Stepping Forward into Priesthood, TED Talk Video by Diane Whalen, RCWP

Happy 40th Birthday Women's Ordination Conference Video

CATHOLIC NEWS WE MISSED LAST WEEK WHILE STALKING THE POPE by Mary Hunt/ Outstanding Analysis of Pope Francis Visit, Gender Justice and Women's Ordination

http://religiondispatches.org/catholic-news-we-missed-last-week-while-stalking-the-pope/

"The Blessed Virgin Mary could have appeared on the White House Lawn during Pope Francis’ US visit and no one would have noticed. It was non-stop Francis across the media, social and traditional—not to mention huge disruptions of daily life in three major cities. While many are poped out, I highlight two major Catholic events that took place during the same week lest they pass, like the BVM might have, without our attention.

Gender Justice in CatholicismFive hundred people gathered from twenty countries in Philadelphia days before Francis’ visit to celebrate decades of struggle for feminist ministry and women’s equality in the Catholic Church. The 40th anniversary of the Women’s Ordination Conference provided a great occasion to lead the umbrella group, Women’s Ordination Worldwide, to assess progress and map strategies under the rubric of “Gender, Gospel, and Global Justice"...Full disclosure: I myself lectured on the achievements of the movement, especially our success in avoiding being coopted by a kyriarchal church. Ordination is a stated goal that some Catholic women have reached by taking the ordination process into their own hands, as with Roman Catholic Womenpriests and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. The movement’s major achievements include creating many forms of feminist ministry and theology—as theologian Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza explained—replacing parishes with base communities, developing inclusive language and imagery, and building respectful egalitarian relationships among ourselves.

There is abundant reason to celebrate and so we did.

A highlight of the event was Mercy Sister Theresa Kane’s presentation and the awards given in her name. Theresa is widely revered for her 1979 graceful speech to Francis’ predecessor Pope John Paul II. She famously welcomed him to the U.S. by calling for women’s full participation in the ministry of the church (otherwise known as ordination). He was appalled, an emotion that set off a Vatican chain reaction of anti-women, (including anti-nun) activities that persist to the present. At this WOC/WOW event, Theresa reiterated and elaborated on her position in an open letter to Francis. Alas, thirty-six years later, while her words were cheered in Philadelphia, the letter fell on closed minds in Rome.

Another conference high point was a panel entitled “Equal in Faith” chaired deftly byInterfaith Voices host Maureen Fielder. Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Anglican, and Catholic women made clear that religious sexism is practiced in many settings. But it was equally clear that once progress is made (as with Reconstructionist Judaism, for example) the whole community gains. Several male former priests and one still active in ministry (who was relieved later of his pastoral duties) explained the price they have paid for their support for women’s ordination. Their solidarity was more than welcome. Their loss of privilege, while painful, pales in light of countless women’s exclusion from ever exercising ordained ministry. (Not surprisingly, the four men received far more secular press attention than the conference itself.)

Woven throughout the meeting were prayer services and liturgies, including a shared Eucharist, that demonstrated the advances Catholic women are making in creating new, inclusive forms of faith that make sense in postmodernity. There was no rote repetition of the rubrics of the Mass. Instead, the planners offered creative, imaginative, and uplifting experiences of worship that would benefit the whole church if only…There wasn’t a vestment in sight that weekend in Philadelphia. Deo gratias.We danced, sometimes the best thing for body and soul in the face of overwhelming odds. As the papal visit unfolded, it was clear that there was no competing with the power of the Vatican on the uneven turf we occupy. Nonetheless, five hundred people went home energized from Philadelphia confident that the struggle for Catholic women’s equality has just begun..."

Catholics Start Woman-Led Congregation in South Jersey

Cherry Hill Courier Post

Catholics start women-led congregation in SJ

Cherry Hill Courier Post

Ordained as a Roman Catholic woman priest in 2006, the Philadelphia native has celebrated the Eucharist with four other women priests at regular ...

Flag as irrelevant

..."Three South Jerseyans who plan to attend the Palmyra worship service spoke to the Courier-Post only on the condition that their names, towns or parishes would not be used in the story. They said they feared excommunication from the Catholic Church. But each said they support women serving as priests.
One 77-year-old Catholic man said he has attended women-led services for nearly a year. After hearing about young girls who were abused during confession by a male priest, the South Jersey man said he felt young women should have the option of confessing to a female instead....

"ARCWP Bishops' Ordination Live Stream Video Clips 9-24-15.

You will find the latest videos on the link below

ARCWP Bishops Ordination 9-24-15 - YouTube

The live-streamed videos are listed in order 1-9 for your viewing pleasure.

There are also short clips that Joan Chesterfield filmed for us during the ordination that are loaded up to Bridget Mary's YouTube Channel for you to view. Click on the "Video" tab to find these videos.


All the videos are "Public." You have the option of downloading any of the videos you are viewing. Just pause the video and right below the screen is a download button.

www.arcwp.org

"Stepping into Priesthood" TED Talk by Diane Whalen, RCWP

Diane Whalen, from Olympia, Washington,  gave a wonderful TED Talk
called Stepping into Priesthood...
all on being a Roman Catholic Womanpriest, God, religion and more....

Here is the link to Diane Whalen's Ted Talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK8owLhHLVw

Sunday Liturgy and Celebration of Heart of Compassion Faith Community Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Sunday Liturgy and Celebration

CC – Co-celebrant                                                                                     … brief pause

Opening Prayer, Gathering In

Join in Song

Celebrant: In the name of our Holy One, Source of all that is, and of Jesus, Heart of Compassion, and of Spirit Sophia, our Liberator and Wisdom Guide.

ALL: Amen

Celebrant: The Holy One is with us. The grace and peace of Jesus Christ and the love of Divine Spirit are with us.

ALL: We give thanks and praise for You always and everywhere with us.

CC1: Divine Creator of all living beings and all of creation, You seek and search us, one with us in every breath, and one with the breath of our beloved universe.

CC2: Wisdom Jesus, You sent us your Spirit and are with us now as Compassionate Presence. As companions of empowerment, You invite us to be a discipleship of equals, to treat others as we would want to be treated.

