Australian Women Preach

Tracy, Tricia and Louise reflect the origins of the Australian Women Preach and discuss what's next for the team behind the podcast.Tracy McEwan (PhD) is a theologian and sociologist of religion and gender at the University of Newcastle. Her writing and research interests include women in Catholicism; gendered violence; church participation, generations, and life stage. Tracy’s monograph Women and the Catholic Church:Negotiating Identity and Agency will be published open-access with Bloomsbury Academic on 24 April 2025 https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/women-and-the-catholic-church-9781350424821/Patricia Gemmell is a wife, mother and grandmother, andsemi-retired teacher of French, Latin and Italian.  She also has a Masters degree in Theology.  She belongs to the Grail, an international movement and community of women, and recently served 8 years on their National Leadership Team.  An active member of her parish community in Sydney for nearly 40 years, she is currently the co-ordinator of their Laudato Si’ Action Platform group.  Caring deeply about church reform she has been fully engaged in both the Australian Plenary Council and the Synod on Synodality and is also one of the working team responsible for AustralianWomen Preach, a weekly podcast of a woman preaching on the Sunday gospel.  Louise Maher worked for many years in radio as a journalist, producer and presenter, including 25 years with the ABC. She created a podcast series for the Australian War Memorial and an oral history app for the National Portrait Gallery. Louise is an Accredited Editor and has a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from Sydney University.

First Sunday of Lent - Luke 4:1-13 Andrea Dean is the current president of WATAC. She has been a keen supporter of women through her work in education, ministry and spirituality. She lives and works in Canberra, having spent more than 25 years as a Sister of St Joseph of Goulburn. Andrea grew up on Wiradjuri country, in the village of Adelong, NSW.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 6:39-45 - You are the greatest project you will ever work on. Dr Josephine Armour is a retired Anglican priest and former Dominican Sister from Adelaide, where she has been a teacher for much of her working life. Jo has been the parish priest at St Chad’s Anglican church until her recent retirement. She lectures in systematic theology at St Barnabas College and is the author of “Call No One on Earth Your Father”. Her interests include walking, swimming and hula-hooping.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 6:27-38 - Love your enemies be compassionate Mikali (they/them) is a candidate for ministry in the NSW/ACT Synod of the Uniting Church. They write for the sacred arts collective Marion St, which creates worship music centring voices from the margins of the church. As a trans-femme non-binary person, Mikali is passionate about inclusive spiritual community and worship music that reflects lived experience. Mikali lives on Dharug and Gundungurra Country, where they love growing food and river swimming.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 6:17, 20-26 Bei-En Zou studies theology at Catholic Theological College in Melbourne. She was nourished in the Protestant tradition, and serves as a licensed lay minister in an Anglican church called St. James' Old Cathedral, in West Melbourne. In the past she has worked in university student ministry, and in ministry in supporting Christian city workers. She loves learning, teaching, writing and preaching, and encouraging and enabling other women who love the same.

Steph Jorna is a Brisbane based singer-songwriter, youth leader and teacher now working for the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane as Synod Coordinator and Project Officer-Inclusion. Prior to this, she designed and implemented Brisbane Catholic Education’s system approach to student formation and youth ministry. Steph is passionate about shaping and facilitating effective, empowering and psychologically safe retreats where young people encounter the Other through each other.

The Presentation of the Lord - Luke 2:22-40 - Holding Hope Laura Tharion is the women’s minister at Macquarie Anglican Eastwood. Here she is passionate about discipleship, pastoral care, justice seeking, and nurturing flourishing community. She studied history and anthropology at Sydney University, and theology at Sydney Mission and Bible College. She is a writer, preacher, story coach, bibliophile, tree-hugger, wilderness wanderer, haphazard homemaker, wife, and mother of three beautiful boys.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke: 1:1-4, 4:14-21 Revd Canon Professor Dorothy Lee AM FAHA is a biblical scholar and Anglican priest with many years experience in lecturing in New Testament, including the Gospel of John. She has written and taught in feminist theology and women's ministry in the New Testament. Born in Scotland she was educated at the Universities of Newcastle and Sydney. She likes reading novels, writing poetry and hanging out with her cats.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 2:1-11 - A Joyous Sign Rev Dr Christine Redwood is the pastor at Seaforth Baptist Church in Sydney. She recently completed her PhD in preaching, the Old Testament and feminist hermeneutics. Her first book draws on her thesis and is titled ‘Hear Her Voice’. It was published in 2024. Christine loves being creative and is passionate about films, theatre, writing, and most of all communicating God’s story with others.

