Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Feminism And Faith: How Women Find Empowerment In The Roman Catholic Church, Amanda Schar

Celebration of Learning

This project examines the relationship between feminism and Catholicism, focusing on whether or not women feel empowered by the Roman Catholic Church. Female members of the Augustana community were surveyed and asked to share their own experiences with their Catholic faith.

Themes discussed include the decision to stay in the Church versus the decision to leave, the importance of Catholicism as a cultural identity, and the multitude of ways women have found to empower themselves within the existing Church structure.

Sr. Jean : God Just Put Me Here, Dominick Haubner

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Jean in January of 2019. One thing that she was particularly proud of was how God put her in positions to comfort others. This paper will describe the events of her life where she felt this most.

Sr. Jay: Social Justice, Shayna Smith

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Jay in January 2019 regarding her path to becoming a woman religious, and her experiences within her chosen order. This segment of the paper details her order’s partaking in social justice oriented activities, and how that connected to course content.

Sr. Nicole: Being A Teacher, Sierra Rood

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed with Sr. Nicole who spoke about her life experiences as a woman religious. This paper includes a portion of the interview where she spoke about her journey of becoming a woman religious and being a teacher.

Sr. Lucille And Sr. Mary Anne: Choice In Ministry, Chris Ray

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sisters Lucille and Mary Anne regarding their experience as women religious within the Church. This paper highlights a portion of the interview dedicated to the changes for women religious relating to the choice in ministry and the decreasing number of women entering the church.

Sr. Luke: Religious Missionary, Martha Tomesen

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

In this paper, I will reflect upon my interview with Sr. Luke. In our interview, she spoke of her life as a religious missionary, the meaning of humility and what she learned from serving in some of the world’s most poor countries.

Sr. Darlene: Education And Retirement, Jocelyn Plowman

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper highlights part of an interview with Sr. Darlene, who is a member of one of the most hardworking orders in the United States. Sr. Darlene has personally experienced the reforms of the Vatican II Council, increased professional opportunities for women religious, changes in the Catholic education system, and new opportunities in retirement.

Sr. Irene: Teacher And Friend, Mary Ade

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes a short piece from interview conducted in December 2018 with Sr. Irene, who has worked in education for 40 years. She recalls her experiences as a sister in her congregation since entry.

Sr. Eleanor: Removal Of The Habit, Samantha Butcher

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

Being a women religious for over 60 years, Sr. Eleanor has had the opportunity to experience many changes associated with Vatican II with one of which being the transition to life without a habit. This paper dives into the personal feelings and social implications Sr. Eleanor experienced with this change.

Sr. Sara: 21st Century Catholic Education, Molly Bastida

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper gives a snippet of the life, discernment, and practices of Sr. Sara. Within this paper, Sr. Sara wrestles with her own discernment story and discusses how she believes Catholic education today should look like.

Sr. Miriam: Community And Habits, Loretta Dantuma

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes part of an interview on January 11, 2019, with “Sr. Miriam Drake” – a sister who has served her congregation for almost 60 years – and her views on evolution of habits after Vatican II as well as the role of community in faith.

Sr. Joey: Power Structure Within The Education System, Emily Tokarz

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Joey on January 17th regarding her experience within the Catholic Church. This paper includes her experiences with the power structure and how it affected her life’s work.

Sr. Anne Jones: Prayer In Action, Chloe Anderson

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes part of an interview with Sr. Anne Jones, a woman religious belonging an order with a history in education. This interview includes a key moment in her discernment process and her opinions on the misunderstanding that only cloistered nuns are contemplatives.

Sr. Anna Marie: Education And Mentorship, Amanda Schar

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes part of an interview with Sr. Anna Marie, a member of an order whose charisma focuses on service. Sr. Anna Marie has been involved in education since she joined her order 70 years ago.