CC3: Infinite Mercy, You taught us to honor the sanctity of life, to reverence every living being, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

CC4: We gather today to celebrate Your active presence in all of creation, to give thanks for the many gifts You have given us, and to receive sustenance in being Your compassionate presence for others.

                                                                                                                                                1

Prayer of Reconciliation and Peace

Celebrant:  Yahweh, Your covenant with the Israelite people gave the promise of a new creation through mercy and justice for the vulnerable. You sent Jesus to teach us how to continue in this fidelity.  We, too, are one with Your covenant and part of Your new creation.

Holy One, we come to You to heal and transform us, to be your compassion and forgiveness.

In the Hebrew tradition, Ruah was Breath of God.  We now rediscover our ancient heritage through the rhythm of our breath …  with our eyes closed, we feel our breath move in and out … the rise and fall of our chest and belly … we breathe into the space of our hearts, God’s passionate love for us … we breathe out God’s infinite love for everyone and all of creation …
With open hearts, we surface an image of a significant person in our life …  from the quiet of our hearts we say, “Please forgive me … I forgive you … thank you … I love you.” (Repeat - one or more persons in need, our land, water, air). Song
Celebrant: God of Love, Midwife of Grace, You draw us into new life in the everlasting breakthrough of your mothering heart. You forgive us when we ask for forgiveness and forgive us even before we ask. In the depths of our mystical souls and in our prophetic call, empower us to choose only love and to be Your peace. ALL: Amen

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading

Gospel Acclamation: (ALL Sing) Alleluia

Gospel Reading Reader: The good news of Jesus Christ. ALL: Glory and praise to you, Jesus Christ. After Gospel: (ALL Sing) Alleluia followed by Shared Homily

                                                                                                                                                2

Profession of Faith

Celebrant: Holy God, Living Water

ALL:  You, whose compassion sustains the cosmos.

Your Divine energy infuses all cellular life.

You are Alpha and Omega.

Beginning and End. We believe...

Celebrant:  Jesus, wheeling Fire incarnate

ALL:  You, whose life inspires passionate commitment.

Your Divine energy inflames our minds and hearts.

You are dying and rising in transforming love. We believe…

Celebrant: Divine One, breathing creation

ALL:  You who hovered over the waters,

brooded over the unborn world.

Holy Wisdom, Holy Spirit,

in the push of your laboring love

the Universe here, You with us. All: We believe...

Celebrant: In your great surrounding space

ALL: Our loved ones, friends and companions,

they Your presence who embrace, keep us safe,

witness our anxieties and concerns, energize and guide.

In the hospitality and care of the Risen Christ,                                          3

they urge us into communion, into at-one-ment. We believe …

Celebrant: In the community of church

ALL: We are companions of empowerment

midwives all, birthing one another in life until death.

We belong to You Holy God in faith, hope and love. We believe...

Prayer of the Faithful

Response (ALL Sing)

Celebrant: From the sacred space within where You dwell, we offer our prayers for ourselves, for one another, and for all of creation.

CC5: We pray for the homeless and destitute in our city; for those afflicted with addictions and mental illness; and for all who are sick and dying. R …

 CC6: We pray for people everywhere who are subjected to suffering inflicted by oppressive systems and practices. R …

CC7: Inspire us with Your energy of love to create communities of peace where compassion is a driving force for change such that all of creation knows the fullness of life. R...

Celebrant: Now, let us offer any other prayer arising within our hearts. R …

For these and for all other petitions, too deep for words, we pray to You. R…

Celebrant: God of mercy and love, help us to be Your compassionate, justice-making presence whenever we come upon Your people in need. When we feel helpless to alleviate suffering, turn us toward You in prayer on their behalf.

                                                                                                                   4

Eucharistic Prayer

Preparation of the Gifts

(If you’re able, please assume a praying posture)

Celebrant:  Blessed are You, God of all Creation, through Your goodness we have this bread to offer which earth has given and we have made.  It is the bread that nourishes us in remembrance of Your life.

ALL: Blessed is God forever

CC1: Blessed are you, God of all Creation, through Your goodness, we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and pressed by winemakers. It is our spiritual drink in remembrance of Your covenant of love with us.

ALL:  Blessed is God forever.

Celebrant: Beloved One, we are united in this Sacrament by the love of Jesus Christ, in communion with Mary and all the Saints. They are Your light in a world often in darkness...

ALL: Holy One, accept these gifts from our hands for the praise and glory of Your name, for our good and the good of all Your people.

CC1: Ever Gentle One, Jesus showed us how to live a compassionate and loving life, strong in truth and in integrity, bringing hope to all. He spoke for justice for the poor and outcast as did many prophets and spiritual leaders in other faith traditions. Accept our gifts and our worship.

Celebrant: We offer our lives in service to You and Your people. Fill us with Your spirit and light in all we say and do, Presence with and in us always.

ALL: Amen

                                                                                                                                                                        5         

Prayers of the Eucharist

Celebrant: Our God is with you.

ALL: And with you.

Celebrant: Come to the table in the fullness of your hearts.

ALL: We open our hearts to God and one another.

Celebrant: Let us give thanks to our God.

ALL: We offer our thanks and praise to You, Our God.

CC1: Cosmic One beyond our imagining, we give thanks for the gift of consciousness that helps us see You in all creation.

CC2: Everything we have, everything we see and do, everyone we love and all who love us reveal Your sustaining presence.

CC3: You express yourself in human life and through us, You sing and dance, speak and write, love and create. In this we never cease to hope and for this we thank and praise You.

CC4: Thank You for Jesus, who loved so greatly, taught so clearly, and proclaimed so courageously.  He set people free from ways that bound them in fear and separation from You.  

CC5: Thank You for men and women who stood by Jesus during His life and after His resurrection, for their example of fidelity and courage.

CC6: With Jesus, we know our loving actions become a share in Your life.  In Jesus, we see Your Spirit challenging us to make Your presence more visible through our acts of compassion and justice-making on behalf of all of creation...

CC7: For this we thank and praise You, join with the saints of all times as they sing forever to your glory:

                                                                                                                                                6

ALL Sing:

Holy, holy, holy God, Spirit of Love, Spirit of Peace. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are all who come in the name of our God. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.