Baptism of the Lord - Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 Geraldine (Gerry) Vytilingam has over 10 years of experience in ministry, spanning across rural, regional and metropolitan areas of Queensland and Victoria. Her dynamic skill set has developed over the last seven years working in Catholic education, through facilitating liturgies, social justice advocacy, staff formation, music ministry and student leadership development. Geraldine recently completed her Master of Theological Studies at the University of Divinity through the Fr John Wallis Scholarship, sponsored by the Missionary Sisters of Service. Her thesis focused on liturgical inculturation and how Aboriginal Spirituality is expressed in the Missa Terra Spiritus Sancti. Geraldine is interested in how Christian rituals (particularly the sacraments) can be a conduit of grace for individuals and communities, especially the vulnerable and marginalised.

The Epiphany of the Lord - Matthew 2:1-12 Rev. Radhika Sukumar-White (she/her) has been a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia since 2016. A second-generation Sri Lankan Tamil Australian, she grew up in Canberra before moving to Sydney to study Physiotherapy, Music and then Theology. Radhika is interested in leading dynamic and sacred worship, preaching, 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 on Gadigal and Wangal land. She serves alongside her husband, who also serves as Chaplain at the University of Sydney.

Christmastide - John 1:1-18 - Weaving the Word. In this time of Christmas tide we have decided to revisit a stunning sermon from 3 years ago. I invite you to take this moment: breathe, relax and immerse yourself in the poetics of palawa woman Alison Overeem as she reflects upon the Gospel of John, weaving stories into the flight of butterflies. 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 healing. 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 Christian Congress (UAICC Tasmania). Alison has been instrumental in broadening Leprena’s engagement, networking and connections. Leprena’s mission is to be the lead provider of cultural and spiritual learning and immersion, uniting First and Second Peoples through Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, and the National UAICC story, across the nation. Leprena promotes a shared learning and unlearning between First and Second Peoples and provides projects and programs in a culturally and spiritually safe space by facilitating gatherings centred on cultural, emotional and social wellness. Leprena also provides training to church communities, not-for-profits, government and non-government organisations and educational groups. Alison is also heavily involved with multiple advocacy, policy and strategic planning committees. She is a member of the UAICC National Executive, Uniting Care board of Australia, Uniting Church Assembly Standing Committee, Advocate for the Walking Together circle for the National UCA Assembly, co-chair of the UCA Vic Tas Walking Together committee and various others.   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. Alison has a Bachelor of Education and an Advanced Diploma in Management.

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Luke 1:39-45 - Leaping with Joy: Celebrating Divine Energies Embodied. Rena MacLeod is a biblical scholar who researches and writes in the areas of violent biblical narratives, mimetic theory, and feminist theory. Her research draws out the shared space between women’s contemporary experience of men’s violence, and those experiences reflected in biblical texts of female victimhood. Integral to this scholarship, is also analysing the roles and representations of women’s courage, strength, and empowerment. Rena is especially interested in how these biblical representations of women’s experiences may be read as destabilising the discourses and myths that sustain structures of gendered violence. Ultimately grounded in a biblical liberation framework, Rena’s research seeks to foster flourishing personhood and a society free from the dynamics of violent behaviour.

Third Sunday of Advent - Luke 3:10-18 Robyn Whitaker is Associate Professor of New Testament at Pilgrim Theological College in the University of Divinity, and Director of The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy.  She is also an ordained Uniting Church minister. Robyn specialises in the Book of Revelation and the Synoptic Gospels, writing for both academic and popular audiences. Her recent books include Revelation for Normal People and Even the Devil Quotes Scripture: Reading the Bible on its Own Terms. Robyn lives in Melbourne with her husband and their two dogs. While she only preaches occasionally these days, she co-hosts a podcast for preachers called By the Well that discusses the lectionary readings each week.

Second Sunday of Advent -Luke 3:1-6 Keren Terpstra is the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, Sale in the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. Before coming to Sale, Keren had appointments in Melbourne, and before that in Brisbane, where she trained and was ordained. She is a passionate Trekkie, loses herself in Chinese dramas, engages in imaginative worlds by writing fanfiction and playing PS4, enjoys walking around the lakes in town, loves quilting and sewing and handcrafts, is a composer and organist, and is learning to play the harp – in her spare time!