Sr. Barbara Joanne: Prison Ministry, Amayrani Lopez

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes an interview with Barbara Joanne, a woman part of a Roman Catholic religious congregation and a teacher for about 20 years, and her experiences with prison ministry.

Sr. Ethel: On The Marriage Tribunal, Carter Pease

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Ethel in January of 2019 regarding her life experiences as a woman religious. This paper includes a portion of the interview where she spoke about her work on a marriage tribunal as one of the most significant jobs in her time as a sister.

Sr. Melissa Anne: Valuing Experiences, Anna Garcia

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper consists of an interview with Sister Melissa Anne. She has traveled around the Western side of the United States, Mexico, and Central America translating (Spanish) with integral evangelization ministries.

Sr. Kelly: Climate Change, Tyler Duggan

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes an excerpt from an interview with Sr. Kelly, a woman religious who has worked in education for multiple decades and has been an important activist in the fight against climate change within her community.

Sr. Linda: Interfaith Collaboration, Alyssa Twilbeck

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

By examining the work of Sister Linda with collaboration of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian denominations, this paper analyzes the importance and widespread use of interfaith cooperation by the Catholic Church.

Sr. Sophia Hart: Vatican Ii Interactions, Jason Szara

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Sophia in January 2019 regarding her experiences and interactions in the Catholic church along with being involved in sisterhood. This paper includes sections of that interview along with discussion of Vatican II and its relationship to its people.

Sr. Sage: Teaching The Word, Rebekah Wilken

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper highlights an interview with Sister Sage and the experiences she has had as an educator in the Catholic school system. After 52 years of service, the retired sister reflects on her career’s successes and what it meant to her.

Sr. Cecilia: Community Impact, Dolly Suresh

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper highlights the impact Sister Cecilia and her congregation have on the community they live in and the way the community interacts with the congregation.

Sr. Theresa: Service In Healthcare, Maxwell Klein

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Theresa on January 2nd, 2019 about her life in the ministry and service in the Catholic Church. This is a portion of the interview where she discusses her career in healthcare during her ministry.

Sr. Carolyn: Voice For The Voiceless, Michele Hill

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper discusses parts of an interview I conducted with Sr. Carolyn on the roles of women religious and how they, including herself, are involved in activism.

Sr. Christine: Immigration Reform, Ella Iacoviello

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sister Christine in December of 2017 about her lived experience as a woman religious. This paper includes segments of the interview in which she discusses her time helping new immigrants gain American citizenship.

Sr. Maggie: "Secular" Counseling, Mina Magalhães

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes part of an interview with Sr. Maggie, who has worked as a therapist for over thirty years, and how she has made a separation of faith and work lives to help others, created in part through her ease with change.

Sr. Kathy: Journey Of Vocation, Grace Logan

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes a compilation of sections from an interview with Sr. Kathy, a religious sister who has performed a variety of service-focused tasks in her many years with her community, and it illustrates her vocational journey.

Sr. Celia: Improving Education, Jackson Phillips

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Celia in January of 2018, where she discussed her life as a woman religious. The portion of the interview included in this paper involves her explanation of why she chose to become a teaching sister.

Sr. Lucy: Vocational Conflict, Cynthia Johnson

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

I interviewed Sr. Lucy in January of 2018 to explore her life experiences as a woman religious. This paper includes a portion of the interview in which she spoke about her vocational conflicts over the years, and how she overcame them.

Sr. Holy: A Calling From The Lord, Caitlyn Schaffer

Ask a Sister: Interview Wisdom from Catholic Women Religious

This paper includes a portion of an interview with Sr. Holy, a woman religious missionary who belongs to the congregation of Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, where her theological beliefs are enacted by her service to others. Within the congregation of Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, she is focused on directing the novitiate, giving spiritual direction, volunteering with the aid for women, networking with the aid for women, and taking part in a life learning center making disciples. She uses her gifts that Jesus has given her to employ her virtues in the service of others. Throughout her life she mentioned the …