Celebrant and All (extend hands toward and over the gifts):

Loving God, intensify the presence of Your Spirit in these our gifts, as they, and we, become the + Body and Blood of Jesus the Christ for our wholeness and the wholeness of all of creation.

Memorial

 ALL:   On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took the Bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it them saying:  Take and eat, this is my body. (ALL bow)

ALL: When supper was ended, Jesus took the cup of wine, spoke the blessing and offered it to them saying: Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life in you. Do this in memory of me.

 Celebrant: Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.

Eucharistic Acclamation

All:  In every creature that has ever breathed, Christ has lived; in every living being that has passed on before us, Christ has died; in everything yet to be, Christ will come again.

CC1: Divine Presence, through Jesus you entrusted this pledge of love to us. 

CC2: You fill us with Your Spirit and light in the sharing of this meal.

CC3: Your Spirit keeps us in communion, to live equality and be Your peace.

CC4: We pray for people of all faiths that equality in their understanding becomes a touchstone for sacred practices.                                                                              7

CC5: We marvel at the wonders of the universe and our place within it, united with all creation. Teach us to nurture and to give care.

CC6:We pause to name holy women and men, past and present …

CC7: Spirit Sophia guide us in being Your wisdom and compassion...

Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, all honor and glory are Yours, now and forever. ALL sing: The Great Amen

The Jesus Prayer

Celebrant:  Please join hands as together we pray...

ALL: Our Creator God who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Your kin-dom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from all evil. Amen.

The Sign of Peace

Celebrant: Jesus said to his friends, “Peace I leave you. My peace I give you.”

ALL: Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Communion

Celebrant and ALL: (break bread)

Loving Creator, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice; we will live justly...

Loving Creator, You call us to be your compassionate presence; we will love tenderly...

Loving Creator, You call us to speak truth to those who oppress; we will walk with integrity...

                        8

Celebrant: Jesus Christ, You dwell in us. Jesus Christ You liberate, heal and transform us and all of creation.  Blessed are You who provides food and drink for the journey.

ALL: We are one Body of Christ, worthy to receive You and blessed to be healed by You. May we become what we eat.

Please pass the bread and wine saying:

Jesus, Bread of Life. Response: Amen

Jesus, Cup of Hope.  Response: Amen

Join in Song

(Period of silence)

Prayer after Communion

Celebrant:  Loving Creator, Holy Mystery, we thank You for Your love and Your presence of compassion within and among us.  Today we have remembered You and all holy ones of all time. We ask You to continue to be with us this and everyday of our lives as we follow in Your way, Your truth and Your life.

ALL: In the compassionate presence of the Risen Christ-Sophia, may we grow in expression of our deepest response to love...

Be inspired in our deeply spiritual and political call to join with all people to be prophets for radical change within our communities, local and global...

                9

Final Blessing

 (Please extend your hands in mutual blessing.)

Celebrant: Endless Light, Divine Word, Jesus Wisdom, You are Healer and Lover of each of us. You are our prophetic hope and steadfast compassionate presence.

ALL: Embraced by the love of Spirit-Sophia who lights our path forward always and in the One Heart of Compassion...

May the peace of Unfolding Mystery which passes all understanding fill us with serenity and all the graces we need.

Celebrant: Go in the peace of Christ. As midwives of grace, be fire and light our world with justice and compassion!

ALL: We give thanks to You, our God.

Closing Song

 Heart of Compassion Faith Community

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Rev. Dr. Michele Birch-Conery, Bishop

Association for Roman Catholic Women Priests

(519) 962-7016

mbcb2015@gmail.com

Rev. Dr. Barbara Billey, Priest

Association for Roman Catholic Women Priests

(519) 735-3943

barbbilley56@gmail.com

"What About You? A Woman Priest Responds to Pope Francis" By Donna Rougeux, priest Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests

From left to right:Donna Rougeux, ARCWP, Janice Sevre Duszynska, RCWP, 
Fr. Jerry Zawada with stole and Walker,
Marie Eitz, RCWP, Roy Bourgeous, police officer
Photo by Nausicaa Giulia Bianchi. To see more of her documentation of women priests go to www.giuliabianchi.com" 

I passed “Civil Disobedience 101”on Wednesday, September 23, 2015, according to my mentor, Janice Sevre-Duszynska. Along with the birthdays of my three children, this day was one of the best days of my life. I was participating in an action for the birth of equality for women in the Roman Catholic Church and in the world. I was joining the modern day civil rights movement that says women are rising up to speak truth to power about the treatment of women in the church and world.

The experiences of my mother and grandmother along with women of their generations were with me asking Pope Francis to set them free from the debilitating, patriarchal abuse of authority that imprisoned them for too many generations. My spirit was soaring as we could tangibly feel Sophia-Spirit’s presence and guidance in our action while the Pope was talking to the U.S. Bishops, in The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, in Washington D.C.

My personal life prepared me for this day because I brought with me a deep understanding of the pain women have experienced due to sexism and damaging misinterpretations of scripture. I do not have the words to describe how important it was for me to be dressed in my alb and stole holding a sign that said “primacy of conscience” as I participated in this phenomenal public action.

I know from the very core of my being that all people must follow their informed consciences and live the authentic life that God created them to live. Unfortunately, the culture of the Roman Catholic Church and the world has actually set up the conditions for women and men to feel compelled to make choices that go against their consciences. These choices have imprisoned them to an unauthentic, culture-made, form of existence. Their spirits have not been free to soar and live fully because they said “yes” to the culture and “no” to their consciences. As Pope Francis said himself, “Jesus wants us to be free, and this freedom-where is it found? It is to be found in the inner dialogue with God in conscience.”

Women suppressing a call to the priesthood, human trafficking, people suppressing sexual orientation to live culturally approved lives, are a few examples of the imprisonments people are facing worldwide. These are all connected to abuse of authority, misinterpretation of scriptures and domination-subordination structures that we are surrounded by today. We can be set free when primacy of conscience is upheld.