First Sunday of Advent - Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 Gillian writes: I am the Chaplain and Head of Religious and Values Education at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School in Brisbane, a position I have held for the past 10 years. Prior to that I have been a parish priest, worked in a cathedral, assisted a Primate and most importantly, been mum to 4 amazing children.  I am an Anglican priest with tertiary qualifications in Japanese, Law and Theology. I am a lifelong Anglican with a keen interest in the future shape of the church and in women’s issues within the church and beyond. I think working as a school chaplain is the best job in the church, because it brings me into contact with such a variety of people, many of whom have no or little knowledge of the church or Christianity, but who are keenly interested in living a meaningful life. I am also a vowed member of the Society of the Sacred Advent, an Anglican religious order of women, and I am committed to the ongoing contribution of religious orders to the life of the Anglican Church and its schools. I am curious about what religious life might look like in the 21st century, and what treasures it still has to offer. My other interests include gardening, baking, quilting, and my little border terriers who make life so much richer.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - John 18:33-37 The Right Rev’d Sarah Plowman is Assistant Bishop in the Anglican Church Southern Queensland. She has spent most of her life in SE Qld, growing up on the Sunshine Coast. She began her career as a Physics and Maths teacher, during which time she explored a vocational call into youth ministry. After serving in parish and Diocesan roles in youth ministry, she returned to schools as a lay chaplain, and pursued a call to ordained ministry. Since her ordination to the priesthood in 2005, she has served as chaplain at three Anglican schools, loving the energy and dynamism of the educational environment. In 2020, she transitioned out of school ministry, taking on the challenging role of the Director of Discernment and Formation, based at St Francis Theological College. In this role she was able to explore and develop the nature of vocation, and encourage Anglicans in their journey to ordained ministry. In June 2024, she was consecrated as a bishop in the Anglican church and is now an Assistant Bishop in the ACSQ with responsibility for the Northern Region of the diocese. She is married to Darius, with two daughters and two step-daughters, all in their late teens. She loves hiking, camping and running, as well as tending and growing her garden which is full of native plants, birds, insects and lizards!

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Psalm 91 Dr Robyn Ober is a Mamu/Djirribal woman from Far North Queensland. She is a Lead Researcher at Batchelor Institute in the Northern Territory spanning three decades. She is well renowned for her expertise of both-ways pedagogy, working to combine Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing, being and learning in teaching practice and research. She serves in key leadership and ministry at Darwin Hillsong church and often speaks at Christian events and gatherings in the Northern Territory and beyond. Over the past four decades she and her family have supported her parents in pioneering new churches and building Indigenous leadership in Christian ministry across northern Australian in remote and rural Aboriginal communities.

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 12: 38-44 - How can we be more generous with what we have? Bernadette has had a long career as a secondary school RE teacher, retiring last year from a Catholic girls’ school in Melbourne. She currently teaches Religious Education to both primary and secondary pre-service teachers at Australian Catholic University. She graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy in September 2018 from the University of Southern Queensland. Last year Bernadette co-authored a book with Ann Rennie entitled Witness, Specialist, Moderator: the critical role of Catholic educators in a changing world. It is available from Garratt Publishing.

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 12:28-34 Di writes: I am a Buandik First Nations woman. I am Reverend Canon Auntie Di Langham, Director of Reconciliation in Newcastle Anglican. I am mother of four, grandmother of 14 and great grandmother of 7. My ministry has included Juvenile Justice Chaplin and 20 years as a gaol chaplain. I am secretary of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglican Council. I am invited to speak at many churches and groups. I like to challenge people in their faith and get them to go on a spiritual journey that sometimes may be uncomfortable. I believe that  it is in this discomfort we grow. Belinda writes: I am a proud Buandik woman. Auntie Di is my mother. I am currently working at Nikinpa Aboriginal family and community centre. I am an artist. I use gum leaves as the backgrounds of my art. I belong to Nikinpa Women's art group who create healing leaves for those who have Iost loved ones or reconnecting with culture. I attend Campfire Church. I like to write creatively.

30th Sunday Ordinary Time - Mark 10:46-52 Helen Cunningham OP is a member of the Dominican sisters of Eastern Australia and The Solomon Islands. She has a teaching background in various areas of education including adult education. She has a Masters in pastoral ministry (USA) and a Masters in Applied Christian Spirituality (Dublin). Both of these degrees were completed after she retired from teaching in schools. Helen has a long history of working as an Associate in Pastoral Ministry and has worked in various dioceses including Maitland-Newcastle. She is currently working in pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Parramatta.

