Episode Topic: Is There a Feminine Genius? 

Thirty years ago, in both Evangelium Vitae and his Letter to Women, Pope John Paul II issued a clear call for the genius of women to be “more fully expressed in the life of society as a whole, as well as in the life of the Church” (Letter to Women 10). Throughout his papacy, in fact, he emphasized women’s “prophetic character,” calling on them to be “witnesses” and “sentinels” — guardians of the sacred gift of life and the order of love (Mulieris Dignitatem 29; Homily at Lourdes 2004). “Is There a Feminine Genius?” a panel discussion with Deborah Savage, Sr. Theresa Aletheia, Abigail Favale, Sr. Ann Astell, and moderator Melissa Moschella, took place at the McGrath Institute for Church Life conference True Genius: The Mission of Women in Church and Culture at the University of Notre Dame in March 2025, developed by Abigail Favale, Ph.D., Professor of the Practice, Theology & Literature, at the McGrath Institute for Church Life.

Featured Speakers:

• Melissa Moschella, University of Notre Dame
• Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness
• Sister Ann W. Astell, University of Notre Dame
• Abigail Favale, University of Notre Dame
• Deborah Savage, Ph.D., Franciscan University of Steubenville

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/ae947f.

This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled True Genius: The Mission of Women in Church and Culture. 

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