Catholic Women Preach

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Catholic Women Preach episodes

May 26, 2023 May 28, 2023: Protagonists in a New Pentecost with Sr. Nathalie Becquart
Preaching for Pentecost, Sr. Nathalie Becquart invites us to embrace the Pentecost opportunities we are given in our individual lives as well as our collective life as the Body of Christ:
"Today again, through this synod 2021-2024...we have received the promise of living a new Pentecost. We are together on this journey led by the Spirit towards a new birth of the Church in the process of coming into being. It is a long journey of engendering, not without the labors of childbirth, to get out of the ruts of the clerical Church. It is not easy; we may go through ups and downs, but we know this new birth will not take place without us. As members of the People of God clothed with the same baptismal dignity and inhabited by the Spirit, we all are to be protagonists of this New Pentecost."
Sr. Nathalie Becquart, xmcj is a Xaviere sister, Missionary of Christ-Jesus, a French Ignatian-inspired order. In 2019-2020 she specialized in Ecclesiology, doing research on Synodality at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. On February 6, 2021, she was appointed by Pope Francis as Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops as well as a member of the Dicastery for Communication in December 2021. A renowned lecturer and speaker, she is the author of numerous publications on synodality and synods, young people and youth ministry, vocations and religious life, the Church and mission.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/05282023 to learn more about Sr. Nathalie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
May 18, 2023 May 21, 2023: A Time to Start Looking To Our Left and Right with Emily Southerton
Preaching for the Solemnity of the Ascension, Emily Southerton offers a reflection on following the Spirit's lead through times of change and transition:
"There is a time to stop looking up and to start looking to our left and our right sides. There is a time to focus on drawing out what is from within. There is a time to move with the Spirit towards ministry and social justice, to work for equality even within the Catholic Church."
Emily Southerton is a board certified chaplain and member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. She currently serves at Phoebe Ministry, where she provides spiritually themed small groups, funeral services, and leads monthly worship services for seniors. She has a BA in Theology and Philosophy (Aquinas College) and an MA in Theology and Pastoral Ministry (Villanova University).
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/05232023 to learn more about Emily, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
May 12, 2023 Still learning with Kristina M. Ortega
Preaching for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Kristina M. Ortega offers a reflection on the lessons her students have taught her over 20 years in light of the readings for the day:
"Whatever lessons the future holds for all of us teachers or not, may we always remain open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, live a life of joy, find hope in the young people around us, and keep love at the center of all our relationships as Christ did."
Kristina Ortega holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Theological Studies and a certificate in Catholic School Administration from Loyola Marymount University and has taught Theology in Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 2001. Currently, Kristina is the JDEI (Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Coordinator and Service Coordinator at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA. Outside of school, Kristina sits on two planning committees for the LA Religious Education Congress and also serves as a Minister of Liturgical Movement. Kristina contributed a chapter to the book “Creating Spaces for Women in the Catholic Church” edited by Sr. Sarah Kohles, OSF due out this summer.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/05142023 to read Kristina's preaching text and for more preaching from Catholic women.
9 min
May 05, 2023 Whom Shall We Send? with Elizabeth Young, RSM
Preaching for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Elizabeth Young, RSM offers a reflection on restoring women deacons as one way of responding to the current needs around us:
"So what are the needs around us today? Who are the Hellenist widows who cry out for ministry at their own tables? ... How will each of us respond? How will we reach out? Our personal efforts can be strengthened by the response of the whole Church to delegate and to send. Why not complete the restoration of permanent deacons by authorising ministry from the other half of the population, and recognise women and men called to contribute by God, the community and needs around them?"
Elizabeth Young, RSM comes from a farm in rural South Australia, Boandik country. After a degree in Circus Arts, she entered the Sisters of Mercy, professing her first vows in 2010. Elizabeth studied a Bachelor of Theology, Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning, and Master of Theology (Coursework). She is currently a Parish Life Coordinator in a remote town of New South Wales, where she is instituted as a Catechist to lead regular community liturgy in the absence of a priest, including baptisms and funerals. In 2021, she started the blog Liturgy on the Margins, along with the group Australian Catholics Exploring the Diaconate, which celebrates and promotes the ministry of permanent deacons, both present and potential. This includes the diaconal ministry of women who respond to needs that exist.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/05072023 to learn more about Elizabeth, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
6 min
April 28, 2023 Doing Our Part with Sonia Caus Gleason
Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Sonia Caus Gleason offers a fresh take on the familiar sheep and shepherd imagery:
"The sheep metaphor can sound all soft and fluffy, strictly comforting, but we have to do our part. Sheep hear, recognize, and respond, with a little help. It can be more complicated for us humans. Sometimes we hear technically, but don’t listen. In our moments of bravura, we may forget that we’re vulnerable. We can get diverted by our own wrong assumptions and quick judgments, or tempted by the familiar message rather than what we really need to hear. The din of politics that polarize us, the echo of family fights can linger for an age. We need judgment without being judgmental, compassion while holding a steady course. We need cultural competence to heed Christ’s magnificent voice in those who are different from us: our own race, gender, identity, class, physical ability - you name it. We need the discipline of leaning in, listening for truth with alertness and curiosity. And while vulnerable, we need to be made of tough stuff. That’s a lot."