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 10:35-45 Ann Rennie is a Melbourne writer and teacher.  She has a regular column in Australian Catholics and has contributed to The Sunday Age Faith column for the past 25 years.  She has been published in The Age, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, WA Today, Brisbane Times and Madonna. Ann is a former REC and is currently teaching English and RE at Genazzano FCJ College in Kew. Each year she compiles and contributes to the teacher prayer and reflection book published by Garratt Publishing. She writes a monthly column for her parish cluster, as well as the odd film review for Australian Catholics online.  Ann has written a number of books about faith, life and education, most recently Witness, Specialist Moderator - the critical role of the Catholic educator in a changing world written with Dr. Bernadette Mercieca. She is excited to be presenting Small Wonders on Radio Maria Australia. 202.928 every second Thursday. Ann believes in good news and the Good News.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 10:17-30 Angela works as a Pastoral Associate for the Passionist led St Joseph's Parish in Hobart, and is the Administrative Assistant for WATAC (Women and the Australian Church). She is passionate about the silenced female voice in the lectionary and finds the presence of God in the gift of the Australian Women Preach team, her theological studies, and her privileged existence in the Southern most island of Australia, where she lives, climbs, breathes and walks with her beloved Guy and Ella.

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 10: 2-16 Penny Jones Penny is an Anglican priest and spiritual companion, who has been offering spiritual guidance and inspiration for more than thirty five years.  As a dancer, labyrinth and InterPlay facilitator, and yoga practitioner, she is especially drawn to the interface of spirituality and the body, and to the ways in which physical movement can effect spiritual shifts. She has served on the staff of four theological colleges and courses, specialising in the New Testament, practical theology and homiletics website: http://www.soulworkerpennyjones.com      Josephine Inkpin Josephine is an Anglican priest serving as Minister of Pitt Street Uniting Church in Sydney.  The first out licensed ordained transgender Minister in Australia, she has been very actively involved in many recent struggles for LGBTIQ+ advance in faith spaces and wider society and is currently co-chair of Equal Voices and a member of the Trans Council of Equality Australia. Formerly a staff member of the National Council of Churches in Australia and General Secretary of the NSW Ecumenical Council, she has worked in many capacities, not least with inter-faith relationships and First Nations people of faith, and as a theologian and church historian. websites:https://www.blessedimp.org/ and https://www.transspirit.org/ Together, Jo and Penny helped create the Queer Theology unit for Pilgrim College, the first such university initiative in Australia.   Some of Penny and Jo's reflections and spiritual addresses can also be found at https://www.penandinkreflections.org/

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Dr Mayrah Yarraga Dreise says... I am a proud Yuwalaraay and Gamilaraay Woman from Southwest Queensland Northwest New South Wales. I speak and teach our languages in our community and lead local dance (yulagi) ceremonies. I am also a visual artist considering Australian History, stolen generations, intergenerational trauma and the impact of colonisation on First Nations peoples in the forms of both painting and public art installation. I have been in Education for over 40 years with much of my work focused on Indigenous Education. I was a classroom teacher for 25 years as a history, Visual and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies secondary subjects, and a principal in two schools for 10 years. I have also been the Indigenous education project officer for the then Queensland Studies Authority, Senior Lecturer in Indigenous education at the Queensland University of Technology and at Charles Sturt University.  Prior to my current role I was the Associate Professor for Indigenous Education at the Australian Catholic University. In my current role I work across Brisbane Catholic Education offices and 146 schools to improve outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. Some key focuses of this work include: Professional Development of Teachers, School Leaders and officer staff in cultural safety and First Nations Curriculum and Education, implementing ACARA Version 9 with First Nations content for all BCE students, engaging with First Nations communities and parents, offering a variety of cultural workshops to students across different sectors at the Ngutana-Lui BCE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural studies centre at Inala and contributing to the development of BCE policies, strategies and programs.

