Happy Birthday, Shero Joan Chittister!
Celebrating 90 years of life on April 26, 2026, Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister’s prophetic voice is a call to action in a polarized world.
I call her my Shero, but most people call her Sr. Joan Chittister. A Benedictine nun for over 70 years, a modern-day prophet, spirited and prolific writer, she has authored more than 50 books (many of which are on my bookshelves) and hundreds of articles. Her voice inspires, encourages, guides, heartens, and provokes in all the good ways.
A woman with a heart on fire—Joan is unafraid to use her voice for justice, equality, inclusion, and peace. Joan’s energy, hope, resilience, and overall sassiness are an inspiration to me. She has served in a variety of leadership roles, including prioress of her monastery, President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and President of the Federation of St. Scholastica, but it is her voice in the world that cannot be contained, bringing new ways to understand faith and spirituality and a woman’s place in it all.
As a leader of women, she is unapologetically outspoken on behalf of women’s causes. Of course, a strong woman’s voice seems to inevitably result in a controversy or two, but Joan is not shy about doubling down on her beliefs, even if it puts her at odds with the Vatican. For this, I love her so. She is courageous and convicted.
Having grown up in a Catholic diocese where doubt and certainly questions were not welcome, imagine the appeal of Chittister’s spiritual memoir, Called to Question. REALLY, I am also called to question? The answer: Yes, I am. Not only do I have permission, but I also have a role model. I, too, can and must ask questions, trust the answers, and use my voice—not without consequence, of course—with an unashamed, authentic spirituality open to deeper learning.
“It is a discouraging process sometimes to need to begin over and over again to complete the process of spiritual growth, which we tend to believe should be linear when it is, in fact, circular to the core,” Chittister writes in Called to Question.
Yes, it can be discouraging, sometimes, particularly in an environment of White Christian nationalism, absolutes, and literalism, but beginning again is at the heart of Benedictine spirituality. Chittister continued, “It is, at the same time, an exhilarating process, this coming to awareness of the life within, and the God within that life. It is the discovery of the freedom that comes with the beginning again, with finding new truth, new ways of being alive…”
In The Time is Now: A Call to Uncommon Courage, Chittister writes to the heartbroken with a call to action:
“With the world around us cracking at the seams and America in a state of polarization and political disarray, this book sets out to answer the most serious questions of them all.” She continues by explaining why we must read this book, how we confront challenges, how important our role is in making a difference, and how we can become a prophet for our time.
What is a prophet? Chittister writes, “The prophet is the person who says no to everything that is not of God...one who speaks the truth to a culture of lies.” It’s also saying yes— yes to equal rights, alleviating suffering, embracing diversity, and to prophetic spirituality, (and, lol, to highlighting the best parts of a book. Yes, I travel with highlighters and have them readily available in every room of my house. Chittister writes highly highlight-able books.)
What is needed to fix our muddled world? According to Chittister, I am the answer.
The tension of feeling unsettled with our “deteriorating present” and having “hearts full of fervor for all of life” must be held together. We have a choice in our response—we can “distance ourselves from the difficulties of it all….crawl into a comfortable cave with nice people and become a church, a culture, a society within a society…hunker down together and wait for the storm to calm down” or we can “follow the path of the prophets of old. It is to echo those who came before us who spoke the voice and vision of God for the world.” (The Time is Now, Chittister)
We are called to question. We are called to be like the prophets, “sirens in the night, the sowers of far-flung seeds, the eternal agitators in the soul of the people, of the nation, torches in the murk of confusion.” (The Time is Now, Chittister) We are called to stay in the game, speaking truth to power.
Consider: How am I called to be a prophet? What can I say yes to? What must I say no to? When do I speak up? When do I remain silent?
Learn more about Shero Joan Chittister:
Risking the Questions Podcast with Sr. Joan Chittister and her friend and biographer, former National Catholic Reporter editor Tom Roberts. They explore questions like the nature of God, our purpose in life, how to respond to changing times, and more.
Honoring Sister Joan Chittister At 90, Judith Valente, author and Benedictine author, honors Sr. Joan in her column.
Joan Chittister – Seeking the Spiritual Life, “Wisdom Keepers” explores the timeless questions of who we are and where we’re going. Featuring profound thinkers, mystics, and scientists, the series offers deep insights and introspection into life’s fundamental mysteries in our complex world.
First Look: Oprah and Sister Joan Chittister on Super Soul Sunday, Oprah Winfrey.
Sister Joan’s Seven Decades Of Women’s Advocacy Against The Catholic Church, The Project.
Being Benedictine 
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