057: Women, Calling, and the Divine Feminine: Reverend Liz on Answering God's Voice
Release Date: 08/01/2026
057: Women, Calling, and the Divine Feminine: Reverend Liz on Answering God's Voice
Your Radical Truth podcast
Can a woman be called by God to the priesthood, even if her church says no? In this compelling episode of Your Radical Truth, Margaret Mary O'Connor sits down with Reverend Liz Maitland, whose extraordinary 47-year journey to ordination is a story of perseverance, faith, healing, and unwavering conviction. Raised in the Anglican Church before becoming Roman Catholic, Reverend Liz believed from a young age that God was calling her to become a priest. That calling ultimately led her to the Independent Catholic tradition, where she was ordained after decades of waiting and trusting God's...
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056: Faith, Resilience, Near-Death Experiences, and the Saint Who Became a Spiritual Companion
Your Radical Truth podcast
What gives someone the strength to endure unimaginable suffering without losing hope? In this inspiring episode of Your Radical Truth, Deacon Margaret Mary O'Connor welcomes Australian author and retired physician Kate Clinch to explore the extraordinary life of Eileen O'Connor, Australia's second saint-in-waiting. Born with a debilitating illness that left her in constant pain, Eileen transformed her suffering into a life of compassion, co-founding Our Lady's Nurses for the Poor and dedicating herself to serving society's most vulnerable. Kate also shares her own deeply personal journey,...
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055: What Really Happens Inside Opus Dei? Anne-Marie Allen Shares Her Story
Your Radical Truth podcast
What is Opus Dei really like behind closed doors? Former member Anne-Marie Allen joins Deacon Margaret Mary O'Connor to share her powerful firsthand account of life inside one of the Catholic Church's most controversial organizations. Anne-Marie, author of Serve! My Lost Years at the Heart of Ireland's Opus Dei, reveals how she was recruited into Opus Dei as a teenager, believing she was answering God's call. Instead, she found herself living under intense spiritual control, strict obedience, psychological manipulation, and a system that left little room for personal freedom. In this...
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054: Excommunicated for Saying Yes to God: Father Anne, the Twelve Apostles, and the Future of Women's Leadership in the Church
Your Radical Truth podcast
Excommunicated for Saying Yes to God: Father Anne, the Twelve Apostles, and the Future of Women's Leadership in the Church What happens when a woman believes God has called her to the priesthood, but the Church says no? In this thought-provoking episode of Your Radical Truth, Deacon Margaret Mary O'Connor welcomes Father Anne, a Roman Catholic woman priest who chose to follow what she believed was God's call, despite knowing it would lead to excommunication. Together, they explore one of the most controversial issues in Christianity: the exclusion of women from ordained ministry. Father Anne...
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053: From Adrenaline Junkie to Peacemaker: John Graham's Search for Meaning
Your Radical Truth podcast
What if the adventures that nearly killed you were actually preparing you for your life's true purpose? In this fascinating episode, John Graham shares his remarkable journey from adrenaline-fueled adventurer to global peacebuilder. As a teenager, he shipped out on a freighter, hitchhiked through the Algerian Revolution, helped make the first ascent of Denali's dangerous North Wall, and reported from war zones around the world. His quest for excitement eventually led him to serve as a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Libya, Vietnam, and at the United Nations. But it was during the Vietnam War...
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052: Ordination Justice, Women Priests, and the Future of the Catholic Church with Father Anne
Your Radical Truth podcast
What if the question the Catholic Church has been asking about women’s ordination is the wrong question entirely? In this powerful episode of Your Radical Truth, host Margaret Mary O’Connor welcomes back Father Anne for a deeply thought-provoking conversation about ordination justice, hidden church history, women’s roles in early Christianity, and the future of the Catholic Church. Together, they explore the growing movement surrounding women in ministry, the historical evidence of women deacons, apostles, and leaders in the early church, and why so much of this history has remained...