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 9:30-37 - Exploring His Gentleness Patricia Smith is a pastoral musician, composer and liturgist in Ku-ring-gai Chase Catholic parish in the diocese of Broken Bay, in northern Sydney. Her long involvement in parish music, and mission through RCIA, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, special religious education in state schools and school-parish liaison, have led her to a profound appreciation of the importance of Christ-centred teaching and Eucharistic centring, in engaging young people and indeed all members of the eucharistic community in ongoing and increasingly closer relationship with Christ and his people.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 8:27-35 - Sacred Spaces – Where Human and Divine Meet The Reverend Melissa Conway (BTh, Grad Cert Public Sector Leadership, Cert Financial Markets (Financial Planning), JP (Qual)) is the Associate Priest in the Anglican Parish of Toowoomba – St James’ in the Diocese of Southern Queensland, with primary responsibility for the Church of St Anne in Highfields.  Prior to entering ministry, Melissa served in the Australian Public Service for over 36 years, with extensive experience in leadership and managing projects, programs and change.  Melissa brings experience, expertise, attention to detail, discernment and ompassion to the work she undertakes.  Melissa takes a keen interest in community building and partnerships, discipleship, pastoral care, social justice, earth care, liturgy, liturgical music, and small group leadership.  As a guiding principle, Melissa is motivated to share the love of God and the reality of God’s kingdom, here and now, with the people she meets.  Melissa currently serves on the Anglican Diocese’s Angligreen Committee, the National Board of the Movement for the Ordination of Women (chairing its Strategic Planning and Communication Committee), and the Management Committee for Religious Instruction at Highfields State School. She chairs the Local Chaplaincy Committee for the Highfields State School and State College and represents the Anglican Church on the Toowoomba Inter-Faith Working Group.  Melissa was recently nominated as a representative of the Anglican Church on the Queensland Faith Communities Council. Melissa is the child of a post-war refugee to Australia. She was born in Sydney and grew up in Toowoomba.  Her adult children and young grand-children all live in Brisbane.

Dr Moira Byrne Garton is a native South Australian who now calls Canberra home. She works as a federal public servant, and is married to Matthew. Together they have four young adult children, including one with disabilities. Moira holds a PhD in political science from ANU, and a Postgraduate Diploma of Theology from Newcastle Uni, completed as part of the Catholic Women’s Fellowship. Moira enjoys exploring the histories, literature and practices of her spiritual heritage.

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Special Reading - Matthew 15: 2- 28 Professor Dr Anne Pattel-Gray was the former Head of the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Divinity, Melbourne Australia. Professor Pattel-Gray has an earned Ph.D. from the University of Sydney awarded in 1995 in the Studies of Religion with the major focus on Aboriginal Religion and Spirituality plus a Doctor of Divinity from India awarded in 1997. She is a member of the Uniting Church in Australia, and she has achieved many firsts in her prestigious life, and she is known as a trail blazer, and she has opened many doors for her people. She is a recognized scholar, theologian, activist and prolific writer with many chapters and authored publications. Professor Anne Pattel-Gray is a descendant of the Bidjara Nation in Queensland and a renowned Aboriginal leader within Australia – nationally and internationally. She has dedicated her life to the struggle of Australia First Nations (AFN) as a strong campaigner, lobbyist towards seeking justice, equity and equal representation for First Nations people.

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 60-69 - Lifelong Journey of Discipleship with Christ Heeyoung says: I was born and raised in Seoul within a Christian family. I devoted myself to the kingdom of God through 9 years of study in the practice of Theology and Christian Education at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary. My faith grew during 30 years of ministerial experience in local churches. My theological perspectives have been extended during 10 years of work at the Education and Resources Department of the General Assembly of PCK, and 4 years of teaching at PUTS as a visiting lecturer. I have learned many things from UnitingChurches for 17 years in terms of ministry, worship, education, fellowship, social justice, and culture. Regarding professional experience, I was deeply involved in planning and editing of textbooks, and I was in charge of producing and planning short educational films. I taught as a visiting lecturer at PUTS and contributed to several magazines. For ministerial goals and pastoral vision, I would like to focus on connecting to Jesus and others so that all the church members can be whole-hearted people and spirit-filled Christians living from a deep sense of worthiness and strong sense of love and belonging in Jesus and Faith Communities. I would like to take responsibility for serving, helping, and developing all the generation to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I also want to contribute to life-long discipleship, faith growth, and a culture of inter-generational and inter-cultural in our congregation and wider communities.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 51-58 Carmel Posa, SGS, is a member of the Good Samaritan Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict. She held the position of senior lecturer at Notre Dame University, Australia from 1999—2012 and was the executive director of the New Norcia Institute for Benedictine Studies at New Norcia, Western Australia, from 2012—2017. She lectures in the department of Christian thought and history at Yarra Theological Union, a member college of the University of Divinity, Melbourne and teaches monastic studies at St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota. Carmel is co-editor of the journal, Tjurunga: An Australasian Benedictine Review

