Preaching for the Twenty-eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, María Soledad offers a reflection on preparing for the feast God has planned for us: 

 "...in these moments of history in which we feel so deprived and unsatisfied with our present, let us remember that the God of Jesus is a God that has prepared a big feast for us. That our hope and our future is a feast, and that we can prepare for that feast only if we dress ourselves with the proper garment. That is the garment of solidarity, of expectation, of hope—the garment of those who know that human beings need bread, but also wine. We need the minimum of justice, but also the maximum of love, gratuitousness, and abundance that will satisfy together our bodies and souls."  

María Soledad was born in Santiago de Chile in 1985. She is now living in the Boston area while pursuing her PhD in Systematic Theology at Boston College. She is also a Resident Minister serving college students and a member of the Latinx community of St. Ignatius Parish at Chestnut Hill.  She is also co-founder of the movement Mujeres Iglesia, a Catholic and feminist movement based in Chile, that unites Catholic women from different parts of the country in the common effort to deepen their faith through a feminist lense, and pursue justice for women both in the Church and society.    

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10112020 to learn more about Maria Soledad, to watch her video or read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - through the lens of Saint Francis - Ramona Miller, OSF offers a reflection on finding our own goodness and peace by living into community with all creation:  

"As we desire to develop a vineyard that pleases God and deepens our inner peace we come to realize that there can be no fences around the perfect vineyard.  We are being called to be in relationship with all of creation and all peoples and creatures.  Lest we get frightened by the expectation to be so magnanimous, keep in mind that God planted the law of love in our hearts."  

Sister Ramona Miller is currently the elected leader/president of the Sisters of Saint Francis in Rochester, Minnesota.  She is a graduate of Seattle University (master’s degree in Ministry) and the Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University (master’s degree in Franciscan Studies). She is the author of "In the Footsteps of Saint Clare", and co-author of "Praying with Clare of Assisi."  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10042020 to learn more about Sister Ramona, to read heer preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Marge Kloos, SC offers a reflection encouraging us to go out and work in the vineyard today:  

"Today, we are a planet awakening to multiple injustices cascading over our consciousness. Our journey to the vineyard cannot be put on hold. The urgency of this moment calls us to go to work in the vineyard where the weeds of hate and indifference choke the vitality of our souls."  

Marge Kloos, S.C., D. Min. is a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati and is serving as a member of the Leadership Team of her religious community. As an associate professor of religious and pastoral studies at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Marge has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Ministry, Spirituality, and Ecological and Social Justice.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09272020 to learn more about Marge, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jessie Bazan offers a reflection on the familiar parable of the workers in the vineyard:  

"Our God is a God of infinite possibilities, whose ways are high above the human ways to which we’ve grown accustomed. Our God cannot be tamed within the made-up constructs of in or out, worthy or unworthy, last or first. Our God is near to all who call upon the divine name in truth, no matter if we got to work at the crack of dawn or right before quitting time."  

Jessie Bazan is a theologian and writer. She edited and co-authored the book, Dear Joan Chittister: Conversations with Women in the Church, released in September 2019 with Twenty-Third Publications. Jessie also serves as the program associate for the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research. She earned her Masters of Divinity degree at the Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota and Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09202020 to learn more about Jessie, to view her video or read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jacqueline Regan offers a reflection on forgiveness:  

"Seventy times seven? Really? Jesus knew that we needed practice. With hearts opened wide to the amazing grace of God’s mercy, can we trust that Jesus’ instruction is a sign of solidarity with the human condition?  Can we live as if it is a piece of wise advice that shapes and sustains our prophetic practice of love and forgiveness for the long haul?"  

Jacqueline Regan (Jackie)  is the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Career Services at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (STM). She earned an M.Div. and an M.A. in Spiritual Direction from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology and Ministry. Jackie’s greatest source of joy in her ministry is participating in and creating inclusive formation programs that foster relationships with and among students from all over the world. At the STM and in her parish of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Jackie has been active in spiritual direction, prison and interfaith ministry, international immersion experiences, hospice chaplaincy, liturgical ministry, and RCIA. She has served on executive boards for the Association of Theological Schools and Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry, and is currently a member of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice and the Regional Council of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps.   

