October 6, 2024: "Transforming the Recesses and Shadows" with Mary M. Doyle Roche

Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mary M. Doyle Roche reflects on the the ways Church teaching and the lectionary relegates women to the recesses of life in the world and in the Church: "Perhaps you too are trying to hold a place for the scriptures, for the lectionary, for the Church even as you face squarely the harms that they have perpetuated and given theological significance. I hope that we as Church can honor the reality of these experiences and all of the emotions that come with them, without looking away or glossing it all over. I hope we can allow ourselves to transform these recesses and shadows into spaces of resistance and solidarity from which we might emerge sure of our dignity, sure of the Spirit moving through us, and sure of God’s love." Mary M. Doyle Roche is Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. She earned her PhD in theological ethics from Boston College and has pursued teaching and research interests in feminist ethics, health care ethics, and ethical issues that impact families, children, and young people. Most recently, she has co-edited with Jacob Kohlhaas, "Modern Catholic Family Teaching: Commentaries and Interpretations" (Georgetown University Press, 2024). Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10062024 to learn more about Mary, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.