Prof. Mat Schmalz, of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., is an expert on global Catholicism, modern religious movements, and South Asian studies.
Prof. Phyllis Zagano teaches religion at Hofstra University; her specialization is the history of women deacons in the Catholic Church.
Dare we hope for a more progressive pontiff? Cardinals, pay attention! This is your moment to show your sensitivity to the movements of the Spirit!
To quote Abigail Adams’s 1776 letter to her husband John: “I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors….Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
Dr. Nancy Cappello, champion of Connecticut legislation that has become a model for other states.
The law requires that women with “dense breasts” be told about it so they can opt for an ultrasound or MRI, which would be paid for by insurers. Tumors in dense breasts can go undetected by mammography. Forty-percent of women have dense breasts; they carry an increased risk of breast cancer, even more than having two first-degree relatives — a mother and a sister — with breast cancer.
Nancy, who grew up Catholic and now worships in an Assembly of God church, drew strength from her spirituality when, nine years ago, shortly after having had two “normal” mammograms, she was diagnosed with late-stage breast-cancer.
In our interview, Nancy mentions some favorite music, snippets of which punctuate the show:
Gregorian chant (from the CD Eternal Chant: An Overview of Gregorian Chant); a version of the song “Count Your Blessings,” by Amy Grant ; and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing at President Obama’s Second Inaugural.
Here are links to Nancy’s websites, http://www.areyoudense.org and http://www.areyoudenseadvocacy.org.
Reasonably Catholic: Keeping the Faith 