Australian Women Preach

Corpus Christi - John 6: 51-58

Dr Alexandra Banks PhD works as an artist, theologian, writer and researcher who engages theologically with the arts and trauma theory to uncover the complex landscape of embodied memory. Alexandra’s key area of interest is the historical suppression and coercive appropriation of biblical women’s bodies and voices, and the doctrinal and practical implications of this interpretive legacy. Within her studio practice, Alexandra is fascinated with how everyday objects such as payphones and letterboxes have the capacity to point to and draw out silenced biblical characters like Hagar and Ishmael, and Mary, mother of God. Through her engagement with everyday objects, her current research is focused on how church buildings, stained glass, and their ornamentation provides a visual representation of interpretive traditions, institutional memory, and an example of a pedagogical architecture of power and surveillance.

The Most Holy Trinity - John 3:16-18 Dr Teresa Brown is a Melbourne-based theologian, who teaches in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at Australian Catholic University. She has a PhD in Theology, a Master of Religious Education and a Master of Theological Studies. In her PhD, she explored the relationship between trinitarian faith and Christian life through the lens of a theology of interruption. She is particularly interested in the way in which we approach theology today, how this might inform and be informed by the experience of Christians within diverse contexts, and how this might, in turn, be reflected in the education of young people in Catholic schools. Teresa works with Catholic Education partners around Australia and with research partners at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven to support schools in the formation, articulation and practice of their Catholic identity.

Elissa writes:

I'm a theologian specialising in synodality in the Catholic Church. I am interested in building a mature, responsible and loving Church. 

I live in Australia and my writing has a focus on developing foundations for Catholic ecclesiology in a new era of synodality. I explore how such foundations may support the praxis and good governance of synodality.

I am honoured to manage a Program of Theology for women in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands; a partnership in tertiary theological education between the Sisters of Mercy and the Divine Word University. I am an approved lecturer in systematic theology in this Program.

I have been a sessional academic with the Australian Catholic University.

I provided a theological reflection on "Becoming a more synodal Church" for the Assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences in Oceania, February 2023. I had a role assisting the Drafting Committee of the Fifth Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia in 2022. I gave the keynote speech to the Sandhurst Diocesan Assembly in February 2023.

I am a member of the Australian Catholic Theological Association (ACTA) and the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) Theological Association.

I was a member of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne’s Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission for four years before its decommissioning in March 2021. This role included hosting the Pontifical Commission for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) in September 2018. I was a member of the Victorian Council of Church’s Faith and Order Commission for six years, and the VCC Liaison Officer on the Board of the Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia.

Since 2015 I have presented papers at conferences including ANZATS, ACTA, the Australian Lonergan Workshop, the Fourth International Receptive Ecumenism Conference, Women as Church Conference, ISMAPNG Theological Association, Postgraduate Student Experience Symposium, ACU Postgraduate Conference, and the UD Research Days.

My husband and I have four children.

The Ascension of the Lord - Matthew  28:16-20 The Reverend Danni Clark is a priest in the Anglican Church, currently posted to the East Redland Parish in South East Queensland. She is married to David and together they parent four feisty daughters, and are servants to a menagerie of two, three and four legged creatures.

After a long time of trying to run away from her calling, a ‘Samuel moment’ turned Danni’s head, heart, and ears to listen and her theological training began in Lincoln, England, before moving over to Brisbane with her family and a horse in 2014. After completing her studies at St Francis Theological College, she was ordained deacon and then priest at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane.

Danni is passionate about her ministry, serving the pastoral as well as feeding the spiritual needs of the parish. She has been heard to declare that if she was a stick of seaside rock, she would have ‘Parish Priest’ running all the way through her!

She is blessed to be part of a lively and incredibly diverse parish that incorporates 3 mainland and 4 island churches and thrives on embracing the different personalities and cultures each centre nurtures. Danni’s cheese and wine bible studies are the stuff of legend and she wholeheartedly supports the great Anglican tradition of hospitality. The only thing she takes as seriously as her ministry is her coffee.

Sixth Sunday of Easter - John 14:15-21

Sue Martin grew up playing in nature, living beside Devlin’s Creek in Northern Sydney, with parents deeply committed to family and faith, especially a faith that does justice. Sue was educated by the Good Samaritan Sisters at Pennant Hills where she started to imagine herself as an eco-warrior. Sue studied agricultural science at Sydney University, becoming an agronomist, wanting to make our farming landscapes treed again. She married David and had four boys quickly and now has six amazing grandchildren. Her parish life is at St Madeleine’s Kenthurst, and she is active in the synodal journey for Parramatta Diocese assisting with the Laudato Si’ team there. Sue’s working life has included working in school, university, catchment management and local government settings. When she commenced employment as the sustainability officer at St Ignatius’ College, Riverview in 2009, she also found her home in the spirituality of the Jesuits. In 2019, the Jesuits called Sue to the position of national Project Officer for, what they then called, Reconciliation with Creation.  Sue also juggled the part-time Caritas National Earthcare Coordinator from 2019 to 2022. Since 2022 Sue has worked full-time assisting with Jesuit ministries better respond to Laudato si’ both in Australia and Asia Pacific. These responsibilities include assisting the coordination of RAOEN (the Rivers Above ecclesial network) caring for oceans, Indigenous people and our Church across Asia Pacific. Globally Sue is also part of the Ecojesuit team.

Fifth Sunday of Easter - John 14:1-12

Dr Tania Watson considers herself to be very blessed to have many opportunities to exercise pastoral ministry and leadership.  Tania is a keen observer of intersections between leadership, Australian culture and the Gospel mission of Jesus.  The deep longing of her heart is to see the Australian Church, know and express fullness and freedom that is ours in the perfect peace of Christ.  Tania is married to Neil: together they enjoy their adult children, their schnoodle and apartment life overlooking a beautiful park in the City of Perth.

Fourth Sunday of Easter - John 10:1-10 - Abundant Life Now

Rev. Radhika Sukumar-White (she/her) has been a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia since 2016. She is a 2nd-Generation Sri Lankan Tamil Australian, and grew up in Canberra before moving to Sydney to study Physiotherapy, Music and then Theology. Radhika is passionate about leading dynamic and sacred worship, preaching and teaching, and walking alongside individuals in their life and faith journeys. Radhika is currently serving as Ministry Team Leader at Leichhardt Uniting Church, a young, vibrant, justice-oriented community of faith in the Inner West of Sydney, on Gadigal and Wangal land. She serves alongside her husband, who also serves as Chaplain at the University of Sydney. Radhika is also passionate about brunch.

Third Sunday of Easter - Luke 24: 13-35

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains references to suicide ideation which may distress some listeners. If this raises any issues for you please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

Dr Debra J Phillips is an Education lecturer at Australian Catholic University. Her doctorate awarded in 2020, an interdisciplinary, autoethnographic analysis of suicidality, provided background for her ongoing work into teachers’ mental health. Dr Phillips’ current research and writing explores the spiritual and sociocultural factors that can lead to teacher burnout as well as those factors that protect and strengthen their mental health. Debra’s research is underpinned by theology, sociology, psychology and the theorising and practice of visual-arts. Because of the sensitive and taboo nature of researching suicidality she promotes the ethical parameters that guide research in mental ill-health and seeks to develop collaborative practices in teaching, research and writing. Dr Phillips comes from a background of school-based teaching practice (disability education, Geography, Religion), education and teachign experiences across education sectors, and a background of post-graduate study in education, gender studies, narrative and theology. Dr Phillips is a practicing artist.

Second Sunday of Easter - John 20: 19-31

Australian Women Preach has always celebrated diversity.  Our women preachers come from different generations, backgrounds, cultures, geographical locations, and Christian denominations. They also come to preaching with different mindsets and priorities, theological emphases and preaching styles.  To spotlight this kind of diversity, we are offering two sermons on this Sunday’s gospel text.  You might like to consider where these reflections converge and where they show us an individual perspective, and how, taken together, they challenge and enrich our own understandings.

Tanya Wittwer lives on the lands of the Peramangk people with her songwriter husband, Leigh Newton, two alpacas and four chickens. Their elastic-sided family live within semi-regular Sunday-night-family-meal distance.  Sixty-three years ago Tanya perceived herself as being called to pastoral leadership in her church. When she was twelve she discovered ordination was not possible in the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand. Her subsequent dream of being a ballerina was probably delusional, and God has continued to keep her early calling alive. So she has the broad and shallow working life of one who cannot enter her vocation, having had coordination and management roles in community service, domestic violence prevention, nature conservation, chaplaincy and public health, and academic roles in counselling, community health and theology. Most recently she was holding administrative roles and teaching preaching, pastoral care, and research topics at the Adelaide College of Divinity. After degrees in arts, education and religious education, Tanya completed a Master of Divinity at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and a PhD in homiletics through Flinders Uni. She has been working with many others towards the ordination of women in the LCANZ church for the past forty or so years, and this effort has intensified in recent years.  In late 2022 she edited “unless they are sent”, a collection of writings from the past forty-five years, affirming the ordination of women.   

Gail Gill writes: I was for a while as a graphic artist in advertising agencies and increasingly began to find it lacked meaning. As a mature age student, I began study to be a teacher in Catholic schools. I worked in the Sydney Archdiocese mainly as a teacher, REC and principal. I also worked as a religious education advisor and then led the development of Sydney’s first religious education curriculum for primary schools. I have worked in Broken Bay as a schools consultant and as a facilitator for school advisory boards with the Catholic Schools Office. I was seconded for three years to the Broken Bay Institute in the first three years of its development. In 2009 I resigned from the Catholic Schools Office in Broken Bay to become a consecrated member of a ministry the then Bishop, David Walker, had established for women in the diocese. I have worked in a number of parishes in various capacities, including one where I was a Coordinator of Parish Life according to canon 517.2. I have also been a member of the Broken Bay formation team for the permanent diaconate. I have an adult daughter and son and two beautiful granddaughters. Currently, I am transitioning towards retirement that will include some writing and engagement with groups such as Australian Catholics Exploring Diaconate (ACED).

Easter Sunday - Matt. 28: 1-10

Elizabeth was brought up on a farm in the south of South Australia. Her father was a lay preacher in the Uniting Church, and their ministers were both men and women. However, she attended St Mary MacKillop’s very first school in Penola, and was received into the Catholic Church along with family members. Elizabeth valued the sacramental worldview that she encountered and was inspired by all the religious leaders in her community. From a young age, she felt called to a vocation in religious and liturgical leadership, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. However, her life took a turn through a few years of questioning her faith and completing a degree in Circus Arts. From there she discerned God’s call to become a Sister of Mercy, professing her first vows in Adelaide in 2010. She has since studied a Bachelor of Theology, Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning, and Master of Theology (Coursework). Her ministries have been with youth, immigration detention centres, prisons, parish, school and ecumenical/interfaith relations. She is a Parish Life Coordinator in the remote town of Wilcannia, NSW, where she is instituted as a Catechist to lead the community in the absence of a priest in liturgy including baptisms and funerals. Elizabeth finds life in exploring the scriptures and the Church’s liturgical/sacramental tradition together with those in marginal situations.

Palm Sunday - Matthew 26:14-27:66

For this Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, we were privileged to record on country in the Kimberley. Brigid Drummond is a Proud Nyul Nyul woman from Beagle Bay, a mother, wife and educator in Catholic Education for over 40 years.

Shirley Quaresemin, is a proud Nyikina woman from Derby, a wife, mother, over 40 years in Catholic Education and the current chairperson of NATSICC. Francesca Ishiguchi is a mother and Proud Nyul Nyul, Nyikina and Yawaru woman from Broome. She is devoted to Mary and the Rosary. Pepita Pregelj, writes, “My Mum born Beagle Bay, my maternal grandmother was taken (stolen gen) with her sister off the streets of Derby when they were about 6 years old and taken to Beagle Bay. My maternal grandfather also stolen generation. Knowing that our mothers and grandmothers and aunties have such strong faith is an inspiration. We can only continue practising and sharing our faith despite different challenges we all face.”

These First Nations Women are in conversation with Diana Jans, the CEWA Broome Regional Office Religious Education Consultant and over 25 years as an educator in Catholic Education.

Fifth Sunday of Lent - John 11: 1-45

Rev Rachel Kronberger lives on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations in inner suburban Melbourne. She was ordained as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia in 2002 and since then has served in congregational ministry. She is currently the Minister in Placement at Wesley Church Melbourne, where she preaches twice most Sundays, rejoicing in the steadfastness of God. Rachel also enjoys encouraging deeper connections in Christian community, supporting the curiosity of visitors and newcomers, and exploring the place and role of an inner-city church in a post-Christendom context.

Fourth Sunday of Lent - John 9: 1-41

Danielle Anne Lynch is a theologian, musician, and teacher, working in Brisbane.  Her work in systematic theology encompasses Theology, Music, and Songwriting, with particular interest in feminist and queer approaches. She also works in Mission, Liturgy, Religious Identity and Culture, and Religious Education. Danielle's book on music and theology God in Sound and Silence: Music as Theology was published in 2018. Her album Into Silence, a collection of original songs exploring life in all its dimensions, including spiritual and faith aspects, was released in 2020, and her Mass For All Of Us was released in 2022. Danielle's music is available on online platforms.

Third Sunday of Lent - John 4: 5-42

Dr. Mary Coloe PBVM is a Presentation sister and has recently retired as  professor of New Testament at Yarra Theological Union, which is a college within the University of Divinity, Melbourne.  She will continue to research and write on the Gospel of John.  In 20221 her two-volume commentary on John in the Wisdom Commentary Series was published and has been well received. This series is a feminist commentary on the biblical books. This year, 2023) she is invited to be the key presenter at the American Catholic Biblical Association conference. She also has three small books of reflections on each Sunday Gospel of the year – These are called, Sundays under the Southern Cross – available through Garratt Publishing.

