To Speak the Truth in Love

Association of Catholic Publishers 

Excellence in Publishing Award:

First Place, Biography

"An astonishing story of one woman's moral leadership in collaboration with communities of her dedicated Sisters. The church and world are still in desperate need of such courageous speaking, born of deep faith and great kindness. Sparks fly out from this book to inspire a new generation." --Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, author, The Strength of Her Witness

"It's been a long time since I've felt so good reading a book.... With the publication of this fine biography, it becomes undeniable, were there ever a question, that Theresa Kane personifies the best of feminine church leadership. Make that church leadership." --Tom Fox, CEO/President, National Catholic Reporter

"Theresa Kane is a person remembered for the simple manner in which she engaged the ordinary experiences of her own story and, in doing so, embodied an age." --Helen Marie Burns, RSM, former president LCWR (1988-91) and Vice President, Sisters of Mercy 1984-91, 1999-2005

In 1979 Sister Theresa Kane, then-president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, was invited to offer a greeting to Pope John Paul II during his visit to the United States. She used the opportunity to ask the pope to open all the ministries of the Church to women. This riveting biography opens with that famous scene, a galvanizing moment that provoked ardent support as well as bitter criticism. During her seven years as president of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union, she fought tirelessly for women’s equality. Because she would not desist from speaking her sisters’ truth, the Vatican tried to remove her from office. Kane persisted with a deep and persevering faith.

Through her story, this book documents an important period of contemporary Catholic history when Theresa Kane and so many other sisters exercised unparalleled leadership in the Catholic Church by speaking truth to power—with love, wisdom, and grace.

Christine Schenk, CSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph, has worked as a nurse midwife to low-income families, a community organizer, and the founding director of an international church reform organization, FutureChurch. Her recent book, Crispina and Her Sisters: Women and Authority in Early Christianity, received a first place award from the Catholic Press Association.