January 23rd, 2018
Many of my favorite signs at Saturday’s Women’s March had arrows pointing outwards in all directions proclaiming, “I’m with her!” (My only wish was that at least one arrow would have said, “And him!” since I went with my 13 year old grandson and had many men and boys surrounding both of us, too.) A…
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January 20th, 2018
The why: Is it “propitious” or pure chance that this week the National Catholic Reporter and America both feature the results of major surveys about American Catholic women? Are you reading this before or after the march in your community? Are you going as a Catholic feminist? I hope you do. The who: The surveys…
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January 12th, 2018
It is not my habit to read New York Times obituaries, but my friend Marjorie Jones sent me a link to one with the message, “It seems Mormon women face similar issues.” In what was as much an update on Mormonism than the story of a life, the Times reported that during the approximately ten years…
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December 19th, 2017
Merriam-Webster users are getting themselves up to date with feminism, the word of the year. Rather than a few linguists deciding on a new and different word every year, the online dictionary can count the number of times people look something up, so this honor is a true reflection of popular interest. Congratulate yourself, feminists!…
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November 25th, 2017
So how did the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops do on the inspired leadership front? (See “Ain’t that a Shame,” November 4, 2017, The Table) The surprise that made lots of news was the election of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann as chair of the Pro-Life Committee over Cardinal Blaise Cupich, 96 to 82: no…
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November 4th, 2017
I’m thinking about leadership in the in the Roman Catholic Church because of a few recent articles. In my academic life, I taught that there are those who have earned leadership and those who merely fulfill appointed roles. Maybe the absence of national political leadership makes us more aware of who our real leaders are.…
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September 22nd, 2016
On Tuesday, September 20, 2016 I was honored to be present at a special forum at the United Nations entitled, “Keeping the Faith in Development: Gender, Religion & Health”. As President of the Women’s Ordination Conference Board, I went to support the Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research, as their director, Dr. Luca Badini Confalonieri, participated…
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August 31st, 2016
More than 150 folks gathered at Trinity United Methodist Church in Des Moines to hear Fr. Roy Bourgeois tell his story of activism, and the price he paid. Though he spent four years – four years! – in prison form protesting the School of the Americas, when he tells of being released from Maryknoll, his…
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May 13th, 2016
Yesterday, Pope Francis made headlines when he agreed to set up a commission to study opening the diaconate to women. The unexpected news brought much joy to the many women who are called to serve as deacons in the Church. Maria Angelika Fromm is one of those women. Upon hearing the news, Angelika wrote to WOC: My first…
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March 9th, 2016
In it’s third year, the “Voices of Faith” project, hosted at the Vatican’s Casina Pio IV on International Women’s Day, brought together men and women in this Jubilee year, under the theme “Mercy Requires Courage.” I was honored to be included as a guest for the second time, and am continually grateful for the powerful…
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