A review by Professor Lisa Sowle Cahill of Boston College Theology Department.

God and the Feminine is the fruit of a decade of theological study in solidarity with women at the Mount Saint Agnes Center in Baltimore. It is inspired by the commitment of the Sisters of Mercy to seek for all women “fullness of life and equality in church and society.” God and the Feminine is an unusual tool for teaching and spiritual development of, by, and for Catholic women. The fulcrum of this publication is the experience of the Second Vatican Council, which decisively changed the lives of most Catholics who experienced it, but whose significance has still not been assimilated to the spirituality and theological understanding of many Catholics. The contributors to this series of instructional booklets have backgrounds in theology, philosophy, psychology, and spiritual direction. With graceful anecdotes appealing to women’s daily experiences, they connect the insights generated by Vatican II to memories of a pre-Vatican II church, and to fresh horizons of Catholic identity and meaning.

The series consists of five booklets, each of which contains several brief essays on a central theme. Each essay is followed by discussion questions that allow further exploration of theological points, spiritual challenges, or the personal histories and viewpoints of participants. What really distinguishes these essays is their ability to present facets of the latest scholarship on women, church, and society, while maintaining an approachable style and engaging tone. Insights regarding feminist theology, biblical interpretation, or moral theology are not watered down, but they are focused through a few key points, rather than developed at length in terms that might seem too abstract or obscure to the neophyte. This presentation allows for discussion that will permit development in directions or at levels appropriate to each group of participants, as well as to the knowledge and interests of the discussion leaders.

The first booklet, “An Adventure in Teaching Adult Women,” provides pointers for the group leader, such as beginning or ending with prayer, allowing for silences, asking truly open questions, accepting disagreements while avoiding a “combat” mentality, and fostering the expression of personal experience yet paying attention to the text at hand.

The second booklet, “Feminine Life in the Spirit,” skillfully renders common aspects of women’s spirituality, such as being practical, embodied, caring and collaborative. Yet it avoids the conclusion that these qualities are necessarily essential to all women or more possible for women than for men. It also confronts the fact that for many women, connections to “mainline” theological traditions are tenuous, so it is necessary to break new paths for women studying theology. This booklet displays the meaning of the baptismal vocation of every Christian woman through the lens of three possible lifestyles: married, single, and as a consecrated religious sister. The essay on the single life especially fills in a gap many women experience, whether always single, divorced or widowed. This theological and spiritual appreciation of the riches of the single life, along with its occasional difficulties, is much needed.

Booklet Three presents “Two Women of Scripture,” Mary the mother of Jesus, and the Samaritan woman who meets Jesus at the well in the Gospel of John. The treatment of Mary combines the maternal roles that most Catholic women have traditionally identified with this figure with less familiar connections to the burdens many women bear today. These include Mary’s giving up her girlhood to raise a baby, fearing that her child is lost, being rejected by an adolescent, and suffering the death of an adult child killed in pursuit of a cause. The Samaritan woman challenges preconceived notions of roles of women in the bible, since she is presented as someone who asks questions, claims her own power to share the good news of Jesus, and takes responsibility for her community.

“Hearth and Heart,” booklet four, presents women and relationships in the contexts of the home, friendship and community.

The final booklet, “Tradition and the Future,” takes up some of the more thorny or contentious issues of Catholic identity today, having to do with the nature of the church and the demands of morality. Strengths of Catholicism are developed, for example, on the basis of Church tradition, Scripture and the so-called “natural law tradition,” which bases moral teaching on shared aspects of human nature and human values. Nonetheless, the importance of conscience is underscored, and discussion participants are encouraged to share personal reactions to dilemmas and ideas suggested by the essays. Potentially difficult or divisive issues are presented in a way that allows for mutual engagement, reflection, and listening, rather than confrontation or defensiveness. The essays stimulate thought rather than offering “conclusions,” and would work well with women coming from a variety of starting-points.

This booklet and the series conclude with a meditation on the meaning of hope, meant to acknowledge honestly the troubles many women experience in their lives or with their faith, while showing possibilities for consolation, solidarity, growth, and change. God and the Feminine is an excellent resource for parishes and other venues of adult education or adult faith formation. Through this expression of their wisdom, the women of the Mount Saint Agnes Theological Center expand their ministry of teaching, scholarship, and spiritual community to women everywhere.