St. Thomas the Apostle Homily Series

To complement Women’s History Month, Homily Series will be hosting a talk on Women in the Church:

From Anna the Prophetess to the Synodal Church
by Donna Cheesebrough
March 23, after the 9:30 am Mass

Did you know Anna the Prophetess is considered the first evangelist or that Mary Magdalene is called the “Apostle to the Apostles?” Are you aware that women served as deacons in the early church? Or that four of the thirty-seven Doctors of the Church are women? Throughout the centuries, women have played important roles in the Catholic Church up to and including most recently at the Synod on Synodality. Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of having participation and leadership of women in the Church. Where are we on this journey?

Join us for a time of inspiration as we recognize the impact of women in the Catholic tradition!

Donna Cheesebrough is a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle and a member of the Inclusive Justice Initiative as well as the Faith and Spiritual Growth Commission. Donna holds a Master of Divinity degree from Seattle University, a Jesuit institution. While living in Seattle, she worked for Catholic Community Services where she led the PREPARES Program (Pregnancy and Parenting Support) for Western Washington. She currently serves on the Board of the League of Women Voters of Naperville

Homily Series is an ongoing outreach effort of the parish, where we:

explicitly extend invitations for others to join us at St. Thomas;
grow in discipleship as a parish, by focusing on one topic together;
foster community engagement with special speakers and receptions.

To complement Women’s History Month, Homily Series will be hosting a talk by Donna Cheesebrough: Women in the Church, from Anna the Prophetess to Modern Times Sunday, March 23, after the 9:30 am Mass.

Did you know Anna the Prophetess is considered the first evangelist? Did you know Mary Magdalene is described as the “Apostle to the Apostles”? Did you know the first woman deacon was Phoebe?

In addition to these women, Donna will highlight the four women Doctors of the Church and touch on the Synod process as it pertains to the role of women.

Join us for a time of inspiration as we recognize the impact of women in the Catholic tradition!

Donna Cheesebrough has a Master of Divinity degree from Seattle University, a Jesuit institution. In Seattle she worked for Catholic Community Services. Currently she serves on the Board for the League of Women Voters in Naperville. Donna is a member of the Inclusive Justice Initiative and the Faith and Spiritual Growth Commission here at St. Thomas the Apostle.

Homily Series is an ongoing outreach effort of the parish, where we:

explicitly extend invitations for others to join us at St. Thomas;
grow in discipleship as a parish, by focusing on one topic together;
foster community engagement with special speakers and receptions.

Homily Series Archive