Mary has taught at Australian Catholic University and a number of places overseas such as Berkeley, California; Boston College, and Jerusalem. In recent years she has worked on an international dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Church/Disciples of Christ. Mary calls this her “Vatican” hat, as this appointment was for the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Second Sunday of Lent - Matthew 17: 1-9 - “The Transfiguration: for a purpose and a promise”

Trish McCarthy grew up on the coast of NSW which has inspired her love for the gift of Creation, learning and adventure. She has completed studies in Exercise Science, Education, Theology and Spiritual Direction. 

First Sunday of Lent - Matthew 4:1-11

Teash is co-pastor of St Kilda/Elsternwick Baptist Church. She is currently the only out Baptist pastor serving a church in Victoria, and likely Australia. She also runs Queers Be With You with her friend AJ, where they offer education and consultation to Churches and Christian Organisations regarding LGBTQIA+ inclusion and pastoral care. Teash has a particular passion for feminist and queer theologies and all liberative theologies.

When she's not working you can probably find Teash trying to encourage her elderly greyhound to walk just a tiny bit further down the street or watching something embarrassingly trashy while her partner knits and she embroiders or cross stitches.

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Matthew 5: 17-37

Marilyn says:

I am a Catholic lay woman whose faith is as central to my identity as my gender. I am a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother committed to working for an inclusive practice of Catholic faith that is respected and active in the public square, a faith that can sustain future generations as my faith has sustained me.

My professional work has involved developing and implementing machinery of government and public policy for the status of women across policy portfolios in both Federal and Territory governments including as the first Women’s Health Adviser in the ACT. My tertiary background includes graduating as a R.N. St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney; B.A. Applied Science, University of Canberra; M.Litt. History/Gender Studies ANU.

I have been involved in the renewal movement in the Catholic Church for over 20 years. Initially attending WATAC meetings as a young mother, subsequently as a member of renewal groups including the Ordination of Catholic Women Inc, representing Australia on the international Women’s Ordination Worldwide Network, International Catholic Reform Network, former Convener of the Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform, member of Catholics Speak Out and Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn. My key focus has been for equality, dignity and respect for all.

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Matthew 5: 13-16

Liz Little is a retired teacher and a member of the St Mary’s in Exile Community in Brisbane. She taught Religion in several Catholic secondary schools over her forty years of teaching and retains her interest in theology and the study of scripture. During her career she was Deputy Principal in several Catholic secondary schools and also lectured trainee teachers at university. She has qualifications in Geography, Theology, School Leadership, Education and Public Administration. Liz is a keen bushwalker. It is out there in the magnificence of the natural world that she feels she truly encounters the sacred. She has many other interests and involvements that allow her to fully embrace her retirement.

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Matthew 5: 1-12a

Tania worked as a solicitor for over twenty years, primarily for medical defence organisations, assisting doctors and other health professionals with complaints and claims against them. Tania has three lovely children, one of whom has ADHD and Autism and has faced incredible challenges in his schooling and social  life. To better support her family Tania gave up her legal profession and became a full time carer to her third child. Over the last four years Tania left has completed her Bachelor in Behavioural Science (Psychology) as well as earning First Class Honours in Behavioural Science Psychology (Honours). Tania works in research at QUT to improve inclusiveness in our schools. Tania is passionate about improving community understanding of ADHD and Autism and disability. It is through understanding and familiarity that we can achieve inclusion in schools. It is of course for all of us to open our minds and hearts to all children, and support them to access an education together with their peers. Tania says, "There have been periods of parenting where I have faltered and despaired. These periods have been marked by the challenges that my son has faced, and the impact of exclusion by schools and some of his peers. I felt God walk with me as I navigated my way forward through these particularly difficult nights and days. I am grateful for my faith and for God’s presence in my life. I have been an active catholic for much of my life, involved in various aspects of the church at different times."

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time - Matthew 4: 12-17

Australian Women Preach models the church we want to be, inclusive, diverse and welcoming. This week we are delighted to share our first non-binary preacher, Steff Fenton. Steff (they/them/theirs) is Co-Founder and Co-Pastor of New City Church, an independent church in Sydney’s inner city exploring faith in diverse and inclusive ways. Steff is a writer, speaker and educator, engaging the intersections of being genderqueer, trans and Christian. They recently graduated with a Master of Divinity through the University of Divinity, writing a thesis about masculinity, male entitlement, and gender-expansiveness in the Gospel of Matthew. Steff is passionate about cultivating a more equitable and expansive faith, as well as summer time, dinners with friends and scrolling Instagram for puppy photos.

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - John 1: 29-34

Dr Dianne Rayson is a public theologian and scholar of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Her main concerns are climate change and biodiversity loss, and how the church might ethically engage with these and other social problems, so her focus is on ecotheology. In her writing she has also addressed issues such as war, rape culture, and ecological degradation. She completed her PhD at The University of Newcastle (2017) and her book is Bonhoeffer and Climate Change: Theology and Ethics for the Anthropocene (Lexington, 2021). Di is a member of the Anglican Church of Australia where she preaches and she is regularly engaged in public contexts, including on ABC radio. She sees theology as a force for enriching both the life of the church and the community at large, and she loves to teach theology. Di is currently Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at Pacific Theological College, Suva, Fiji, returning to the tropics after a long absence. She has lived and worked in Darwin, NT, and Papua New Guinea, working in public health and social policy. Her family home is on Biripi country in NSW where she gardens and grows food. She is a singer and cellist, and most at home in the ocean or the bush.

Epiphany of the Lord Solemnity - Matthew 2: 1-12

Veronica Lawson RSM is a Sister of Mercy and a biblical scholar based in Ballarat. She is probably best known for her weekly gospel reflections which have a global circulation and for her 2015 publication The Blessing of Mercy: Bible Perspectives and Ecological Challenges which proved to be a valuable resource for the Year of Mercy. She was the first woman to be elected President of the Australian Catholic Biblical Association.

Veronica volunteered to teach Biblical Studies when it was introduced into the secondary school curriculum in 1965, her first year of teaching. It was not possible at that time for a Catholic woman to study for a theology degree in Australia. While teaching at secondary level, she attended part-time theology and language classes (Greek and Hebrew) at the Redemptorist Seminary in Ballarat. Subsequent studies at the University of San Francisco, at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem and at Trinity College Dublin provided Veronica with the formal qualifications required for a life-time engagement with the Word of God in diverse contexts (with University students, seminarians, interfaith and ecumenical groups, teachers, priests, religious and parishioners). Her study tours of Bible Lands formed part of the graduate program in theology at Australian Catholic University for some twenty-five years. Invitations to conduct workshops in Pacific Island countries, in Kenya, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Pakistan are among her most valued learning experiences. She plans to resume her regular ecological theology sessions in March

Mary, Mother of God Solemnity - Luke 2: 16-21

Reverend Di Langham writes:

I am Reverend Canon Auntie Di Langham. Director of Reconciliation for Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. I am also secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Anglican Council. I am 72 years of age.

I have been a priest in the Diocese of Newcastle for the past 21 years. I was the first Aboriginal woman in this Diocese to be ordained. I was a chaplain in Corrective Services NSW for 20 years and prior to that I was a chaplain in Juvenile Justice.

I am a Boandik woman and part of the Stolen Generations history of this country, now living and working in the lands of the Awabakal and Wanaruah. I am married with 4 children, 14 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

I like to weave into any of my talks Aboriginal spirituality and talk about my past experiences in any sermons I do. I was a teacher in my past life and taught in both schools and TAFE.

Christmas Day - The Nativity of the Lord

The Right Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO,  Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Perth and Metropolitan of Western Australia, was born and called to ministry in the Diocese of Melbourne. She was ordained Deaconess in 1984 and Deacon in 1986 and served in parishes in Melbourne. In 1988 she was appointed Chaplain to Perth College and was among the first women in Australia to be ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Peter Carnley on 7 March 1992.

Kay was appointed Assistant Bishop by Archbishop Roger Herft and was the first woman ordained to the episcopate in Australia on 22 May 2008. She was elected as the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Gippsland and installed on 21 March 2015.

In 2017 Kay was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for ‘distinguished service to religion through the Anglican Church of Australia, as a pioneer and role model for women, to church administration, and to pastoral care and equality’.

Kay was elected as the Eighth Archbishop of Perth and installed on 10 February 2018 - the first female archbishop in the Anglican Church of Australia

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Matthew 1:18-24

Penny Jones says,

I am an Anglican priest with permission to serve in the UCA. I am a spiritual director and supervisor with a background in dance. I recently co-taught Australia’s first unit in Queer theology for the University of Divinity.

Third Sunday of Advent - Matthew 11:2-11

Dr Margaret Scharf is a member of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Western Australia. She has a teaching and administrative background which was the springboard for other ministries, such as missionary work in the Solomon Islands, and the Dominican Sisters’ Motor Mission based in Morawa WA. After opportunities for study in the USA, Margaret Served for 16 years on the staff of the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange CA, as supervisor of the Art of Spiritual Direction three-year formation program for aspiring spiritual directors. Margaret taught many of the modules in the program, as well as acted as mentor and supervisor of spiritual directors. Her Doctorate involved the design of a formation program for supervision of spiritual directors. Currently, Margaret is part-time with the Catholic Institute of WA, and the Centre for Faith Enrichment, also providing Staff PD Days in Catholic Schools and presenting parish programs wherever the need is in the State. Margaret is the designer of a program for spiritual and faith development of potential leaders in Catholic Schools, called “Galilee” which has been on offer for 5 years in WA through the Catholic Institute of WA.  Margaret is also on the executive of the Council of Churches in WA, the Ecumenical council appointed by the Heads of Churches, and enjoys volunteering to play the music for the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry on Sundays. Margaret may also be remembered as a composer of Liturgical music with works published in Australia and the United States.

Second Sunday of Advent - Matthew 3:1-12

Frances Tilly is a lay woman, married with three adult children. Based in Sydney, she works nationally, as coordinator of mission formation with Jesuit Ignatian Spirituality Australia (JISA), a work of the Australian Jesuits. JISA is a national community of women and men including Jesuits, formed in Ignatian Spirituality working in a variety of geographic locations and online. With a background in European languages and literature, Frances has post-graduate qualifications in education and supervision and a Masters in Spiritual Direction.

At the heart of her ministry is being a spiritual director, professional supervisor, and giver of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in all their forms. She facilitates retreats, training, and spiritual formation, working with leadership, staff and ministry volunteers in diverse pastoral contexts. This has led to extraordinary connections with people, ministries and communities across Australia and internationally. She has had the privilege of witnessing the power of the spiritual exercises to bring us into the heart of the ministry of Jesus, freeing, healing and transforming individuals and groups, from Board room to prison cell.

First Sunday of Advent - Matthew 24: 37-44 

Cecilia was born in Singapore and immigrated with her family to Australia in 1994. Her involvement with the Catholic Church and with Catholic education in Singapore and Australia has provided the ground for much of her theology and experiences of faith. She is an alum of the University of Divinity, Australia, where she received her PhD in systematic theology. She currently lectures at Yarra Theological Union, where she serves on the education board of the College. In 2020-2021, Cecilia was a resident fellow with the Lonergan Institute, Boston College. Her ongoing association with Boston College allows her to deepen her research on the work of Bernard Lonergan. Cecilia is a wife, mother of five and grandmother to 10. She describes herself as an educator, pastoral practitioner, critical realist, and unapologetic passionate woman of the Church.  Prior to her fellowship, Cecilia was the executive secretary of the Association of Practical Theology, Oceania (APTO) – an organization of practitioners, academics and theologians working to bring the Gospel into dialogue with the diverse cultures of Oceania. Her interest in authority, authenticity and pastoral leadership arose out of pastoral concern for women victims of gender violence she encountered in her pastoral work, and from experiences of women in the Church, not least her own. Cecilia’s involvement with the ISMAPNG (Institute of the Sisters of Mercy Australia and Papua New Guinea) and Good Shepherd Seminary, PNG, are opportunities to engage in theological education with Melanesian women religious and seminarians respectively.  Cecilia enjoys baking and cooking for friends and family when she is not immersed in reading, writing and research.

Christ the King - Luke 23: 35-43 - Friend in High Places

Nimmi Candappa comes from a staunch Catholic family, which includes a Carmellite nun and a priest, and sees her Catholic faith as the most important aspect of her identity. Nonetheless, her faith journey includes continual discernment, as she navigates chicanes and obstacles of various types within the Church, that can stifle her experiencing, and passing on to others, the extravagant Love of God.

Born in Sri Lanka, raised in Melbourne, she completed her secondary education with the Presentation Sisters in Windsor, and has Bachelor degrees in Civil Engineering, and Arts. She has a successful career in civil engineering and road safety research, recently completing a PhD on improving the design of wirerope safety barriers on roads.

Through all this, there has been a yearning for God to use her faith in more concrete ways. She has been involved in faith propagation in numerous ways: through Parishes, including developing and running prayer programs; being employed as Charism Coordinator for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; being utilised as a Plenary Council member for the Melbourne Archdiocese, and by publishing articles on faith. While she discerned entering a religious order, she found that in most orders for women, verbal or explicit propagation of faith appeared to be secondary to an occupation such as teaching or social work.

She hopes that through WATAC’s collection of reflections by women, women’s gift to reflect, empathise, and provide critical insights into the Gospel, will be highlighted as a rich yet severely untapped resource of the Church.

Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 21: 5-19 - Now is the Time

Judith Norris is a senior lecturer in educational leadership at Australian Catholic University. Her research and teaching are based on the psychosocial processes of educational leaders. She is fortunate to work with leaders and aspirant leaders and enjoys their deep commitment to their moral and ethical pursuits in their ministries. Previously, Judith worked in various leadership positions in Catholic education. Judith says: "Despite the challenges of belonging to a marginalised group, LGBTQI + in the institutional Church, my work, along with friends and a loving family, has enabled my personal faith journey to be sustained."

Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 20: 27-38 - I have come to set you free 

Dr Julie Trinidad is a lecturer in Catholic Studies at the University of South Australia. She also works as part of the Catholic Identity and Mission Team at Catholic Education SA. Julie has been Ministry Formation Program Coordinator for the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide and lecturer in ministry studies at the Adelaide Catholic Theological College. She has held the position of Coordinator of Youth Ministry for the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide and has been a teacher and Religious Education Coordinator/Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission (APRIM) in a number of Catholic secondary schools both in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Julie completed her Masters degree at the Catholic University of Leuven with a study of the theological work of Elizabeth Johnson. Her PhD, awarded by ACU, focussed on the theology of the Holy Spirit in the work of German theologian Walter Kasper and its implications for the growth of lay ecclesial ministries in the Catholic Church today. Julie is currently completing post grad study in Spiritual Direction.

Julie is a member of the Australian Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue, a member of the Education Advisory Board of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and convenor of the Gender Justice Working Group of the Australian Catholic Theological Association.

Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 19: 1-10

Trish Madigan is a member of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands who has ministered for many years in the Catholic Church in Australia in ecumenical and interfaith relations. Her publications include Women and Fundamentalism in Islam and Catholicism: Negotiating Modernity in a Globalised World (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2011) and Iraqi Women of Three Generations (co-authored with Martha Ann Kirk CCVI; San Antonio, TX: PeaceCenter Books, 2013). She was a member of the Council for Australian Catholic Women from 2015 to 2019 and its chair from 2018 to 2019. She is currently a sessional lecturer in church history in the Diploma in Pastoral Ministry program at Divine Word University, Papua New Guinea.

Thirtieth Suday of Ordianry Time - Luke 18: 9-14 - A Tale of Two Men

Natalie is a Senior Assistant Minister at NorthLight Anglican Church. Natalie became a Christian in her late teens from a background of new age spirituality and witchcraft. Since then, Natalie has served in churches and para-church organisations in Canada and Australia, completing Bachelors and Masters degrees at Moore Theological College. She is an ordained Anglican minister in the Diocese of Sydney. Natalie is married to Jason and is mum to two primary-school aged boys. Natalie is passionate about helping people to understand and love the Bible, and to know the Lord Jesus who is revealed therein.

Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 18: 1-8

Dr Jenny Close writes:

My first degree was in Fine Arts (painting) and then I trained as a teacher. For many years my working life was shared between secondary school teaching for Brisbane Catholic Education and freelance liturgical art making. Later I was employed by Brisbane Catholic Education to work in multimedia: video, animation and book illustration. At the same time, I studied theology and in 2005 was awarded a PhD from Griffith University. The title of my thesis was 'A Feminist Understanding of Liturgical Art'. Since 2005, I have worked as a sessional lecturer in theology at Australian Catholic University and Broken Bay Institute. At the same time, I have maintained my art practice, which has become more digital over the years. I live in Brisbane and have recently moved parishes. My new parish is vibrantly Franciscan and I have been welcomed into liturgical ministry, the RCIA process and adult education.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 17: 11-19

Dr Angela McCarthy is an adjunct senior lecturer in theology at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle campus and a member of the Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia. Her first degree from Sydney University included work in Biblical Studies and Fine Arts and then further studies in theology and education from 1993 at Notre Dame. She was awarded her PhD in 2007. Since then, she has completed a further Research Masters in Theology in the field of Scripture, art and theology. Angela has published in the areas of liturgy, icons, art and theology, liturgical music, educational practice and theological aesthetics. She is the former editor of the Australian Journal of Liturgy, a member of the Australian Academy of Liturgy, Chairperson of the Mandorla Art Award, a member of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA and the Fellowship of Biblical Studies, and the editor of Pastoral Liturgy.

Twenty-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 17: 5-10

Jacqui Rémond is a Co-Founder of the global Laudato Si’ Movement and is a Joint Coordinator of the Vatican Ecology Taskforce at the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. Jacqui graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Education and Science (1997), a Cambridge English Language Teaching Accreditation (1998), a Post Graduate Certificate in Leading Resilient Enterprises (2015) and is currently undertaking doctoral studies researching ‘Transformative Learning: Dialogue and Integral Ecology’ at Notre Dame University, Nulungu Research Institute in WA.

Jacqui has worked as an Environmental Educator at Universities, TAFE Colleges and Secondary Schools across Australia. Over a period of ten years (2007-2017) Jacqui served as Director of Catholic Earthcare Australia, developing partnerships and ecological conversion initiatives to enable the Catholic Church to better care for God’s Creation through advocacy, education, research and collaboration. She continues her active involvement as ‘Lead, Integral Ecology’, at the Australian Catholic University while caring for her young family.

Twenty-six Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 16: 19-31

Unfinished Business: It’s thirty years since Anglican women were first ordained as priests in Australia. Australian Women Preach celebrates this anniversary, while acknowledging there are still Anglican dioceses and other Christian denominations that limit or refuse to acknowledge women’s ordained ministry.

The Reverend Dr Ruth Mathieson took up the role of Principal of St Francis Theological College in the Anglican Diocese of Southern Queensland in July this year and enjoys living on site in Milton.  Prior to this she was the Parish Priest of St Bede’s, Semaphore, in the Diocese of Adelaide, where she would enjoy walking the coastal paths at sunrise. Now she follows the paths along the Brisbane River shared with commuters and cyclists.

Ruth was an adjunct lecturer in New Testament Studies at St Barnabas College in Adelaide for ten years and was awarded a university medal for her PhD entitled Dress Code for Heaven? Exploring the Textures of the Parable of the Royal Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14).

Born and bred in South Australia (apart from three years overseas as a child in Winchester, UK and  Ingolstadt, Germany), Ruth has lived most of her adult life in Adelaide. She was ordained 25 years ago and has served as a priest in both schools and parishes and as archdeacon in both the north and then the west of the Diocese of Adelaide. She is the mother of two young adult children.

Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 16: 1-13

Unfinished Business: It’s thirty years since Anglican women were first ordained as priests in Australia. Australian Women Preach celebrates this anniversary, while acknowledging there are still Anglican dioceses and other Christian denominations that limit or refuse to acknowledge women’s ordained ministry.

The Reverend Canon Emerita Dr Colleen O’Reilly AM is an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Melbourne, having been ordained in 1995.  She has been Vicar of two parishes and Chaplain to Trinity College in the University of Melbourne.  She remains in parish ministry as a locum priest.

Originally from Sydney, Colleen has been a lifelong Anglican despite her Irish name. She holds the degree of Bachelor of Theology from the Sydney College of Divinity, of which she is a past Dean of Postgraduate Studies and a Founding Fellow. Her master’s degree in theology is from the University of Sydney  and her Doctor of Ministry degree from the San Francisco School of Theology. College taught Liturgical and Pastoral Theology at the United College of Theology from 1987-1993 before being appointed Associate Dean and Director of Ministry Studies in the then Melbourne College of Divinity, now the University of Divinity.

Colleen has two sons and three grandsons, has been married to the Reverend Walter McEntee since 1989 and enjoys the company of colleagues and friends as well as an engrossing novel and a glass of red.

Twenty-forth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 15: 1-32

Unfinished Business: It’s thirty years since Anglican women were first ordained as priests in Australia. Australian Women Preach celebrates this anniversary, while acknowledging there are still Anglican dioceses and other Christian denominations that limit or refuse to acknowledge women’s ordained ministry. 

Rev. Julia Perry writes:

The first (and only time) I wagged school was to visit Deaconess house in Sydney to ask about ordination! I was 15, it was 1970, and ‘Scriptcha’ was my only experience of church and bible. I explained that I liked what I heard about God(the father), but didn’t warm to the sugary image of Jesus and hadn’t heard of the Holy Ghost.  I’m still waiting for a return call from the Principal!

Via a science degree in zoology, and the generous hearts of people of faith and none, I came to know and experience the awesome hospitality, risk-taking love, respect and downright miraculous wholeness of God and world, the force of Jesus and reality of the Spirit. I was completely surprised by the hate and fundamentalism of some Christians which denied the use of our God-given brains and their disdain too for those who came to faith by being curious about the Creator, rather than millennia old stories.

I’ve been ordained 35 years now in the Anglican Church of Australia primarily in the Newcastle Diocese. That’s early enough that my first licence – before women could be Deacons, was as a ‘Licensed Lady’! Time as deacon-in-charge, Rector, Archdeacon and member of councils has undergirded my time as Chaplain to faith-based and secular agencies. Studying in San Francisco was a colourful urban buffet, a year in the Northern Territory was a red dirt feast mirage-far horizons.

I’m retired, which gives me increased scope to photograph, build nests for native bees and look outside institutions for our delightful God.

Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 14: 25-33

Patricia is a wife, mother and grandmother, and semi-retired teacher of French, Latin and Italian.  Her lifelong interest in theology and spirituality finally led her to formal study and she graduated with a Masters in Theology in 2014.

She belongs to the Grail, an international movement and community of women, founded in the Netherlands in 1921 by Jacques van Ginneken SJ.  She currently serves on the National Leadership Team and is the co-ordinator of the International Spirituality Network.  In 2016 she presented five lectures on Eco-theology and spirituality at the Grail summer school in Portugal.

A parishioner for 38 years at St Leonards, Naremburn, Patricia has been involved in a variety of ministries over the years.  She is currently a lector and EMC, and one of the church bell ringers.  In 2018 she was asked to become her community’s local animator for the Plenary Council, and since then has engaged herself wholeheartedly in the Plenary Council journey.

Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 14:1,7-14

Christine Burke, a member of Loreto sisters, was one of the founding members of WATAC in the early 80s. For many years she worked in the Adelaide archdiocese in Adult Faith development and lay leadership formation. As a theologian, Christine is interested in ways of helping people connect daily life with the Gospel. From 2005-11, Christine was province leader for the IBVM sisters in Australia and South-East Asia. Christine was missioned to the Philippines in late 2013 to open a House of Studies for younger sisters from the province. She is currently teaching a course on the Christian Understanding of God with young women students at the Institute for Formation in Religious Studies in Manila.

Christine has published “Freedom Justice and Sincerity: reflections on the life and spirituality of Mary Ward” and “The gift of Mary Ward”, as well as an earlier volume “Through a woman’s Eyes” which presented meditations and feminist insights into Gospel stories.

Twentyfirst Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 13:22-30

Andrea Dean lives in Canberra and is the president of WATAC (Women and the Australian Church). After a lifetime of working for Catholic schools, agencies and organisations she is now working in the community sector. Andrea is now (happily) on the fringe of the Catholic Church and is nurturing her spiritual life with advocacy and community. She is also experiencing the joys and challenges of being a pet owner for the first time in her life!

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 12:49-53 - I come to bring division

Dr Michelle Eastwood (she/her) is Director of Research at Australian Lutheran College and Executive Officer for ANZATS and the Council of Deans of Theology. She has degrees in Psychology, History, Education and Theology. This demonstrates she is a complete nerd. Her current research interests include shame, gender and sexuality, the Hebrew Bible, worship and liturgy, and public theology. Michelle is currently exploring the Women-Church journal in connection with the Australian Women in Religion project. As part of this work, she is engaging with Wikipedia as an editor, writer and critic. Michelle is enjoying travelling again and catching up with friends and acquaintances, as long as it is balanced with introvert time at home when there is no one she has to talk to. Michelle loves to read everything from Bronte to Watego and much in between. Michelle lives on Wauthaurong land and believes that reparations must be paid for all the damage that has been perpetrated against the First Nations of this land.

Nineteeth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 12:32-48 - Slaves?

Rev Dr Christine Redwood is the Lead Pastor at Seaforth Baptist Church. She is actively involved in the Baptist denomination in NSW & ACT and has served on the Assembly Council and the Public Engagement Taskforce. Christine recently completed her PhD in preaching, the Old Testament and feminist hermeneutics. In 2011 she was the preaching intern for Morling College and works there as an adjunct lecturer. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her nieces. Christine loves being creative and is passionate about films, theatre, writing, and most of all, communicating God’s story with others.

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 12:13-21 

Kate O’Brien is a mother, a professor and an engineer. In her life and in her work, she is deeply influenced and inspired by Ignatian spirituality. Kate is passionate about translating the insights and wisdom of Ignatian spirituality into secular language, to share with a diverse audience.

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 11:1-13

Dr Moira Byrne Garton grew up in rural South Australia. She moved to Adelaide after high school and joined a Catholic youth group where she met Matthew, who she later married. In 2001, they moved to Canberra with their two very small children. Two more were welcomed in Canberra so they now have four young adult children.

In 2012 she completed a PhD in political science at ANU, which examined religious organisations as interest groups in refugee policy. As part of the Young Catholic Women’s Interfaith Fellowship, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma of Theology in 2016.

Inspired by the charism of the Sisters of St Joseph, and the spiritualities of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and the Good Samaritan sisters, Moira is thankful for the individuals and groups who have shaped her experience of God and faith.

Moira is an accomplished writer with many publications in a variety of places, as well as a few prizes. She has qualifications in policy, education and economics, and has also studied a bit of law and Italian language and literature. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Accredited Editor. Moira works as a federal public servant but occasionally dabbles in academia.

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 10:38-42

Gemma Thomson is a passionate, faith-filled, young woman who seeks to role model the Church that Christ calls us to be; missionary, humble, inclusive and joyful.

Gemma is the Dean of Mission and Catholic Identity at Iona Presentation College in Perth, Western Australia; a Catholic school in the Presentation tradition. The co-author of Making Jesus Real 24/7, along with other publications, she enjoys the opportunity to share her lived experience of faith with others.

