Rediscovering women's work in church history

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April 2001

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Rediscovering women's work in church history
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Rediscovering women's work in church history
Throughout history, female saints and other women from the Catholic tradition have been presented as obedient, passive, sweet women who never challenged the status quo. That has not always been an accurate depiction.

Many of them were quite countercultural—if not radical—questioners and resisters of the patriarchal values of their times. Now, the stories of a dozen such women have been told in a resource packet produced by a joint project of FutureChurch and Call to Action, two church-reform groups.

"Celebrating Women Witnesses" includes biographical profiles, original artwork, and prayer services for 12 women of faith. They are: Clare of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, the Beguines, Sister Thea Bowman, Dorothy Day, Sor Juana, Therese of Lisieux, Angela Merici, Mary of Nazareth, Julian of Norwich, Prisca, and Catherine of Siena. Parishes, small-faith communities, and other groups are encouraged to hold monthly prayer services to honor these female role models.

"So many women in the church hear of our history through patriarchal lenses. But we feel there's another side to the story," explains Sister Christine Schenk, C.S.J., coordinator for the Women in Church Leadership Project. "Because of their strong commitment to the justice of Jesus, many of them acted in ways that were not in accord with the expected roles of women of the time."

The Women Witnesses packet grew out of the organization's unexpected success with promoting celebrations on the feast day of Mary of Magdala. In just a few years, some 300 parishes, religious communities, and small faith communities have held prayer services on July 22.

"People began asking us for more resources, so we decided to put some together," says Schenk. A second Woman Witnesses packet is expected to be produced in the future.

In addition to the women's biographies and prayer services, the packet also includes several other resources, including brochures on practical ways to address the lack of women in the lectionary readings as well as problematic readings that encourage the subordination of women. "Many people don't realize that we do have the option of using other lectionary texts," Schenk says. Another resource is a Good Friday prayer service that focuses on important women in Jesus' ministry.

In little over a month, more than 600 packets have been sent out, not to mention a reprint order for 300 copies of the Thea Bowman bio and prayer service. "It's just another great way of learning church history and seeing the witness of women in leadership," says Schenk. "Many of us don't have much of that."

The packets are available for a $10 donation. To order one, contact FutureChurch, 15800 Montrose Ave., Cleveland, OH 44111; (216) 228-0869; info@futurechurch.org; or Call to Action at 4419 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL 60625; (773) 604-0400; cta@cta-usa.org.

For more info:
FutureChurch
Call to Action:
"Who framed Mary Magdalene?"—from U.S. Catholic

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