Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for Christmas, Cecilia González-Andrieu offers a reflection on what it means to have Christian faith: "God is with us. God is with us always, and God dwells with us most perfectly in the ones who need us. Where are our mangers? Let us search for them because that is where Creation joins our song. To go to them, protect them, accompany them is to give our Christian faith meaning and to make our God present."Cecilia González-Andrieu is professor of Theology and Theological Aesthetics at Loyola Marymount University. Her work explores systematic theology, theological aesthetics, and political theology from the particularity of the Latinx experience. A scholar-activist Dr. González-Andrieu speaks and marches with those who thirst for the liberative power of theological thought in a number of interlaced areas of inquiry. At LMU, Cecilia helps lead the university’s work with undocumented students. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12252025 to learn more about Cecilia to read her preaching text, to view her preaching in Spanish, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez preaches for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, offering a reflection on dreaming a new way into being: "Heed your dreams, like Joseph did. Be a prophetic dreamer. Trust the vision God plants in you, and dare to act on it, with courage, tenderness, and fire."Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez is a proud first-generation Mexican-American, originally from La Villita on Chicago’s South Side. She is a co-founder and currently serves as the Director of Training and Formation at the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a Catholic and Christian-rooted community organizing coalition that integrates liberation theology, spirituality, and grassroots organizing to advance community transformation.Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12212025 to learn more about Joanna, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Third Sunday of Advent, Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández offers a reflection on experiencing and embracing the in-breaking of God's mañana: "On that day, many years ago, in the company of thousands united by a desire for housing justice, en solidaridad with many made poor, vulnerable and homeless, the presence of God’s reign broke-in. Barriers to communication fell, obstacles to relationships collapsed. In a moment of convivencia, I witnessed una promesa of God’s mañana."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. Her publications include the book "Theologizing en Espanglish" (Orbis), as well as numerous chapters, scholarly, and pastoral articles on Latin@́ theologies, theological education, Catholic Social Teaching, im/migration, Pope Francis, sport and theology—with particular focus on béisbol/baseball.Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12142025 to learn more about Carmen, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dr. Nichole M. Flores offers a poem reflecting on the presence and power of Our Lady: "She is everywhere. Speaking, guiding, prompting, praying. Advocating, organizing, redefining, reconciling. Calling, responding, giving, receiving. Bleeding, healing, crying, rising. She is everywhere."* Adapted from Nichole M. Flores, The Aesthetics of Solidarity: Our Lady of Guadalupe and American Democracy (Georgetown University Press 2021) Dr. Nichole M. Flores is associate professor of religious studies and director of the Catholic studies initiative at the University of Virginia. She speaks, writes and teaches about the significance of Catholic ethics in plural social, political, and ecclesial contexts. Her first book, "The Aesthetics of Solidarity: Our Lady of Guadalupe and American Democracy" is available from Georgetown University Press.

Preaching for the Immaculate Conception of Mary, Yolanda Chávez offers a reflection on Mary's 'yes' and the migrant woman's courage: "Mary’s 'yes' did not end in Nazareth. It continues in every woman who dares to hope, in every man who learns to see with mercy, in every community that makes room for love."Yolanda Chavez, M.Div., is a member of the Ecumenical Association of Theologians of the Third World (ASETT) and a certified Catechist Master Teacher. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where she is currently a candidate for a doctorate in ministry focused on Women's Spirituality. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12082025 to learn more about Yolanda, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Second Sunday of Advent, Carmen Ramos invites us to reclaim our common divine ancestry by nurturing new blossoms of justice, kinship, and courageous hope:"Even as we lament, we organize hope. This is our Divine Ancestry, given to us by Jesus, blooming anew. When we reclaim our divine lineage, people from longstanding opposing views gather together as the wolf and lamb; the leopard and the sheep; the calf and the lion…working together for justice, creating hope, creating kinship."Carmen Ramos is a first-generation Mexican-American raised in central California. She is an educator, spiritual director, retreat master, and formator. Currently, she serves Latinx parishes as Director of Renovación (Parish Renewal Initiative) at Marian University in Indianapolis. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12072025 to learn more about Carmen, for her preaching in Spanish, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the First Sunday of Advent, Dr. Angélica N. Quiñónez invites us to reframe Advent as a wake up call to awareness, compassion, and courageous action in the face of injustice: "Advent is not about waiting for God to act. Advent is about waking up to where God is already at work and joining God in that work. Staying awake means being prepared to say yes. Yes to justice. Yes to accompaniment. Yes to human dignity. Yes to policies rooted in compassion. Yes to the long and challenging work of peace. And it means standing where Christ stands."Dr. Angélica N. Quińónez is an educator and serves as the Director of University Ministry at the University of San Francisco. She is agraduate of the University of Southern California where she earned her Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Change and Leadership. She is a double USF Master’s graduate in Theology and Teaching with an emphasis in Catholic schools, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Santa Clara University. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11302025 to learn more about Angélica, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Solemnity of Christ the King, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy offers a reflection on the character of God's Reign we are called to co-create: "In this final hour on Calvary, we see a radically different kind of kingship than the world elevates. God’s reign is not self-serving, or seeking retribution. Nor does it portend a death-dealing system intent on punishment. No. Instead, Jesus offers a paradise of mercy that extends even to those whom we may not think deserve it."Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy serves as the executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), the national organization working to end the death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing through the practices of restorative justice. She has a Masters in Theology degree from Boston College (formerly Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts).Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11232025 to learn more about Krisanne and CMN, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sr. Judi Clemens reflects on how "“the sun of justice with its healing rays” shone through the life of Sr. Dorothy Stang and the people of Brazil's ecclesial base communities: "God was Dorothy’s friend and companion to the land and the landless too. Dorothy witnessed to the belief that all creation is interconnected and innately good…every human person, the rainforest and all the universe is destined for goodness."Sister Judi Clemens SNDdeN began her ministry as an educator in Ohio before spending 22 years serving the Church in Northeastern Brazil, where she helped form and animate Ecclesial Base Communities and lived in community with Sr. Dorothy Stang. After returning to the United States, she ministered among Brazilian immigrants in Boston and Miami and later served in leadership and justice roles with her community in Cincinnati. Today, Sister Judi lives at Mount Notre Dame, where she continues to share the legacy of Sister Dorothy Stang and advocates passionately for immigrants.

Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11162025 to learn more about Sr. Judi, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Joanna Williams offers a reflection on recognizing and building upon the Divine goodness within ourselves, others, and our communities: "At the core of our being, we are loved and made holy, created in God’s image and likeness. Our most natural orientation is towards goodness, a goodness that produces abundant fruit..."Joanna Williams is the Executive Director at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a binational Catholic ministry in Nogales, Arizona and Sonora that works towards a vision of migration with dignity. Joanna graduated with a Bachelor's in Science from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she researched the role of the Latino Church in creating social change. She was also confirmed into the Catholic Church her senior year at Georgetown. In 2019 she received a Master's in Public Policy from Arizona State University.Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11092025 to learn more about Joanna, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.