the program director for nonviolence and campus outreach at Pax Christi USA. She is also a retreat presenter and spiritual director. Born in the Philippines and raised in St. Louis, MO; she has been formed, educated, and nurtured by several women’s religious communities including the Sisters of the Precious Blood in St. Louis and the Sisters of the Holy Cross at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. She completed the Spiritual Direction Formation program with the Sisters of Mercy and holds an MA in Theology and Ministry from Villanova University.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01012024 to learn more about Michelle, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
December 29, 2023 December 31, 2023: "Chosen, Holy Family" with Lisa Fullam, D.V.M., Th.D.
Preaching for the Feast of the Holy Family, Lisa Fullam offers a reflection on nurturing our own holy family:
"Family is a spiritual thing, a gift of God. As we live into those close relationships in our lives we should find ourselves growing in kindness, bending when people need bending with, forgiving when people need forgiving. We will be imperfect. We will make mistakes—we are still human, after all. So likewise, our holy family members will grow in kindness in return, bend with us when we need it, forgive us when we need it, and join us in our work for justice. THAT’S what family means, at least for Jesus and his mother, and all the members of Jesus’ chosen family, and for us as members of Jesus’ chosen family."
Lisa Fullam D.V.M., Th.D. is professor emerita of moral theology from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University and associate veterinarian at New Baltimore Animal Hospital in West Coxsackie, NY. After veterinary studies at Cornell, she earned a doctorate in Christian ethics from Harvard Divinity School. After 19 years at JST-SCU, she and her husband John R. Mabry packed up their house and their boxer dogs and headed to the upper Hudson Valley in NY where she resumed veterinary practice.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12312023 to learn more about Dr. Fullam, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
December 24, 2023 December 25, 2025: "Making Room" with Natalia Imperatori Lee
Preaching for Christmas, Natalia Imperatori-Lee reflects on God's determination to "make room" and encourages us to do likewise:
"In the incarnation, God, too, makes room. God is determined to make room. Room for light in the darkness. Room for joy in our sadness. Room for triumph in our defeats. Room for peace in our broken, war-torn world. God is determined to make space among the ruins for celebration, to make possible within our vulnerability a sense of safety. God is determined to make room in the darkness that surrounds us for an inextinguishable light. How are we being called to make room in our lives? ...Are we determined like God to make room for good in this world filled with suffering?"
Natalia Imperatori-Lee is Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College in the Bronx, NY, where she also coordinates the Catholic Studies program. She is the author, most recently, of "Women and the Church: From Devil’s Gateway to Disciples" (Paulist Press, 2024), and of "Cuéntame: Narrative in the Ecclesial Present"(Orbis Books, 2018). Her work focuses on the intersection of Latinx theologies, feminist theologies, and Catholic ecclesiology. She lives in the Bronx with her spouse and children.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12252023 to learn more about Natalia, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic Women Preach.
8 min
December 22, 2023 December 24, 2023: "Bearers of God's Promise" with Karen Sue Smith
Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Karen Sue Smith offers a reflection on our role - inspired by Mary - as bearers of God's promise:
"We believe that the promise/fulfillment process continues. God lives among us and within us here and now. Like Mary, we are called to be God-bearers, to make God’s compassion and justice real and present in our world. How? Answering that question requires discernment, as we discover what gifts God has given us and how best to use them. But all the basics--in the Sermon on the Mount or from Jesus’ own works of mercy, justice, and community-building – are clear enough. We need to consent and persist…."
Karen Sue Smith is a retired writer and editor with nearly 30 years of experience working in the Catholic press. She served in full time capacities as editorial director at America Magazine; editor of CHURCH Magazine from National Pastoral Life Center; and associate editor at Commonweal Magazine. She earned her Master of Divinity at Harvard University and a Master of Arts in Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12242023 to learn more about Karen Sue, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
December 15, 2023 December 17, 2023: "Taking Joy and Generosity to a New Level" with Bridget McDermott Flood
Preaching for the Third Sunday of Advent, Bridget McDermott Flood offers a reflection on being present to one another:
"Our faith and the presence of God within us takes our joy to another level, and also requires another level of generosity...This Advent, it is not enough to experience the joy of the Season embodied in Christmas trees and holiday lights. True joy comes from taking time with those whom we love, with those who are lonely, and with those who are in need."
Bridget McDermott Flood has been the executive director of the Incarnate Word Foundation since its inception in 1998. Her passion is bringing the Sisters' Incarnational Spirituality to the Foundation's work in neighborhoods and community. She is the author of "Blue Hole Wisdom: My Journey with the Sisters." She is a life-long South St. Louisan and also a ceramic artist at Carondelet Pottery, her studio in South St. Louis, as well as a beekeeper and quilter.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12172023 to learn more about Bridget, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
5 min
December 11, 2023 December 12, 2023: "The Transforming Power of Faith and Hope" with Melissa Cedillo
Preaching for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Melissa Cedillo offers a reflection on the transformative power of faith and hope:
"On this feast day, and with today's readings, we see time and time again, average people being demanded to do the impossible sometimes with only their faith. But as we look around the world, we see that sometimes, it's people's faith that is the only tool at their disposal for change. In this season of waiting may we not lose hope of the good news that is to come."
Melissa Cedillo was born and raised in California's Coachella Valley. For the past five years, Melissa has worked in campaigns in Florida, Texas, California, and Washington DC. Working at the intersection of religion and politics, Melissa has worked on issues of reproductive justice, immigration advocacy, and healthcare access. She attended Loyola Marymount University (LMU) for undergrad and Harvard Divinity School for graduate school. Melissa currently lives in Sacramento, CA.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12122023 to learn more about Melissa, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
December 09, 2023 December 10, 2023: "Actively Patient" with Sarah Hansman
Preaching for the Second Sunday of Advent, Sarah Hansman offers a reflection on "preparing the way":
"Yes, change takes time. The arc is long. We must be patient. But, being patient does not mean slowing down our efforts. Patience does not ask me to stay silent for fear of rocking the boat nor delaying until everyone is ready for change; for they may never be. Patience means do the work. Prepare the way! Just don’t give up in the face of slow progress."
Sarah Hansman (she/her) is currently an MDiv student at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. She has directed numerous retreats, worked as the development manager for the nonprofit Women’s Foundation of Boston, serves weekly at a medium security men’s prison, and spent this past summer as a chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital. Sarah sees preaching as an act of resistance and hope. She plans to pursue doctoral studies, with a desire to engage questions and positive reconstructions of embodiment, sexuality, and gender in Catholic contexts.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12102023 to learn more about Sarah, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 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…