Women hear the call from God to become priests and must follow their conscience. God’s call cannot be suppressed just to stay in compliance with canon law 1024, a law made by men. Does Pope Francis see that there cannot be equality for women until the church recognizes us as equals?  Peace and justice cannot be achieved until the unjust treatment of women is on the list to be seriously addressed. His strong support of those who are marginalized must include women who are treated as second-class citizens right inside the structure of the Roman Catholic Church.

As I laid on the ground with the sign on my chest, surrounded by the police I wanted women of the past present and future to be set free from sexism and to be encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church to follow their informed consciences to live authentic lives. People were watching us, taking pictures and movies of us, walking past us, giving us a “thumbs up” and a few “thumbs down.” The tall building beside us had glass windows and we could see people gathered at the windows looking at us. A helicopter went over us several times.

We were telling the world with this action that women must rise up in freedom from misogyny. Most of the people who saw our witness gave us heartwarming support. The police even seemed to be helping us because I think they understood what we were doing.

There I was on the corner of the street where The Cathedral of St. Matthew The Apostle is located, holding my sign, dressed in my priest attire as Pope Francis left the gathering with the U.S. Bishops. As his vehicle rounded the corner he was waving at the people and I made eye contact with him! His expression changed to one of surprise, as it seemed his mouth dropped a little bit.

I hope Pope Francis will know how important that brief exchange was. Will he put it all together and see our call to him? We want him to use his authority as the peace and justice Pope to make changes in the Roman Catholic Church to free women from the destruction of their souls that takes place when they are marginalized in the church. The world is watching what he is doing and is already being changed in a significant Christ-like way because of his messages. We ask Pope Francis the same question he asks the people: What about you Pope Francis? Will you end sexism in the Roman Catholic Church?  

From left to right: Roy Bourgeis, Jane Via, RCWP, Janice Sevre Duszynska, ARCWP, Donna Rougeux, ARCWP

Photo by Nausicaa Giulia Bianchi. To see more of her documentation of women priests go to www.giuliabianchi.com"

Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, www.arcwp.org

A BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS, Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community and St. Andrew United Church of Christ Sarasota, Florida with Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP and Pastor Greg Russell

St, Francis of Assisi, www.chromoonline.com

GREETING



Presider: In the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit our wisdom,


All: Amen.



Presider: God, Lover of Creation, is with us.


All: And with all.



OPENING PRAYER

Presider 1: Nurturing God, You embrace each person and every living thing with delight. May we live our oneness with all creation in Your Heart of Love.


Presider 2: We rejoice that you speak to us each day through Earth’s creatures, especially these pets gathered here today. We ask you to bless us all in the circle of life. We ask this through Jesus, our brother and the Holy Spirit, our wisdom.

All: Amen.


LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading Genesis 1:20-25 Responsorial Psalm Psalm 148

Second Reading Laudato Si “On care for our Earth Home,” Pope Francis Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Matthew 6: 26-29

HOMILY:  BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS Pastor Greg: Story: "an angel wrapped in a cat"

Mindy Lou Simmons: song-"Goddog"

Bridget Mary: Blessing of Pets: Hold or pet your animal and repeat

Franciscan Blessing of Animals:

Blessed are you, loving God, maker of all living creatures.  You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless these pets. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to you plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, our God, in all you creatures. Amen.

Shared Reflection How do God's creatures/ my pet reflect God's love, healing, peace and joy?

(PHOTOS of Liturgy will be on Blog!)

Profession of Faith


ALL: We believe in God, the fountain of life, flowing through every being. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who reflects the face of God and the fullness of humanity. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God in the cosmos, who calls us to care for Earth as the common home we share with all creation. We believe that every living being is our sister and brother and a reflection of God’s goodness in the circle of life. Amen to loving actions on behalf of environmental healing and transformation!



GENERAL INTERCESSIONS



Presider 1: Mindful that God speaks today to us through the sufferings of all beings on Earth, we pray …


After each petition, Response is:
O Holy One, may we work for healing for our earth and justice for all.


Presider 2: Healing God, we trust that you hear our prayers. May we celebrate the beauty of nature and work to heal our Earth. We make this prayer through Jesus, our brother, in union with the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.




PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS

(Please gather around the table)

Presiders (raise bread and wine):

Ever gentle God, as co-creators of our planet, we offer you the gifts of bread, wine and our lives. May we celebrate our oneness with all creatures great and small in the family of God. We ask this through Christ Sophia, the wisdom of God. Amen.


Presider 1: Pray that we become one with all in the Cosmic Christ.


All: We are gathered as a community to celebrate the gift of life pulsating around us in the glories of Nature everywhere.


EUCHARISTIC PRAYER


Presider 2: Our loving God, who speaks to us through wild flowers, butterflies and our beloved pets, dwells on Earth,


ALL: And in every living being.



Presider 1: Lift up your hearts.


ALL: We lift them up to our Creator in whom all beings live.



Presider 2: Let us give thanks for the Source of Life.


ALL: It is right to give the Living God thanks and praise.



ALL: Holy, holy, holy God, Spirit of love and peace, Earth’s abundance reflects your glory: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are all living things who reflect the beauty of God. Hosanna in the highest.



Voice One: Holy One, we bring you these gifts that they may become the Christ Presence. Fill us with tenderness toward our sisters and brothers, our pets here with us today.



(All extend hands) ALL: On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat. This is my body. Do this in memory of me.” (Pause)

In the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He said the blessing, gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink Do this in memory of me.”


The Mystery of Faith:


ALL: We are one body, in Christ in communion with all creation.



Voice Two: Christ of the Cosmos, we thank you that there are 18 galaxies for every person, that our bodies are made of stardust and that every place we turn, you are present, loving us. You call us “beloved” and invite us to join the dance of creation, one with all living things in your divine embrace. We rejoice that our beloved pets speak your words of living presence to us each day.



Voice Three: Christ of the Cosmos, we remember all within our world and church who are working for environmental healing, human rights and justice for all.



Voice Four: Christ of the Cosmos, we remember St. Francis who sang canticles to brother sun and sister moon. We remember our sisters and brothers who have cared for earth’s creatures and have blessed our world with their loving service to God’s people most in need. May we praise you in union with them and give you glory by working for a more just and peaceful world.


