Mary’s Pence 2023 at a Glance
We each hold in our hands great power to make the world a better place, and to create a beloved community. We use this power each time we create a sense of belonging for all, justice for all. This year, the Mary’s Pence Grants Program funded 19 organizations from across the country. Each organization is […]
Crossing Borders: My Journey to Global Feminsm
The work we do really works because part of our strategy is making sure we hear the experiences of individual women. Understanding, respecting, and directly responding to these experiences makes our work more effective.
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Nine New Women Welcomed to ESPERA! And Other Updates from Auxiliadora
Many of the women already have plans for their loans. Elizabeth is planning to sell clothes. Emelína wants to make and sell enchiladas and tortillas. Reyna wants to sell cheese and chicken. María Auxiliadora and María Emérita will make improvements to their small tienda.
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Caring for Creation: Harmonizing Catholic Social Teaching and Feminist Values
“The life of the earth is an interconnected web, and no privileged hierarchy of the human over nature, justifying domination exists….Ecofeminism promotes a global movement founded on common interests and respect for diversity, in opposition to all forms of domination and violence.” – Veronica Rossato
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Confronting Conflict with Community
“These women are so community minded,” Stock says. “Everything they do, they are a community of women; they’re a group.”
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Finding Inspiration from Isabel
For Isabel, however, involvement in ESPERA wasn’t just about an increase in her income. She was a driving force in her community, a visionary who ensured that a sense of solidarity and empowerment was present among the women. Isabel led capacity building workshops about successful business practices, communications, and self-esteem.
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Notes from Nicaragua: Kitty Madden Remembers
At the Casa Materna, we gathered women who were potters, jewelry makers, seamstresses, community organizers and promoters of natural medicines together with ourselves as caregivers for mothers with high-risk pregnancies – what energy filled the house during our two days together.
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In Her Own Words, Maureen Gallagher Remembers
I was so angry about the treatment of women, so when Sheila Murphy said we needed a Mary’s Pence I knew I was not alone. I had already had the vision in my head. Then, I felt all those women who came before me, Theresa of Avila, Dorothy Day, calling out, “Quit being angry and do something!”
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Founding Board Member Yolanda Tarango, CCVI
Yolanda Tarango, CCVI was born and raised in the lands on which her family lived for generations, the former Mexico territory now known as Texas. Her life’s ministry is dedicated to giving voice to, partnering in empowerment and journeying spiritually with the Hispanic people and especially women of our diverse land.
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Refurbishing an Old Tradition by Kaye Ashe, OP
The women who initiated Mary’s Pence feel we are part of a new state in the story of human development and change. We have a sense of being part of that delicious movement that is giving birth to a new sense of self among women and to a new sense of common bondedness.
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