Page 1 - Homilies-Preface

While in seminary I took a number of courses in feminist theology and spirituality. For
one course I invited classmates to submit accounts of their respective experiences of

voicelessness, saying that they could remain anonymous if they wished. In a class that
was mostly comprised of women, over half of them entrusted their stories to me. For
many of us, writing is a way of exploring, even reclaiming our voices.

As I turn sixty-five I create this website to celebrate having a voice, to affirm a call to
writing that is as real as my call to ordained ministry. A calling that predates my
ordination twenty-seven years ago, much of my writing has been expressed in prayers
and homilies, even if poetry is the touchstone of my life. I am sure that having been

given a poet’s soul makes me sensitive to the rich layers of meaning found in sacred
texts; makes me sensitive to the beauty and the suffering in the world; explains my
delight in words and their sounds.

A review of years of my homilies would reveal leitmotifs that lingered for long seasons.
The homilies are not sophisticated, rather, they’ve been mysterious gifts that arrive,

many times, without a clue as to where they will lead me. They come from outside of
me – and yet speak of the interaction between my life and scripture. If ever I sound
certain, I hope it is of one thing alone: we are loved. If you read the selections offered
here you will find that my reflections of the past year (and more) centre around my
conviction that each one of us is the beloved of the Eternal One. Since they are words
that are meant to be enlivened by spirit, by breath, I will create audio recordings of
some of them.

It is important that those who have long been silenced by systemic injustices find their

publishers and platforms and lift up their voices. I’ve reached a moment in time where
it is enough to collect my homilies, my poems, perhaps even my curious little stories,
and place them in this website where anyone might stumble across them. And in the
finding, I hope, discover a place of meeting with me.

Richford, Vermont

Winter 2021