In the essay that opens this issue of Women Church World, theologian Cettina Militello writes, “Women’s prophecy is steeped in the present, in a critical look at the present, and for this very reason is open to the future”. This is what characterises the women we report on here. They are not visionaries; they do not preach a distant future. Their prophecy is an instance of freedom, an intelligence of events, and a capacity for vision: with an attentive mind to what is happening, they speak and work so that the world does not lose itself and becomes more just and united. They overcome gender; geographical, cultural and religious barriers are committed to justice, peace, and care for creation.