About Rose J. PErcy
Rose J. Percy is a being becoming. She is thriving on an expansive spirituality that draws from the wells of Christ and (Lucille) Clifton, among others. A self-described “Midwife of Divinity,” Rose enjoys collaborating with people to liberate their faith by reimagining “vocation” to include embodied rest and communal care.
She holds a Master of Sacred Theology and Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology, where she also earned certifications in Spirituality Studies and Religion and Conflict Transformation. With a focus on themes of faith, justice, and identity, her studies include womanist theologies, trauma and disability theologies, Black feminist/womanist poetry, theopoetics, critical pedagogy, and spiritual formation.
Rose writes a newsletter called “A Gentle Landing,” which features essays and poems for restless dreamers. She enjoys singing, playing guitar, and writing calligraphy. She lives in Massachusetts.
You can explore more of Rose’s offerings through the “Resources” tab.
Core values / approaches
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I am a Black woman. This influences everything. I embrace a Black feminist /womanist praxis work. A few works shape these values include:
Alice Walker’s 4-part definition of womanism, from In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens, especially in part one where she writes “not a separatist except for health.” [Read full definition here]
The Combahee River Collective Statement, especially the quote “If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” [Read full statement here]
Lucille Clifton’s poetry, but especially, “won’t you celebrate with me,” which has served as the epigraph of so many Black women’s lives. [Read it here or listen to it here]
Some projects that I have done that honor these values:
For spiritual reflections alongside practices that engage individual and collective action, please see my contributions to this ecological lectionary guide as an example.
I am trained in harm prevention and trauma-sensitive approaches to spiritual care and theological writing. To explore how to de-/reconstruct theological and religious narratives of care, check out my newsletter.
I have led cohorts for Black women/femmes to deconstruct harmful theologies/spiritualities while exploring themes of rest, healing, and play through liberatedtogether.com.
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The problem with mastery: “Mastery” is a concept I have always detested. I will, as often as possible, replace it with the word “midwife.” A midwife comes alongside to aid in the birthing process.
Consider Lucille Clifton’s poem “study the masters,” which honors the work of Black and native women who have done the uncelebrated hands-on work behind the most celebrated thinkers. She invites us to celebrate what could be learned from the masters as she has redefined them: those who through their ironing, could help you understand
When I first called myself refer to myself as a “midwife of divinity”: I had a chance to dive into the story of my formation on the Forum for Theological Exploration’s “Sound of the Genuine,” podcast. Listen or read here for more of my story.
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The newsletter: I started writing the phrase “wishing you a gentle landing,” when I started my now archived podcast “Dear Soft Black Woman” back in 2021. When I looked further into it, I found birthing centers by that name. I love how midwifery honors agency alongside holistic and empathic care.
As a “midwife of divinity,” and writer of a gentle landing, I hope to use what I have learned and continue to learn to acknowledge the divinity of others and facilitate spaces that help draw out what is inherently divine.
Don’t see an answer here for a question you have about my values or approaches? Feel free to reach out!