Sister Miriam Therese Winter (born Gloria Winter; 1938, Passaic, New Jersey) is a Roman Catholic Medical Mission Sister, theologian, writer and songwriter. Her hymns include "Joy Is Like the Rain" (1966), "Knock Knock" (1968), and "Wellspring of Wisdom" (1989).[1] As a Medical Mission Sister, Winter has worked along the Thai-Cambodian border and in Ethiopia at refugee camps. Winter has also traveled to communities in Botswana, Ghana, Uganda and Kenya and India to spread her music as well as performing in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
"Joy Is Like the Rain" is primarily acoustic music. The recording was very popular amongst evangelicals in Britain. "Knock Knock" was similarly popular. It introduced two electric instruments: a guitar, a bass guitar and also added drums on some songs.
Miriam Therese Winter earned her B.A. in music from Catholic University, her Master’s degree in religious education from McMaster Divinity College, and a Ph.D. in liturgical studies from Princeton Theological Seminary. [2] Winter also holds honorary doctorates from the University of Hartford, Mount Saint Vincent University and Albertus Magnus College.
She currently teaches at Hartford Seminary (now Hartford International University for Religion and Peace) as Professor of Liturgy, Worship, Spirituality and Feminist Studies.[3] Here, Winter founded the Women's Leadership Institute and teaches courses using ecumenical and cross-cultural emphases in theory and in practice, and developing feminist and multifaith approaches that have culminated in a quantum perspective.[4]