Catholic Women Preach

By Catholic Women PreachReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Catholic Women Preach episodes

September 29, 2023 October 1, 2023: Caring for ALL of God's Creation with Claire Jenkins
Preaching for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Claire Jenkins offers a reflection on caring for all of God's creation and particularly for the most vulnerable and outcast among us:
"Moreover, we have no choice as people of God: we must act collectively and individually to protect our common home, our planet. We must not ignore the messages in today’s readings if we are to save ourselves and God is to delight in creation."
Dr. Claire Jenkins is a trans woman and convert to the Catholic Church. In 2013 she was awarded a PhD from the University of Sheffield for her research into the effect of transitioning on the family members of trans people. Subsequently she has advised several research projects and has spoken at many Catholic and secular university conferences. From 2017-23 she was actively involved in the pastoral care of LGBT Catholics where she coordinated a team (lay and ordained) who carried out this important work within her diocese. She also belonged to a small working party who advised the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales about trans issues. In May 2020 Claire was awarded a Senior Fellowship at Margaret Beaufort Institute, Cambridge where she is researching Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) young people’s experiences in schools.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10012023 to learn more about Dr. Jenkins, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
September 22, 2023 September 25, 2023: "Living God's Justice and Mercy" with Darlene Jasso
Preaching for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Darlene Jasso offers a reflection on living God's justice and mercy:
"Let us all choose...to seek the good of others and to live for others. Whether that’s working with organizations that provide quality support to the marginalized, speaking up for those with no voice, or simply providing a helping hand to those in need."
Darlene Jasso is the Co-Founder and Communications Director of Little Angels of Mary, a nonproﬁt in Guatemala that provides nutrition and education support to indigenous children and families. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Darlene graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word with a B.A. in Communication Arts. Soon after, she married her college sweetheart, an exchange student from Guatemala and moved to Guatemala in 2016.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09242023 to learn more about Darlene, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
September 15, 2023 September 17, 2023: "Reclaiming Connectedness" with Caitlin Morneau
Read and Sign our Petition to Proclaim the Full Resurrection Story on Easter Sunday: https://futurechurch.org/petition

