Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Dr. Nontando Hadebe offers a reflection on the history-making relationship between Mary and Elizabeth and its power for women today:  

"There was another power operating in the most unlikely place - that is in the lives of these two women from an oppressed nation who had no significance, status or power. The two women had no male presence or authority to mediate their experiences for them; they were left on their own to make sense of the extraordinary events that were happening in their lives. Left to themselves, they discovered their power borne out of their relationship with God and with each other to face with courage, resilience and faith the uncertain future that lay ahead of them."  

Dr. Nontando Hadebe is a lay woman theologian and International Coordinator for Side by Side, a faith movement for gender justice. She was previously senior lecturer at St. Augustine College of South Africa. A member of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, she is passionate about gender equality, Africanization, and social justice.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12192021 to learn more about Nontando, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Carmen Nanko-Fernández offers a reflection on the intersection of the readings for the Third Sunday of Advent and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe:  

"We need to remember that today is a day of rejoicing, of fiesta—a time to affirm the gift of life, no matter how fragile; a time to confirm that we are indeed accompanied by the divine. Fiestas are not escapes from daily misery, but necessary acts of resistance to suffering, acts of re-membering and restoration en lo cotidiano (in the everyday). Fiestas are responses of gratitude for the God que nos acompaña (who accompanies us) and rejoicing for the protections offered us wrapped in the embrace of maternal arms."  

A self-described Hurban@́ (Hispanic and urban) theologian, Carmen is Professor of Hispanic Theology and Ministry, and the director of the Hispanic Theology and Ministry Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, USA. Carmen created Theology en la Plaza column for the National Catholic Reporter. Some of her recent essays are available there as well as in Commonweal. She is also the founding co-editor of the multivolume series Disruptive Cartographers: Doing Theology Latinamente  (Orbis).  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12122021 to learn more about Carmen, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Catherine Mooney, Ph.D., preaches for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary:   

"Mary”s Magnificat foretells of a magnificent future already happening. It is being borne into our Fallen world by every person who, like Christ, lives in solidarity with the outcasts and fights for a world of love and justice."  

Catherine Mooney teaches church history and the history of Christian spirituality at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry.  She has a Master’s in Theological Studies (M.T.S.) from Harvard Divinity School, and an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in  medieval history from Yale University.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12082021 to learn more about Dr. Mooney, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the First Sunday of Advent, Crista Carrick Mahoney offers a reflection on “staying awake,” even when we’re already tired:  

“We’ve been on high alert for nearly two years, so sometimes these Advent reminders to stay awake, pay attention, be ready, only feed the weariness.  It’s ok to feel tired!  In that barely awake state, in those moments when we feel more anxious, less patient, or we are just having an 'off day', we can still meet the world with love and compassion, because we, too, are being met as we are by a God who fulfills promises out of love and fidelity.  Even in our tiredness, we can meet the world as it is with a posture of openness that will help wake us up and participate in the hope, peace, joy and love of this holy season of preparation.”  

Crista Mahoney earned her Master of Divinity from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.  Her professional ministry began in campus ministry at Emmanuel College in Boston, MA, then as the Catholic Chaplain on a multi-faith team at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, before returning to her alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross, to work with students on retreats and women’s faith sharing groups. Crista also coordinates and edits the Return To Me: Lenten Reflection Series at Holy Cross.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11282021 to learn more about Crista, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of Christ the King, Jordan Denari Duffner offers a reflection on experiencing and enacting the Reign of God - even in unexpected places:  

"God’s reign is not only something that we look forward to at the end of time, nor is it simply a realm that we will someday reach. It is also something that we can experience here, even if only in glimpses, and that we can work to build now. We experience the kingdom whenever we choose to live as if the justice, peace, and love of God’s reign are already present. Whenever we love our neighbor, give of ourselves to honor their dignity, or put ourselves on the line for their sake, we enact the kingdom. It may not be present in its fullness, and we may not see the fruits of our labor, but this experience of the kingdom is very real nonetheless."  