Gemma has an unquenchable thirst for the Presentation Charism, working closely with the Nagle Education Alliance of Australia and is currently undertaking further tertiary research at the University of Notre Dame, Australia. Gemma is truly blessed to work closely with the Presentation Sisters at local, national and international levels in the area of justice and mission.

Gemma actively participates in several Archdiocesan Committees pertaining to education, formation and strategy in Perth and is a member of the Plenary Council for the Archdiocese of Perth; a role in which she is called to be deeply listen, speak authentically, and represent the voices of the wider Church in Australia.

Gemma has prepared for today’s reflection in conjunction with two Year 12 students from Iona Presentation College; Riley-Jayne Carroll and Samara Spadanuda. Riley Jayne and Samara hold the student leadership positions of Columba House Captain and Year 11 Captain respectively and have demonstrated an extensive commitment to faith and service throughout their high school years at the College.

Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 10:25-37 - The Good Samaritan: Looking with fresh eyes

Lisa Bright is the co-director of Synodal Consulting working to empower community development and engagement within the Catholic Church and not-for-profit sector.

Lisa has spent the past 20 years working for not-for-profits, religious orders, parish and diocese in all areas of ministry. She is passionate about people and connecting them to safe and welcoming spaces both physically and online, to grow and share life and faith and experience life to the full.

Lisa enjoys volunteering with her local faith community and is a member of several committees. She is proud of her Maltese heritage, working with other networks to bring awareness to the story of Maltese immigrants to Australia and ensuring Maltese traditions are remembered by new generations.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Theology. She has recently completed a graduate certificate in Leadership for Mission.

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Elizabeth Lee is a Spiritual Director, Retreat Facilitator and Professional / Pastoral Supervisor with a passion for being a listening presence among the fringes and fostering human connection through deep listening.  She has had the privilege of offering pastoral care among those living with homelessness and life-giving ministry as a Prison Chaplain. Liz originally trained as a Food Technologist and has had a very varied career as a research scientist, museum curator, health promotion and community development worker and teacher of science and religious education.

While currently enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Research Methodology with Pilgrim College and the University of Divinity in Melbourne, she also holds a Masters of Arts (Theology) as well a Bachelor of Science, Graduate Diploma in Education and a Masters of Education.

For 59 years Liz identified as Catholic but now is not contained by denominational boundaries.  She is a member of Pitt St Uniting Church.  She has been married to John for nearly 40 years, is a mother of 3 adult and partnered children and grandmother to 2 delightful pre-schoolers.

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time - Luke 9:51-62 - Together on the Way

Dr Jill Gowdie is known across Australia and overseas as a speaker, writer, facilitator, educator and system leader with wide and deep experience in Catholic education, mission and formation.

She has qualifications across the disciplines of theology, spirituality, leadership, religious education, journalism, education and governance. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership, awarded summa cum laude. She also holds a Master’s degree in Religious Education and Theology, receiving an inaugural award for excellence in research.

Jill has taught and led at primary, secondary and university levels and in adult and school consultancy contexts. A faculty member with BBI-TAITE and visiting fellow at Oxford and KU Leuven universities, she is also a member of 4 international networks/thinktanks, a peer reviewer for Sage Publications and is currently Vice President of the Association of Practical Theology in Oceania. Jill is also Deputy Chair of the Lasallian Mission Council (Australia, Pakistan, New Guinea and New Zealand), Chair of the Gerard Rummery Institute and member of the Australian Mission and Education Board and the International Network of Researchers in Catholic Education.

Jill has pioneered work in Australia in contemporary spiritual formation, founding a national network (FACE Australia), and has been a leader in the National Catholic Education Commission in Australia in formation and the international work in Catholic Identity. At archdiocesan level, she has created and implemented a new system model and strategic approach to growing spiritual capital in school communities through staff engagement. The work she has done here has spread to other places including New Zealand, England and the Netherlands.

Her innovative work has included the development of a companioning program for pre-service teachers in conjunction with the Australian Catholic University; the development of  a new College Middle Leaders Formation Program currently in pilot in Sydney and the PEARL Project (Program for Emerging and Aspiring Religious Leaders) piloted in Brisbane. Her 2017 book Stirring the Soul of Catholic Education: Formation for Mission has become a sought-after text for those studying and leading in Catholic education or church ministries. Jill has also published numerous articles, chapter contributions and a variety of resources. Her most recent work has been as a contributing writer for the Holy Bible CEV Catholic Edition with Encyclopaedia (2021). She is currently writing a guide for staff and student retreats due to be published early 2023.

Jill is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is currently Director, Catholic Identity & Mission for Catholic Education, South Australia (CESA).

Jill and husband Geoff have four adult children and have belonged to St Anne’s Catholic Community in Brisbane for a very long time.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Luke 9:11-17

Anne has lived and loved, prayed and protested, searched and served in Adelaide, Ballarat, Melbourne, Santa Clara (USA) and Sydney.  Her qualifications range across education, history, liturgy and theology – with a particular focus on the nexus between liturgy, pastoral care and social justice.  Anne is inspired, animated and challenged by her spiritual hero – Mary Ward – and nurtured by the creative and performing arts! Although socially awkward, Anne is fascinated by group dynamics, distributed leadership and reframing of organisational dynamics through the lens of introversion. In 2022 Anne has written material to mark Laudato Si Week for ACBC Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace, arranged stunning floral displays, explored images of God with Year 2 students, run workshops for staff on the transformative potential of liturgy in schools, worked on the campaign of her local federal independent candidate and cared for her 99 year old mum. Anne is moving through her second Clinical Pastoral Education placement at Peter MacCallum Cancer Hospital in Naarm, where she is learning heaps from patients, their families and staff about love and loss, grief and grace, healing and hope.

Pentecost - John 20: 19-23 

Rachel is the daughter of Anne and David, sister to 9 brothers and sisters and today, aunt to 11 nieces and nephews. Family has formed who and how she is. Rachel studied Arts/Law where her desire to understand more about justice and equity was sated. She chose to follow her heart and, for the last 23 years she has been endeavoring to animate and expand her knowledge in classrooms and co-curricula contexts in NSW, Tanzania and Queensland. From her first year as a teacher through to her role today as a leader in a Catholic Education System, Rachel has prioritised her time and energy to work with students to: collaborate and co-create Social Justice advocacy experiences; write and co-facilitate Retreats; and build Immersion programs locally, nationally and globally. At the heart of each of these experiences is dialogue and an opportunity to sit and listen to the wisdom and ways of those who are encountered on the journey. Currently Rachel works in Catholic Education Services Cairns as a Leader of Formation working across 30 Catholic schools in Far North Queensland in the areas of Faith Formation, Religious Education, Outreach, Truth-telling, Healing and Reconciliation. Family and friends are her foundation, Ignatian spirituality is her way of proceeding and music and food fills her soul.

Ascension of the Lord - Luke 24: 46-53

Patricia is a Pastoral Theologian, Reflector, Pragmatist, Activist, Ignatian spiritual director and retreat facilitator, and an Oblate of St Benedict at Jamberoo Abbey. Presently, Grief Care Managing Consultant - Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Sydney.

Grief Care is a community of qualified pastoral care practitioners, counsellors, educators, and spiritual directors, offering care, empathy, and compassion in companioning families,  living with the impact of loss, grief, trauma, and bereavement.  Grief Care also offers mentoring, education,
resources, and workshops that develop understanding and build capacity for sustained community care. Offering gatherings where stories can be heard, and grief witnessed and validated.

Sixth Sunday of Easter - John 14: 23-29

Rev. Susan Lodge-Calvert writes:

My birth name is Susan Grace but I am known to most as Sue, Rev'd Sue, or if in trouble as Susan. I live on the south coast of Western Australia high on a hill looking out across the various shades of green to the ever changing blues of the inlet and the great southern ocean. It is incredibly beautiful. It may sound idyllic but it is also real life with a community that is a blessing and a challenge at times, a new marriage (even though we are both in our sixties) with recognisable old issues to be addressed yet again, the inconvenient distance from my family and friends in the city, and my own ageing body to be made peace with.

I was born the eldest of four children to wheat and sheep farmers Laurel and Cedric in dry inland Australia. We had a tough but wonderfully free range childhood. At age twelve we transitioned to living in the city after years of drought drove us off our property.  At age thirteen I gave my life to Christ and so began the long and often meandering spiritual journey that has led me here, to this time and space, and to you reading this.

I was a social worker for twenty five years, working as clinician, teacher and consultant, when I discerned a call to the ordained priesthood. Looking back it makes sense but at the time I was fairly shaken and disorientated.

I was then in parish ministry for fifteen years, in two different communities – city and then country. And now I am retired from paid work with a license to officiate when called upon within the Anglican tradition. My website now is my most demanding and satisfying ministry.

Fifth Sunday of Easter - John 13: 31-33a, 34-35 - Our call to radical love

Erin Gillard is a passionate young woman with a deep faith who seeks to empower other women. She works part time as a dietitian at Liverpool Hospital specialising in Gestational Diabetes, helping women make lifestyle changes that will positively impact themselves, their unborn baby, their family and their future.

Erin is passionate about sharing the love of God, and making known the depth of God’s love for others. To create spaces and places within Church communities where people are known, loved and have a strong sense of belonging, rooted in Christ’s love for them. She was privileged to be among the inaugural cohort for Leadership for Mission Program, graduating in 2020 with a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies from the Australian Catholic University.

In 2019 Erin began serving on the Parish Leadership Team of St Mary MacKillop in Oran Park, Diocese of Wollongong and took up the role of Coordinator of Welcome and Engagement which she now undertakes in a volunteer capacity. Erin has had an active presence in ministry from the beginning of this parish in 2015 being involved in Family Ministry, Marriage Preparation, sacramental preparation and RCIA. Erin is a member delegate from the Diocese of Wollongong for the Plenary Council.

Being married to her husband Kiel and mother to her two young children, Amelia (8) and James (5) is Erin’s greatest source of joy, strength and inspiration to help the Catholic Church become all God calls it to be.

Fourth Sunday of Easter - John 10: 27-30

Gabrielle Sinclair has worked in ministry roles for over 20 years, with parish, dioceses, and nationally with the ACBC’s Office for Youth. Gabrielle has a Bachelor of Arts in Television Production, a Master of Arts in Theology and is currently undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Monastic Studies. At the moment she is very much at home working in the Good Samaritan Benedictine charism at Good Samaritan Education as Associate Director of Communications and Mission Engagement.

Gabrielle has an unquenchable thirst for creativity and beauty and is passionate about facilitating opportunities that ignite authentic encounters that embrace God’s welcoming and loving invitation graced in the whole of creation. Gabrielle's many blessings include her partner-in-crime and husband, Patrick, and their three adult children, Baden, Niamh, and Fintan.

Third Sunday of Easter - John 21: 1-19 - 

Beth Doherty is a journalist, teacher and musician living in Canberra. She is the author of three books, the most recent: "All the beautiful things, finding truth, beauty and goodness in a fractured church". She currently works as a secondary school religion teacher and is passionate about language, social justice, the arts and using creativity for the greater good. She's spent much of her life volunteering and working in a variety of marginalised contexts overseas and in Australia. In her spare time, she dreams of having a farm of rescue pets.

Second Sunday of Easter - John 20: 19-31

Juliette is a second-generation New Zealand-born-Samoan woman, ordained in the Uniting Church in Australia since 2015.  She is currently serving in Melbourne in Congregational Placement.  Juliette hails from Samoan heritage whose parents individually immigrated to New Zealand in the 1950’s, raising Juliette and her siblings, "faa-Samoa" (the Samoan way) in the home in NZ, and educated in Western schools.

Worshiping in different denominations in the Samoan and English languages from an early age, and notably in her teenage school years, led Juliette to a sense of questioning both Samoan and Western cultural understandings of identity, about Women, and particularly Samoan women in the Church, conscious from her learned Samoan cultural upbringing in NZ, that respect and a pastoral relational approach towards understanding, hopefully sustains relationships but not compromising Juliette to be her own true self.

The questions on faith, identity, the Holy Bible (written by men), Women and the Gospel, and Women in the biblical scriptures, and specifically Samoan culture regarding Women, has never subsided.  Interwoven in all these facets of her life and faith journey as a young teenager, and as a working Christian woman who eventually married and had two children in New Zealand then one in Australia, Juliette takes seriously that she was/is charged with the responsibility of nurturing her own children, and next generations, to not be afraid to question and challenge their faith, Samoan heritage and cultural interpretations and more, in their new home in Australia.

Over the years many faith and theological questions, and unsatisfactory questions of Gospel and Samoan cultural understandings niggled at this bi-cultural Pasifika woman, a woman of colour, and spilled over into her twenty plus years in the Banking Sector in three countries she worked in.

Her faith questions and faith understandings, as they grew and changed, shaped how she related to people and her leadership style, in both her Christian and secular life (before ordained ministry) and, in taking up her calling, to now serving part-time in the Uniting Church in Australia in a congregation.

Juliette loves the God she serves and the Uniting Church who welcomed her questions about faith, the Gospel and Culture, including Samoan cultural questions, and a door into studying Theology in Melbourne, through the former United Faculty of Theology.  This is now Pilgrim Theological College, one of the Colleges of the University of Divinity, in Melbourne, Australia.

Juliette gives thanks first to God, her late parents and siblings, her husband and children, and extended family, and to the Churches in Aotearoa, Vailoa Aleipata in Samoa, and here in Melbourne, noting with love her Pasifika Uniting Church Sisters who paved a way for her in diaspora.  All have shaped and continue to shape who she is today.  She remains committed to the importance to read from her Samoan cultural lens, her womanist and theological lenses, and in the contexts of her lived experiences, to re-interpret stories in the Bible and offer them as gifts to the Church and God’s people.  She is forever grateful to God through her Mentors, Theological Educators throughout her years of study, and looks forward to God’s unfolding pathway, challenges, blessings, and life’s intersecting corridors which leads to her firm belief in her ministry and life, that Christ’s life, death, and assured resurrection, is life-giving.

