Sisterhood

(I am honored to be a part of this blog, discussing the joy of being a Catholic woman. I hope to add to the great conversation by bringing my perspective as a young single Catholic woman. I look forward to growing in Faith with you.)

Sisterhood
By Jamie Gruber

“How to Get Him to Dump Her.” This was one of the recent headlines of a tabloid I noticed while standing in the supermarket line. I was not shocked that the world was promoting boyfriends over sisterhood. But as I talked with my girlfriends in the local Catholic young adult community, I realized we were not exempt from this mentality. We too have chosen to concern ourselves more with the potential of a romantic relationship, than friendship with each other.

One friend put it this way, “When I walk into a party filled with our Catholic friends, I feel a heightened tension between all the ladies. We each have tagged certain men ‘mine’. And so, we are in competition with each other, instead of in communion.” It seems it is easier for women to love men, because we receive the instant gratification of affection we so desire. Our desire to love men is good and from God, but when it trumps our call to sisterhood, then we should re-evaluate the way we look at our relationships. Our effort to love our sisters now will only add to the Graces of our future marriages.

ENDOW study groups have brought new meaning to the idea of sisterhood for young women. It allows for GIRL ONLY time and it enables us to relearn the virtues of loving and building each other up. A wise friend once told me that friendship with other women is essential to our feminine spirituality. When we spend this time together as sisters, we grow in prayer and learn to see how God loves us.

While meditating on the Joyful Mystery of The Visitation, I realized the model that Mother Mary has set for women. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth shows us our vocation as women to support and love each other first! Women are a beautiful half of the Body of Christ, and by being good sisters to one another, we are honoring our brothers in Christ.

Reason for Hope

Several years ago, I delivered a speech at a Pro-Life Conference in Dallas. I wish I could say that it was the most memorable presentation of the day, but it wasn’t. In my opinion, a Boston attorney named Frances Hogan claimed that honor. I have never forgotten her story. Ms. Hogan spoke about graduating from Boston College Law School in the early 1970’s, at the height of the cultural revolution, the effects of which are still evident today. Eager to include women, various organizations such as the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association, Teacher Associations, etc., snatched up these young female attorneys and signed them up as board members.

As Catholic professional women coming of age during this turbulent time, Hogan and the others quickly realized that the organizations with which they had associated were adopting pro-choice positions. In protest, they resigned, which she claimed was the biggest mistake of her life. In her words, “we left the table.” As a result, they lost their voice. The rest is history.

All of this reminds me of my daughter. Newly graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island with a degree in Theology, she and four of her college roommates just spent the last couple of weeks driving up and down the West Coast. Since Denver was their beginning and ending point, I made sure that we had time for Mexican food, margaritas, and some lively conversation before they ventured off. What a gift!

As I listened to them, I thought of Frances Hogan and her graduating class of 1972. As the saying goes, “you’ve come a long way, baby…” These 2009 graduates are different. Full of life and confidence and smart as a whip, these young Catholic women are armed with all of John Paul II’s teachings on the dignity of women. They aren’t going to leave anyone’s table. We have every reason in the world to be hopeful.