Jordan Denari Duffner is an author, educator, and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue, and Islamophobia. Her books are Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic (2017) and Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination (2021). Ms. Duffner is currently pursuing a PhD in Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. A former Fulbright scholar in Amman, Jordan, she is also an associate of the Bridge Initiative, where she previously worked as a research fellow. She currently teaches an undergraduate introduction to Islam course at Georgetown.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11212021 to learn more about Jordan, to view her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sr. Christa Parra, IBVM offers a reflection on accompanying each other - and especially asylum seekers - through terrifying times:  

"Life is not as terrifying when we know that we are not alone.  The Psalm today is similar to the song Stand By Me as it emphasizes that with God at my right hand, I will not be disturbed.  My heart, body, and soul are confident because God does not abandon me.  These words resonate with the stories from our families seeking asylum.  There is a deep trust in God’s constant presence and faith that God will continue to lead us on the path of life.  We are God’s beloved ones, God’s darlins’, called to 'stand by' one another knowing that God always 'stands by' us."  

Sister Christa Parra, IBVM is part of an inter congregational and intercultural community in El Paso, Texas where she loves and serves God's beloved people at the U.S./Mexico border. A third-generation Mexican American, she earned her Master of Divinity and a certificate in Hispanic Theology and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She professed final vows with the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2016.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11142021 to learn more about Sr. Christa, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Phyllis Zagano offers a reflection on belonging in the Church:  

"The Church, our Church, your Church, has leaders, rules, and boundaries. You are part of the people of God, and so am I. The difference with Church, I think, is that the leaders must continually learn from the others. Hierarchy—and all clerics are part of the hierarchy—hierarchy cannot cut itself off from the rest of people of God. Hierarchy, from me to the bishop to the pope, is part of the people of God. And saying hierarchy as part of the people of God is not just another way of controlling the Church. It means we all belong."  

Dr. Phyllis Zagano is an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar who has lectured throughout the United States, and in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Her many awards include the 2014 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice from The Paulist Center Community in Boston for “her prolific body of work that has constantly echoed the cry of the poorest of our society for dignity and for justice both inside and outside the church....specifically the dignity of all women.” 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.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11072021 to learn more about Zagano, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of All Saints, Yunuen Trujillo offers a reflection on the Beatitudes and shifting our notions of holiness: 

"How can we know the saints fully, if we don’t recognize those saints who are unknown, who come from sections of the population we consider 'less than.' We are called to be a Church of encounter, a Church of accompaniment, and listening Church. As we begin our journey in the Synod on Synodality I encourage you to ask yourself, what are the walls that I have built around my version of God? What are the limitations I have given to sainthood? ... Start listening to the stories of people who are different than you and ask God to guide you onn a journey of discernment about the unknown." 

Yunuen Trujillo is a Catholic lay minister, a faith-based Community Organizer, and an Immigration Attorney. She is the founder of the Instagram @lgbtcatholics, an online platform of resources for Catholic LGBT Ministry and she is the Religious Formation Coordinator (Sp) for the Catholic Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Persons of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She is the author of the upcoming book LGBT Catholics: A Guide for Inclusive Ministry, which is being published in Spring 2022 by Paulist Press.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11012021 to learn more about Yunuen, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Simone Campbell, SSS offers a reflection on the Greatest Commandment:  

"So let us this week embody the care and community that I experienced in Texas by the end of our gathering. Let us have space for those who disagree and find our connections before the Divine together in a love that overflows all bounds. Then may we be marked by love...let us make manifest that we do in deed care for those who differ. Let us remember to love our neighbors as ourselves for this indeed is the reign of God." 

Sister Simone Campbell (a Roman Catholic Sister of Social Service) is a religious leader, attorney, and author with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systemic change. For almost 17 years she was the executive director of NETWORK, Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and leader of Nuns on the Bus.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10312021 to learn more about Sr. Simone, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Allison Connelly-Vetter offers a reflection on disability, consent, inclusion, and access:  

"Those of us who are disabled, those of us who have long known these truths in our bones and synapses, can find in these readings divine validation and affirmation of our naturalness, worthiness, and on-purpose-created-ness. And all of us, abled and disabled alike, can find in these texts a moral and spiritual imperative for disability justice. Our sacred texts both create and reflect the world as we know it, and today, our texts remind us of our new and ancient call to be in right relationship with disabled people and all God’s creation."  

Allison Connelly-Vetter (she/her) received a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. While in graduate school she studied interdisciplinary approaches to disability theology and Madness and wrote a capstone thesis on Christian ableism and restorative justice. Allison regularly preaches and offers presentations and workshops for churches and religious congregations across the country on topics such as disability theology, queer Christianity, and theological grounding for social justice.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10242021 to learn more about Allison, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.