Category: General

  I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury hearing, and I expect I will remember for quite some time. Twelve other young women and I had just concluded our initiation ceremony into the Loretto Volunteer Program, surrounded by the Sisters of Loretto at their Motherhouse on…
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I recently visited Heavenly Bodies at The Met Cloisters with some friends. It was a great combination of religious art and architecture, which I appreciate, and high fashion, of which I know nothing. I love the architecture of churches, especially Catholic churches.  It could be from the traveling we did in Europe when my family…
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Feast of St. Mary Magdalene – Readings This is only the second year since Pope Francis elevated the celebration of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast day, at the same level as the other apostles. Since her feast falls on a Sunday this year, many churches may not hear the readings. But, using the feast readings…
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A couple of weeks ago, a man at liturgy in our small faith community suggested that women would never use violent tactics. In my inimitable fashion, I immediately shot back that no man can limit the tactics women choose to use, and that such distinctions – about women being better, more peaceful, more dialogic, than…
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I’m sure you know that in Greek mythology the Amazons were a tribe of warrior women, located in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean. The name and concept persists in Europe through the Medieval and early Renaissance periods. Then it’s applied to a whole area of South America drained by a massive river system…
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(Content warning: This post mentions sexual violence and rape.) The Sunday, June 17, 2018, New York Times published an opinion piece by Lutheran pastor, Emily M. D. Scott, called “The Bible’s #MeToo Problem.” She used as her examples three very short (part of her point) stories from the Old Testament about violence against women. One…
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The first image that comes to mind when I hear “summer solstice” is one of druids, female priests mostly, sliding through darkening forests to host rituals of enthrallment and enchantment. Imagine: women as priests in ancient celebration of the communion of the body and bounty and promise of nature and the blood of life-giving fertility.…
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I am fascinated by the choice of Catholic publications to have long articles on Humanae Vitae (HV), the 1968 encyclical prohibiting any artificial method of birth control. I question whether is it useful to celebrate this anniversary, but then I read a lot and realized even I (ironic shrug) could learn more. NCR’s founding publisher, Robert Hoyt,…
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This Advent, The Table will feature weekly reflections from Deacon Christine Haider-Winnett, RCWP, based on the liturgical readings for that week. This week’s readings can be found here. Homilies and reflections on The Table are part of a new “Preaching Equality” series from WOC. I have two cats that I simply adore. One of them, LuLu,…
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Today, International Women’s Day (March 8), is a global day dedicated to celebrating women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements. On this day in 1857, hundreds of women in New York City’s garment and textile factories staged a strike in protest of long working hours, inadequate pay, poor working conditions, and the lack of the right…
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