Mary Lee Talbot
Staff writer
Sister Teresa Maya is a sister to the sisters, a believer in the importance of formation to make the future possible. She is an educator walking the path that is committed to intercultural dialogue and the need for Encuentro (meeting the “other”) in our lives. She trusts what God is doing in religious life and celebrates hope as a gift of communion.
Maya will serve as chaplain at Chautauqua for Week Seven. She will preach at the 10:45 a.m. Sunday morning worship service in the Amphitheater. Her sermon title is “From the Greatness and Beauty of Created Things.” She will also preach at the 9:15 a.m. morning worship services Monday through Friday in the Amp. Her sermon titles include “Jesus Wept,” “The One Who Showed Mercy,” “I Am Not Worthy to Have You Under My Roof,” “The Weeds Appeared As Well” and “Those Who Hope.”
Maya is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio, Texas. She has had a lifelong love for learning that can probably be traced back to her youth when she was taught by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San José. Through her ministry of education, she continued to share this love as a teacher, history professor and administrator. She has a passion for the formation for ministry in every area and believes that formation is one of the best ways to prepare for the future.
Maya earned her Bachelor of Arts at Yale, her Master of Arts at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley and her Doctor of Philosophy in El Colegio de México in Mexico City. In 2008, she was elected to leadership in her religious community. She served as councilor and then as congregational leader.
In 2016, she was elected to the presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. She brought her conviction that women religious need to build bridges to her time with LCWR. Maya has continued to encourage welcoming diversity in the United States and the intentional formation around interculturality.
Maya’s energy as a presenter has given her the opportunity to contribute to ongoing formation in the Roman Catholic Church when addressing a wide range of audiences. She has offered her insights to the Union of International Superior Generals (UISG), the Conference of Religious of Latin America (CLAR) and the Dominican Sisters International. In 2019, she was invited to address the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) and challenged the bishops to a Culture of Encuentro. Her journey with so many groups has made her an “itinerant preacher.” Ongoing formation is her way of life.
Recently, she has accepted a position with the Catholic Health Association, collaborating with the ongoing formation of Sponsors for Catholic Healthcare.
