A popular long-running podcast of Australian Christian women preaching on the Gospel will air its final episode on International Women’s Day this year.
Launched in 2021 during COVID, the Australian Women Preach Podcast, an initiative of Women and the Australian Church (WATAC) and the Grail in Australia, features a woman preaching on the Gospel each week for the coming Sunday. In the four years it’s been going, it has clocked up more than 200 episodes and almost 50,000 listens.
In that time 175 women from all walks of life around the country have preached on the podcast, including from remote Aboriginal communities.
One of the founders of the podcast team, Tracy McEwan said preaching was a gift from the Holy Spirit.
“Everyone benefits from hearing a diversity of voices preaching the Gospel,” she said.
The majority of the women on the podcast are Catholic and most serve the faithful in some way. For example, the nine women preachers from the Diocese of Parramatta include members of the Plenary Council, as well as the Diocesan, Deanery and Parish councils, while some also work or volunteer in Catholic schools and parishes, and in the Chancery’s Mission Enhancement Team.
One of these preachers from the Parramatta Diocese, Padmi Pathinather, the inaugural Chair of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, said the podcast had given a “powerful platform” to women’s voices, which had long been underrepresented in the church.
“By showcasing diverse female perspectives on scripture, it has not only inspired women but also encouraged men to reflect on the richness of inclusive preaching,” she said.
Another preacher from the Diocese, Alison Ryan, a facilitator with the Mission Enhancement Team, said having so many women from “across Australia sharing story and wisdom about their life and faith journey reveals the many ways that God is moving among us”.
“Over the four years of preaching, we have heard the Gospel speak through the lives of women who bring their lived experiences of culture, work, family, language, study and reflection,” she said, “creating a tapestry of faith that reflects more fully the people of God.”
Sue Martin, a member of the Diocese’s Laudato Si Team and the Hills Deanery Pastoral Council, said as a preacher it was a “blessing to contribute through the gifts received from the Holy Spirit”.
“Our Catholic school communities are full of strong women voices, it has been good to show that strong women are in our parishes too,” she said.
In 2023, a collection of sermons from the podcast series was published as a book by Garratt Publishing, entitled In Her Voice: Raising Women’s Voices in Preaching the Gospel. And since early 2024 Madonna Magazine has published three sermons from the podcast in each print issue.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, the Bishop of Parramatta, who was a regular listener of the podcast, paid tribute the impact it has made.
“Though it is sad to see this project come to an end, it has trailblazed the new path forward,” Bishop Vincent said in a letter to the podcast team.
“Therefore, we should celebrate its impact. Well done to the many women who are involved in it.”
With the podcast coming to an end, the Australian Women Preach team is looking for new ways to be “a prophetic voice on the inclusion of women”.
The team is in a process of discernment, and will host a web forum on Sunday, 9 March, for interested people to reflect on what comes next for Australian Women Preach.
One thing they have said is that there will be an epilogue episode in the coming weeks, and a catalogue of past episodes will be available on their website.
“This is an exciting time for the AWP. We are thrilled that the weekly episodes have had such an impact and are anticipating a future filled with possibilities, modelling the church we want to be. Prayerful collaboration with the team, our supporters, and our preachers is paramount,” the team said in a statement.
The final episode of the Australian Women Preach Podcast is released on Spotify on Saturday, 8 March.
For those wishing to join the online Zoom forum on Sunday, 9 March, please register beforehand using the QR code or link in the panel below.