Easter Sunday - John 20:1-9 - 

Dr. Mary Coloe PBVM is a Presentation sister and a professor of New Testament at Yarra Theological Union, which is a college within the University of Divinity, Melbourne.  Her primary focus in teaching and writing is the Gospel of John.  This year her two volume commentary on John in the Wisdom Commentary Series is being published – Volume 1 in July, and Volume 2 in October. This series is a feminist commentary on the biblical books. The commentary will be available through Garratt Publishing and the Pauline Books and Media. She also has three small books of reflections on each Sunday Gospel of the year – These are called,  Sundays under the Southern Cross – available through Garratt Publishing.

Mary has taught at Australian Catholic University and a number of places overseas such as Berkeley, California; Boston College, and Jerusalem. In recent years she has worked on an international dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Church/Disciples of Christ. Mary calls this her “Vatican” hat, as this appointment was for the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Palm Sunday - Relection on the Entrance Antiphon John 12:1, 12-13, Psalm 23:9-10 (in the context of the Gospel reading Luke: 14-23:56) 

Jennifer King is a proud person and descendant of four aboriginal clan groups, Butchella of K’gari (Fraser Island), Djiribul of Innisfail, Gugu Yimmithir of Hopevale, and Western Yalanji of Laura in Cape York.  Her great grandparents were removed or forced off their homelands and institutionalised on Yarrabah Mission, south of Cairns. Jen is an educator, communicator, animator and collaborator.

She is collaborating on this Podcast with Rachel McLean, Leader Formation at Catholic Education Services Cairns. Rachel works with leadership teams and staff from thirty Catholic schools in Far North Queensland in the areas of Faith Formation, Religious Education, Outreach and Reconciliation. For the last two years, Jen and Rachel have collaborated with students and other First Nations elders to showcase and celebrate student voice with the Cairns Catholic Education Community. This collaboration draws on the wisdom and ways of First Nations peoples and invites listeners to consider how the ancient ways of First Nations peoples of Australia can enrich and extend an encounter with the scripture.

As the Indigenous Liaison Officer at St Moncia’s Catholic College Cairns, Jen works closely with all students and staff to share First Nations Knowings and embed First Nations perspectives across the curriculum. With her sisters Susan and Karen Reyes, she shares

Joining her on this Podcast are two Year 11 First Nations students from St Monica’s. Tamilyn Ah Kee a proud descendent of the Giumuy Walubara Yidinji and Kuku Yalanji people of the lands now knows as Cairns and Mossman.  Ashleigh Ung a proud descendent of the Wakaid and Badulgal people of Badu Island located in Zendath Kes, or the Torres Strait. These young women have a deep yearning to share the wisdom they are acquiring to honour their ancestors and be role models for young people who are coming to know themselves and the wisdom of First Nations knowings. With this dialogical group of four diverse and dynamic women, you are invited to ponder what it means to gather, to share a meal and walk a journey of challenge and hope.

Fifth Sunday of Lent - John 8: 1-11 - 

Clara Geoghegan has been co-director of the Siena Institute since 2004 and is passionate about helping laypeople discern their spiritual gifts and share in Christ’s priestly and prophetic ministry received in Baptism. Through the Called and Gifted Workshop she had worked with thousands of lay Catholics across Australia in helping them discern how the Holy Spirit has gifted them for mission in the world. Lay people are co-responsible for the Church’s mission to the world, which means engagement in evangelizing the culture. She has worked collaboratively in Australia and internationally in exploring the mission of the laity.

Clara is a lay Dominican and shares in the preaching charism of the Order primarily by striving to live a life of integrity. Clara asserts preaching can be done through teaching, writing and numerous means of communication with the pulpit is not the primary means. She cites Catherine of Siena is an enduring model.

Clara is co-convenor of Friends of Caroline Chisholm working for the canonization of Caroline Chisholm. Caroline Chisholm is a prophetic example of the vocation of the laity.

Clara has taught Church History at Catholic Theological College Melbourne. She is currently employed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference as Executive Secretary for the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, and the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Clara is the mother of three young adults.

Fourth Sunday of Lent - Luke 15: 1-3.11-32 - Coming Home

Sr Mel Dwyer FdCC made her Religious Profession as a Canossian Daughter of Charity on the 23rd of April 2005. Prior to entering religious life, she was a national level javelin thrower with a dream of representing Australia at the Olympics. A volunteer mission experience in Africa helped her to discover that God’s dream for her was to leave the sporting arena and serve Him radically as a consecrated woman. Having finished her degree in Secondary Physical Education, Sr Melissa returned to Malawi, Africa where she completed 7 years as Principal of a Secondary School. She returned to Brisbane in 2016 and is currently the Delegation Leader for the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Australia as well as well as working for the Brisbane Archdiocesan Vocations Office and as both the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland and Ozcare Queensland State Spiritual Advisor. In 2022 she has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the Australian Catholic University for her contribution to promoting access to education during her time in East Africa.

Third Sunday of Lent - Luke 13:1-9 -

Veronica Lawson RSM is a Sister of Mercy and a biblical scholar based in Ballarat. She is probably best known for her weekly gospel reflections which have a global circulation and for her 2015 publication The Blessing of Mercy: Bible Perspectives and Ecological Challenges which proved to be a valuable resource for the Year of Mercy. She was the first woman to be elected President of the Australian Catholic Biblical Association.

Veronica volunteered to teach Biblical Studies when it was introduced into the secondary school curriculum in 1965, her first year of teaching. It was not possible at that time for a Catholic woman to study for a theology degree in Australia. While teaching at secondary level, she attended part-time theology and language classes (Greek and Hebrew) at the Redemptorist Seminary in Ballarat. Subsequent studies at the University of San Francisco, at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem and at Trinity College Dublin provided Veronica with the formal qualifications required for a life-time engagement with the Word of God in diverse contexts (with University students, seminarians, interfaith and ecumenical groups, teachers, priests, religious and parishioners). Her study tours of Bible Lands formed part of the graduate program in theology at Australian Catholic University for some twenty-five years. Invitations to conduct workshops in Pacific Island countries, in Kenya, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Pakistan are among her most valued learning experiences. She plans to resume her regular ecological theology sessions in March 2022.

Australian Women Preach - First Anniversary Episode - 8 March 2022

When WATAC and the Grail in Australia, launched the Australian Women Preach podcast on International Women’s Day 2021, they hoped it would be a witness to the faith and the gifts of women preaching. Join in our conversation with Tracy McEwan, Jacqui Remond, Di Langham, Radhika Sukhuma White and Mary Coloe as the celebrate the first anniversary of the Australian Women Preach podcast.

First Sunday of Lent - Luke 4: 1-13 - 

Eseta writes: I am a first generation, retired Uniting Church clergy, migrant woman of colour (Fijian), who migrated to Australia thirty-five years ago. Through my many Australian experiences, for instance in the Uniting Church, in secular work as an Australian trained teacher prior to Ordained Ministry, and as a volunteer contributor in the communities in which I have been privileged to live and participate, I have freely explored ways of expressing my Fijian heritage and culture, and in particular, to speak to these from the perspective of a woman in diaspora. Through expressions of these, I am able to share my understanding of life in Australia from the perspective of a woman with specified gifts, and take opportunities offered to me to share some of these gifts through Biblical and theological narratives.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 6: 39-45 - 

Kate (Master of Theology, Bachelor of Theology, DipEd, Bachelor of Arts) is currently serving as a Prison Chaplain for the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst NSW. She lives in central western NSW after several years of pastoral care work in isolated, outback communities. Kate has experience in Church leadership as a Diocesan Chancellor, Director of Mission/Identity as well as years in education, chaplaincy and mission management.  Her experience in pastoral care have influenced her thinking and honed her skills to listen and speak what needs to be said. She’s a challenging facilitator and a sensitive mediator.

Kate is passionate in her support of NSW Health Palliative Care Volunteers across NSW and has a particular commitment to those who care for the dying in rural communities.

Kate has tutored in Christian Spirituality at tertiary level and been a secondary teacher of senior HSC English and Studies of Religion. As an Anglican in her early life, and responding to a call to ordained ministry, Kate trained for the Anglican priesthood and became interested in Catholic life when she began to study theology. As a result of exposure to the great writers of the Spiritual Classics and her studies in Western Spirituality she became a Catholic in the late 1980s.

Kate is totally uninspired by rigid, patriarchal thinking. She is a passionate feminist, educator and dedicated learner with a gift for getting to the point.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 6: 27-38 - Love your enemies

Pip is Group Mission Integration Manager – Formation and Ethics at St Vincent’s Health Australia (SVHA). She also leads their national response to Modern Slavery along with the Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Working Group. Before joining SVHA, Pip worked with Jesuit Social Services in their Corporate Diversity Partnerships team. Prior to this, she was a secondary school teacher in Melbourne’s north-east as part of the Teach for Australia program. Pip was a participant in the Young Catholic Women’s Interfaith Fellowship (now called Leadership for Mission) 2013-2014 and has completed a Master of Theology with a focus on Mission & Culture. Pip enjoys running, being on the beach at Mornington and reading books with her four nephews.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 6: 17, 20-26 - 

Toni is a Wuthathi and Meriam woman. Her family is originally from Cape York, North Qld and Murray Island in the Torres Strait. She grew up in Cairns and later Canberra. Toni now lives and works in Brisbane as the Manager of Culture and Inclusion, Centacare Family & Relationship Services.

Centacare provides various programs and support services to clients throughout south-east Queensland including counselling support, mediation, family dispute resolution, domestic and family violence support, parenting programs as well as specialist information, psycho-educational, referral and advocacy support for families.

Toni works closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, especially women who are experiencing domestic and family violence or dealing with complex challenges. She is a strong advocate for social justice, reconciliation and unity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and is actively involved in her community, mentoring and inspiring others to achieve their potential.

Toni holds graduate and post-graduate qualifications in law, ministry and theology. She has served on many Boards and Committees during her career which spans more than three decades.

Toni is also a singer/songwriter and has recorded 4 albums of her own original music – available on Spotify and iTunes. She writes prayers, poetry, meditations and affirmations. Toni is also a coach, mentor with qualifications in coaching, hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming. She runs provides coaching and mentoring support including leadership, executive and life coaching, health, wellbeing, spirituality and motivation. She hosts her own podcast series and YouTube channel on coaching and other inspirational topics.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 5: 1-11 - 

Annemarie Reiner writes:

For much of my life I identified as a Catholic without question.  I was one of those Catholics Anthony deMelo spoke of on the first page of his book ‘Awareness’ when he said most people live their whole life ‘asleep’.  I was certainly asleep.

Several life experiences changed that and very slowly I began to awaken through the suffering and the joys of life.  I discovered the gift of Silence in daily prayer/meditation and began a yearly practice of an eight-day silent retreat.  I embarked upon a theology degree around my mid 40’s.  Life became a process of transformations and amazing people seemed to pop into my life at just the right time to take me deeper into the spiritual journey.

I have been beautifully supported by a wonderful husband Ray of forty-seven years with our three children and now their families.

I worked in parishes as a pastoral associate and offered contemplative courses and retreats in various settings.  It was hard work but also wonderful seeing people coming alive to the Spirit within them.

Questions were rising in my heart: questions about the Catholic Church, about the role of women, about who I was as a woman in a patriarchal church and so much more.  It has been painful.

I have a love for the Gospel’s and feel drawn to explore them through writing and reflection.  I am a spiritual director and I run a small retreat centre next to our home.

I continue questioning and questing …

Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 4: 21-30 - 

Sr Magdalen entered the Benedictine Abbey at Jamberoo, NSW in 1996 and made her Solemn Monastic Profession in 2001. Since entering Sr Magdalen has studied for an MA (Theol.) which she completed in 2006 and has been certified in the formation of Prayer Companions program from Mary McKillop centre in North Sydney (1999).  She has guided guests in spiritual direction for the last 21 years and has completed studies with the Global Online Benedictine Spiritual Direction Program, taught from BenetHill Monastery in Colorado USA, as ongoing formation in the area of spiritual direction. She is currently a member of the Global Online Benedictine Spiritual Direction Program team.

Since 1998, Sr Magdalen has led retreats and regular weekly meditation and centering prayer sessions for retreatants. During this time of Covid 19, Sr Magdalen has offered reflections which are posted on our website and is developing and offering online retreats.

Her Benedictine spirituality resonates within the perennial wisdom tradition and she is passionate about engaging in spiritual conversation which can explore the depths of our tradition and provide affirmation, encouragement and practical tips, for those engaged on the journey of contemplative spiritual exploration and practice. As chantress her love of music and song finds expression in the praise and prayer offered in the Divine Office and she is privileged to have the care of one of our dogs, beautiful Keira, our five-year-old German Shepherd.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21 - 

Katy Gilles MA Theology BA DipEd Japanese, Steeped in the Anglican tradition with strong community involved parents, her daily rhythm of reading the scriptures and prayer was encouraged. Studying at University opened her eyes to the myriad of spirituality within other cultures. Fostered by her High School love of languages, and a journey to Japan she began her vocation - teaching High School boys Japanese. Her theological understanding was awakened by her friendship and marriage to John who took her to Mass and together they joined an x Antioch group - "Kinda Catholic". Desiring their 3 delicious children to understand that Jesus loved them, she studied the "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" and facilitated an atrium at their playgroup and later their primary school at St Charles Ryde. There she became the Family and Faith educator giving pastoral care, spiritual direction and grief support to many families. Studying theology with the Young Catholic Women’s Interfaith Fellowship 2013-2014, with the office for participation of Women (now called "Leadership for Mission" at ACU) was an opportunity to explore further her developing spirituality. Having recently finished a year of Ignatian Retreat in daily life and meditation with the WCCM she is aware that finding God in all things can bring a deep inner peace.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 2: 1-11 - 

Liz has over 20 years’ experience in the NFP sector, with extensive senior executive experience internationally and in Australia. She has held roles with a variety of NFP’s including World Vision International as Global Vice President of Strategy, World Vision Australia as Director of Indigenous development, Australian Business Volunteers as CEO, International Red Cross Society in Cambodia as a gender specialist and is a founder and Board Chair of a community run and funded domestic violence Refuge in Sydney, Mary’s House.

