Join the effort

Here are some ideas: 

• Change the way you show up (or don’t) to Mass

• Decline opportunities to be a lector, acolyte, Eucharistic minister, catechist, choir member, or other volunteer role you may normally take on.

• If you still decide to attend Mass, wear a visible sign of support for the strike and sit with other women or allies.

• Find an alternative so that pews in your church will be empty. For example, attend online, or find an inclusive liturgy.

• Redirect your financial resources

• Withhold your donations to the institutional church during Lent. You may want to redirect those funds to gender justice organizations, the Catholic Women Strike campaign, or engage in mutual aid and support a woman on strike in your community. Use this as an opportunity to tell the diocese what you are doing, either in the collection basket or in a letter.

• Change the way you show up (or don’t) to your diocesan job

• While a sustained, 40-day strike may not be possible for many working women, think about impactful alternatives. For example, can you coordinate with allies in your diocese or office to walk out on one or more days during Lent? You might want to walk out to a planned vigil at another location, or outside your place of work. Perhaps all of the people participating in the strike can wear the same button or symbol of support?

• Change the way you volunteer

• Many women are involved in volunteer or social justice ministries in their parishes. Consider how you might suspend your volunteer time and find others who can take your place. This is a great opportunity to have a discussion with your community about why you are participating in the strike.

• Use social media

  • We have a powerful tool to communicate our values with our community by posting and sharing Catholic Women Strike resources on social media. Let people know why this is important to you. Use #CatholicWomenStrike to tag your posts. Find our social media resources here.

• Organize a solidarity witness

• Host or join a prayer vigil outside your local church, Cathedral or place of worship before a scheduled Mass. You may want to link arms around your Church or relevant monument, or host an inclusive meal and ritual.

• Write a letter

  • Throughout Lent we will be collecting and sharing letters of women who are engaging in the strike campaign. We invite you to share them with us. You may also want to write a letter to your bishop or local church leaders, diocesan or local newspaper or larger Catholic media outlets. You are part of a global campaign - let people know!

• Wear or share a symbol of the strike

• Perhaps none of the above are possible for you. Can you wear a button, pin, or even a purple stole to signify your support? Maybe you can drop off some postcards or stickers in strategic places to help spread the word? That would be wonderful.

Frequently asked questions

• "Why now?"

  A strike is not a first step; a strike is in some ways a last resort. The time is right now because we are not being heard. The historic, three-year Synod on Synodality formally ended in October 2024 with no meaningful movement on the issue of women’s ordination, despite the issue being consistently raised by Catholics worldwide at every step of the synodal process. Now is the time to escalate because we need to show that we will no longer patiently wait to work on the Vatican’s timetable. A strike is a means of taking power into our own hands.

• “Won’t a strike cause more harm than good? What about the children in religious education and everyone else who won’t receive the ministries that they rely on?”

  We need to show our children that we will not stand for a church that discriminates against women. A strike puts our commitments into prophetic action. It is a ministry of justice that we undertake for everyone in our church.

• "What if I would risk my job by striking?"

  An effective strike is not a solo effort. Workers unite to demonstrate their collective power. Individuals can be replaced, but an entire class cannot be replaced. If Catholic women stand in solidarity with each other, we can challenge institutions to listen and take action. You might also consider creative ways to “walk out” on a specific day with your colleagues. A strike is meant to shift power; your community will know how to do that best.

• “What if my community and I aren’t able to strike?”

  The beauty of grassroots efforts is that they arise out of local communities, drawing on their capacity and resources. You understand your community best, so if you want to organize another type of witness in solidarity with the effort, we support your participation and creativity in this movement.

• “How will I meet my sacramental obligations during Lent?”

  Consider live-streaming Mass from home or seeking alternative, inclusive liturgies led by women.

• “What if I am not comfortable with the word strike?”

  The word strike can be considered loaded and perhaps too political for some people. We use the word as a shorthand for disrupting a system that isn’t working and empowering women to recognize the value of their presence, labor, and gifts. A “strike” is what will get attention, but together we each can add our own expression and meaning to it.