There are conversations that simply reinforce what we already believe.

And then there are conversations that quietly ask us to reconsider everything.

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Whether you agree with Reverend Liz or not, her story is impossible to dismiss. For 47 years she carried what she believed was God’s unmistakable call to become a priest, even while belonging to a church that insisted such a calling could never come to a woman.

Rather than walking away from her faith, she spent decades asking a different question:

What if God has been speaking more broadly than we’ve been taught to hear?

In this deeply personal conversation, Margaret Mary O’Connor welcomes Reverend Liz Maitland, whose remarkable journey spans decades of unwavering faith, personal suffering, spiritual healing, and an enduring commitment to answering what she believes was God’s call on her life.

A Calling That Wouldn’t Go Away

Reverend Liz shares the deeply personal story of sensing a call to the priesthood as a young woman, long before any realistic opportunity existed for women to serve in that role. Rather than abandoning her faith, she remained committed to Christianity while navigating years of disappointment, personal challenges, and institutional barriers before eventually being ordained in the Independent Catholic tradition in 2022.

Her story is one of remarkable perseverance. Instead of allowing rejection to define her faith, she continued asking how she could best serve God, trusting that the calling she experienced decades earlier had never disappeared.

Finding Healing Through Faith

One of the most moving parts of the conversation is Reverend Liz’s openness about her struggles with mental health and the profound spiritual experience she believes transformed her life.

She explains how contemplative prayer, living according to her faith, and embracing what she describes as God’s divine will brought lasting peace after years of emotional struggle. Her experience offers hope to anyone searching for healing while reminding us that faith and mental wellness can work hand in hand.

Exploring the Divine Feminine

Deacon Margaret Mary and Reverend Liz examine one of Christianity’s most thought-provoking topics: the feminine imagery of God found throughout Scripture.

Together they discuss biblical passages that compare God to a nurturing mother, explore why these images have often received little attention, and consider how acknowledging both masculine and feminine expressions of God may deepen our understanding of faith. Their conversation also touches on Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and the historical role of women in the early Church.

Faith, Tradition, and Honest Questions

This episode doesn’t ask listeners to abandon tradition. Instead, it invites them to ask thoughtful questions.

Margaret Mary and Reverend Liz explore how history, institutional practices, and biblical interpretation have shaped the Church’s understanding of leadership while encouraging listeners to seek truth with humility, compassion, and an open heart.

Whether you agree with every perspective shared or not, the conversation reminds us that genuine faith often begins with the willingness to ask difficult questions.

A Ministry Beyond the Church Walls

Reverend Liz’s ministry extends well beyond preaching and pastoral care.

As founder of Wellbeing Dogs, she works with individuals experiencing mental health challenges by training assistance dogs that provide companionship, emotional support, and encouragement. She also shares her vision for serving those experiencing homelessness through community ministry and practical acts of compassion.

Her work reflects a belief that ministry is lived through service just as much as it is spoken through words.

In This Episode

• Reverend Liz’s remarkable 47-year journey to the priesthood
• Healing from mental health challenges through faith and contemplative prayer
• The meaning of the Divine Feminine in Christianity
• Women’s leadership in the early Church
• The Independent Catholic tradition and women’s ordination
• How assistance dogs support emotional and spiritual wellbeing
• Finding hope, purpose, and peace through God’s calling

About Reverend Liz Maitland

Reverend Liz Maitland is an ordained priest in the Independent Catholic tradition, author of the Mother God, My Missio Dei series, former educator, theologian, and founder of Mother’s Messages Church in Leicester, England. She is a passionate advocate for women’s ordination, inclusive Christianity, contemplative spirituality, and ministry to those experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges. She is also the founder of Wellbeing Dogs, helping individuals improve their emotional wellbeing through assistance dog training and faith-based support.

Resources

Mother’s Messages Church
https://mothersmessagesagape.church

Wellbeing Dogs
https://wellbeingdogs.org

About Deacon Margaret Mary O’Connor

Deacon Margaret Mary O’Connor, a member of the Catholic laity, once believed she understood her Church and its teachings. Everything changed the day she uncovered a centuries old scandal of lies and institutional cover up surrounding the history of women in ordained ministry. Realizing that her own Church had hidden the truth about women priests, women deacons, and even women bishops, she felt a deep and unforgettable sense of betrayal.

That moment became the catalyst for her mission. Margaret Mary now travels what she calls the Highway of Radical Truth, exposing the layers of deception that

have kept millions of Catholics unaware of the prominent roles women held in early Church history. Her work challenges long held assumptions, confronts the complicity of the hierarchy, and calls Catholics to learn the real history for themselves.

For Margaret Mary, every Catholic deserves the truth. She believes transparency is not optional, especially when the suppression of women’s vocations continues to harm the Church today. Her research shines a spotlight on hidden historical records that may even hold answers to the modern priest shortage.

Often described as a “Modern Day David,” Margaret Mary is relentless in her commitment to revealing what has been intentionally concealed. Through her well researched writings, public advocacy, and ministry within the Celtic Christian Church, she brings these buried truths to light.

She is the author of Scandal in the Shadows and Journey of a Celiac’s Soul, and remains a force for honesty, courage, and reform within the broader Catholic conversation.