Liz is advocating for change within the Australian Catholic Church considering the current domestic violence epidemic. She wrote an article in March 2018 describing the establishment of a community-led domestic violence Refuge[1] and an article in 2019[2] describing the hierarchical dynamics and power issues within the Church that lead it to be an unsafe place for women experiencing domestic violence.   For the care, protection and inclusion of women, and in particular women who experience domestic violence, the Church needs to move swiftly to an open dialogue between laity and ordained about equity in gender roles and women’s right to safety.

[1] “Mary’s House: an integrated church and community crisis accommodation service” St. Mark’s Review: A journal of Christian Thought and Opinion March 2018

[2] “Still Listening to the Spirit: Woman and Man Twenty Years Later”  “Domestic Violence: Moving from Silence to Inclusion and Dialogue in the Australian Catholic Church” The Office for Social Justice the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference December 2019

Baptism Of The Lord - Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 - Part of who we are

Dr Monica Dutton is the Spirituality and Mission Animation Leader for the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, and works at the Congregational Offices in Glebe, Sydney.

Monica has a background in education and has worked as a teacher, leader and consultant in primary, secondary and tertiary educational settings, and has Masters degrees in Educational Psychology and Religious Education.

Monica is committed to professional learning and formation of staff, boards and leadership personnel and her doctorate focused on formation and transformation of staff through the experience of short-term cross-cultural immersion trips.

Monica is the coordinator of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan Study and Mentoring (SAM) Program which supports women undertaking theological study in becoming a voice and person of leadership in the Catholic Church. She is also a member of the National Catholic Education Commission’s Faith Formation and Religious Education Standing Committee.

Epiphany Of The Lord - Matthew 2: 1-12 - Epiphanies of Wisdom

Coralie Naida Ling writes: I am a retired minister in the Uniting Church in Australia and was one of the first women ordained in the Methodist Church in Australia 1969. I have been the minister and of course preacher, in both country and city parishes and am especially interested in feminist and ecofeminist theology and working for justice. In my retirement (rewirement!) in St Kilda I have been part of the Older Persons Consultative Committee and the Multifaith Committee of the City of Port Phillip.

The Nativity Of The Lord - John 1: 1-18 - Weaving the laritja/threads that sit in the ever present basket

Alison Overeem is a proud palawa woman from South-East Tasmania who is driven by culture, family, empowerment and creating safe spaces to build hope and dignity.

Alison is passionate about raising awareness of Aboriginal culture and history and the rights of women in society. As a result, Alison was a past member of the Tasmanian Women’s Council.

While working in aged care at the age of 16, Alison studied for a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and graduated in 1989.

Alison established the Aboriginal Children’s Centre at West Moonah in 1989. As Director of the Aboriginal Children’s Centre from 1989 to 2013, she helped design a state-of-the-art, award-winning, culturally inclusive children’s centre at Risdon Cove. Alison believes she was fortunate to be at the forefront of developing a multifunctional Aboriginal service, the first of its kind in Tasmania. It was, in fact, a precursor to the Child and Family Centres rolled out across Tasmania in recent years.

In 2013, Alison was appointed as the Leprena Manager, Uniting Aboriginal and Islander ChristianCongress (UAICC Tasmania). Alison has been instrumental in broadening Leprena’s engagement,networking and connections. Alison also sits on the UAICC National Executive, UnitingCare board of Australia, Uniting Church Assembly Standing Committee and various other advocacy, policy and strategic planning committees.

Leprena UAICC Tasmania offers a range of programs and its key result areas are in community development, cultural leadership, cultural governance and holds a focus on partnering relationships and building communities of faith and faith in communities. Leprena also acts as a cultural conduit for training and education in helping to close the gap between First and Second Peoples.

Alison has made numerous contributions to publications and resources nationally around culturally inclusive practice models of service delivery for Aboriginal communities. She has also been involved in advocacy and policies impacting social justice movements and climate change.

Forth Sunday in Advent - Luke 1: 39-45 - Why is she in a hurry?

Racy Espino writes: My vocation is married life. I’m happily married to my husband for 16 years and counting. We are blessed with two children, one in high school and one primary.

I was raised in a devout Catholic family in the Philippines, with 500 years of Christian history from Spain. Both my grandmothers were my role models in their faith and living life according to God’s plans. My father was a former seminarian who found his calling as a family man and dedicated his life to providing lights and sound systems in Catholic churches around the Philippines.

I am passionate in planting and nurturing seeds of faith in our children. When my eldest started questioning about Joseph the Dreamer – I took it upon myself to brush up my religious knowledge. I studied Foundations of Lay Pastoral Ministry and started volunteering in our parish. I got so heavily involved in the implementation of the Sacraments of Initiation in our parish that I took on the role as Pastoral Coordinator for two primary schools and four churches for nearly five years. I value and found the need to walk with parents in their faith journey to cultivate them to have personal relationship with our Creator.  I am part of the organizing committee of Mother’s Prayer Groups and Spirited Women (a gathering of women in the Archdiocese of Brisbane.)

I am currently studying Project Management and Social Enterprise as I am gearing towards getting back to my first career of being a social development entrepreneur. As I aim to comprehensively utilizing my technical skills to further the enrichment of evangelizing His kingdom.

Third Sunday in Advent - Lk 3: 7-18 - 

Trish is a retired teacher and educational leader who worked in Catholic Education in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania.

She has a lively interest in justice, peace and ecology and is a member of the Catholic Earthcare Australia Advisory Committee. She spent six years as a senior consultant working with groups of schools within the Sydney Catholic Education Office and five years as Director of Catholic Education in Tasmania. Her doctoral studies relate to education for ecological sustainability within Catholic school settings. Trish continues active involvement with schools, especially in mentoring and staff formation in Catholic Social Teaching and ecological awareness. She and her husband Vin are volunteers with Vinnies, and she is an active member of her local Catholic parish in Burnie Tasmania and of Church renewal and reform groups, especially Women and the Australian Church (WATAC) and ‘Concerned Catholics Tasmania’. Trish had a leadership role in the 2020 Plenary Council preparation in NW Tasmania and worked as a member of the Plenary Writing Group in relation to the theme: ‘Conversion, Renewal and Reform’. Her hobbies are reading, bush-walking, gardening, movies and current affairs. Family involvements, especially grandparenting and visiting her two adult children, are constant joys and top priorities.

Second Sunday in Advent - Lk 3: 1-6

Rev. Emily Hayes, minister at the Alice Springs Uniting Church (ASUC).The ASUC is a welcoming, growing and diverse community of people involved in many areas including prison ministry, youth services and hosting “spirit journeys” for visitors to come and listen and learn from first nations people and experience this extraordinary country

Emily is currently in the final year of her Master of Theology at the Adelaide College of Divinity. She has lived in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) on the lands of the Arrenrte people for 12 years. Emily loves living in the desert and walking alongside and learning from the Central Desert people who have cared for this land for 60 000 years.Emily’s undergraduate studies were in education and she taught literacy at a number of tertiary education institutions in Alice Springs before sensing a call to ministry within the church. She also worked at the Alice Springs Women’s Shelter and remains committed to addressing the issue of domestic violence in our society and challenging teachings within the church that encourage female submission to men and have been used to justify or enable violence against women.

Outside of work Emily, and her husband Martin, are passionate soccer players and lead a local club. Martin is from Peru and he and Emily met when she was living there 16 years ago. The club works hard to create a safe place for women, members of the LGBTQI community and people from diverse cultural backgrounds to get involved in the sport. They also have 2 children.

First Sunday in Advent - Lk 21: 25-28, 34-36 - Preparing for the Apocalypse

This week our preacher is Teash Taylor, co-pastor of St Kilda Elsternwick Baptist Church, University of Divinity student and a resident of Melbourne's inner north. Teash has spoken at conferences and events around Australia about the intersection of being part of the LGBT+ community and a person of faith. She became a feminist, and passionate about women preaching at University when she learnt that women couldn't speak at her uni campus' largest Christian groups main Bible talks. She's been getting herself into trouble advocating for marginalised groups ever since.

Feast of Christ the King - Jn 18: 33b-37

Reverend Di Langham writes: I have been a priest in the Diocese of Newcastle for the past 21 years. I was the first Aboriginal woman in this Diocese to be ordained. I have been a chaplain in Corrective Services NSW for the past 20 years and prior to that I was a chaplain in Juvenile Justice. I am currently a full time chaplain at Cessnock Correctional Centre which is a male prison with around 650 men incarcerated. Around 38% of these are Aboriginal. I run Aboriginal programs with the men in this centre. I am 72 years of age.

I am a Boandik woman living and working in the lands of the Awabakal and Wanaruah. I am married with 4 children, 14 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. I like to weave into any of my talks Aboriginal spirituality and talk about my past experiences in any sermons I do. I was a teacher in my past life and taught in both schools and TAFE.

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 13:24-32 - Jesus, violence and chaos

Rev. Radhika Sukumar-White has been a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia since 2016. She is a 2nd-Generation Sri Lankan Tamil Australian, and grew up in Canberra before moving to Sydney to study Physiotherapy, Music and then Theology. Radhika is passionate about leading dynamic and sacred worship, preaching and teaching, and walking alongside individuals in their life and faith journeys. Radhika is currently serving as Ministry Team Leader at Leichhardt Uniting Church, a young, vibrant, justice-oriented community of faith in the Inner West of Sydney. She serves alongside her husband, who also serves as Chaplain at the University of Sydney. Radhika is also passionate about brunch.

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk:12:38-44 - Mark’s Poor Widow: A Cautionary Tale - And an Exhortation

Michele Connolly rsj is a Sister of St Joseph of Lochinvar in the Hunter Valley. She is an Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Biblical Studies Discipline Coordinator at the Sydney College of Divinity and lectures in Biblical Studies at Catholic Institute of Sydney, a pontifical institute of theology. After teaching in secondary schools for about ten years, she studied theology, graduating in 2008 with the PhD from GTU, Berkeley, CA. Michele’s principal area of interest is the Gospel of Mark. In 2018 her doctoral thesis was published by T&T Clark, under the title, Disorderly Women and the Order of God: An Australian Feminist Reading of the Gospel of Mark. Michele speaks regularly around Australia at conferences on the Scriptures.

Intro: This week our preacher is Sr Michele Connolly, a Sister of St Joseph of Lochinvar. Michele lectures in Biblical Studies at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and teaches in many adult education programmes in Sydney and beyond. Michele's homily today will draw on work she did for her PhD thesis, published in her book Disorderly Women and the Order of God: An Australian Feminist Reading of the Gospel of Mark.

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 12:28B-34 - Who is the God you love?

Janine Luttick is a full-time lecturer in biblical studies in the faculty of theology and philosophy at Australian Catholic University (ACU). She teaches both undergraduate and post-graduate students, many of whom are pre-service or inter-service teachers for Catholic education in Australia. She also conducts professional learning and biblical formation locally and internationally. Janine is currently the coordinator of the internationally acclaimed course for Catholic women, Leadership for Mission, designed by ACU in partnership with the National Centre for Evangelization. Recognized for her expertise in teaching the Bible, Janine was awarded the ACU Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in 2020.

Janine has been lecturing in biblical studies since 2017. Her PhD in biblical studies, resulting in a new reading of the story of Jairus’s daughter in Mark 5:21-24, is from Australian Catholic University. Her current research focuses on the depiction of children in the Bible. She is also interested in how readers today make sense of the Bible in light of their own questions and concerns.

Prior to her appointment at ACU, Janine spent twenty-five years in education: in primary education, in Catholic education offices, and in private consultancy to Catholic schools, in the areas of theology, biblical studies, pedagogy, and learning design. She has also undertaken a governance role in a Catholic secondary college.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 10:46-52 - 

Jo is a teacher, educational leader and formation facilitator. She’s a mum, a daughter, a sister, an aunty and a spouse.

She completed a MA (Theology) in 2016 focusing on moral and systemic theology in regard to the human person and Church teachings on sexual orientation. She has recently begun her doctoral studies this year exploring, from a critical feminist standpoint, leadership within a global network of Catholic schools committed to social justice.

Jo has worked in Catholic secondary education for almost 20 years, the last six of which has been as an Educator Office in a national network of schools. Her work is grounded in a Gospel vision for social justice, that is, a critical education for peace, justice and inclusion that seeks to transform our world. She has taught Religious Education, Media Studies and English in Catholic secondary schools and held the positions of Director of Identity, Service-Learning Coordinator and Religious Education Coordinator.

Through her work she has had the opportunity of leading immersion and pilgrimage programs for students and staff to the Tiwi Islands, Kenya, India and Ireland inviting participants to come as guest and be fully present to all they encounter.

She is also one of the founders of Sophia Circle, a small group of women who invite other women to join them in exploring contemporary spirituality in our changing times.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 10:35-45 - Know Your Place

My name is Erica Bernard, I am a Yawuru, Kidja woman from the Kimberley. I live in Broome, Western Australia, Yawuru country. I live with two of my three daughters, a granddaughter and my extended family. I work for the Catholic Education Office of Western Australia in the Broome Regional Office, as the Community Liaison Officer. This job allows me to travel to all thirteen of our Kimberley Catholic Schools in the region. I have been working in Catholic Education for the past 20+ years. In 2006 I took a secondment to the Diocese of Broome to work as the Kimberley World Youth Day Coordinator for two years. During my time as the Kimberley WYD Coordinator I have served on two WYD committees, the Diocesan Youth committee that organised WYD Events and the Indigenous Advisory Council for Sydney WYD. I have come to experience and witness both my Aboriginal Spirituality and Catholic Faith and on many occasions put it in practice. This experience has opened up my heart in my own personal faith journey. I enjoy my family and friends company, I like meeting new people, I guess that has come from doing the ‘Welcome to Country’ on behalf of my grandfather’s country. I love being surrounded by holiness and I love the feeling it leaves me. I hope that I can be a Role Model of Holiness to my people here in the Kimberley.