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 41-51 Anne Surtees is an Ursuline sister and is currently living in Arrernte Country in Central Australia. Anne is a Spiritual director and runs a small retreat centre called "Thirsty Heart” in Alice Springs. She travels twice a week to the Ltyentye Apurte ( Santa Teresa) community 80 kms out of Alice Springs to assist the women in the running of the Spirituality Centre. Anne’s background is in education. Previously she worked in the Brisbane Archdiocese in lay ministry formation, multicultural pastoral care and Centrecare pastoral ministries.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 24-35 Teresa Pirola is a Sydney-based writer with many years involvement in Catholic faith formation for parishioners, families, teachers and parish personnel. She is the author of several books and numerous other publications used in pastoral renewal and spirituality programs. She has a Doctorate in Theology (Sydney College of Divinity) and a special interest in the importance of Jewish-Christian relations for the Church’s self-understanding and for societal cohesion. Teresa is a firm believer in the capacity of grassroots lay leadership to effect change and renewal, owing much of her own formation to the impact of ecclesial movements in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Her most recent book, published by Paulist Press (2023), is “Catholic-Jewish Relations: Twelve Key Themes for Teaching and Preaching” and her website LightofTorah.net explores similar themes.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - John 6: 1-15 Lana Hanley is Africa and Pacific Associate Director at Caritas Australia. Caritas Australia is the aid and development agency of the Catholic Church. Now in its 60th year the organisation is committed to supporting the world’s most vulnerable, with its work supported by the generous donations of church communities across Australia. Lana is responsible for development programs across Africa and the Pacific, which give people the skills and resources they need to lift themselves out of poverty, whether that’s through access to clean water, education, sustainable farming techniques, and much more.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 6: 30-34 Dr Clare Schwantes has been the Director at Liturgy Brisbane since 2023, having fulfilled the role of Editor from 2012. She prepares annual publications such as the Ordo and the Daily Mass Book on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, as well as Break Open the Word and Praying Together with Young People. She is also responsible for the design and ongoing evolution of the electronic liturgy planning program, Liturgia, which is used widely in schools and parishes around Australia.  Clare has a PhD from the University of Queensland, a Master of Theological Studies (Liturgy), Bachelors of Education and Psychology, and diplomas in Editing and Publishing. Clare is the Chair of the National Liturgical Council, secretary of the Brisbane Archdiocesan Commission on the Liturgy, a member of the Australian Academy of Liturgy and is on the editorial board of the quarterly journal, Liturgy News. She is the author of From Page to Proclamation: Interpreting Scripture in the Context of Liturgy, which will be available towards the end of 2024.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 6: 7-13 For more than thirty years Jenny O’Brien has been a liturgy educator for the Adelaide Archdiocese. She gained her Doctorate in Sacred Liturgy from Sant’Anselmo, Rome and also holds Masters degrees in Theology and Religious Education. Jenny has been active on local, national and international levels, having served 9 years on the National Liturgical Council, 11 on the National Liturgical Music Council, and 6 years as a Council member of Societas Liturgica. She is a long-term member of the Australian Academy of Liturgy and was South Australian Chapter Convenor for a number of years. She was a foundational member of the Australian Pastoral Musicians Network and contributes regularly to their Conferences and Newsletters.  In her local parish of Brighton, SA, she coordinates the team of musicians and serves as both organist and cantor.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 6: 1-6 - God of the ordinary Jennifer Wakeling is a professional musician and educator who spent many years performing as a classical pianist but whose interest has extended in more recent years to the field of theology. Jennifer’s research interests centre on worship theology, music theology, and musical-liturgical semiotics, and they also include the theology of symbol. Her work has been published in Studia Liturgica and Australian Journal of Liturgy, and she recently contributed a chapter in Imagination in an Age of Crisis: Soundings from the Arts and Theology. Jennifer currently teaches piano and works as a faith and music ministry officer at a Catholic boys school in Brisbane – St. Joseph’s Nudgee College. She also regularly prepares the liturgy for her local church community – Pilgrim People. She is passionate about the education of local church communities seeking to develop and enrich communal worship. 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 5: 21-43 The Very Reverend Naomi Cooke is an ordained Anglican priest and is currently the Dean of the Cathedral of Grafton in regional NSW’s Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr country.  Naomi's spiritual formation has been shaped by a rich tapestry of ecumenical experiences. Her childhood faith was nurtured within the vibrant parish and youth movements of the Roman Catholic Church alongside the invitational discipleship of Sydney Anglican youth groups. She studied at a Baptist theological college, developed her vocation within the gentle and inclusive Anglo-Catholic traditions of regional QLD and NSW, worked within the democratic and inclusive ethos of the Uniting Church of Australia, and served for two decades as a School Chaplain in Independent Schools. With degrees in Theology and Arts (English Literature), she was amongst the first women in Australia to be ordained by a female Anglican Bishop and is only the 9th woman in Australia to be installed as a Dean of an Anglican Cathedral. Naomi works closely with First Nations communities in the journey towards Reconciliation and her ministry includes the creativity of Godly Play, Taize prayer, Prayer Spaces and Labyrinth reflections.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 4: 35-41 “The calming of the storm” Dominique Galea has recently retired from a 43-year career in Education. Married with three children and four grandchildren, her teaching experience has ranged from kindergarten through to high school special needs as well as being a Religious Education Coordinator in primary schools and a sessional lecturer in Systematic Theology at Australian Catholic University. Having gained qualifications as an Enneagram Personality Type Teacher and consultant from both the Enneagram Institute and The Narrative Enneagram programs, Dominique presents Enneagram spirituality days to Catholic school staff for professional development as far afield as Alice Springs. She also gives workshops to adult organisations including parish groups, Eremos, Australian Network for Spiritual Directors, sabbaticals for Religious and the Sydney University Continuing Education Program. Additionally, she has delivered papers on Education and the Enneagram at international conferences and attended Summer School Programs in Jungian analytical psychology at the Jung Institute in Zurich. Dominique holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from The Catholic Theological Union and has been a practising spiritual director in the contemplative tradition since 2008 having graduated from The Centre for Religious Development North Sydney. She thoroughly enjoys being a presenter and spiritual director on retreat teams and finds it a privilege discovering together the wisdom of the Holy Spirit unfolding in people’s lives. Dominique is a member of Australian Catholics Exploring the Diaconate and the Marist Association and currently offers spiritual direction, Enneagram consulting and workshops at the Marist Centre Hunters Hill and elsewhere. Her website is dominiquegalea.com