GREAT AMEN

ALL: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in unity with the Holy spirit, all glory, honor and praise to you, loving God forever and ever.
Sing: Amen, Amen, Amen.
ALL: Prayer of Jesus (“Our Father and Mother”)



Sign of Peace: Group joins hands in circle in symbolic “hug” that goes out to all the creatures and all people as they sing this song of peace:
Let there be peace on earth (sung)

LITANY FOR THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD

Presider:        Christ of the Cosmos, may we live our oneness with you and all creation.

Christ of the Cosmos, may we work for healing of the earth.

         Christ of the Cosmos, may we celebrate justice rising up in a 

          global communion everywhere.

COMMUNION

Presider 1: This is the Cosmic Christ in whom all creation lives and moves and has its being. All are invited to partake in this banquet of love and to celebrate our oneness with all living beings on the planet.

 ALL:                We are the Body of Christ.

HYMN:      (sung to the tune of Lasst Uns Erfreuen, pg 541 Breaking Bread 2014)

All creatures of our God now sing

Lift up your voices, let them ring, Alleluia! Alleluia!

O burning sun with golden beam, O silver moon with softer gleam, O praise God, O praise God, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

O rushing winds that are so strong, You clouds that sail in heavens along: O praise God, Alleluia!

O rising moon, in praise rejoice, You lights of evening, find a voice: O praise God, O praise God, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

O mother earth who day by day, unfolds rich blessing on our way: O praise God, Alleluia!

The fruits and flowers that verdant grow: Let them God’s praise abundant show,

O praise God, O praise God, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

BLESSING

(with hands extended in prayer)


ALL: May our nurturing God bless all gathered here in the name of the Creator,

In the name of Mary’s child, and in the name of the Spirit

as we serve one another and care for our pets and the Earth.


Presider: Go in the peace of Christ, let the service begin!


All: Thanks be to God.

RECESSIONAL (sung to the tune of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands) Using: “God’s got the whole word in his/her hands” 

"Spirituality for the 21st Century" by Barbara Beadles, RCWP

            The Twenty-First Century finds people in great need of spirituality.  In the Western world, particularly the United States, disconnecting and unplugging from our 24/7 news cycles and social media can be traumatic for many.  Millions of people search for intimacy and relationships, but, sadly, find only superficiality and further isolation.  What has happened to us? How can we be a nation of such richness compared to other countries of the world, yet be so poor in things of the spirit?  How can people be in constant communication, yet feel so isolated and alone? The answers to these questions are complex, but not impossible to discover.

            In this reflection paper, we will examine a spirituality that can serve people of the Twenty-First Century and the type of persons who may be attracted to such spirituality. We will also reflect on the life experiences leading to my developing this spirituality.  I will identify the threads of a previous theology as distinct from this spirituality.  Finally, we will take a look at possible types of service flowing from this spirituality and a rationale for inviting others to adopt this proposed spirituality.

            From the earliest evidence of human life, people have needed a sense of belonging.  The need to be with others, the need to speak and be heard is as essential to human life as air and water.  One of the most treasured ways of communicating is storytelling, particularly from one generation to the next.  It is how we discover the world and find our place in it.  It is how we know who we are and what others have discovered.  Storytelling is not only cross generational, it is also cross cultural.  Traditions, beliefs and whole cultures have been preserved through oral tradition.  The same may be said of our faith traditions as well.  Stories are important, stories are vital.  But what happens when parts of the story, so long accepted, so long believed, are suddenly presented in a new way?  What happens when a recent scientific finding disproves and makes formerly unquestionable beliefs no longer “eternal truths?” How do people find meaning and hold on to belief despite the disproof of things once held so dear?

            Jesus of Nazareth, carpenter, itinerant preacher, and healer, gathered a small group of believers around him.  For nearly three years, he preached a message that was counter-cultural.  His preference for the poor and those marginalized caused people in power a great deal of uneasiness.  Political powers and economically prosperous people wanted him silenced.  Jesus was arrested, tried, convicted, and crucified.  That was supposed to be the end of him.  But as Christians profess to this day, we believe on the third day he rose from the dead…and sits at God’s right hand.

            This story of salvation was passed from the apostles and disciples who knew Jesus personally over two thousand years ago to our present day.  That message has been “carried through history in a diverse community of disciples who have expressed it in vastly different cultures and climates.”¹ What began so long ago in the apostolic church  as a meal celebrating the teachings of Jesus - mercy, kindness, looking out for the weak and powerless - remembering his call to

service - has morphed into a rule-keeping, belief -professing, exclusion of anyone “different,” male-dominated, moribund club. The Catholic Church of Rome has become something Jesus would hardly recognize should he return in human form at this time in history. Religion has taken hold and spirituality has, for many, fallen by the wayside.

            That is not to say that people of faith have been completely taken out of the equation.  Holy women and men have always been present throughout human history both before Christ and since.

            There have been countless holy ones who have been examples of lives lived in deep connection to the Divine, the Sacred. It is that connectedness that I believe people long for today.

            Theologian, Elizabeth Johnson reminds us

                        …The good Jesus preached resounds like a drumbeat. . .

                        wherever this word is heard and practiced amid the joys

                        and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of people of this age. . .

                        working creatively for peace amid horrific violence;

                        struggling for justice in the face of massive poverty and

                        military oppression; advocating ecological wholeness for

                        the earth’s life-giving systems and stressed-out species;

                        educating the young and the old; healing the sick and

                        comforting those in despair; creating beauty; taking joy in

                        nourishing children and promoting freedom for captives.²

These are the actions that flow from a spirituality grounded in a loving God.  They reflect a spirituality that connects people, gives them a voice and brings healing and wholeness to those who once felt disconnected and alone.

            Johnson goes on to say “the institutional church itself often appears as an obstacle of faith being mediocre in preaching, numb to pressing spiritual needs and even sinful in actions taken and disastrously not taken in the face of sexual abuse of minors, misuse of church monies and other scandals.”³

            To be sure, the human person may feel “decentered from a stable universe and insignificant in the face of modern science while God has become remote and distant.”⁴

            People living in the 21^st century need a spirituality that can blend the message God continually offers through Christ, and at the same time realize that scientific information and archeological finds, particularly as relates to sacred scripture, are not mutually exclusive.

