ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at some of the writing about the creation and analysis of 'women's liturgy'. This is the rich soil in which the diverse rituals, liturgies and ceremonies which women are developing to mark transitions in their lives are rooted. For many white western women, the experience of the church's liturgy has been one of exclusion, marginalization or invisibility. Much of the liturgical development has taken place in small, grass-roots groups, usually with shared leadership. Teresa Berger probably uses the most general and inclusive terminology. She prefers the term 'Women's Liturgical Movement' to describe a process emerging in the twentieth century, following the Liturgical Movement. A number of writers produce their own lists, generally based on observation and experience of actual liturgical events or texts. A common feature of women's liturgies is their use of symbols or symbolic action.
