Janette Gray

Born 1 February 1952 in Adelaide, South Australia, Gray studied at Macquarie University (Sydney) receiving a BA and Dip.Ed before becoming a sister of Mercy in 1997. She took first vows at the Convent of Mercy (Angas St, Adelaide) in 1977 and final vows in St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Adelaide in 1984.{{Cite web|last=Fox|first=Patricia|date=3 January 2017|title=EULOGY FUNERAL EUCHARIST St Ignatius Church, Norwood SA, January 3rd, 2017|url=https://www.tenison.catholic.edu.au/__files/d/16951/Janette_Gray_Eulogy_2016.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417054734/http://www.tenison.catholic.edu.au/__files/d/16951/Janette_Gray_Eulogy_2016.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2019|access-date=13 March 2021|website=Tenison Woods College}} Gray completed a MTheol at the Melbourne College of Divinity and went on to do a PhD in Theology at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Gray's teaching subject areas included Christology, women in the church, faith and culture and the theology of the human person.{{Cite web|title=Fund Launched In Memory of Dr Janette Gray RSM {{!}} Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia|url=https://institute.mercy.org.au/fund-launched-in-memory-of-dr-janette-gray-rsm/|access-date=2021-03-13|website=institute.mercy.org.au}} She was a Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Western Australia 1999-2003, Faculty of Jesuit Theological College, Parkville, Melbourne 2004-2014, Lecturer & Supervisor at the United Faculty of Theology (UFT), Pilgrim College and Yarra Theological Union (YTU) (latterly University of Divinity, Melbourne).{{cn|date=March 2021}} For years Gray was a book review editor for Pacifica, recognised as the leading ecumenical journal in Australasia.{{Cite web|last=O'Collins|first=Gerald|date=2017-01-19|title=Talents placed at the service of mercy|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/talents-placed-at-the-service-of-mercy-20170119-gtuscv.html|access-date=2021-03-13|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}} She was also a member of the National Council of Churches in Australia’s (NCCA) Faith and Unity Commission 2013-2016. At the time of her death, Sr Janette Gray was completing a book on a French Dominican who had proved very influential in preparing for the Second Vatican Council: Theology for Global People: Marie-Dominique Chenu. This dissertation, which was edited by Kathleen Williams, was published posthumously in 2019.

Gray's first book, Neither Escaping Nor Exploiting Sex: Women's Celibacy (1995),{{Cite book|last=Gray|first=Janette|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/36121018|title=Neither escaping nor exploiting sex : women's celibacy|date=1995|publisher=St Pauls|isbn=0-85439-519-9|location=Homebush, NSW.|oclc=36121018}} emerged from her Masters in Theology for the Melbourne College of Divinity. Her supervisors and examiners called for its publication.  In the book she explored how celibate women live their sexuality and how their personal challenges yield valuable ideas about human relationships and ecological awareness. The book symbolised a lifelong, passionate concern to educate herself and others.{{Cite web|last=O'Collins|first=Gerald|date=2017-01-19|title=Talents placed at the service of mercy|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/talents-placed-at-the-service-of-mercy-20170119-gtuscv.html|access-date=2021-03-13|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}

During her time at Cambridge, Gray, Ann Gilroy, and Kathleen O’Grady resurrected a speaker series called: Women’s Voices in Religion. This series was originally begun in 1990-91 organised by Teresa Elwes resulting in an edited collection published in 1992.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27259348|title=Women's voices : essays in contemporary feminist theology|date=1992|publisher=Marshall Pickering|others=Teresa Elwes|isbn=0-551-02572-7|location=London|oclc=27259348}} In turn, they published an edited collection “Bodies, Lives, Voices: Gender in Theology” and the series continued under Carrie Pemberton 1997-98.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/40589609|title=Bodies, lives, voices : gender in theology|date=1998|publisher=Sheffield Academic|others=Ann L. Gilroy, Janette Gray, Kathleen A. O'Grady|isbn=1-85075-854-9|location=Sheffield|oclc=40589609}}

Gerald O'Collins includes Gray in his book “Portraits: Popes, Family, and Friends” along with Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Cardinal Carlo Maria Martin.{{Cite book|last=O'Collins|first=Gerald|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1085966451|title=Portraits : Popes, family, and friends|date=2019|isbn=978-1-925826-30-2|location=Redland Bay, Qld.|pages=203|oclc=1085966451}}

• Gray, J. (2019). M-D Chenu's Christian anthropology: nature and grace in society and church. Hindmarsh. {{ISBN|978-1-925872-65-1}}. OCLC 1101278152 {{Cite book|last=Gray|first=Janette|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1101278152|title=M-D Chenu's Christian anthropology : nature and grace in society and church|date=2019|isbn=978-1-925872-65-1|location=Hindmarsh|oclc=1101278152}}
• Gray, J. (1995) Neither escaping nor exploiting sex: women's celibacy. Slough St Pauls. (5 Citations) {{ISBN|1875570586}}
• Bodies, lives, voices: gender in theology. Ann L. Gilroy, Janette Gray, Kathleen A. O'Grady. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic. 1998. {{ISBN|1-85075-854-9}}.
• Gray, J. (2016) "Campaigning to Ban Landmines: A Theologian Reflection, p.122-127. Chapter in A path is made by walking it: reflections on the Australian network to ban landmines, 1991-2006. Patricia Pak-Poy, ICBL Australian Network to Ban Landmines. East Kew, Vic.: David Lovell Publishing in conjunction with ICBL Australian Network to Ban Landmines.

{{reflist}}

• [http://jcs.edu.au/ Jesuit Theological College]
• Janette Gray Scholarship [https://vox.divinity.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jan-Gray-PhD-Scholarship-flyer.pdf Fund]

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Category:1952 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:University of Divinity alumni

Category:Academic staff of the University of Divinity

Category:Australian theologians

Category:20th-century Australian Roman Catholic nuns

Category:Sisters of Mercy

Category:21st-century Australian Roman Catholic nuns