January-February 2001

Like the Magdala celebrations? You’ll love Women Witnesses

With the unprecedented success of over 280 St. Mary of Magdala celebrations last year, and more to come in July 2001, participants have been clamoring for more resources about other women of faith. So a new resource packet is now available. Developed by Cleveland-based FutureChurch in partnership with Call To Action, Celebrating Women Witnesses contains brochures and prayer services for each of 12 historic women of faith: Mary of Nazareth, Prisca, Clare of Assisi, Thea Bowman, Angela Merici, Dorothy Day, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Sor Juana, and the Beguines, a medieval women’s movement. "We chose 12 so people can have a celebration every month if they want," said Sr. Chris Schenk, project coordinator.

Like the Magdala materials, these celebrations provide opportunities for women to preach and serve in visible liturgical roles in their parishes and small faith communities. And like the Magdala resource, Celebrating Women Witnesses is grounded in the latest biblical and historical research. Until now, many women saints have been stereotyped as passive, obedient, sweet, and silent before male leaders. The Women Witnesses folder emphasizes how their Gospel faith impelled them to resist patriarchy and to lead radically countercultural lives. For example:

Teresa of Avila was threatened by the Inquisition three times. When people quoted the Pauline injunction that women should be silent in the Church, she countered with

words she had received from Jesus in prayer: “Tell them they shouldn’t follow just one part of Scripture.”

Prisca, a married woman leader of the first century Church, with her husband Aquila founded and directed house churches in Corinth, Ephesus and Rome, each a stable base of operations for the Gentile mission, gratefully acknowledged by Paul. She evangelized both women and men, even correcting the renowned preacher Apollos.

Sor Juana is called “the first feminist of the Americas.” A 17th century Mexican poet, songwriter and woman of letters, she defended a woman’s right to an education — and at 44 was silenced by church officials threatened by her competence.

Thea Bowman, the African American “sister of everybody,” used Black sacred songs to break down barriers of culture and class and to speak truth to power. At her last appearance in 1989, before all the U.S.

bishops, she sang “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” as a prophetic answer to the question, “What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?” She also persuaded the bishops for the first time to dance!

Clare of Assisi and her sisters for 42 years resisted Vatican attempts to impose the Benedictine rule, clinging instead to their chosen life of poverty, without the security of a dowry and property holdings or the primacy of an abbess. Clare became the first woman to compose a Rule of Life approved by the Church.

Dorothy Day, “the conscience of American Catholicism,” showed us the power of nonviolent resistance to injustice, and challenged the Church’s just war teaching. But few realize that this single working

mother said her conversion came from the birth of her child: “No human creature could contain so vast a flood of love and joy as I often felt after the birth of my child. With this came the need to worship … I came to know God.”

Written by experts

Materials on the 12 women witnesses were written by first-rate scholars who know them well. Thea Bowman, for example, was described by Jesuit Fr. Joseph Brown, director of the Black Studies program at Southern Illinois University. Therese of Lisieux was evoked by Mary Jo Weaver of Indiana University. Dorothy Day was profiled by Jesuit Fr. Steve Krupa of John Carroll University, whose latest essay about Day will appear soon in America magazine. Each woman is depicted in artwork by Eileen Cantlin Verbus (examples on this page).

Celebrating Women Witnesses also contains • a Holy Week prayer service highlighting Jesus’ women disciples, • a brochure on lay preaching, • another on women in the lectionary, and • tips on getting your parish to use newly approved lectionary texts instead of the old ones which take for granted the subordination of women.

To order a Celebrating Women Witnesses resource packet ($10), and/or the 2001 St. Mary of Magdala prayer service and brochure (free), send e-mail to info@futurechurch.org and mail to: FutureChurch 15800 Montrose Ave., Cleveland OH 44111. A project developed by FutureChurch in partnership with Call To Action