            Marcus J. Borg (1942-2015), American New Testament scholar, theologian and author notes that “some people resist the impact of the modern world by becoming fundamentalists.”⁵ He adds, “Some give up on the notion of God, because the notion of God begins to seem incredible and incapable of substantiation.”⁶ Not all is lost, however, because “some seek to take seriously what the Christian tradition and other religious traditions say about God, or the sacred.  They seek to integrate Christianity with modern and post-modern perceptions producing a revisioning of Christianity.”⁷

            It is this revisioning we shall explore as contributing to a possible spirituality for people of the 21^st century.

            The perception people have of the sacred or divine influences their spirituality.  If, for example, God is “out there,” or “up there” or far away, a person is less likely to believe God is close to them.  God may be the all-knowing creator sitting in judgment, watching our every move, waiting to catch us, waiting to correct and chastise us.  Borg calls this root image of God “supernatural theism.”⁸ Such a spirituality is about keeping the rules, having correct beliefs, being good now in order to get to our eternal reward later.  This also encourages judging others and making it one’s business to keep others in line as well. Being different is not encouraged and can lead to exclusion from the group of believers. This spirituality does not permit change in understanding the sacred at work in transforming people and all of creation into something new.  It denies Christ’s words:  “Look I am making everything new (Rev.21:5).”  Isaiah too, before Christ, foretold, “Behold, I [YHWH] will do a new thing! (43:19).”

            Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century will need to be a “broad notion encompassing personal and/or institutionalized relations to the divine, a notion that at once includes and transcends religion.”⁹ A useful spirituality for people today must make “the transition from believing in secondhand religion to expressing firsthand a relationship with the sacred.”¹⁰ How we conceptualize God affects every aspect of our lives.  It affects how we relate to one another, how we relate to creation and to our planet as part of the universe.”¹¹ If a person believes in and worships a God who is separate from the universe, who worked six days then stood back, brushed off the dust and said, “I’m done here,” why would anyone be concerned about one another or our common home?  When, instead a person believes in and worships a God who is Emmanuel (God-with-us) and whose Spirit helps create and re-shape everyone and everything, we want to be an active participant in helping make all things new.

            Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si, reminds us that “When human beings place themselves as the center, they give absolute priority to immediate convenience and all else becomes relative.”¹² An authentic spirituality for the Twenty-First Century will have to include concern for and care of all creation, including in the words of St. Francis of Assisi, our Sister, Mother Earth.

            Sr. Joan Chittister, in her book, A Spirituality for the 21^st Century, maintains we are a throwaway society whose mantra is progress and whose character is change.¹³ She proposes that “part of spirituality is learning to be aware of what is going on around us and allowing ourselves to feel its effects . . . and learning to hear what God wants in any given situation.”¹⁴ In the world today, possessions, position and power seems to be the great goods many people seek.  Contrary to the wishes of the commercial world today, the spiritual life, the life connected to the divine is “a grace with which we must cooperate, not a prize to be captured.”¹⁵

            A theology to help us cooperate with this grace is “a humble creation theology that reverences the incomprehensible mystery of God and a faith that loves the earth.”¹⁶ Karl Rahner points out that in every epoch we have different catchwords for God.  One he uses is “holy mystery.”  He notes, “Rather than being the most distant being, holy mystery is profoundly and personally engaged with all the realities of the world around us, including each questioning and yearning person, being concerned especially with the desperate and the damned.”¹⁷ Caring for the earth as we contemplate the God-creator who is with us, allows us to “gaze upon the beauty, intricacy and dynamism of the natural world as revelatory of divine Spirit.”¹⁸ Christian people, and others connected to the divine are “generating a new, natural theology quite different from the Enlightenment type based on philosophical differences.”¹⁹

            Connecting with creation is important in any spirituality for the Twenty-First Century.  Caring for our planet “becomes a matter of intense religious concerns for human beings are rapidly fouling and even destroying the primary statement of God’s glory.”²⁰ Pope Francis further reminds us “Neglecting to monitor the harm done to nature and the environmental impact of our decisions is only the most striking sign of a disregard for the message contained in the structure of nature itself.”²¹

            In 1963, by convening Vatican II, Pope John XXIII recognized that the church’s fear of worldly progress (e.g., condemning modernism) loomed as a pastoral disaster.”²² Thomas Merton spoke of our connection to God through creation saying “The world reflects who we are and what we think we are in relation to God . . . We are not asked to create an alternate world or to reject this one but to divinize it from within.”²³

            The people who may be attracted to a spirituality of connectedness to the divine will be people who seek relationships.  Perhaps identifying those who will not be attracted to this spirituality may be easier.

            It would seem that people who know the truth and have all the answers about God, Jesus or the divine would find this spirituality quite incomplete. People who take the sacred scriptures as a record of historical fact would also have a difficult time with this spirituality.  The same might be true for anyone who is ready to remove the splinter from another’s eye before recognizing the log in their own.  People who believe literally the words of the creation narrative, that humans are to subdue and control creation would not be interested in this type of spirituality.  In the 1950’s America, the doctrine of Manifest Destiny - America should control the continent from sea to shining sea, was held as our divine right.  It was ordered by God that America deserved all the beauty and bounty of our land.  Not much thought was given to people of other nations and cultures.  We were the best, the brightest, God’s most favored children. There are some people who hold on to this divine right belief.  They most probably would find off-putting a spirituality of connectedness to the divine in relation to others and as caretakers of our planet and each other.

            And so, the people who may find this spirituality attractive may be the people who are asking questions, people searching for more than power or possessions. The people who love our Earth and want it to be healthy and provide a beautiful and bountiful place for future generations will require a spirituality of connectedness.  Dreamers, lovers, peace-makers too will most likely resonate with this kind of spirituality.  A spirituality that allows another image of God (not simply male, authoritarian, unchanging, unapproachable other, distant from creation) will encourage women, in particular, to claim an equal partnership with their brothers as spiritual leaders in the Twenty-First Century.  Not only Christians, but all those who search for the divine can find a place of welcome in this spirituality contributing to all their individual reflection of the divine.