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mark 4: 26-34 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 a 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.

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 3: 20-35 Dr Angela McCarthy is an adjunct senior lecturer in theology at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle campus. Her first degree from Sydney University included work in Biblical Studies and Fine Arts. After time spent rearing a family, Angela resumed secondary teaching and further studies in theology and education in 1993 at Notre Dame and 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. For many decades she has been working in her parish in liturgy and music. She has been married to John for 50 years, has 4 children and 14 grandchildren.

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ - Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 Carmel is an Australian Sister of St Joseph. Carmel has ministered extensively throughout Australia as a liturgical educator and consultant. She was the only woman to ever be responsible for a Papal Liturgy: The Beatification of Mary MacKillop in 1995. These days she works with First Nation peoples in Broome, Darwin and Fiji, working on liturgical inculturation. Carmel also publishes papers and book chapters, her latest is 'Ceremonial Genius: Australia's First Peoples and Liturgical Inculturation,' in Deep Inculturation, Antonio Sison, ed. (Orbis: 2024).

Holy Trinity - Matthew 28:16-20 Dr Cristina Lledo-Gomez is a Filipina-Australian living and working on the lands of the Dharrug and Guringai peoples. She is mother to Sophia and Julian, and wife to Adrian. She is a Senior Lecturer in Catholic Systematic Theology and holds the Presentation Sisters Lectureship Chair at BBI-The Australian Institute of Theological Education. Her role at BBI-TAITE is directed toward promoting women’s spiritualities, feminist theologies, and ecotheologies. Cristina  is also Research Fellow for the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. She received her Master of Theology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and her PhD at Charles Sturt University. She is the author of The Church as Woman and Mother (published in 2018) and co-editor of 500 years of Christianity and the Global Filipino/a: Postcolonial Perspectives (published in February 2024) and Divine Interruptions: Maternal Theologies and Experiences (expected publication in November 2024). Cristina has worked on many levels and contexts of Australian churches including in youth ministry, high school teaching, as diocesan social justice coordinator, as pastoral associate for university staff, in women’s activist groups, and as Chair of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council. She has presented and published locally and internationally in the areas of maternal-feminist theologies, ecclesiology, ecotheology, migration, post-colonialism, decolonial theology, domestic violence, and clergy sexual abuse. She co-convenes the Women's Consultation for Constructive Theology at the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Ecclesiological Investigations Research Network at the American Academy of Religion.