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051: The Church You Were Taught… and the One You Were Never Shown
Your Radical Truth podcast
What if the story you’ve been told about the Church is only part of the truth? In this episode of Your Radical Truth, Margaret Mary O’Connor welcomes back Father Anne for a conversation that goes far beyond surface-level discussion. This is the beginning of an ongoing monthly series where real issues are explored without filtering or softening the message. The focus of this episode centers on women in the Catholic Church, what has been taught, what has been omitted, and what is now being questioned. Father Anne speaks directly to the issue of ordination, not as a “women’s issue,” but...
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050: Excommunicated but Called: One Woman’s Path Beyond the Church with Reverend Shanon Sterringer
Your Radical Truth podcast
What does it really mean to follow a calling when the very institution that shaped your faith no longer recognizes you? In this powerful episode of Your Radical Truth Podcast, Margaret Mary O’Connor sits down with Reverend Shanon Sterringer for a deeply honest conversation about vocation, excommunication, and the courage it takes to walk a path that few are willing to take. Shanon’s journey began inside the Roman Catholic Church, where she served for more than two decades in ministry, leadership, and theological education. Her call to priesthood was not something that came from outside the...
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049: Why Are Women Still Denied Power in the Catholic Church?
Your Radical Truth podcast
What happens when a woman devotes her life to faith and still finds herself shut out of leadership? In Episode 49 of Your Radical Truth Podcast, Debra Flint returns for a powerful and unfiltered conversation about spiritual and political power abuse within Catholicism. Drawing from her book No Place for a Woman, Debra shares her personal journey through the Church, her calling to consecrated life, and the moment everything changed. This episode goes beyond doctrine. It explores who holds power, why women continue to be excluded from leadership roles, and what happens when institutional...
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048: The Sins of Mandatory Celibacy: How One Rule Reshaped the Catholic Church with Debra Maria Flint
Your Radical Truth podcast
Mandatory celibacy has shaped the Roman Catholic Church for nearly a millennium, yet questions continue to surface about its origins, purpose, and long-term impact on clergy, leadership, and the faithful. Why did the Church require priestly celibacy? Was it theological, political, or institutional? And what might the future hold for reform? In this episode of Your Radical Truth, Deacon Margaret Mary O’Connor sits down with Catholic feminist writer, theologian, and independent Catholic deacon Debra Maria Flint to examine one of the most debated disciplines in Church history. Drawing from her...
info_outlineCan a woman be called by God to the priesthood, even if her church says no?
In this compelling episode of Your Radical Truth, Margaret Mary O'Connor sits down with Reverend Liz Maitland, whose extraordinary 47-year journey to ordination is a story of perseverance, faith, healing, and unwavering conviction.
Raised in the Anglican Church before becoming Roman Catholic, Reverend Liz believed from a young age that God was calling her to become a priest. That calling ultimately led her to the Independent Catholic tradition, where she was ordained after decades of waiting and trusting God's direction.
Together, Deacon Margaret Mary and Reverend Liz explore the Divine Feminine, women's leadership in the early Church, biblical images of God as both father and mother, and why these conversations continue to matter today. Reverend Liz also shares her personal journey through mental health challenges, the healing she found through faith and contemplative prayer, and how her ministry now includes training assistance dogs to support emotional wellbeing.
Whether you're exploring your own faith journey, interested in the history of women in Christianity, or simply enjoy thoughtful conversations that challenge conventional thinking, this episode offers insight, hope, and plenty to reflect upon.
In This Episode
• Reverend Liz's 47-year journey to the priesthood
• Healing through faith and contemplative prayer
• The Divine Feminine and Mother God
• Women in the early Church
• The Independent Catholic tradition
• Assistance dogs and emotional healing
Full Post
https://YourRadicalTruth.com/057-Rev-Liz
Learn More About Reverend Liz
Mother's Messages Church
https://mothersmessagesagape.church
Wellbeing Dogs
https://wellbeingdogs.org
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