            Being a cradle Catholic, there was never a time in my life that God was absent.  In the 1950’s growing up in a rural Mid-Western parish, religion rather than spirituality ruled in our home.  We had prayers before and after meals, night-time rosary (draped over the dining room chairs in a modified kneeling position), and prayers before bed.  Catechism classes were on Saturday mornings and intensified as we prepared for first penance, first communion and confirmation.  We went to confession most Saturday and tried to “stay perfect” so we could receive communion at mass the next day.  We followed the Ten Commandments, prayed to the Holy Family and learned the Baltimore Catechism.  We sang in the choir, performed in the Christmas pageants and cleaned the church on Saturdays. We were a typical Catholic family.  We didn’t go to other churches, never attended Vacation Bible School like our friends, read the Bible, and above all didn’t have non-Catholic boyfriends. Above all, we knew that God loved Catholics best. Perhaps the only really spiritual experience I can remember, as a child, was sitting on my maternal grandfather’s knee at Christmas time when he sang Adeste Fidelis. It was a holy moment and I always felt Jesus was right in the room with us.

            Life in a religious community for eighteen years reinforced many of my family’s beliefs until the early 1970’s. Then the documents of Vatican II began to appear in English translations.  Suddenly things that had seemed so concrete, permanent, and absolute, were crumbling around our feet.  Fortunately, we had good leaders in our community who were able to lead us into a renewed connection God, to creation and to other people.  We also began to practice social justice and take to heart the words of the Gospel in Jesus’ preference for the poor, the widows and the orphans.  We began to pay attention to what was going on around us, to connect with the people we served and in doing so, connect to God.

Thomas Merton, Teillard de Chardin, Edward Schillibex, and Yves Congar were some of the writers to emerge after Vatican II.  They offered positive and hopeful ideas about the church called for by the Council. The concept of the Church being all the people of God was something new and wonderful.  The using the   vernacular as the language of liturgical celebrations made participation much easier. And having the celebrant face the congregation had both good aspects and some not quite so good. Religious men and women in community were encouraged to go back to their baptismal commitment and draw their religious vows from that first commitment to Christ. There was also a great hope among many women, religious and lay, that finally they too might find a place of leadership in the Church. In 1968, Mary Daly published The Catholic Church and the Second Sex. Her book explained in detail the ways in which women were kept as second class participants in the Catholic Church. People came to see that the Church was a “major participant in the oppression of women, and not as an accidental historical development, but the major systemic problem was Catholicism itself.” ²⁵

                Consciousness-raising of women to the practice of exclusion and marginalizing of women in the Church continues to be an essential mission. Women have been completely excluded from the sacrament of holy orders.  However, exclusion and marginalizing are not the only actions of the hierarchical Church.  For many women, “the Church’s pastoral practice discouraged women from seeking divorce from abusive husbands, forbade the divorced to remarry under any circumstances, counseled women to accept spouse abuse as God’s will, commanded them to yield to marital rape and forbade them to use contraceptives to control the results of such abuse or to have recourse to abortion in cases of rape or incest.”²⁶

            Women today want to be part of the Church as disciples of equals.  They wish to be rid of and no longer subject to the patriarchal system of domination.  The continued use of such a model is “no longer a ‘woman’s issue’ but is a human issue intimately linked to the struggle of people of color, children, the mentally and physically disable, the laity, immigrants,, the poor and all those in society who are, for some reason, ‘other’ to the hegemonic group of white, western, affluent males.”²⁷

                But, as we reflect on the fifty years since the Council, we see how several Popes have tried to “walk back” the suggested implementation and inclusiveness for which so many people hoped.  The male-dominated, closed membership and exclusivity of the institutional Church today is as bad as ever.  Recently Pope Francis made his first trip to the United States.  He came to Washington, DC, New York City and Philadelphia.  In each city he met with all kinds of people.  He truly welcomed the poor, the marginalized, prisoners, children, families, religious men and women.  But in each city, he made time to meet with his bishops, archbishops and cardinals.  The princes of the church surrounded him on every side.  Liturgical celebrations with hundreds of male priests, deacons, altar servers were visible in each city.  Women sang during the liturgy, participated in the choirs, and stood on the sidelines. “Women minister by permission of men on male terms, only in the spheres permitted to them by men.”²⁸

            Earlier in September, just two weeks before Pope Francis was to come to Philadelphia to meet with families, over 500 women and men gathered for a conference sponsored by Women’s Ordination Worldwide.  We learned recently that a diocesan priest from California has been censured and removed from his parish ministry because he attended that conference and participated in it.  In America, we have the First Amendment that gives citizens the right to speak, to assemble, to form an opinion.  Evidently, such a luxury is not afforded members of the Roman Catholic Church. Many, many people have been shut out, excluded shunned and scandalized at some of the actions of bishops and priests of the Church.  Divorced Catholics are denied a place at the sacramental table, people who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual are not welcomed either, just to name a few.  And yet, people hunger to be connected, to belong, to connect to one another as well as to the divine.  They search for meaning in their lives and they hunger and thirst for justice.  They hear the cry of the poor. Jesus promised the kin-dom of heaven would be here among us.  He made sure that the rich and powerful got the message that they would not be first in the eyes of Abba God.  People long for spirituality in this Twenty-First Century.

            Scientific discovery and advances in archeology, technology and medicine do not conflict with spirituality. For centuries the Roman Church fought science as the enemy of religion. Teillard de Chardin taught us it is not an “either/or”.  It is instead a “both/and.”

            With a spirituality that includes working for peace, struggling for justice, advocating for the poor, caring for the earth, creating beauty and joy, people will have opportunities for service in all areas of life. People will need to be practical in works of mercy.  They will need for their prayers and spirituality to be inclusive and world-wide, not just local.

