Listening to the Voices of Girls
About this article
This article by Marilyn Kielbasa first appeared in Catholic Woman, a magazine published bimonthly by the National Council of Catholic Women, Volume 27 no. 1, January-February 2001. The development and evolution of The Voices Project, an initiative of Saint Mary's Press to nurture the spirituality of adolescent girls and young women, is discussed.
God is with her.
God works for her.
God fills her.
God chooses her.
God accepts her.
God praises her.
God listens to her.
God cries with her.
God knows her.
God loves her.
We are her.
In eleven short lines, Nadia, a sixteen-year-old girl from Milwaukee, WI, defines her relationship with God as well as that of every other woman in history. Nadia's poem is one of over twelve hundred pieces submitted for a forthcoming book of prayers, poems, and reflections by girls. The girls wrote about everything from cherished dolls to broken friendships, from vivid images of God to doubts that God exists, from the mountaintop of dreams come true to the trenches of despair after the death of someone they love, from the sheer joy of winning a softball championship to the sheer terror of being raped. They wrote about laughing, hugging, dancing, doubting, rejecting, crying, painting, losing, finding, questioning, admiring, believing, wishing, and wondering. In short, they wrote about life as a girl in the twenty-first century.
In the last two decades, through what is known as "the girls' movement," we have become aware that many girls in our culture are losing their voices, sacrificing their dreams, and hiding their gifts because of cultural pressures and expectations. Books such as Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher and In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan have helped us understand some of the struggles of girls in a society that has made the male experience the norm.
During that same period, much has been written about the spirituality of adult women. Authors like Sandra Schneiders and Maria Harris have provided both theological foundations and practical resources to help women grow spiritually. Groups have formed around the country where women come together to share faith, exchange ideas, and pray.
The two paths have only crossed incidentally. Until now, that is. The Voices Project, an initiative of Saint Mary's Press in Winona, Minnesota, is bringing together the energy of the girls' movement with the wisdom of women's spirituality. The mission of the project is ". . . to significantly advance ministry to girls and young women, recognizing and valuing their unique experience and spiritual perspective." Through research, resources, networking, training, and listening to girls themselves, our goal is to nurture and support the spirituality of girls ages ten to nineteen.
The project began in the summer of 1998 as a response to a call from teachers and youth ministry professionals who were looking for materials that addressed girls' issues and responded to their spiritual needs. The steering committee that initiated the project eventually grew into a national team of twenty-four women who have been involved in the project in various ways. One group put together a resource packet for a girls' celebration of the International Jubilee Day for Women. Another group is working on a series of resource manuals on topics such as praying with girls, retreats for girls, and introducing girls to women in the Scriptures and Tradition. Other team members are initiating plans for a national gathering in 2002. Still others have conducted listening sessions with girls around the country.
To date, Saint Mary's Press has generously supported this work by providing both financial and human resources. The company also sponsors a local girls' group in Winona. About twenty teenage girls get together with some of the women on staff at least once a month to explore all kinds of issues, pray, share their thoughts, express themselves through art, spend quiet time, and have fun together.
In faith communities across the country, women have voiced their concerns about the next generation of women and their desire to pass on a faith that is vibrant, active, and respectful of the feminine experience. They wonder who will carry on the work of groups such as the National Council of Catholic Women and diocesan women's commissions around the country. My experience with The Voices Project gives me great hope for the future, as teenage girls around the country figure out what it means for them--as women made in the image of God--to live out the Gospel and be the word of God in the world now and in the years to come.
God works for her.
God fills her.
God chooses her.
God accepts her.
God praises her.
God listens to her.
God cries with her.
God knows her.
God loves her.
We are her.
In eleven short lines, Nadia, a sixteen-year-old girl from Milwaukee, WI, defines her relationship with God as well as that of every other woman in history. Nadia's poem is one of over twelve hundred pieces submitted for a forthcoming book of prayers, poems, and reflections by girls. The girls wrote about everything from cherished dolls to broken friendships, from vivid images of God to doubts that God exists, from the mountaintop of dreams come true to the trenches of despair after the death of someone they love, from the sheer joy of winning a softball championship to the sheer terror of being raped. They wrote about laughing, hugging, dancing, doubting, rejecting, crying, painting, losing, finding, questioning, admiring, believing, wishing, and wondering. In short, they wrote about life as a girl in the twenty-first century.
In the last two decades, through what is known as "the girls' movement," we have become aware that many girls in our culture are losing their voices, sacrificing their dreams, and hiding their gifts because of cultural pressures and expectations. Books such as Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher and In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan have helped us understand some of the struggles of girls in a society that has made the male experience the norm.
During that same period, much has been written about the spirituality of adult women. Authors like Sandra Schneiders and Maria Harris have provided both theological foundations and practical resources to help women grow spiritually. Groups have formed around the country where women come together to share faith, exchange ideas, and pray.
The two paths have only crossed incidentally. Until now, that is. The Voices Project, an initiative of Saint Mary's Press in Winona, Minnesota, is bringing together the energy of the girls' movement with the wisdom of women's spirituality. The mission of the project is ". . . to significantly advance ministry to girls and young women, recognizing and valuing their unique experience and spiritual perspective." Through research, resources, networking, training, and listening to girls themselves, our goal is to nurture and support the spirituality of girls ages ten to nineteen.
The project began in the summer of 1998 as a response to a call from teachers and youth ministry professionals who were looking for materials that addressed girls' issues and responded to their spiritual needs. The steering committee that initiated the project eventually grew into a national team of twenty-four women who have been involved in the project in various ways. One group put together a resource packet for a girls' celebration of the International Jubilee Day for Women. Another group is working on a series of resource manuals on topics such as praying with girls, retreats for girls, and introducing girls to women in the Scriptures and Tradition. Other team members are initiating plans for a national gathering in 2002. Still others have conducted listening sessions with girls around the country.
To date, Saint Mary's Press has generously supported this work by providing both financial and human resources. The company also sponsors a local girls' group in Winona. About twenty teenage girls get together with some of the women on staff at least once a month to explore all kinds of issues, pray, share their thoughts, express themselves through art, spend quiet time, and have fun together.
In faith communities across the country, women have voiced their concerns about the next generation of women and their desire to pass on a faith that is vibrant, active, and respectful of the feminine experience. They wonder who will carry on the work of groups such as the National Council of Catholic Women and diocesan women's commissions around the country. My experience with The Voices Project gives me great hope for the future, as teenage girls around the country figure out what it means for them--as women made in the image of God--to live out the Gospel and be the word of God in the world now and in the years to come.
Acknowledgments
Published January 1, 2001.