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 10:17-30 - Who Then Can Be Saved?

Dr. Louise Gosbell is the Principal of Mary Andrews College in Sydney, a women’s theological college with over 130 years of training women for lay ministry. Louise’s passion is making theological education accessible for a wide range of users. Louise’s academic work addresses the overlap of disability and biblical studies and her PhD thesis on disability in the gospels was published in 2018. Louise is also involved in numerous Christian disability ministries helping to make churches more welcoming and accessible for people living with disabilities and their families. She has recently finished writing a handbook on disability and inclusion for Anglican churches in Sydney which will be launched later this year. Louise is married to Mark who is a principal of a special school. They have 3 teenage daughters.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 10:2-16 - Original Love

Dr. Mary Coloe is a Presentation sister and a professor of New Testament at Yarra Theological Union, which is a college within the University of Divinity, Melbourne.  Her primary focus in teaching and writing is the Gospel of John.  This year her two volume commentary on John in the Wisdom Commentary Series is being published – Volume 1 in July, and Volume 2 in October. This series is a feminist commentary on the biblical books. The commentary will be available through Garratt Publishing and the Pauline Books and Media. She also has three small books of reflections on each Sunday Gospel of the year – These are called,  Sundays under the Southern Cross – available through Garratt Publishing.

Mary has taught at Australian Catholic University and a number of places overseas such as Berkeley, California; Boston College, and Jerusalem. In recent years she has worked on an international dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Church/Disciples of Christ. Mary calls this her “Vatican” hat, as this appointment was for the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity.

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Gail Gill writes:

Eleven years ago I resigned from the Catholic Schools Office in Broken Bay diocese to become a consecrated member of a ministry the then Bishop, David Walker, established for women in the diocese. During those eleven years, I have worked in five parishes in various capacities, including one where I was a Coordinator of Parish Life according to canon 517.2.

I am currently appointed to Our Lady of Dolours parish in Chatswood in the ministries of faith formation and social justice. I am also a member of the formation team for the permanent diaconate.

I was for a while as a graphic artist in advertising agencies and increasingly began to find it lacked meaning. As a mature age student, I began study to be a teacher in Catholic schools. I worked in the Sydney Archdiocese mainly as a teacher, REC and principal. I also worked as a religious education advisor and then led the development of Sydney’s first religious education curriculum for primary schools.

For the past twenty two years I have worked in Broken Bay diocese as a schools consultant and as a facilitator for school advisory boards with the Catholic Schools Office. I was seconded for three years to the Broken Bay Institute in the first three years of its development.

I have a daughter who has lived in London with her husband for the past twenty years. My son lives locally and I have two granddaughters.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 9:30-37 - Something Worth Dying For

Dr Maeve Louise Heaney VDMF is a consecrated member of the Verbum Dei Community and Director of the Xavier Centre for Theological Formation at Australian Catholic University. She specializes and teaches in the areas of theological aesthetics, music and spirituality, as well as lecturing in Systematic Theology at ACU and at Holy Spirit Provincial Seminary, QLD. She is currently President of the Australian Catholic Theological Association (ACTA). Dr Heaney has extensive experience in the area of ministry and theological formation. A theologian, musician and composer, she has lived in Spain, England, Ireland, Italy and Australia leading schools of evangelization, spiritual exercises and teaching theology. Publications include Music as Theology: What Music Says about the Word, Princeton Theological Monograph Series (2012); “Music and Theological Method: A Lonerganian Perspective. Theological Studies (September 2016); “From the Particular to the Universal: Musings of a Woman Theologian” in Catholic Women Speak Network (ed.)  Shared Visions: Women Responding to God's Call (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, July 2018); “New Styles” in Carlos Alberto Moreira Azevedo, Richard Rouse (ed.) Chiesa e compositori; Parole e Suoni (Rome: Aracne editrice, 2019); and “A Hermeneutical Exploration of The Revelatory Text of John 4:1–42, In Performative Key”, Theological Studies (June 2020).In 2020 she released her 5th CD: Strange Life: The Music of Doubtful Faith, with Willow Publishing, Australia and is currently working on her next book.

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 8:27-35 - The person of Jesus

Rosa is an educator passionate about the formation of young women in mercy-imbued catholic schools.  She has undertaken academic, pastoral and mission leadership roles across a career spanning more than 35 years in Catholic Education in Western Australia.  Rosa has worked as a sessional lecturer at the University of Notre Dame – Fremantle and with the Catholic institute of WA at Curtin University and Edith Cowan University. Rosa is married to Rev Hollis Wilson, currently the minister at Wesley Uniting Church in Perth.  Early in their marriage Rosa lived in the United States for 4 years working for the United Church of Christ on a major denominational gathering that taught her much about the importance of Christ driven authentic relationships, Spirit led leadership and God centred social action.  These three principles have guided Rosa in cherishing relationships with her family and the faith communities she belongs to, hold a number of leadership roles in Catholic schools mindful of the call to serve and actively involve herself in several social justice actions from regularly feeding the homeless with ex-students to tree planting projects in regional WA.  Rosa has an interest in gardening, walking labyrinths and Ottolenghi inspired cooking.

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 7:31-37 - 

Fiona Dyball (BMus, GradDip Music Therapy & Education, GradCert RE, MMusSt, MTS, PhD Candidate) is a musician, teacher, composer, conductor, writer, consultant, and liturgist based in Melbourne, Australia. She works extensively in liturgical and faith formation, and in Music Ministry. She is an accomplished cantor, presenter, facilitator, and workshop leader. Fiona is currently undertaking a PhD in The Sung Responsorial Psalm in the Australian Catholic Mass since Vatican ll, which will also contribute 15 new musical Psalm settings for the singing church at prayer. Fiona is a member of the National Liturgical Music Council for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the National Executive of the Australian Pastoral Musicians Network, and is currently Liturgy and Formation Officer for the ACBC Office for Social Justice, Ecology and Peace.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 - Tradition, transition and divine life

Mary Margaret Dalmau writes:

“I am a daughter, twin, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, hermit, teacher and counsellor. Music and poetry sustain me. I come from the mountains of Colorado, my soul’s landscape.

Health, truth, the wisdom tradition, deep listening and spiritual integrity guide and ground transition and transformation work in mission, pastoral care, spiritual direction, nurse education, palliative care, addiction and trauma recovery in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Since retiring, my husband and I care for our land northwest of Brisbane. We are an intergenerational home of children and grandchildren. With them we grow food, weed, mulch, and plant veggies, native trees and fruit trees. We parent in new ways and make choices that enlarge us, our communities and the earth.

We are students in an international community of wisdom teachers and storytellers in this time of great turning. We hold in loving awareness suffering, violence, soul injury, trauma, dying and grieving. We dedicate ourselves to protecting and healing life.”

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time - Jn 6:60-69 - Enough bread talk! I'm outta here.

Rev. Cathie Lambert is a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church, but currently on a leave of absence to complete her PhD. Cathie’s current research is exploring how contemporary women on the edge of the church respond to the lives and writings of the beguine mystics from the thirteenth century.

Cathie is a spiritual director and is passionate about accompanying people on their spiritual journeys as individuals or in groups. She is currently part of the teaching staff of Dayspring’s Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction. One of Cathie’s passions is hearing and validating the unique experiences of women as they discover their own spiritual authority.

Cathie enjoys exploring creative ways to encounter God. In 2018 she published “A Mandala a Month Workbook” to help people discover the use of mandalas as a spiritual tool. Cathie lives in Margaret River, Western Australia, with her husband and two teenage children.

The Feast of the Assumption - Lk 1:39-56 - Women of the word: Blessing and proclamation

Natalie Acton is currently the Director of Operations for the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. Natalie has worked for more than ten years in a variety of roles within the Catholic church in both religious institutes and diocesan settings working with boards of governance, managers, staff and volunteers in the areas of faith and ministry formation, community engagement, operations, leadership and governance.

She has undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in theology and is currently completing post graduate studies in law.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Jn 6:24-35 - The unexpected, audacious, a little shocking, and ultimately life-giving promise

Rev. Charissa Suli is a National Consultant with the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia. In July 2021, Charissa was declared President-elect of the Uniting Church in Australia. She will serve as President from 2024-2027 – the youngest and first person from a diverse cultural background to serve in the role. Charissa brings experience in mentoring youth and young adults and is committed to investing in their personal growth by creating space for them to lead in the Uniting Church.

Rev. Suli is a second-generation Tongan Minister of the Word, ordained in 2014 to serve in Dapto Uniting Church on the NSW South Coast up until 2017. From a strong Methodist family tradition and part of a supportive Tongan community, Rev. Suli was called into ministry by Dee Why Uniting, Cecil Gribble Tongan Congregation.

Rev. Suli has previously served as a Cross Cultural Consultant in the NSW/ACT Synod’s Board of Mission, Youth Leader in Dee Why on Sydney’s northern beaches and as Convenor of the Tongan National Conference (TNC). Her role on TNC was to mentor emerging young leaders, lead programs for youth and young adults and bridge the gap between the first and second generation Tongan community.

In her role as an Assembly National Consultant, Rev. Charissa Suli spends her time in the many different cultural communities across the Uniting Church, encouraging UCA members to be disciples of Christ and building networks of trust along the way.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Jn 6:1-15 - Scarcity and Abundance

Dr Teresa Brown is a Melbourne-based teacher and researcher in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at Australian Catholic University. She has a PhD in Theology, a Master of Religious Education and a Master of Theological Studies. In her PhD, she explored the relationship between trinitarian faith and Christian life through the lens of Lieven Boeve’s theology of interruption. She is particularly interested in the way in which we approach theology today, how this might inform and be informed by the experience of Christians within diverse contexts, and how this might, in turn, be reflected in the education of young people in Catholic schools. Teresa works with Catholic Education partners around Australia and with research partners at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven to support schools in the formation, articulation and practice of their Catholic identity. Before coming to ACU, she taught Religious Education and Music in Catholic secondary schools in Victoria and held positions of leadership in Religious Education and Professional Learning. Teresa is co-author of “Openness to Faith as a Disposition for Teachers in Catholic Schools,” published in the International Journal of Practical Theology, 2020, and is currently co-writing a book on recontextualisation with Robyn Horner, due for publication in 2022.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 6:30-34 - Extending the mince

Rev. Linda Chapman OAMis an Anglican priest and presently Rector of the parish of Moruya on the far south coast of NSW. Linda founded ‘Open Sanctuary’ at Tilba Tilba: a contemplative ecumenical community committed to living out practical sustainable life principles and the practice of silence.  Linda nurtures the Christian contemplative way and is an oblate of the World Community for Christian Meditation. An occasional retreat leader and spiritual director as well as advocate for action on climate and conservation, Linda sees the urgent need to be contemplative in action for the common good.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 6:7-13 - Wondering and wonder as a disciple

Sally Longley is a Spiritual Director and Retreat Leader based in Sydney. She has built the Chartres Labyrinth at Canisius with her husband as well as a ‘wild’ classic labyrinth among the trees at Canisius Retreat Centre.  Sally leads silent and themed retreats and is a giver of the Ignatian Exercises. She is a part-time pastor of Avalon Baptist Peace church, and a team member on Listen into Life, a formation program for spiritual directors.  Sally has published a booklet and a 3 set DVD/MP3: “Christian Meditation: 5 Ways to Pray”; and two books: “Walking the Labyrinth as the Beloved in John’s Gospel” (2016) and “Conversations with Silence: Rosetta Stone of the Soul” (2021). She is married with two adult children. (www.longley.com.au)

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 6:1-6a

Catherine McCahill is a member of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and currently serves on the leadership team. Previously she has been involved in education for over 30 years, in secondary schools and, more recently, at tertiary level in biblical studies and religious education. She is passionate about breaking open God’s Word with others.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary time - Mk 5:21-43 - Jesus invites a woman to preach

Patricia is a wife, mother and grandmother, and semi-retired teacher of French, Latin and Italian.  Her lifelong interest in theology and spirituality finally led her to formal study and she graduated with a Masters in Theology in 2014.

She belongs to the Grail, an international movement and community of women, founded in the Netherlands in 1921 by Jacques van Ginneken SJ.  She currently serves on the National Leadership Team and is the coordinator of the International Spirituality Network.  In 2016 she presented five lectures on Eco-theology and spirituality at the Grail summer school in Portugal.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mk 4:35-41

Elizabeth Lee is a Spiritual Director, Retreat Facilitator, and Pastoral Supervisor.  She has a passion for fostering human connection through deep listening and for being a listening presence among the fringes.

Liz has a diverse professional background.  In recent times she has had the privilege of offering pastoral care among those living with homelessness.  Prior to that she had years of life-giving ministry as a Prison Chaplain.  Liz originally trained as a Food Technologist and has had a very varied career as a research scientist, museum curator, health promotion community development worker and teacher of science and religious education.  Liz holds a Master of Arts (Theology) as well a Bachelor of Science, Graduate Diploma in Education and a Masters of Education.

For 59 years Liz has identified as Catholic and considers that she is Catholic in her DNA yet recognises that she is so much more than her DNA.  She is a member of the Grail, a member in association at Pitt St Uniting Church and involved in the weekend breakfasts for those living with homelessness at St Patrick’s Church Hill where once a month she offers “Food for the Soul.”