            Reaching out to others, helping those in need, helping the stranger, the widow, and the orphan will have to become part of the daily living and the ordinariness of our lives.  Letting go of our need for power, position and stuff will have to be a regular part of living too.  Having the latest, the greatest, the priciest, and the best can no longer be the way we use the gifts of the Earth.  Taking a stand, writing letters, contributing time or resources to a cause that will protect people, the environment or our globe will become our second nature.  Encouraging one another in good works can be the light which sparks someone else to good works as well.  One person, one community, one state, and one nation at a time, it can happen.  In the words of Pope Francis, “God calls us to generous commitment, offers light and strength to continue on our way . . . does not abandon us or leave us alone and has united to our earth gifting us with love to find new ways forward.

            What, may we ask should be our rationale for wanting to participate in such spirituality? St. Augustine, Fourth Century bishop of Hippo once wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in [God].” It is the divine spark of God resting in each of us that longs to be complete and whole. Just as the cosmos and creation is in evolution, so too are humans. A spirituality that calls us to take care of our earth, to share its resources fairly and justly makes us participants in the evolution.  Pollution of air, water and land can only destroy.  Once a species is obliterated from the earth, there is no way to bring it back into existence.  It is gone, forever.  Some of the practices of manufacturing, farming, and mining the earth’s treasures kill off many forms of life.  There is a reason the World Wildlife Federation keeps a list of endangered species.  It is a way to remind people that the earth is here for us to share with all creatures.  Being willing to throw away things instead of reusing, recycling and reducing our need of things is another way a person can take part in looking out for our Sister, Mother Earth.  Teaching our children, first by example and secondly by practice, can ensure the value of ecology and care for our land, air and water is handed to another generation. 

            The individual is not the only one who needs to be involved in this type of spirituality.  Nations and their leaders too need to set priorities and legislation that will ensure our earth is cared for.  Countries are dependent on one another to help preserve and protect the peace.  When male dominated hierarchy is tempered by feminist vision,” competition and its ultimate escalation into war must give way to cooperation and sharing of resources as the basis of a just and last peace.”²⁹ War and the destruction of ethnicities, races and entire populations cannot be acceptable.  The military power available to many nations can destroy our entire planet.  Sharing resources, education and altruism need to become descriptors of the way one country engages with another. “Inclusion must replace exclusion as the way to maximize power.  Humans must begin to see themselves as participants, in rather than lords over, the fragile ecosystem that is our earth.”³⁰ Our world is not used to the idea of collaboration over oppressive power structures making the rules with everyone else just going along; all of us need more practical opportunities to practice this “new way.”  One thing is certain, “hierarchy in religious institutions and governments is the root of sinful structures that must be eradicated and replaced with an egalitarian vision and praxis if the human family and the earth are to survive and flourish is non-negotiable.”³¹

            In conclusion, spirituality is important. Sandra Schneiders’ definition of spirituality is so clear: “It is the experience of consciously striving to integrate one’s life in terms not of isolation and self-absorption, but of self-transcendence toward the ultimate value one perceives.”³² It is a reality that helps people become self-less and concerned about others.  It connects us to the divine and to one another.  We cannot hold on to worn out religious piety that no longer appeals to people. Our planet is in trouble and it is up to each of us to do what we can in our own way, day in and day out to make things better.  Now is the acceptable time, the work is at hand.

Endnotes

¹Johnson, Elizabeth, Abounding in Kindness, Writings for the People of God,

             c. 2015, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, Kindle edition, Loc. 158.

²Johnson, Loc. 134.

³Johnson, Loc. 168.

⁴Delio, Ilia, The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution, and the Power        of Love, c. 2013Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, Kindle edition, Loc. 121

.

⁵Borg, Marcus J., The God We Never Knew, c. 1997, Harper One, NY, p. 6.

⁶Loc. Cit.

⁷Loc. Cit.

⁸Borg, p. 19.

⁹Sorin, Claire and Laurence Lux-Sturritt, “Women and Spirituality in 20^th Century   Writing: an Exploration into the Fiction of Virginia Woolf, Michele Roberts,         Sara Maitland, Gail Godwin, and Toni Morrison,” c. 2011,   http://era.revues.org/1732; DOI:10.4000/erea.1732.

¹⁰Borg, p. 10.

¹¹Borg, p. 11.

¹²Pope Francis,  Laudato Si, On Care for our Common Home, c. 2015, Our Sunday    Visitor, Huntington, IN, par. 122.

¹³Chittister, Joan, O.S.B.,  A Spirituality for the 21^st Century, c. 1992, Crossroad,       NY, p. ix.

¹⁴Chittester, pp. 4-5.

¹⁵Chittister, p. 7.

¹⁶Johnson, Loc. 191.

¹⁷Rahner, Karl, cited in Johnson, Loc. 577.

¹⁸Johnson, Loc. 692.

¹⁹Johnson, Loc. 707.

²⁰Johnson, Loc. 857.

²¹Pope Francis, par. 117.

²²Delio, Loc. 2147.

²³Delio, Loc. 2165.

²⁴Pope Francis, par. 246.

²⁵Schneiders, Sandra M., Beyond Patching, c. 2004, Paulist Press, NY, p. 31.

²⁶Schneiders, pp. 32-33.

²⁷Schneiders, p. ix.

²⁸Schneiders, p. 33.

²⁹Schneiders, p. 25.

³⁰Loc. Cit.

³¹Schneiders, p.26-27.

³²Schneiders, p. 72.

Bibliography

Borg, Marcus J., The God We Never Knew, c. 1997, Harper One, NY.

Chittister, Joan, O.S.B.,  A Spirituality for the 21^st Century, c. 1992, Crossroad,          NY.

Delio, Ilia, The Unbearable Wholeness of Being, God, Evolution and the Power          of Love, c. 2013, Orbis Books, NY.

Johnson, Elizabeth,  Abounding in Kindness, Writings for the People of God, c.         2015, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, Kindle edition,

Pope Francis, Laudato Si, On Care for our Common Home, c. 2015, Our Sunday       Visitor, Huntington, IN.

Schneiders, Sandra M., Beyond Patching, c. 2004, Paulist Press, NY.

Sorin, Claire and Laurence Lux-Sturritt, “Women and Spirituality in 20^th Century    Writing: an Exploration into the Fiction of Virginia Woolf, Michele Roberts,         Sara Maitland, Gail Godwin, and Toni Morrison,” c. 2011,   http://era.revues.org/1732; DOI:10.4000/erea.1732.