November 7, 2021: We All Belong with Phyllis Nagano

Preaching for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Phyllis Zagano offers a reflection on belonging in the Church:   "The Church, our Church, your Church, has leaders, rules, and boundaries. You are part of the people of God, and so am I. The difference with Church, I think, is that the leaders must continually learn from the others. Hierarchy—and all clerics are part of the hierarchy—hierarchy cannot cut itself off from the rest of people of God. Hierarchy, from me to the bishop to the pope, is part of the people of God. And saying hierarchy as part of the people of God is not just another way of controlling the Church. It means we all belong."   Dr. Phyllis Zagano is an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar who has lectured throughout the United States, and in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Her many awards include the 2014 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice from The Paulist Center Community in Boston for “her prolific body of work that has constantly echoed the cry of the poorest of our society for dignity and for justice both inside and outside the church....specifically the dignity of all women.” Her groundbreaking work on women in the diaconate led to her appointment to the Pontifical Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women in 2016. She has taught at Fordham, Boston, and Yale Universities, and currently holds a research appointment at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York.   Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11072021 to learn more about Zagano, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.