Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Elizabeth Garlow invites us to the ecological conversion called for in Laudato Si':  

"We will have to let go of the short-termism and instant gratification that is so pervasive. We will need to adopt a longer-term view, one that helps us understand what it might look like to live in ways that would make us good ancestors. It reminds me of the passage in today’s Gospel parable where God says to the harvester - ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’"  

Elizabeth Garlow has worked in the areas of social entrepreneurship, impact investing and public policy with an eye toward building an economy rooted in solidarity and mutual care. Three years ago, Elizabeth was moved by the launch of the global Economy of Francesco Movement to co-find the Francesco Collaborative, a network of investors, entrepreneurs and other changemakers seeking to respond to Pope Francis’ call to be “protagonists of transformation” in our economy. Today, she runs “Livable Future Investing” workshops through the Francesco Collaborative, inviting investors to discern and embrace their most important work in building the solidarity economy. She also accompanies religious congregations as they discern how to align their assets with mission in an ever-evolving world. She also conducts research on well-being economics as a fellow with New America.  Elizabeth holds a BA from Kalamazoo College and a Master’s in public policy and economics from Princeton University. She loves swimming, playing folk music, and making a home in the Detroit area with her partner Paul and their new daughter Sophia.     

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07312022 to learn more about Elizabeth, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Brenna Davis offers a reflection on the communal nature of the prayer Jesus teaches us:   

"And so my prayer for all of us is that as we enter into the dynamics of the Lord's Prayer, that we  can be consoled, that we can trust in God's plan, and that we can be bread for one another and  lean on our neighbors when we need the sustenance to carry us forward to bring about the  reign of God."  

Brenna Davis currently serves as the Director of Environmental Initiatives at the Ignatian Solidarity Network. She is a certified spiritual director, Cuyahoga County Master Recycler, a member of NCR’s EarthBeat Advisory Panel, and a board member for the Jesuit Retreat Center in Parma, OH and Bethlehem Farm in Pence Springs, WV.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07242022 to learn more about Brenna, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Kayla August offers a reflection on Mary's unique role as a pillar of our community and example to all:   

"She was sent to make known that the one she loved…. LIVED. She wasn’t just a woman who hoped and prayed, who waited and wept, she was a woman who LOVED. And a God who is LOVE knows that a woman who loves and believes … is the way to change the world. So, let Magdalene be a reminder of what we can endure, what we can bring, and what awaits those powered by love."  

Kayla August is a doctoral student at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology and Education with a focus on preaching. As a lay woman in the Church, Kayla makes a point to preach whenever and wherever she can. She is not only a proud contributor to the voices found on Catholic Women Preach, but she has also preached in a variety of places including McGrath’s Institute for Church Life Saturday with the Saints at Notre Dame, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in New York's 7 Last Words of Christ prayer service on Good Friday, and a variety of churches, youth gatherings, and universities across the U.S.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07222022 to learn more about Kayla, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic Women.

Preaching for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Susan Fleming McGurgan offers a reflection on the "strange little story" of Martha and Mary:  

"What is the truth about Martha and Mary? For me, it is enough to know that their faithfulness, their commitment to love and serve, and yes, lead, is our inheritance--yours and mine, passed down from mother to daughter, between sister and sister, disciple to disciple, from woman of faith to woman of faith throughout the ages-- whatever our station, whatever our circumstance, whatever our struggles, whatever our personal response to God’s call."  

Dr. Susan McGurgan has served in pastoral ministry and lay formation for 30 years as a parish minister, formation director, professor, and administrator.  She is currently the Director of Lay Ecclesial Formation and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology for Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati.  She holds a BA Honors History degree from Oklahoma State University, an MA Religion from the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary's Seminary, and a D.Min in Preaching from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (Now Bexley-Seabury). In 2021, she launched a preaching website offering resources and support for working preachers, Preaching Hope: https://www.preachinghope.org/  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07172022 to learn more about Susan, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Ann M. Garrido leads us through an imaginative retelling of the parable of the Good Samaritan and helps us reflect on being neighbors:

"Is neighbor a noun or a verb? Is it someone you live near…or someone who draws near when you need them? Is neighbor something you have or something you do?”  

Ann Garrido is associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO. While her first passion is teaching, Garrido has also served the school in a number of administrative roles including (at varying points in time) as Director of the Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching, Director of MAPS Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Director of Field Education, Director of Distance Learning, and Director of the Aquinas Ministry Integration Project. Most recently, Garrido served as the Marten Fellow in Preaching at the University of Notre Dame. She preaches each month for the Dominican website Word.op.org and is the author of numerous books.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07102022 to learn more about Ann, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Fourteenth Sunday, Maria Luevano-Salazar offers a reflection on rejoicing in carrying out the mission and plan that Jesus has laid out for us:  

"Now more than ever, it is crucial that we hear the calling, that we hear the plan, that we go out there and do what is asked for us to do. Today we need to be the new missionaries and disciples, the servants, and the leaders in today's hurt world. To go out like the 72 disciples that returned and rejoiced. Knowing that there will be challenges, but that in Jesus’ name we can successfully complete the mission."  