Feast of Pentecost - John 15:26-27, 16:12-15 OR John 20:19-23 Mel Williams is an Ursuline sister who is at present working in Brisbane.  She has also worked in Sydney, Toowoomba, Maroochydore, and Rome.  She is a teacher, counsellor, and spiritual director and her time in Maroochydore was as pastoral associate. Much of Mel’s work has been within the Ursulines as a formator with novices, temporary professed sisters, and international tertian groups.  This work of formation has kept Mel curious, interested and informed about the evolving aspects of consecrated life.  She has lived through the evolution of religious commitment from monasticism to the lifeform of many consecrated persons in Australia today and looks forward to what the future holds.  Mel has recently completed four years as Vicar for Consecrated Life in the Brisbane Archdiocese.

Ascension of the Lord - Mark 16:15-20 In a career spanning over 25 years, Sharon has gained extensive experience in the education sector, both in independent and Catholic secondary and primary schools in the United Kingdom, Tanzania and Australia with a focus on educational leadership, Catholic Identity, curriculum innovation and experiential learning. Currently on the Executive team at Brisbane Catholic Education, Sharon has also held senior leadership roles with Catholic Education, Cairns. Sharon has co-designed and facilitated numerous immersive experiences and recently completed research with a focus on intercultural dialogue and inculturation, with First Nations Peoples. Sharon’s qualifications include:  Master of Theological Studies (ACU),  Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD),  Master of Religious Education (ACU),  Master of Education (ACU). Sharon is the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) representative on the National Catholic Education Commission’s Faith Formation and Religious Education Standing Committee (NCEC FFRE). Sharon is a delegate on the Xavier School of Mission Advisory Board (Holy Spirit Seminary) and was Chair of the Plenary Council: Discernment and Writing Group for the ‘Joyful, Hope-filled and Servant Community’ and a Pilgrimage Leader for six World Youth Days.

Sixth Sunday of Easter - John 15:9-17 Ann Zubrick is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). She has a doctorate: and professional qualifications in speech pathology, lifespan developmental psychology, and ageing and pastoral care. She accompanies older persons living with dementia and mental illness: seeking meaning, in ageing—including living with dementia! Her own life often seems to be a jumble of choices that challenge practical wisdom, common sense, and her yearning for justice and truth.

Fifth Sunday of Easter - John 15:1-8 - 'The vine grower and the vine’ Roberta Hamilton is the Anglican Vicar of Yarrawonga, Diocese of Wangaratta. She has previously ministered in both the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn and the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. Roberta is passionate about the Kingdom of God and its outworking in the lives of all around her. She cares deeply about social justice and has had a particular emphasis on the treatment of refugees.

Fourth Sunday of Easter - John 10:11-18 Naomi is a trawloolway woman with Jewish German & Irish heritage. She is a proud aunty, sister and daughter along with being a kinship carer. She is a historian and theologian. She works at Australian Catholic University and NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community. NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community is an international learning community of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Elders, community, and students.  Naomi worked previously for the University of Divinity as Indigenous Theologies Project Officer and more recently she was the inaugural First People’s Co-ordinator of the University’s newly created School of Indigenous Studies. She holds a Bachelor Arts and Bachelor of Teaching, Graduate Certificate Graduate Diploma in Divinity. She recently graduated with a Master of Theological Studies and will begin her PhD studies shortly exploring the idea of decolonizing theological education. Naomi has a commitment and interest in decolonising the disciplines of theology and history and working with people to transform church and society to better times. 

Third Sunday of Easter - Luke 24:35-48 - "The Resurrection for Transformation" Maureen Gaul currently holds a position with the Identity and Outreach Directorate, Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns, as Leader Formation – Community Engagement.  She has been an educator in the Catholic primary school sector throughout her teaching career and has held roles such as Assistant Principal Religious Education and Leader of Learning and Teaching.  Her teaching experiences include multi-age classes in a small rural setting, as well as single-stream classes within large schools.  She has spent time as a music specialist teacher and worked internationally in the United Kingdom for a short time.  Maureen lives in Far North Queensland, is married, and a mother to four young people who keep her agile.  Maureen is connected to her local church community where she has engaged in parish life through various ministries, including leading Eucharistic Services in the absence of an ordained priest, Reading and Music Ministry.  She has facilitated faith formation of young members through Children’s Liturgy and coordinated the Parish Sacramental programs.  Maureen is currently working towards the attainment of her Master of Theological Studies.  

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday - John 20:19-31 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.