Strong Women of Faith

We live in a world that encourages young women to be anything and everything they dream to be. Women now receive more college degrees than ever before. We run businesses, lead nations, and make discoveries in science. It’s an empowering place to live, albeit not perfect, but it has taken on a more positive direction than where we were 25 and certainly 50 years ago.

To me, the greatest struggle of my faith life is reconciling being a feminist (link to http://areyouafeminist.com/) who believes that women can do everything men can, with a religion that doesn’t always feel the same. I don’t have the solution and I don’t think  this is a problem that can be solved in a single moment- or a single blog post.  I do, however, think in times of doubt I can turn to the beautiful, strong women who have served as strong leaders and great beacons of hope for women of faith. These ladies can show us how many awesome things Catholic women can do!

Catherine Doherty- Born a Russian Baroness in 1896, she worked as a nurse, writer, and an advocate for social justice. She emigrated to England and then Canada, converting to Catholicism and leaving behind her title and riches. She founded Friendship House and Madonna House[WU1] , soup kitchens for the poor. She is now a “Servant of God,” the first step on the road to sainthood.

Saint Katherine Drexel- An American Heiress, she visited the west and saw the poverty for Native Americans and African Americans at the time. She decided to become a nun and use her large inheritance to help the poor. She started an order of sisters, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament[WU2] . She also founded Xavier University in New Orleans and other schools across the country for minorities.

Jean Donovan- I’m pretty sure she is the Ke$ha of Catholic women. It is reported thatshe poured alcohol on her cereal and wasn’t afraid to swear. However, she felt a strong call from God to go into service, prompting her to travel to El Salvador as a lay Maryknoll missionary. When things became dangerous in El Salvador, she remained in the country, dedicated to the children and poor in risk. Gravely, her dedication to the poor of El Salvador resulted in her murder[WU3] .

Nuns on the Bus[WU4] - These fiery sisters, lead by Sister Simon Campbell, during the 2012 election boarded a bus and toured the country, speaking on working with the poor and protesting cuts in aid. They continued their mission in 2013, by touring the country to speak on immigration reform. Sister Simon Campbell also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 on helping the poor.

These are just a few examples of the fearless, Catholic women leaders that have made their mark on the world. Many of our country’s hospitals and schools were founded and led by nuns. We have lists upon lists of female saints. Catholic women have had a definitive role in shaping the world and our faith and I hope they continue to do so. Who are some of your favorite female Catholic leaders?

Recommended Reading

As a blogger, having people read my blog and receive feedback on it is very rewarding. In turn, I like to try and read lots of other blogs to see what other students write about, how they think of life and faith, and to gain new insights. So for this week, I thought I’d share a little of my recommended reading with you!

The Irish Blessing
Jen is my partner in crime at Thursday morning blog meetings and is the other undergraduate student blogger within Campus Ministry! Because of this, our blogs pair really well together, as we often write on similar and contrasting issues. Jen’s blog also tries to bring in theology and church teachings. Reading her blog is a great way to learn more about Catholicism and gain a new perspective on some of the topics I cover too

Remaining Unstained
I met Sarah on Sophomore Road Trip and was really excited to discover that she also keeps a blog about faith. Sarah’s blog is always challenging you in your faith life and constantly demanding that you love God and others with your everything. It’s a beautiful message, usually delivered with lots of colorful fonts!
Sarah says, “My blog is about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will click on the link. I love sharing what has been on my heart during the week, and I love even more when people share back with me about what they think or what it taught them. God is so good and I could write about how much I love him all day long!”

The Hunger and Thirst
I’ve known Hayley through Dance Company at Notre Dame and happened upon her blog! Her blog is inspiring and real, often drawing from service she has done or big questions she is grappling with. Her blog is really engaging, as she brings in music, literature, and pictures.
Hayley says, “Whether we realize it or not, each of us is hungry for the joy, love, and fulfillment that God has to offer. My blog is called 'The Hunger and Thirst,' and every Sunday I write about the hunger and thirst I have for Jesus. The title is based off Matthew 5:6, 'Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.'”