Maria Luevano-Salazar was born in Zacatecas, Mexico. At the age of 13 Maria and her family immigrated to Chicago. After only a few years of living in the United States and learning English, she attended Loyola University Chicago and majored in Spanish Literature. After graduating from Loyola University, Maria became very involved with Hispanic Young Adult Ministry and Hispanic Ministry at the Archdiocese of Chicago. After 5 years of Ministry work with the Office for Hispanic Ministry at the Archdiocese of Chicago, Maria started working at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, where she is also an alumna, as a Spanish teacher. In addition to teaching, Maria is currently leading the Hispanic Ministry Initiative within the school community. Maria is a mother of 4 children and enjoys partnering with her husband to teach their faith to their children.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07032022 to learn more about Maria and to view her text and video (in both Spanish and English). 

Preaching for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Krista Chinchilla-Patzke offers a reflection on focusing the work ahead:  

"We, as Jesus’ disciples were, are being invited to embrace freedom and shift our attention onto something else. After saying goodbye to my family in California, it’s easy for me to think solely of everyone and everything that I’m leaving behind. It is my concentration on that - not my goodbyes, -that may make me unfit. We are being asked to focus on the kindom of God—not to be absorbed by what we lose when we say 'yes' to following Jesus. There is a cost to discipleship, but there is much more gain."  

Krista Chinchilla-Patzke was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala and raised in Southern California. She serves as the Faith and Justice Campus Minister at Loyola University Chicago. Her passion for ministry was ignited by faith-based service and immersion opportunities; she is grateful to oversee programs in which undergraduate students, faculty, and staff can engage issues of justice, learn about advocacy, and consider culturally responsive ministry. She cultivated her pastoral approach in her prior professional work at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana and Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.She earned an MA in Theology and Ministry from the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and a BA in Theology and Psychology from Loyola Marymount University.    

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/06262022 to learn more about Krista, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Jenny Wiertel reflects on meeting violence and senseless death with real presence:  

"There may never be any answers to the tragedy of war, violence, and evil, but we’re here because we’re here because we’re here. Today, as we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, we proclaim that not only are we here, but Christ is here, in the bread and the cup, in our neighbor, in us. In the face of meaninglessness, being here means something. Christ meets the absurdity of violence with the absurdity of real presence."  

Jenny Wiertel is a Master of Divinity student at the University of Notre Dame. During the academic year, she serves as an assistant rector in Pasquerilla West Hall at Notre Dame. In this role, she provides pastoral care, preaches at liturgy, directs retreats, coordinates community service, and most importantly, empowers students to become leaders in their community and in their Church. She has spent two summers living and working with those experiencing homelessness in Phoenix, AZ at Andre House of Hospitality, a ministry inspired by Holy Cross spirituality and the Catholic Worker movement. Jenny is passionate about amplifying the voices of those who are marginalized in our Church and in our world, and she hopes to use her Master of Divinity to continue to preach, accompany, and serve.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/06192022 to learn more about Jenny, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Patricia Bruno, OP, offers a reflection inviting us into the Mystery:  

"We will never understand the mystery that the poet of Proverbs explores, but if we sit in silence with the barn doors open wide, Wisdom will feed our imaginations so that our spirits will rise and be able to enter into the dance of praise and gratitude. And don’t worry.  Even if our legs are a bit old, we’ll be able to join in the dance because we know the steps by heart."  

Patricia Bruno, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of San Rafael, CA.  Patricia is a spiritual and retreat director and writes a monthly scripture internet article, Stories Seldom Heard. She has led retreats, justice and preaching workshop in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.  Patricia began her ministry as a teacher.  In 1980 she founded the Interfaith Pittsburg Community Organizing Project, CA.  In 1985 Patricia became the Promoter of Preaching for her congregation, a board member of Parable (a national conference for Dominican Life and Mission) and of the Academy of Preachers.  In the 1990’s, while on the staff of Pace e Bene, a Franciscan organization that offers retreats and workshops on nonviolence, Patricia co-authored a book, From Violence to Wholeness.  Patricia, as the Promoter of Justice for the San Rafael Dominicans, established their congregation’s Socially Responsible and Alternative Investment Committees. In 1990 she became the Director of Justice Education for the Northern California Community Loan Fund. By 1999 a coalition of seventeen Roman Catholic congregations/provinces were active members of and investors in the Fund.  Patricia’s religious life has braided together two major themes: spirituality and justice.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/06122022 to learn more about Patricia Bruno, OP, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for Pentecost, M. Shawn Copeland offers a reflection on 'Spirit of God Different':   

"At Pentecost, Spirit God Different missions us to live out the command of Jesus to ‘love one another.’ Spirit God Different opens us, teaches us to live in and live out active compassionate, loving solidarity with those whom our society chooses to oppress––those whom our society exploits and alienates, marginalizes and dominates, rejects and denies, attacks and assaults, represses and crushes, murders and destroys. By creating these blessed fleshly differences, Spirit God Different nudges us to reach out to one another, to communicate, to meet one another, to enjoy one another, to act in love for and with one another. Spirit God Different urges us to defend and protect one another from oppression and violence of body and soul, mind and heart; to respect and honor, welcome and embrace one another in all our fleshly difference––for our shining and beautiful fleshly differing bodies are dwelling places of Spirit God Different."  

Dr. M. Shawn Copeland is Professor emerita of Systematic Theology at Boston College and Theologian-in-Residence at Saint Katharine Drexel Parish, Roxbury, Massachusetts. She is an internationally recognized scholar and award-winning writer. Copeland is a former Convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium (BCTS). She was the first African American and first African American woman to serve as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA).  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/06052022 to learn more about Dr. M. Shawn Copeland, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.