A Place to Belong: Letters from Catholic Women explores what it means to be a woman of faith today. Edited by Corynne Staresinic, the founder of the nonprofit The Catholic Woman, this stunning anthology of twenty-five deeply personal letters, wisdom from women saints, reflection questions, art, photography, and prayers will inspire you to live your femininity along your own unique life path as you find--and provide for others--a place to belong.
Catholic women are some of the most maligned, most caricatured, and most intriguing people in American society. America is flirting with the idea that being a Catholic female means saying "yes" to the faith as a private source of comfort, but "no" to living out its more countercultural moral and social teachings. Catholic women are facing unprecedented questions about sex, money, marriage, work, children and the church itself -- questions with innumerable personal and societal repercussions. Is it even possible that the teachings of a 2,000 year old religion are still relevant for today's toughest issues? A quick tour of leading cultural indicators seems to say "no." But this is far from the whole story. Many women, courageously facing questions their mothers and grandmothers would never have encountered, are finding intellectually and spiritually satisfying answers within the framework of their Catholic faith. Nine such Catholic women -- varying widely in age, occupation and experience -- share personal stories of how they struggled toward the realization that the demands of their faith actually set them free. Their stories -- full of honesty, but ultimately hope -- shed new light and new clarity on women's continued attraction to the Catholic faith. Topics include: Navigating dating and sexpectations Feminism, freedom and contraception Children versus a "better me" Being Catholic in light of the sexual abuse scandal Faith, psychology and same-sex attraction
"Weaver fills an important gap in women's studies through her investigation of the intersection of the women's movement with the lives of contemporary Roman Catholic women." -- Iris "Mary Jo Weaver has charted the course of this new consciousness among Roman Catholic women." -- Rosemary Radford Ruether "This is the first full-scale study of how the U.S. women's movement has intersected with the lives and aspirations of American Roman Catholic women."Â -- Elizabeth Johnson, Religious Studies Review
How would your life change if you were certain of your identity? If you could know that Someone loves you, sees you, and wants to be close to you—just as you are? In this beautifully designed weekly devotional for women, you're invited to soak in God's Word to embrace your identity as a beloved woman made in God's image. Authored by Blessed Is She, a popular online community for Catholic women, Made New walks you through rich reflections of the Gospels, substantive Scripture for prayer through Lectio Divina, and prompts for spiritual growth. Over the course of 52 weeks, you'll uncover: how deeply God knows who you are and loves who you're becoming. why you belong to God's family. what it means that your true identity is as God's beloved. how your belief in God's love affects your identity. how to follow God's plan for your life. Made New is a thoughtful gift for the holidays, new year, birthdays, or for any woman who wants a stronger sense of self-worth, deeper peace in her identity, and a richer relationship with the God who loves her. Each devotional entry includes: a Scripture reference a devotion written by a Blessed Is She writer prompts for reflection beautiful, colorful pages with original art You'll be made new as you journey through a year of thought-provoking devotions, inspiring personal stories, and heartfelt prayers. Experience life change as you’re drawn into relationship with a loving God who is committed to your flourishing, advocates for you, and delights when you come to Him.
Finding God Every Day God is present to us in ways too numerous to count. Unfortunately, we are often so busy that we fail to recognize and respond to this active presence. A Catholic Woman’s Book of Days offers daily meditations that clear a spiritual place—a time in our day when we can set our hearts on God. The meditations are brief, pointed, direct, and personal—and will connect you to God’s word and the Catholic faith.While a number of successful devotionals for women have been published for the general Christian market, A Catholic Woman's Book of Days is the first resource in the Catholic market featuring daily devotions and prayers for women. Written by Amy Welborn, the devotional entries are pointed and brief, and help Catholic women connect their everyday concerns with God's Word in the context of their Catholic faith. Each entry is introduced by a Scripture verse and followed by a one-sentence prayer. These devotions and prayers are sure to provide Catholic women with a dose of God's grace each day of the year.
The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church elucidates the essential role women play in the covenant of salvation. With the support of Scripture, the writings of the Fathers of the Church, and contemporary theological insights, Monica Migliorino Miller explains how Christian women exemplify the reality of the Church in relation to Christ and the ministerial priesthood. While providing a fascinating response to contemporary feminist theology, The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church clarifies the meaning of authentic feminine authority so needed in the Church today.
The widely exposed transgressions of priests within the Catholic Church stunned the faithful and sent a new surge of energy through the progressive church reform movement in the United States. Despite the movement's growing profile, the world has only recently learned that Catholic women are the driving force behind reform. Good Catholic Girls is a lively account of these courageous women, as seen through the eyes of an impassioned journalist, Angela Bonavoglia. They include Joan Chittister, the Benedictine nun who refused to obey a Vatican order not to speak at an international conference for women's ordination groups; Mary Ramerman, ordained a Catholic priest before 3,000 jubilant supporters; Frances Kissling, whose fight for women's reproductive rights has shaken the Church at its highest levels; Barbara Blaine, a priest abuse survivor who created the nation's most powerful voice for victims; and Sister Jeannine Gramick, who built a pioneering ministry to gays and lesbians, despite Vatican orders to silence her and ban her work. Backed by supporters worldwide, these and other women are rethinking Catholic theology, changing the face of ministry, and resurrecting the lost lives of female church leaders. As Bonavoglia shows, the hierarchy ignores them at its peril.
In this profound yet practical guide, Genevieve Kineke invites women to consider the Church, the Bride of Christ, as the model for authentic Catholic womanhood. "The mission of women is inscribed in the mystery of the Church," Pope John Paul II said. The author explores facets of this mystery--the Church as mother, bride, spouse and teacher, as sacramental, as font of wisdom, source of culture, and life-giving sanctuary--and reveals how women mirror the Church in their core identity.
St. John Paul II propelled the Church into a new era of fruitful contemplation about the dignity and value of women, often reiterating how women — specifically as women — reveal the image of God in the world. But his final contribution to that topic may be his most profound. Just months before he passed into eternity, he summed up his decades of teaching on the topic: “To you, women, falls the task of being sentinels of the Invisible!” In these eye-opening pages, author Melissa Maleski shows how this final bold admonition succinctly embodies the Catholic Church's entire, consistent vision of women as powerful, vital agents for good. Drawing not only on the works of John Paul II and on those of the Church Fathers but also on the example of scores of holy women in the Bible plus the Blessed Virgin Mary and the many female saints of the Church, these pages offer prof
