Jennifer Mertens

Jennifer Mertens earned her Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union. She completed her undergraduate studies at Saint Louis University and currently teaches religion at a Catholic high school in Cincinnati.

She writes for NCR's Young Voices blog.

Happy New Year (Unsplash/Annie Spratt)

Jan 01, 2018

8 tips for nurturing your body, mind and spirit in 2018

New Year's 2018: As we celebrate, we can take time to reflect on how to usher in 2018 with a fresh commitment to our own well-being. Here are eight meaningful resolutions.

St. Barbara of Roussanou Monastery perches at the edge of a towering hilltop in Meteora, Greece. (Wikimedia Commons/Dennis D. Auger)

Nov 09, 2017

Retracing the footsteps of our foremothers in faith

Young Voices: Each step in Greece led us further back into a narrative rooted in the lives of early Christian women, whose influence we explored at numerous ancient sites.

Missionaries of Charity Sister and a child

Aug 10, 2017

Does Christianity have a Wonder Woman?

Young Voices: The success of the female-directed action movie with a female main character, "Wonder Woman," speaks to the profound longing that countless women and girls experience for such a female witness.

Apr 06, 2017

Saint Mary's College pioneers summer theological program for teen girls

Oct 13, 2016

Trump's candidacy exposes sin of rape culture

Sep 08, 2016

My 48,180-pound trash pile

Aug 17, 2016

10 tips for college freshmen: Staying connected to your faith

Mar 10, 2016

NETWORK models the Gospel-driven paid parental leave commitment needed in the US church

Dec 17, 2015

Creative, meaningful (and last minute!) Christmas gift-giving

Oct 29, 2015

Women religious offer their charism to future generations

Sep 10, 2015

Momentum builds for paid parental leave in the U.S. church

Jul 23, 2015

The paradox of a pro-life church without paid parental leave

May 21, 2015

A celebration of the Voices of Young Catholic Women project

Apr 16, 2015

The 'big revolution' according to Cardinal Rodriguez

Feb 19, 2015

Can the church welcome the transgender community?

Dec 24, 2014

Our bold, tenacious labor to birth Christ today

Dec 18, 2014

Update: Women offer stole, other gifts to Pope Francis

Oct 30, 2014

The gifts of women en route to Rome

Sep 04, 2014

An unspoken truth about teens who flee the Catholic church

Jul 17, 2014

The challenge of a church response to violence against women