Australian Women Preach

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 th...

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 Samoa...

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, a...

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 forc...

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 Hol...

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...

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 b...

Second Sunday of Lent - Luke 9:28-36 - Brooke Prentis is a Wakka Wakka woman and an Aboriginal Christian Leader. She is the first Aboriginal person to be appointed as the CEO of a national Christian organisation in Australia. Brooke is a writer, speaker, poet, theologian, community pastor, preacher, Chartered Accountant, and Company Director. Brooke is the former CEO of Common Grace, and is the co...

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...

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...

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...

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 tea...

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...

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 awak...

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 gues...

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 journe...

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 CE...

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 E...

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 just...

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, Alis...

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 the...

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 th...

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 th...

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 femi...

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 Centr...