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True Genius: The Mission of Women in Church and Culture, Part 6: Is There a Feminine Genius?

October 27, 2025 • Think ND

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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