Preaching for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Caitlin Morneau offers a reflection on reclaiming connectedness:
"Forgiveness is fundamentally an individual act, but with social implications. Every harm has repercussions, rippling impacts through time and community. Really living into the fullness of forgiveness means moving toward as full a reclamation of human dignity and communion as possible.
When this becomes the way in which we move and live and have our being, suddenly seven times seventy becomes far more attainable — not a heroic act for the few. But we cannot do it alone. We need to encourage one another daily. And build up systems (legal and otherwise) that create vessels for mercy and grace to shape the labor of justice itself."
Caitlin Morneau serves as Director of Restorative Justice at Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), the national Catholic organization working to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice through education, advocacy and prayer. Caitlin is a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union where she is completing a MA in Ministry with a concentration in Spirituality and holds an MA in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. Caitlin is a facilitator of peacemaking circles and trained in restorative community conferencing. She lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband, two children, and black lab.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09172023 to learn more about Caitlin, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
September 08, 2023 September 10, 2023: "A Discerning Community" with Carolyn Jacobs
Preaching for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Carolyn Jacobs, MSW, Ph.D. offers a reflection on community:
"The challenges of our church and our world are invitations to continuous discernment of how to dialogue, to forgive, and to be obedient to the urgings of the Spirit. We live in a time when we need to step out and invite others to prayer, dialogue, and action. We need to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us. For the challenges invite us to become open to our personal and collective vulnerabilities in creating and nurturing communities of faith that are inclusive. To remember that we are not alone, that we are because others exist in the world surrounding us. We trust that whatever challenging circumstances or people we meet on our journeys, we are called to listen for God’s voice as we gather in groups of two or more and hold in our hearts the love of our neighbors as ourselves."
Carolyn Jacobs, MSW, PhD is Dean Emerita and Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor Emerita of the Smith College School for Social Work and Spiritual Director. Dr. Jacobs was a member of the School’s faculty for 35 years, serving as the dean 14 of those years, as well as director of an Advanced Certificate Program in Spirituality and Social Work Practice for seven years. She received her MSW from San Diego State University, her doctorate from the Heller School of Brandeis University, and her training as a spiritual director from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. She maintains a spiritual direction practice and is committed to creating spaces for health care providers to discover the rich resources of contemplative practices from many wisdom traditions in developing resilience for self and others.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09102023 to learn more about Dr. Jacobs, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
September 01, 2023 Sept. 3, 2023: "When Called, We Go" with Phyllis Zagano
Preaching for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Phyllis Zagano offers a reflection - inspired by Saints Phoebe and Gregory - on our Christian journey:
"When called, they went, and when they got where they were going, they knew (somehow) just what they had to do and to say. As days turned into weeks, then months, they understood more deeply what it was all about. It is the same with each of us. At some point we brush away the doubts and fears and understand that where we are is most probably where we ought to be. Then we can rest. We can rest from our labors in the shadow of the Cross."
Dr. Phyllis Zagano is an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar who has lectured throughout the United States, and in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Her groundbreaking work on women in the diaconate led to her appointment to the Pontifical Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women in 2016. She has taught at Fordham, Boston, and Yale Universities, and currently holds a research appointment at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York. Her most recent book is Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality, and Women (Paulist Press, 2023).
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09032023 to learn more about Dr. Zagano, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
August 25, 2023 August 27, 2023: "Who Do You Say I Am?" with Mary Margaret Schroeder
Preaching for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mary Margaret Schroeder offers a reflection on answering the question "Who do you say I am?":
"That joy I feel as my favorite 7-year-old, Blue, runs into my arms at school pick-up—that’s Christ. When I’m on a run, silently admiring the creation that surrounds me, and I feel another set of footsteps guiding me along—that’s Christ. The overwhelming sense of peace that somehow overcomes me even as I scramble to meet a lab deadline—that’s Christ."
Mary Margaret Schroeder is a senior at Yale University studying psychology and neuroscience. She is a student leader at the Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center on campus, as well as a catechist and a State Lead for Catholic Relief Services. In May 2024, she will start graduate school at the University of Notre Dame to earn a master’s degree in Education through the ACE Teaching Fellows program. In her free time, Mary Margaret loves to spend time with her five siblings, bake, and rave about NJ bagels.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08272023 to learn more about Mary Margaret, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
August 18, 2023 August 20, 2023: "Women of Great Faith" with Margaret Susan Thompson
Preaching for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Margaret Susan Thompson offers a reflection on persisting in pursuit of God's promise for all:
[This gospel] resonates especially with me because I’m a woman, but it has much to say to all of us who feel like we don’t fit into a box, and who sometimes feel tormented by a demon, like the daughter in need of healing. In other words, it speaks to us all. And so it calls us all to be dogged, persistent—and, like the Canaanite woman, "of great faith."
Margaret Susan (Peggy) Thompson is a professor of History and Political Science at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is also a Senior Research Associate at the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, and holds courtesy appointments in the Departments of Religion and Women & Gender Studies. Recently, Professor Thompson’s work has focused on the history of American Catholic nuns. She has written and lectured extensively on the subject, and has an 18-lecture audio series available through Learn25.com. Her research is from an explicitly feminist perspective, emphasizing the agency and social significance of sisters to American religious and secular history.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08202023 to learn more about Thompson, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
August 14, 2023 August 15, 2023: "Our Yes" with Sr. Chioma Ahanihu, SLW
Sr Chioma Ahanihu, SLW preaches for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, offering a reflection on Mary's capacity to bring about peace and unity, if we - like her - say 'yes' to God:
"May today’s feast remind us of our own Yes to God’s call as consecrated people of God in our different spheres of life. May we be the voice for the voiceless and the less privileged in our society. May this feast of Assumption bring peace and joy in our homes, communities and world at large."
Sr. Chioma Ahanihu, SLW is a member of Sisters of the Living Word in Chicago, Il. Born and raised in Nigeria, she has lived in the US for the past 2 decades. Sr. Chioma earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Misericordia University, a Masters in Social Work from the Catholic University of America and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies degree from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago IL. She is a candidate in the Doctorate in Ministry Program with a concentration in Spirituality at CTU. She is currently the Director for the Center of the Study of Consecrated Life at CTU. Prior to that, she ministered with Catholic Charities of Chicago Archdiocese as a Psychotherapist and Parish Social Worker. Her primary areas of interest as a Practical Theology scholar and minister are related to today’s Consecrated Life, Reconciliation, Spirituality, Immigration and Racism.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08152023 to learn more about Sr Chioma, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
6 min
August 11, 2023 August 13, 2023: "The Love of God Conquers All" with Sara Fairbanks, OP
Sara Fairbanks, OP preaches for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, offering a reflection on God's love conquering all:
"Elijah whispers to us across the centuries, what keeps hope alive in the shadow of the cross is God’s ever-present, unsurpassed love, making us 'participants in the divine nature' (2 Pet 1:4) and 'friends of God, and prophets' (Ws 7:27)...Rooted in God’s love, perhaps we will become like Jesus, whom Catherine of Siena called a 'mad lover' who ran to his cross.
'It was not nails,' she says, 'but love that kept him on the cross.'"
Dr. Sara Fairbanks, OP, is an Adrian Dominican Sister. She is currently a professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute in Saint Louis, Missouri. Before going to Aquinas, she taught systematic theology for twenty years at Barry University in Miami, Florida. Sara holds a Master of Theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis and a Doctorate in Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College, the Toronto School of Theology in Toronto, Canada. Her areas of expertise are homiletics, theology of lay ecclesial ministry, theology of preaching, practical theology and Christian anthropology.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08132023 to learn more about Sara, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
August 04, 2023 August 6, 2023: "Gut Check" with Julie Vieira, IHM
Preaching for the Feast of the Transfiguration, Julie Vieira, IHM offers a reflection on our own "transfiguration" encounters with God:

Today on this feast of the Transfiguration, we, the disciples and seekers of today, are likewise called not just to celebrate the revelation of Jesus as Messiah. But we are called to perform our own gut check and to draw courage, energy, and determination from our experience with God. This is no simple “what would Jesus do?” gut check. It means to enter into the sacred presence of God. To walk with God. To engage with God in the unfolding of our lives and in the current realities of our time. And then to let that experience with God inform, encourage, energize – and perhaps even "transfigure" our lives.

Julie Vieira, IHM, MA, (she/her) is a writer, presenter, and thinker in spirituality with particular attentiveness to living the darkness and light — the poetry and rough prose — of everyday life. She holds a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. She currently serves as the director of the Margaret Brennan Institute and as a volunteer crisis counselor for LGBTQ+ youth.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08062023 to learn more about Julie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min

About Catholic Women Preach

From the publisher's feed

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…