Sonia Caus Gleason is a strategy and learning consultant to philanthropies and non-profits that are deepening their social and racial justice commitments. A long-time member of Boston’s Paulist Center, Sonia organized a network of small communities of faith, co-chaired the development of socially responsible investment screens, and co-led a partnership to address youth violence in the city. In a variety of settings, she has planned and presided at a range of Catholic and interfaith educational sessions, retreats, and prayer services. And amidst covid, she co-founded a lay-led, virtual prayer group that has brought forth unexpected gifts of youth empowerment and intergenerational community.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04302023 to learn more about Sonia, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
8 min
April 21, 2023 Solved by Walking. Svea Fraser Preaches for the Third Sunday of Easter
Preaching for the Third Sunday of Easter, Svea Fraser, M.Div, offers a reflection on our common journey:
"We walk by faith and we know that the Holy Spirit will not deny what the Church needs. Through Phoebe’s intercession, women (and men) are seeking her support as our steps quicken and our hearts burn within us for the renewal and transformation of a church that truly welcomes the gifts of all the baptized."
Svea Fraser is a founder and current trustee for Voice of the Faithful. At present, she leads the organization’s “Women’s Emerging Voices” working group, now identified as “National Deacon Circle” in partnership with Discerning Deacons. She also serves as the coordinator and catechist for OCIA (formerly known as RCIA) for the St. John-St. Paul Catholic Collaborative in Wellesley, MA. Svea earned her Master of Divinity at Pope at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA (she is the second and last woman to have done so).
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04232022 to learn more about Svea, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
10 min
April 14, 2023 We need one another to attest to the Resurrection with Jenny DeVivo, Ph.D.
Preaching for the Second Sunday of Easter, Jenny DeVivo offers a reflection on embrace the whole of the paschal mystery every day:
"Last Sunday, we heard the narration of the resurrection of Jesus, and today we have the disciples testifying to the resurrection. Apart from the glories of Easter Sunday and its celebration, in the ordinary days of Christian life we need the testimony of one another. On the days that the world has not stopped to collectively celebrate the resurrection, on the ordinary Tuesdays when it is business as usual, we need one another to attest to the resurrection in light of the reality of the cross."
Jenny DeVivo, OblSB, PhD is a biblical scholar who received her PhD in New Testament and Early Christianity from Loyola University Chicago. She spent 10 years teaching biblical studies and other courses in theology in various Catholic universities. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of Mission and Heritage at her alma mater, Saint Xavier University in Chicago. She is also a spiritual director, trained in the Spiritual Guidance Training Program at the Siena Center, in Racine, WI. Jenny is a Benedictine Oblate with St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, MN. Her theology, ministry, and spirituality have been shaped deeply by various religious communities, particularly, in order of appearance, the Sisters of Mercy, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and the Benedictines.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04162023 to learn more about Jenny, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
April 08, 2023 Witnessing as Easter Practice: Nichole Flores Preaches for Easter
Preaching for Easter Sunday, Nichole M. Flores offers a reflection on witnessing and testifying as Easter practice:
"As we enter into this season of rejoicing, how can we create space for the practices of witnessing and testifying in our daily lives? How might these practices help us to attend to our confusion, our suffering, and our wounds in the context of our daily lives, in 'lo cotidiano'? And how might these practices help us to hear Jesus’s joyful call, beckoning us to see the face of the Lord crucified and risen who has been with us all along?"
Dr. Nichole M. Flores is associate professor of religious studies and director of the health, ethics, and society minor at the University of Virginia. She speaks, writes and teaches about the significance of Catholic ethics in plural social, political, and ecclesial contexts. Dr. Flores earned an A.B. in government from Smith College, an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in theological ethics from Boston College.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04092023 to learn more about Dr. Flores, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
April 07, 2023 When Love Costs Everything: Sr. Melinda Pellerin, ssj Preaches for Good Friday
Preaching for Good Friday, Sr. Melinda Adrienne Pellerin, ssj offers a reflection "Were You There When Love Costs Everything":
"The Goodness, the holiness of this particular Friday is the ultimate act of love and we should tremble! The African American Spiritual’s lyrics, composed by the enslaved: Were You There, when they crucified my Lord? We place ourselves there. We remember, and we tremble because we have been saved. Transformative love costs everything to save us!"
Melinda Adrienne Pellerin was born in Springfield, Mass. She received a BA in secondary education with a minor in history and social sciences. She went on to receive a Master’s in Educational Technology from Lesley University, and recently a Certification in Addiction Counseling. Before entering religious life, Sister Melinda was a secondary teacher spending most of her teaching career in the Public School System in Springfield, Mass. In 2019, Sister Melinda made her Final Vows with The Sisters of Saint Joseph. She is a Pastoral Minister at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Chaplin at a women’s jail, and a case manager at a local transitional sober home for men and women. She is the Vice President of the National Black Sisters Conference.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04072023 to learn more about Sister Melinda, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
7 min
April 06, 2023 Do We Realize? Leslye Colvin Preaches for Holy Thursday
Preaching for Holy Thursday, Leslye Colvin offers a reflection on Jesus' questions that serve as invitations to metanoia:
In the Gospel of John reading proclaimed on Maundy Thursday, Jesus does not disappoint. He captures my attention by asking a question. At initial glance, it may appear to be quite simple. Yet, in pondering it, we may see it as a profound invitation to metanoia. "So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, 'Do you realize what I have done for you?'" ... Do you realize what I have done for you? Do you realize?
Leslye Colvin is a writer, spiritual companion, and contemplative activist. She serves as the Policy Advocate for the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Silver Spring, Maryland. Leslye has extensive experience in promoting mission and expanding outreach of a variety of sectors including faith-based non profit, government, corporate, and academia. Inspired by the Catholic social justice tradition, she is passionate about encouraging diversity of thought especially as it relates to those often marginalized within the community.
Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04062023 to learn more about Leslye, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.
10 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…