Liz is married with 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren.

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mk 4:35-41 - Lessons from the Land

Amelia is a Chinese-Scottish-Aussie, adopted by the Adnyamathanha people of the Ikara-Flinders. She is a missional integrator of worship, service, education, storying and hospitality. She is the World Methodist Council’s Global Worship and Liturgy Convenor, teaching in North and Central America, Italy, France and Spain, Korea, Thailand and Singapore. Previous graduate studies in music, creative arts, theology and education, led her to complete doctoral research through Fuller (Pasadena) in integrated Missiology, Ethnomusicology and Fresh Expressions of Church.

In the Uniting Church, Amelia was Director of NSW-ACT Lay education and was part of introducing ministry innovations to Australia: the Walk to Emmaus, Godly Play and Mission-shaped Ministry (Fresh Expressions). She served as Director of UCA Mission Resourcing in South Australia and Multifaith Chaplain at Western Sydney. She is a foundation member of Scriptural Reasoning (Muslim-Christian scholars in Interfaith dialogue) and the Uniting Church National Advocate for Ecumenical and Interfaith relations.  She has a passion for developing intercultural community discipleship and mission.

Recently widowed, Amelia enjoys grandchildren (9 and 11) and leading a multi-lingual community (Chinese, Korean and English) as the Senior Minister at Eastwood Uniting Church.

Corpus Christi - Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

With more than two decades’ experience in the health and community service sectors, Debra Zanella is a natural leader and passionate advocate for practical and decisive action to disrupt cycles of social disadvantage.

She is currently Chief Executive Officer of Ruah Community Services and President of the Western Australian Council of Social Services (WACOSS). Ruah Community Services is a leading Western Australian Community Organisation that provides services principally in the areas of Mental Health, Homelessness and Housing, and Family and Domestic Violence Services.

Trinity - Mt 28:16-20

The Revd Dr Josephine Inkpin is an Anglican priest currently serving as Minister of Pitt Street Uniting Church in Sydney. 

Originally from England, she has worked in a wide variety of ministries in Australia and her native land, including for the National Council of Churches in Australia and as General Secretary of the NSW Ecumenical Council. 

Active in the campaign for the ordination of women, her doctorate was on first wave Christian feminism, and she has taught church history in theological colleges in Oxford University and Australia. 

She was the first out transgender woman to hold a mainstream church position in Australia, and is currently the chair of the Equal Voices ecumenical national network of LGBTIQ+ Christians and allies, as well as a member of Deloittes’ Out50 Network. She has been married to a fellow Anglican priest for 35 years and has two children and three grandchildren.

Pentecost - Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 - The Spirit of Pentecost

Dr Di Rayson is a public theologian whose specialties are ecotheology and Bonhoeffer. She lectures at various institutions including University of Newcastle and Uniting Theological College, Charles Sturt University, and previously at BBI – The Australian Institute for Theological Education. She is an Adjunct Research Fellow of the Public and Contextual Theology (PACT) Research Centre and is an elected board member of the International Bonhoeffer Society. Di helps edit two academic journals, The Bonhoeffer Legacy – An International Journal, and Perspectiva Teológica in Brazil. She is a research consultant for the National Church Life Survey (NCLS Research) and a member of Anglican EcoCare.

Before theology, Di had an extensive career in public health, community development, and public policy, working as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and then in Australia’s Northern Territory. She holds a Master of Public Health through her work in training village birth attendants in the Highlands of PNG.

Her area of research is in the application of the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to ecotheology and ecoethics, based on a deep relationality with all creation. Her first book, Bonhoeffer and Climate Change: Theology and Ethics for the Anthropocene, is about to be released. She has published on other issues such as ecofeminism, war, and rape culture.

Di regularly preaches in her home Anglican parish and is a guest preacher in other denominations. She speaks in a wide variety of settings here and abroad (COVID permitting!). She periodically appears on ABC Radio to discuss moral and ethical issues. Her passion is to bring good theology to the service of the church community and to communicate it widely and well.

Di lives on Biripi country on a small farm with her family of humans, animals and plants.

Elizabeth was brought up on a farm in the south of South Australia. Her father was a lay preacher in the Uniting Church, and their ministers were both men and women.

She attended St Mary MacKillop’s very first school in Penola, and was received into the Catholic Church along with family members. Elizabeth valued the sacramental worldview that she encountered and was inspired by all the religious leaders in her community.

From a young age, she felt called to a vocation in religious and liturgical leadership, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. However, her life took a turn through a few years of questioning her faith and completing a degree in Circus Arts.

From there she discerned God’s call to become a Sister of Mercy, professing her first vows in Adelaide in 2010. She has since studied a Bachelor of Theology, Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning, and Master of Theology (Coursework).

Her ministries have been with youth, immigration detention centres, prisons, parish, school and ecumenical/interfaith relations.

She is currently a pastoral worker in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes and a chaplain at Red Bend Catholic College. Elizabeth finds life in exploring the scriptures and the Church’s liturgical/sacramental tradition together with those in marginal situations.

Danielle Anne Lynch is a theologian, musician, and teacher, working in Brisbane.

Her work in systematic theology encompasses Theology, Music, and Songwriting, with particular interest in feminist and queer approaches.

She also works in Mission, Liturgy,  Religious Identity and Culture, and Religious Education. Danielle’s book on music and theology God in Sound and Silence: Music as Theology was published in 2018.

Her album Into Silence, a collection of  original songs exploring life in all its dimensions, including spiritual and faith aspects, was released in 2020 and is available on online platforms including Spotify, iTunes, and Youtube and is available in CD format.

Trish Madigan is a Dominican Sister who has ministered for many years in the Catholic Church in Australia in ecumenical and Interfaith relations. She is preaching on the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday after Easter (John 15: 1- 8). The other readings are Acts 9:  26-31 and 1 John 3: 18-24.

Margaret Scharf is a member of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Western Australia. She has a teaching and administrative background which was the springboard for other ministries, such as missionary work in the Solomon Islands, and the Dominican Sisters’ Motor Mission based in Morawa WA.

After opportunities for study in the USA, Margaret served for 16 years on the staff of the Center for Spiritual Development in Orange CA, as supervisor of the Art of Spiritual Direction three-year formation program for aspiring spiritual directors. Margaret taught many of the modules in the program, as well as acted as mentor and supervisor of spiritual directors. Her Doctorate involved the design of a formation program for supervision of spiritual directors.

Currently, Margaret is part-time with the Catholic Institute of WA, and the Centre for Faith Enrichment, also providing Staff PD Days in Catholic Schools and presenting parish programs wherever the need is in the State. Margaret is the designer of a program for spiritual and faith development of potential leaders in Catholic Schools, called “Galilee” which has been on offer for 5 years in WA through the Catholic Institute of WA.  Margaret is also on the executive of the Council of Churches in WA, the Ecumenical council appointed by the Heads of Churches, and enjoys volunteering to play the music for the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry on Sundays.

Margaret may also be remembered as a composer of Liturgical music with works published in Australia and the United States.

I am a first generation Tongan-Australian. My family and I migrated to Australia in the early 1990’s.

I am an ordained Deacon in the Uniting Church in Australia and am currently serving as a Tertiary Chaplain at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie.

I am passionate about advocating and encouraging different faiths and communities to come together in dialogue on differences and social justice issues.

I have a strong interest in studies of the Hebrew Bible and contextual Theology.

As a young contemporary Theologian from Oceania, my hope is to see more Theological work from those at the grassroots of Pasifika.

I hope to liberate our younger generations to write and relate to their own context.

I love to spend time reading novels, tales from Pasifika and hanging out with family and friends.

Melinda is a Catholic Indigenous woman from the Cubbitch Barta Clan in the Dharawal Nation.

Melinda has been married for 26 years to Alan, has four children and three grandchildren.

She originally has a background in administration in Catholic schools, then went to Australian Catholic University studying Theology as a mature aged student.

She holds a BTheol (Hons), minoring in Philosophy and History. Melinda tutored and lectured at Australian Catholic University for over 7 years in both Systematic Theology and Biblical Studies.

She has an interest in the work of Edith Stein and has given papers at international conferences on Stein.

Melinda is currently the Pastoral Care Coordinator at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Sydney.

Sister Patty Fawkner is the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict.  The Good Sams, as they are fondly called, was the first congregation to be founded in Australia in 1857 and now has communities in Australia, Japan, the Philippines and Kiribati.

Growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs, Patty was educated by the Presentation Sisters and then the Sisters Good Samaritan.  After joining the Good Sams, she trained and ministered as Primary School teacher, later becoming a Principal and a diocesan Religious Education Consultant.  Patty transitioned to Adult Education after completing a theology degree and has worked in that field in various capacities ever since.

Patty has also ministered as a media officer with Catholic Religious Australia, as the Director of UNIYA Jesuit Social Justice Centre, and has twice served on her congregational Council.  Though her ministries have been diverse, Patty sees that a connecting thread is her endeavour to make the riches of our Christian tradition accessible to contemporary people and circumstances.

Patty is currently the Vice President of Catholic Religious Australia.  She is a writer and facilitator, and a lover of bush walking and reading.  She has a keen interest in politics, current affairs and questions of justice and spirituality.

Dr Cristina Lledo Gomez is a Systematic Theologian and the Presentation Sisters Lecturer at BBI-The Australian Institute of Theological Education. She is also Research Fellow at Charles Sturt University’s Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre (PACT). She received her Bachelor and Master of Theology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney (2009) and PhD in Theology at Charles Sturt University (2015). In 2015 – 2016, she was the Visiting International Research Fellow for Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry where she wrote her first book, “The Church as Woman and Mother: Historical and Theological Foundations” (published in 2018).

Cristina’s role at BBI-TAITE is directed at the promotion of women’s spiritualities, feminist theologies, and ecology. She has also worked on many other levels and contexts of Church including as parish youth ministry coordinator, senior server, high school teacher, diocesan social justice coordinator, pastoral associate for university staff, in Catholic women’s activist groups, and as Chair of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.

She has presented and published in the areas of maternal-feminist theology, ecclesiology, migration, post-colonialism, domestic violence, ecotheology and child sexual abuse in the Church. She has spoken at the Berkley Centre for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, the Antonianum in Rome, and various theological conferences. Cristina is working on her second book, a co-edited volume on mothering and theology and about to embark on a new research project: a theology which recovers and promotes the indigenous Filipina tradition, the Babaylan, for the empowerment of Australian-Filipina women

Andrea Dean has been involved in leadership, facilitation, and teaching through the Catholic Education: Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, the Australian Catholic University, and the University of Canberra.

In 2004, she received a Churchill Fellowship and visited the USA to investigate programs in teacher formation.

After two years as Director of the Office for the Participation of Women and Office for Lay Pastoral Ministry within the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Andrea is once again working as a consultant. She holds qualifications in education, theology, coaching, spiritual direction, and ministry.

Andrea is the president of WATAC (Women and the Australian Church).

Fourth Sunday of Lent - God's Salvific Call to Love Creation - Jn 3:14-21

Jacqui Rémond is Co-Founder of the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) and the former Director of Catholic Earthcare Australia. Jacqui graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Education and Science (1997), a Cambridge English Language Teaching Accreditation (1998), a Post Graduate Certificate in Leading Resilient Enterprises (2015) and is currently undertaking a PhD in Education to research ‘Transformative Learning: Dialogue and Integral Ecology’.

Over a period of ten years as Director of Catholic Earthcare Australia, Jacqui developed partnerships and ecological conversion initiatives to enable the Catholic Church in Australia to better care for God’s Creation through advocacy, education, research and collaboration.

Currently, Jacqui is working with the Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development as Joint Coordinator of the Ecology Taskforce for Pope Francis’ Vatican COVID Commission and as Laudato Si’ Consultant to the Australian Catholic University designing an online open program ‘Preparing the Future: Living an Integral Ecology’.

MEDIA RELEASE: Raising the voices of Australian women preaching the Gospel

A new podcast Australian Women Preach will feature 30 Australian Christian women preaching the Gospel. An initiative of Women and the Australian Church (WATAC) and the Grail in Australia, the podcast will highlight and share the voices of women breaking open the Word of God in ways that are meaningful to people today.

Australian Women Preach will launch on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2021 and run the 30 weeks leading into the Australian Catholic Church’s historic Plenary Council in October. The podcast will feature diverse Australian women from across different Christian denominations. Each Monday an episode will be released with preaching on the following Sunday’s Gospel.

The initial episode features Jacqui Remond, co-founder of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, and Joint Co-ordinator of the Vatican’s COVID-19 Commission for the Ecology Taskforce.Other early episodes will feature the preaching of Cristina Lledo Gomez, Patty Fawkner SGS, Melinda Jolly and Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi.

WATAC Chair Andrea Dean said the podcast grew out of a desire to share the gifts and wisdom of women who felt a deep calling to preach but did not always have those opportunities. “We know women bring a unique perspective to the Gospel that is both theologically rich and grounded in their own life experiences,” said Andrea. “It is our hope to elevate those voices, and in doing so to renew the Church in Australia by modelling the Church we want to be: inclusive, diverse and welcoming.”

Later this year, the Catholic Church in Australia will hold its Fifth Plenary Council. One of the topics the Australian Bishops have earmarked for discussion is how the Church might draw on the gifts and talents of all the people of God, including women. “We hope the podcast will contribute to the Plenary process and have a prophetic impact on creating greater opportunities for women’s voices to be heard in the Catholic Church,” said Andrea. Patricia Gemmell, a member of the Grail in Australia’s National Leadership Team, who is one of the 30 women on the podcast, said many women felt a deep sense of calling to preach. “St Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that in building up the Body of Christ, we are all called to discern our particular gifts and to use them for the good of all,” Patricia said. “Let us hear the voices of those God has gifted to preach, women included. It is our hope that we might hear anew God’s message of love and peace for the world.”