Celebration of American Preaching
Sister Joan Chittister
June 22, 2008
Joan Chittister has been one of the church’s key visionary voices and spiritual leaders for more than thirty years. A Benedictine Sister of Erie, Pennsylvania, Sister Joan is an international lecturer and award-winning author of more than 35 books—her latest, The Gift of Years, (BlueBridge) was released this spring.

She is the founder and executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality located in Erie.

Currently she serves as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a partner organization of the UN, facilitating a worldwide network of women peace builders, particularly in Israel and Palestine. She is also co-chair of the Network of Spiritual Progressives with Rabbi Michael Lerner and Cornell West.

In 2007 she received the Hans Kung Award from the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church and the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, (an organization of the leaders/superiors of the over 75,000 Catholic religious women in the US).

Last October she participated in the First Emory Summit of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding at Emory University as a responder to the remarks of the Dalai Lama. She also lectured in Scotland and Spain, and was on a two-week speaking tour of New Zealand and Australia.

On Easter Sunday 2006 she appeared on “Meet the Press with Tim Russert.” In April 2005 her commentary from Rome on the month-long coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II and election of Benedict XVI was aired on CNN, the BBC, and all national US media networks. In 2004 she was interviewed on “NOW with Bill Moyers.” She has also been a presenter in three of the National Conferences sponsored by the Trinity Institute.

Sister Joan writes a regular web column, “From Where I Stand,” for the National Catholic Reporter and has received numerous awards and recognition for her work for justice, peace, and equality, especially for women in the Church and in society.

Seven of her books have received awards from the Catholic Press Association, including her 2005 best seller, Called to Question, a spiritual memoir.

Sister Joan received her doctorate from Penn State University in speech-communication theory and was an invited fellow and research associate at St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University in 1996. In 2001 she held the Brueggeman Chair of Ecumenical Theology at Xavier University.

She has served as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses (1974–90), and was prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie for 12 years.

Most recent books by Joan Chittister:
The Gift of Years. BlueBridge, 2008.
Welcome to the Wisdom of the World: and its meaning for you. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2007.
25 Windows into the Soul: Praying with the Psalms. Benetvision, 2007.
The Ten Commandments: Laws of the Heart. Orbis Books, 2006. In Search of Belief. Triumph Books, 2006.
The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Waskow, Chittister, Chishti, Beacon Press, 2006.
The Friendship of Women: The Hidden Tradition of the Bible. BlueBridge, 2006.
How Shall We Live. Benetvision, 2006.
The Way We Were: A Story of Conversion and Renewal. Orbis Books, 2005.
Called to Question: a spiritual memoir. Sheed & Ward, 2005.