Prophetic Witness: Catholic Women's Strategies for Reform »

Colleen M. Griffith is the faculty director of spirituality studies and an adjunct associate professor of theology at Boston College.

Presenting practical strategies for reform and renewal of the Church, this strikingly direct volume brings together the voices of leading Catholic theologians who offer ideas for change while still showing that feminist reflection can work in support of the Church. With insightful essays on a wide range of complex topics—from Catholic sexual ethics in the 21st century and practical theology in global Christian contexts to race, class, and gender and the next generation of faithful women—this inspirational anthology provides an exciting perspective into the lives of practicing women and the particular challenges they face within the Church. Contributors include Susan Abraham, Karen A. Barta, Rosemary P. Carbine, Francine Cardman, and M. Shawn Copeland, among many others.

Preface: Speaking as Women Colleen M. Griffith ix

Contributors xi

Introduction: Creative Fidelity in Challenging Times Colleen M. Griffith 1

Part 1 Renewing The Vision

1 Articulating the Vision Anew: The Banquet of the Creed Elizabeth A. Johnson 6

2 Knit Together by the Spirit as Church M. Shawn Copeland 16

3 The Possibilities of Creating Church: A Personal Reflection Rosemary Radford Ruether 25

Part 2 Knowledge As Power

4 Biblical Interpretation and Women's Experience Karen A. Barta 36

5 Sisters of Thecla: Knowledge, Power, and Change in the Church Francine Cardman 46

6 Women within Church Law: Shifts, Expectations, and Strategies in Current Times Lynn Jarrell 55

7 Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves: Strategic Appropriation of Catholic Social Teaching Margaret R. Pfeil 64

Part 3 Insistence On Dialogue

8 Unknowing in the Place of Understanding: The Theological Fruits of Dialogue Jeannine Hill Fletcher 74

9 The Dialogical Imperative: Listening to Concerned and Engaged Asfrican Women Teresia M. Hinga 83

10 Asian Women and Dialogue Gemma T. Cruz 97

11 Feeling through the Limits of Conversation Michele Saracino 103

Part 4 Politics Of The Hearth

12 For the Sins of the Parents: Roman Catholic Ethics and the Politics of Family Cristina Traina 114

13 Children and the Common Good: Protection and Participation Mary M. Doyle Roche 123

14 When Pregnancy Hits Home: Recognizing the Need for Familial and Ecclesial Solidarity Angela Senander 132

15 Fostering the Next Generation of Faithful Women Jane E. Regan 140

Part 5 Feminist Ascetical Practices

16 Making Room for Beauty Susan A. Ross 150

17 InsistentInclusion: Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender Diana Hayes 159

18 Practicing Justice with Spirit Mary Jo Leddy 168

19 Claiming and Imagining: Practices of Public Engagement Rosemary P. Carbine 176

Part 6 Attending To Emerging Discourses

20 Through the Leaven of Popular Catholic Practices: Women Transforming Church Nancy Pineda-Madrid 188

21 Catholic Sexual Ethics in the Twenty-First Century Patricia Beattie Jung 197

22 Practical Theology in Global Christian Contexts Susan Abraham 208

Conclusion

Upholding Hope

23 On Not Losing Heart: Catherine of Siena and the Strategies of Prayer and Friendship Mary Catherine Hilkert 220

Notes 233

Index 269