How could we ignore the current kerfuffle about Dr. Jill Biden’s use of “Dr.,” which was prompted by a Wall Street Journal Op-ed by Joseph Epstein last weekend?  For 45 years, WOC has worked for priestly ministry by women to be recognized, validated, honored. What Mr. Epstein has done to Dr. Biden is done to…
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The poet, Christian Wiman, asks this question, and it is such an excellent one, especially now, especially at this time of year, and especially if we take it to a much higher sphere than just material desires.  When we can’t stop wanting, what we want is often really so painfully obvious: suffering, heartache, despair and…
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When Colm Holmes talks, I listen. He’s frequently the voice of We Are Church International and a long-time organizer for women’s ordination. His request to American Catholics interested in reform: support the Synodal path in Germany! To refresh your memory, 230 bishops and lay delegates will dialogue for a few years on four main themes:…
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Gaudete Sunday is almost upon us. In the midst of waiting in ever-advancing darkness in this Advent season, we are given a liturgical breather. In the midst of our penitential preparation for the birth of a new life and a new way, we can take a moment to rejoice that it is coming and celebrate…
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Looking through the Catholic press this week, I see images of four churchwomen whose bodies were assaulted and raped before they were murdered forty years ago. Members of El Salvador’s National Guard killed Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, lay missionary Jean Donovan and Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford on Dec. 2, 1980. Pope Francis…
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I remember chastising my children (and, at times, husband), “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it,” of course in a tone of voice that completely nullified what I had just said forcing me to follow with, “And do as I say, not as I do!” (So humbling.) But the point of my…
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Forty-five years is longer than many of the leaders of our movement have been alive. I am so cheered by that.  Kate McElwee sets the tone of the celebration in her letter inviting participation in this weekend’s events: we have been together “sometimes in the wilderness, always in hope, and with an unwavering love for…
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I’ll be dining alone this Thanksgiving– perhaps as many of you– for the first time in my life. Of course, it’s sad. I’m tempted to fill the next line with a series of tearful emojis, comically expressing what is – let’s face it a bit of heartbreak – okay, actually a large slice.  Still… Like…
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Sometimes you read something that is a sharp reality check. For me this week, it is a reflection by Molly Cahill in America: “An open letter to the bishops, from a young Catholic who’s only known a church in scandal.”  Could that be true? What does that do to her feelings about the church, her…
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We need new words for this new world we’re entering, and I thought “anthropause” was one of the most compelling among them. It refers to the breathing space we have recently had – and may temporarily have again – in our high-paced human activity during the pandemic, a space in which air became clearer, sounds…
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