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09132020 to learn more about Jackie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Dr. Julie Welborn offers a reflection on our call to be on the watch -- for ourselves and for one another:  

"When we engender these kind of healthy relationships; when we sharpen others and allow others to sharpen us, in the end we become better people, and position ourselves to be available to represent and serve God."  

Julie Welborn is a skilled teacher and preacher who worked at the Office of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2011-2016 and served as the Director of Catholic Identity from 2014-16.  She has taught and facilitated confirmation and reconciliation sacramental classes and retreats; shared the gospel as a scripture teacher for the Chicago Catholic Scripture School; taught scripture in the Continuing Education & Enrichment Program during the summer at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at St. Xavier University in New Orleans; has preached at churches and conferences of various denominations and has been featured as keynote speaker at schools and various educational organizations. She holds a Doctorate of Ministry, a Master of Divinity and a Certificate in Biblical Spirituality from Catholic Theological Union. She currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Youth and Family Life at LaSalle Street Church in Chicago.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/09062020 to learn more about Julie, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sr. Nicole Trahan offers a reflection on persistence as we seek, in the words of St. Paul, not to be conformed to this age:  

Let us challenge ourselves to keep learning and growing, allowing God to transform us by the renewal of our minds, so we might act with courage in spite of the obstacles and struggles to bring about a time acceptable to the Lord.  

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/08302020 to learn more about Sr. Nicole, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Elyse Raby offers a reflection on authority:  

"This is the kind of lived authority, the kind of witness and testimony, that opens the doors to the kingdom of heaven. This  is the authority that makes Christianity credible. It is the kind of authority that we so desperately need from our church leaders who are in positions of authority."  

Elyse Raby is a doctoral candidate in systematic theology at Boston College. She is completing her dissertation on the church as the body of Christ in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Catholic theology and, in particular, how different understandings of embodiment shape our understandings of the church, its ministry, and its relationship to the world.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08232020 to learn more about Elyse, to read her text or watch her video, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sr. Gerardette Philips offers a reflection on the universality of God's love and compassion -- regardless of race, culture, or creed -- and the invitation to be in relationship with one another:   

"The Breath of the Compassionate God breathes on all alike, extending the invitation and making God’s mercy available for all. However we can only feel this breath if we are close enough... In the three readings of today we are given an invitation to be in the house of prayer together, to exclude no one, to experience the mercy of God and a promise that our requests will be granted in God’s way and in God’s time."    

Sr. Gerardette Philips, RSCJ, (Religiuses du Sacre Coeur de Jesus) was born in India. She has been living and serving in Jakarta/Bandung – Indonesia over the last twenty years. She serves as the Director of Formation and District Leader of the RSCJ in Indonesia. She is actively involved special education and interreligious dialogue.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08162020 to learn more about Sr. Gerardette, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Assumption, Pat McDonough offers a reflection on the wholeness and holiness of each woman:  

"Mary’s 'yes' made her whole, a wholeness for which we all long. She shared so singleheartedly, so fully in the life of Jesus, that God invited Mary to share fully in his resurrection. If heaven could welcome a female body, why can’t the hierarchy?"  

Pat McDonough has enjoyed a thirty-five year career as a Catholic educator and school psychologist in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Her experience in pastoral ministry spans years as a Director of Religious Education, Director of Youth Ministry, Coordinator of Programs in the Diocesan Office of Family Ministry, and professor of psychology and theology in Catholic high schools and colleges on Long Island. She holds a P.D. in Psychology, M.S. in Education, M.A. in Theology and a B.S. in Criminal Justice. She completed the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius over the course of an unforgettable thirty days as a graduate student.  

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08152020 to learn more about Pat, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.