Canticle - my newest find

I finally subscribed to Canticle today. I dont know what took me so long. It was cumbersome to think about having to change my address every few months, but I decided I'd rather deal with that silly task and have regular, printed access to the kind of information that makes me so fulfilled and energized. After writing that comment about how New Feminism is not known by many today I was excited by the plethora of feminine genius resources I found on the Women of Grace website. They even have a workbook program like ENDOW! I hope I shall get to help with such a program in the coming years.

Speaking on New Feminism

So many changes in New Feminism afloat! In the year or so that I've been periodically helping to edit the New Feminism page of Wikipedia, I've refreshingly found more and more information on this unparalleled new movement. There's even a new website specifically dedicated to it! http://www.thenewfeminism.net

Yet still, so few people have any idea at all what I am talking about when I mention New Feminism. Neither my "Women and Judaism" teacher of last semester nor my "History of American Feminism" teacher this had any idea what I was referencing. I suppose the nondescript character of the title doesn't help, but something more identifiable may come along soon. Although, if it doesn't, perhaps its generality will be something of an asset to set it apart as opposed to being a subset of Old Feminist movements. I thought about that today when debating whether or not to change the entry on Christian Feminism in Wikipedia. As it currently reads, it includes only Old Feminist critiques of Christianity. Is it appropriate to ally New Feminism with views it radically opposes in order to assert that there are more kinds of Christian feminism than what is currently thought of? Or should it remain completely separate and distinct? I haven't decided yet. Perhaps, as is the nature of Wikipedia, someone else will decide before me.

I'm also working on my presentations for my Newman Club explaining the controversial issues related to women and the Church - including Abortion, Contraception, Homosexuality, Women Priests, and New Feminism. It should be exciting but it's also a weight on my mind. I don't think I've yet found the strength of my own style to reach people. I have little fear of public speaking but am often flustered and don't think of the right things to say at the right time. I regret that that has never been my particular talent. I feel that in the long run, I might be more effective writing than speaking, the former of which I do really enjoy. But I can't help but feel, though, that there's something I'm not capitalizing on in the spoken word that can help me reach people. Several friends and strangers have been drawn to my reading voice during mass - it seems congenial to the ear - but in rhetoric it's effectiveness seems lost. Maybe I simply haven't enough experience in rhetoric yet, or maybe the way I'm trying to speak undermines the gift of a gentle voice. Regardless, I must learn how to speak with my own.