Entries by waterstaff

March 27 WATER Featured on Ms. Blog!

“Despite (or perhaps because of) the patriarchy of many organized religions, feminism and spirituality have long-standing–if not universally-accepted–ties, from ancient goddess worship to contemporary Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Wiccan/Pagan and Muslim feminisms. Today, I want to chronicle just a few of of the diverse intersections of feminism and spirituality in our modern world.

The Women Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) is a great example of how non-denominational religious and spiritual practices can be marshaled for social justice. Founded in 1983 by Mary E. Hunt and Dianne L. Neu, WATER’s programs include spiritual counseling, resources for feminist theologians, work opportunities for people with disabilities and a series of teleconferences on subjects as diverse as queer politics and the intersections of race, class and spirituality. Hunt told the Ms. Blog… ”

Check out Ms. Blog here to read the full posting!

March 2012 Prayer

By Mary E. Hunt | As you read this prayer, read with generosity, and consider which images and words speak to you, and which make you bristle.

Communion or Disunion?


by Mary E. Hunt

The egregious breach of decency that led a Catholic parish priest to deny Communion to a lesbian woman at her mother’s funeral has received widespread and well-deserved condemnation. Even the Archdiocese of Washington DC admitted that the priest had violated their policy. In a little note, a vicar promised Barbara Johnson and her family that he would celebrate a Mass in memory of her mother.

Ann-Cathrin Jarl: Volunteer in Global Service at WATER

by Mary E. Hunt and Anne Lacher


“Never a dull day at the WATER office!” The frequency of this comment’s appearance here at WATER has increased drastically in the last week or two, and it seems to be directly related to the appearance of Ann-Cathrin Jarl.

Hailing from Uppsala, Sweden, the Rev. Dr. Ann-Cathrin Jarl was the Director of the Diocese Conference Center in Stockholm for four years. She served most recently as Chaplain to the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden [Lutheran] before her retirement in 2011.

Congratulations to Mary Ann Kaiser!

Congratulations to our proud former WATER intern Mary Ann Kaiser! She is the honored recipient of the Jane Maxwell Morris Fellowship from Austin Seminary!

Feminist Studies in Religion as Bread and Butter

by Mary E. Hunt

Feminist studies in religion are a hot commodity in the current political turmoil. So-called women’s issues are front and center in the debates. The long settled question of contraception has been snatched from mothballs for conservatives’ purposes. But there is such a dearth of feminist religious voices, so little room in masculinist journalist and clerical discussions to get a word in edgewise, that almost anything we add to the conversation is useful. Whoever expected that our training would be so valuable?