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?

February 2012 Ritual: A Valentine for You!

By Diann L. Neu | The final word is love.

Three Must-Read Resource Reviews

By Mary E. Hunt I want to eat for breakfast whatever Joan Chittister eats. She pumps out books at lightening speed, or else she has a lot of elves out there in Erie, PA who help. Three recent ones include "40 Stories to Stir the Soul," "A Monastery Almanac," and "Songs of the Heart."

Progressive Religion to the Rescue

By Mary E. Hunt The happy hoopla surrounding the lifting of Don't Ask, Don't Tell had a shadow side. Close inspection revealed a lot of partners and spouses of LGBTIQ military people who had been cloaked in secrecy and euphemism ("Meet my cousin") for years. Now they, too, can come out. But they remain second-class citizens whose marriages don't count because of the Defense of Marriage Act.

January 2012: Human Trafficking Awareness Month Resources

By Diann L. Neu | More than 27 million women, men, and children have become victims of human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.

Women and Children First

By Mary E. Hunt Human trafficking is a mega-billion dollar global industry unregulated by any country or international body. It is a criminal activity ignored and/or tolerated with devastating consequences for the person involved, most of whom are women and children. Trafficking ranks just behind drug and arms trading as the most lucrative forms of commerce. Religiously informed social justice groups need to add this unspeakable activity to our agendas and bring the resources of our religious traditions to the task of eradicating it. I only wonder why it has taken some of us this long to focus our attention on an all too common phenomenon.

Carole Blythe Murdock Scinto

December 16, 1925 - November 29, 2011 With deep sadness and grateful hearts, WATER mourns the death of our beloved colleague, Carol Blythe Murdock Scinto. She was a stalwart volunteer for more than sixteen years at WATER. A journalist by training and vocation, she was the editor of the newsletter, WATERwheel.

December 2011 Ritual of Giving and Receiving

By Diann L. Neu | May the cycle of blessings continue!