Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for Palm Sunday, Elsie Miranda offers a reflection on the cost of discipleship:

Preaching for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, JoAnn Melina Lopez offers a reflection on our call to journey to the tomb and co-create, with God, new life:

Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Sr. Nicole Trahan, FMI offers a reflection on seeing and dismantling systems of injustice in our world:  

"As we continue to engage in the process of seeing, analyzing, reflecting, and responding our vision becomes more clear. Much like the man Jesus cures in today’s Gospel...The process doesn’t end there, though. Then, it is time to respond. Today’s Gospel ends with this imperative, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.' If we see, we are responsible. We can no longer claim ignorance."  

Sr. Nicole Trahan, FMI, a native of Orange, Texas, is a member of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (Marianists) and currently lives in Dayton, Ohio. Sr. Nicole serves her congregation as a member of the provincial leadership team, vocations director and director of the pre-novitiate program. She is also a part-time campus minister at Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/03192023 to learn more about Sr. Nicole Trahan, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Third Sunday of Lent, Valerie D. Lewis-Mosley offers a reflection on seeing each other as Christ sees us:  

"Where the world makes us invisible – we are made visible again in Christ! This is the faith we are initiated into at the well of Baptism. It is this proclamation of conversion and metanoia and faith that we are called to run and tell about. We are called to lead others out of a place of invisibility and into the light."  

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 an Apostolate for Evangelization in the African American community. 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/03122023 to learn more about Valerie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Second Sunday of Lent, Jung Eun Sophia Park, SNJM offers a reflection on the "Rhythm of the Paschal Journey":  

"We, the people of God, are also invited into the Rhythm of the Paschal journey, which first begins with our receiving blessings, to then become blessings ourselves. We experience these abundant blessings and then encounter the cry of the poor, the lonely, and the oppressed. In this Rhythm of the Paschal journey, we continue to walk into the land that God shows us, as eternally present pilgrims, as a gift to others."  

Jung Eun Sophia Park, SNJM, is associate professor at Holy Names University in California.  She loves to give retreats, spiritual directions, and workshops in US and other countries. Her academic interests are global justice and spirituality, shamanism, postcolonial feminism, and mysticism. She has written numerous articles and published several books.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/03052023 to learn more about Jun Eun Sophia Park, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the First Sunday of Lent, Crystal Catalan offers a reflection on journeying through the desert times in our lives:  

"I am so grateful that the Gospel passage for this Sunday does not end with Jesus suffering in the desert. Rather, the passage ends with, 'Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.' For me, this is the beauty of our faith. That we absolutely cannot exist without being in relationship with others, and angels are sent to aid with our healing."  

Crystal Catalan currently serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Presentation High School in San Jose, CA. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego, an M.A. in International Development from Eastern University., M.A. in Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Restorative Justice and Chaplaincy at Santa Clara University, and the Certificate in Restorative Justice Leadership and Facilitation through the University of San Diego.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02262023 to learn more about Crystal, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for Ash Wednesday, Rose Lue offers a reflection on living our Lenten practices from our heart:  

"May what we do, and say, come from this greater capacity for life and love that is found in the heart, where God resides deep within us. May it give witness to our true communion with God, with one another, and with all of creation."  

Rose Lue is a community organizer, justice advocate, and spiritual companion. An Advanced Lay Leader in the Diocese of San Jose, California, having completed 7 years of formation along with the candidates for permanent diaconate,  Rose currently leads the mental health ministry at her parish and serves on the diocesan committee for Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She is also a wife, mother to three, and an active long-time member of St. Simon Parish in Los Altos, California. In her spare time, she likes to play games, various sports, and be outdoors.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02222023 to learn more about Rose, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sister Eileen Reilly, SSND offers a reflection on the gospel's call to "be perfect" through the lens of her ministry with people who have lost loved ones to violence and murder:  

"As you can see, each of these folks has taught me something about this Gospel call to be perfect. So, my answer to the question, Does God really expect us to be perfect? is YES! YES, with the understanding that becoming perfect is a life-long process, that it happens in community with others, and that it often takes courage to challenge the prevailing wisdom. YES, you and I are called to be perfect. I invite each of us to trust that God’s grace is working in us and that today we can take at least one step in that lifelong process to be perfect."  

Sister Eileen Reilly, a native of Boston, has been a School Sister of Notre Dame (SSND) for over 50 years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, an MA in Peace and Justice Studies, and an MDiv from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. While living in Connecticut, Eileen had the opportunity to accompany a man who was eventually executed by the state of Connecticut. This strengthened her passion for abolishing the death penalty and led her to her present ministry at Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), the national Catholic organization working to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02192023 to learn more about Sr. Eileen, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Crystal Caruana Sullivan offers a reflection on our relationship to God's law and our journey of discipleship:  

"A 'rule book' may work as a moral guide for a three-year-old.  But we need something more than the prescriptive starting point or set of rules or list of laws. We need Jesus. We need Jesus, who takes us deeper into the mystery of God’s wisdom – who invites us to go deeper into the heart of God as we live into God’s kingdom.  And this is the harder route – because it requires that we choose – each and every day – to surrender our complicated opinions and relationship with the law – and to trust in God, to show us how to follow. "  

Crystal Sullivan lives in Dayton, OH and has served as the Executive Director of Campus Ministry at the University of Dayton, A Catholic Marianist university, since 2011. She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, bachelors in Religious Studies and Biology from Kalamazoo College, and is a certified Campus Minister and Marianist Educational Associate.  

Crystal is a Lay Marianist and a member of the Micah Theotokos community. Crystal and her spouse David have two adult children.   Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02122023 to learn more about Crystal, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mary Miro offers a reflection on the life's work that is playing our role in the Reign of God:  

"I also know this work is about more than handing out bread to the poor. This is more than a one-time public policy measure, philanthropic event, or election; this is a life’s work. Let us bravely step into the light and, together, be about liberating others and ourselves from oppressive thinking. As we draw closer to the light, perhaps the prophetic words of Isaiah, Paul, and Jesus may embolden us to work toward bringing healing, justice, and peace to our world."  

Mary C. Miro serves on the Steering Committee of the Equality for Women in the Church ministry at St. Nicholas Church in Evanston, Illinois. She became a certified Racial Healing Practitioner through the TRHT Initiative (Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation) and has facilitated racial justice and racial equity programming through Just Faith Ministries.Mary attended Marquette University, earning her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology. Following Marquette, Mary pursued an M.A. from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, focusing her studies on public policy, community organizing, and non-profit management.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02052023 to learn more about Mary, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.