I Am Notre Dame
Though this blog isn’t a “faith” blog, it is never the less inspiring and thoughtful. In the tradition of Human’s of New York, this blog works to tell the stories of Notre Dame of anyone who finds their way to our campus (everyone from professors to students to the FEDEX delivery guy). It beautifully captures what it means to be part of the Notre Dame family!

The creator of this blog sent me a lovely reflection of her mission:“I've grown in countless ways since November, when I started the blog. I've learned about photography (especially when shooting squirrels); I've learned about patience. I've learned how to approach strangers and hold conversations with them without seeming either pushy or detached. And I've learned so much about the Notre Dame community. I've talked to Student Council candidates, I've learned what ROTC entails, I've discussed the ins and outs of the dining hall with the swipers, I've talked to the glee club, to a rector, to priests, to ushers, to fans, to seminarians, to alumni, to international students. I honestly believe that, with each interview, I learn something new about this school. And that is invaluable to me, because it might have taken me years to find (or I might not ever have learned) this information, to learn about the clubs and activities on campus.


I really love being a student blogger for Campus Ministry. It’s been a great way to reflect on my faith and grow more authentic in how I live and speak about it. However, my blog is only my unique way of seeing the world, while there are so many others. Reading and gathering unique ideas from other people is one of the absolute blessings about the internet. So make time this week to read a new blog and gain a new perspective. And please be sure to share links with me to some of your favorite blogs as well!

Rosary: A Powerful Prayer

When I was five, I went with my mom and grandmother to a celebration of the Assumption. Part of the celebration included praying the rosary. I’m not sure I knew my prayers very well at the time, but my mom told me to pray for a little brother or sister. I had been an only child my entire life and I wanted to have a little sister to play with. My mom, grandma, and I all prayed for the intention that my mom would get pregnant again. That night she conceived my little sister.

Years and years passed until I was a senior in high school. My dream at the time was to attend Notre Dame. Having grown up visiting Notre Dame every summer, it was the only place I could imagine going. Unlike almost all of my classmates, I didn’t receive the big envelope in the mail - just a small envelope, with a small card to fill out for a place on the waitlist. I sent the card back in, but figured it was probably a lost cause. The year before no one had gotten off the waitlist. I figured I couldn’t lose anything in trying though, so I went a little nuts. I made a DVD. I visited Notre Dame to talk to admissions. I called the admissions office every day for two weeks. I also started saying my first novena.

A novena is any prayer said for nine days in succession. The nine days are representative of the nine days that the apostles and Mary spent in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost. Your novena can be said to certain saints or for certain feast days. My mom explained it to me as a way of “bombarding Heaven with your prayer.” As my novena was to Mary, I said the rosary for 9 days in a row, with the intention of being accepted to Notre Dame.

I do not pray the rosary often. I’ve always regarded it as a beautiful and powerful form of prayer, but unfortunately I am not very diligent at staying focused on the prayer and reflecting deeply. I often find myself getting distracted while praying the rosary. During my novena, I realized that there are cool resources online to help you say the rosary. One of my favorite websites was comepraytherosary.org, which lets you join a worldwide rosary saying or pray individually. It also provides reflective pictures to look at while you pray (you can pick between the Holy Land or a church). It will pray the rosary out loud with you and you can follow along. It was an easy way to help keep myself centered in prayer in a way I couldn’t do myself.

A few weeks after I finished my novena, on the first day that Notre Dame started accepting students from the waitlist (I think only 11 kids were accepted that day), I received a call from my admissions counselor welcoming me to Notre Dame. One of the first things I did (after like bouncing around my house screaming) was visit a nearby church to thank God and Mary for listening to my prayer. Rosaries, and novenas can’t guarantee that your hopes and dreams are answered, but they are a way of communicating with Mary in an intimate way and to foster a relationship with our blessed mother.