Breanna Mekuly lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she works with the Benedictine Sisters at their soup kitchen and with Sr. Joan Chittister's ministries. She is also involved in Call to Action's 20/30 cohort of Young Adult Leaders, through which she is working on a project that brings together the intersection of gender, sexuality and spirituality using a feminist Catholic lens. Previously, Breanna worked as a campus minister at a Catholic college after studying theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
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Young women ask difficult questions to challenge church at recent Joan Chittister institute
GSR Today - Eight female-identifying Catholics in their 20s and 30s, all of them students or recent graduates of programs in theology or divinity, gathered June 17-30 at Mount St. Benedict Monastery for the inaugural Joan Chittister Institute for Contemporary Spirituality: A Feminist Benedictine Option, a two-week intensive course as part of an ongoing effort to support young female Catholic theologians, who are often shut out of the church. It was inspiring.
Hospitality: God's love portrayed in the sisters
GSR Today - I used to hate sharing my food. However, I loved when people would share their food with me. It seemed like such a gift for someone to share something delicious, and it was a gift I rarely declined. Why aren't they keeping it for themselves? I wondered.
Living with sisters taught me what I really want out of life
GSR Today - Spending time with the Benedictines of Erie helped me realize the things I deeply desire in my own life. While living in intentional community, and as I participated in the sisters' practices, I came to recognize my longing to live a life of passion, joy, love and purpose.