Sarah Kohles has curated a thought-provoking collection of essays that explore the question of how women today can find their place in the Catholic Church. Through a captivating blend of personal narratives, reflections, testimonies, and poetry, ten inspiring women share their own journeys of discovering their identity and utilizing their unique gifts to carve out a space for themselves in the Church. While it may seem that the issue of women in the Church has progressed significantly in the past half-century, the truth is that women still face barriers to full inclusion at all levels of the Church. Creating Spaces delves into some of those challenges, offering a valuable perspective on the reality of Catholic women today and providing a hopeful vision for the future as we continue to strive for greater inclusion and purpose within the Church.

The paradoxical history of women in the Catholic Church is complex. While the Bible portrays Christ as respectful, understanding, and trusting of women's abilities as disciples and leaders, the men who established the early Church quickly relegated women to a subordinate status - a pattern that has been repeated in many other social institutions. This book's essays do not focus on women achieving equality with men, but rather on highlighting the unique and valuable role that women can play in the Church. In other words, the emphasis is not on women simply sharing traditional leadership roles with men, but on identifying the specific areas where women can contribute their God-given qualities to the fullest.

The strength of this book is that Kohles recognizes that the status of women in the Church is multi-faceted. Unlike the nascent women's movement or First-Wave feminism, Kohles acknowledges that women of different sexualities, ethnicities, professions, personalities, obligations, and vocations have unique perspectives on their statuses in the Church. The inequalities stem from conflicts between traditions within the Church and a social reckoning that is (slowly) admitting and recognizing women for who they are and what they bring to the table. By fully contemplating the inequalities of women in the Church, we can begin to construct the ministry and community of believers that Jesus intended.

Kohles recommends that women in religious communities take the lead in establishing environments where women can thrive. By collaborating and exchanging resources and ideas, both religious and non-religious women can improve their ability to identify and fill gaps within the Church. This is a critical step towards strengthening the Church, as building social capital and resource sharing are crucial for any group's success. Religious women possess valuable resources, such as education and institutional knowledge, that can benefit non-religious women. By working together, the Church can be fortified.

However, the Church is currently facing challenges in remaining relevant in a society where religiosity is declining. Kohles' conclusions are drawn from a group of women who are dedicated to the Church, and her book is not intended as a tool for evangelization. Nonetheless, creating spaces for women in the Catholic Church can still be beneficial for the Church, even if it is not used for evangelization. This book is an excellent resource for both men and women who want to bring the fractured Church together and re-establish Jesus' vision for the children of God.