March 2026 WATERritual: Celebrate Women’s History Month
March 2026 WATERritual
“Celebrate Women’s History Month”
By Diann L. Neu and the WATER Community
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83285953460
Preparation: Gather a globe and a picture of a woman who inspires you.
Welcome
Welcome to our Celebration of Women’s History Month! And what a month it is! Daylight Saving time began March 8, International Women’s Day! Today, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. March 20 is the Spring Equinox. March 22 is World Water Day.
We begin with our customary land acknowledgment. Let us remember the Native women who lived on the land we inhabit now. They carried water, planted in the earth, breathed the air, and built fires for cooking. We remember these ancestors during Women’s History Month. The theme of Women’s History Month in 2026 is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” This theme highlights women who are driving, or have driven, holistic change across environmental, economic, societal, and religious systems to create a more resilient, equitable future. That includes our ancestors and us!
This is a time to raise up women. It is a month to speak their names, tell their stories, and thank them for sharing their unique gifts with the world. It is a chance to become one.
Today we honor and thank women locally, nationally, and internationally for sharing their unique gifts with the world. Who comes to your mind and heart as you think about women who inspire you? Bring specific women from around the world into your consciousness.
Song: “Standing on the Shoulders” by Earth Mama from Love Large album, Women’s Suffrage Anthem @1996 2015 All rights reserved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjjKXuceRYQ&ab_channel=EarthMama
Listen to Feminist Theologians whose shoulders we stand on, whose light we carry. This will update the video!
Mary Daly (1928 – 2010), American radical feminist philosopher and theologian: “The feminist movement is the greatest single hope for the survival of spiritual consciousness on this planet.” From Beyond God the Father
Rosemary Radford Ruether (1936 – 2022), American Catholic feminist theologian
In a beautifully written piece in the National Catholic Recorder, Mary E Hunt says: “Her contributions to feminist scholarship, Catholic theology, Palestinian rights, ecology, anti-racism, peace work and so much more will be the subject of dissertations for generations to come.”
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (1938- ), Romanian-born German, American Catholic feminist theologian, who has done pioneering work in biblical interpretation and feminist theology.
Judith Plaskow (1947- ), American theologian, author, and activist known for being the first Jewish feminist theologian.
Ada María Isasi-Díaz (1943 – 2012), Cuban-American mujerista theologian
Mary E. Hunt (1951 – ), American Catholic feminist liberation theologian
Katie Geneva Cannon (1950-2018), American Christian theologian, ethicist, and the first African-American woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1974.
Kwok Pui-lan (1953- ) Hong Kong-born feminist theologian known for her work on Asian feminist theology and postcolonial theology.
Song: “I Am Woman Hear Me Roar” by Helen Reddy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrVLL7soS1U
Reflection | Sharing
So many women have educated us and inspired us. How lucky we are to have such mentors. We have named some of them here, but there are so many more. What women come to your mind and heart as you Celebrate Women’s Herstory month? What women have inspired you to change the world?
Let Us Pray: “Litany for Peace,” from Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns for peace and protection for the people of Iran. This prayer was written on February 28, 2026, in the hours after the U.S. and Israeli military attack on Iran.
For families in Iran living in fear, and for all who live under the evil rain of bombardment, may they find safe refuge.
Divine Peace, hear our prayer.
For world leaders, that they stop the bombs and choose diplomacy over destruction and dialogue over retaliation.
Divine Peace, Lord, hear our prayer.
For all those who are poor and vulnerable, who bear the heaviest burdens of war, may their cries transform our hearts.
Divine Peace, hear our prayer.
For the courage to see the face of God in our neighbors and to build a culture of genuine encounter.
Divine Peace, hear our prayer.
For a lasting peace based on justice, mercy, and the sacred dignity of every life.
Divine Peace, hear our prayer. Amen.
Anali Praise Women of the Seven Continents
Hold your globe.
Let us praise women of the seven continents for Leading the Change and Shaping a Sustainable Future.
Praise to you, Sisters of Asia, for your strong resistance to oppression.
Praise to you, Sisters of Africa, for raising your voices in public squares.
Praise to you, Sisters of Europe, for your leadership in peacekeeping.
Praise to you, Sisters of North America, for confronting inequalities of race, gender, and class.
Praise to you, Sisters of South America, for struggles that bring about equality.
Praise to you, Sisters in Antarctica, for your scientific research.
Praise to you, Sisters of Australia, for your steadfast demands for justice.
Take Action
Let us put our prayers into action. Here are some possible ways.
~ Place pictures of inspirational women around your home.
~ Search for a woman online whom you admire, read her biography, and let it inspire you to shape your own story.
~ Write a letter or send an email to a woman who has guided you.
~ Take a wise woman out to dinner or cook a festive meal for her.
~ Make a collage or scrapbook of the names of women who have sparked in you a passion for justice. Add pictures and quotes, achievements, or ongoing struggles for justice.
~ Share your wisdom and tools with young women and empower them to make change.
Sending Forth
Let us go forth and continue to raise up women. Let us create an environment where women support and encourage one another.
Let us speak women’s names, tell their stories, and thank them for sharing their unique gifts with the world.
Let us be women who lead the change and shape a sustainable future.
Song: “Something Inside So Strong: Live ft Annatoria & Ché Kirah” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkwzl8J5nWU
© 2026 Diann L. Neu, co-director of WATER, dneu@hers.com, www.waterwomensalliance.org