30th Annual Madeleva Lecture Series Event Features “Voices of Young Catholic Women”

President Mooney and Kristen Millar '15 present Pope Francis with the letters and gifts that made up the "Voices of Young Catholic Women" project. Photo courtesy of L’Osservatore Romano.
President Mooney and Kristen Millar '15 present
Pope Francis with the letters and gifts that made
up the "Voices of Young Catholic Women" project.
Photo courtesy of L’Osservatore Romano.Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579

March 27, 2015 (Notre Dame, Ind.)— The Saint Mary’s College Center for Spirituality is proud to announce an event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Madeleva Lecture Series. The 2015 Madeleva event, which is free and open to the public, will feature discussions about the “Voices of Young Catholic Women” project, an initiative which celebrates the anniversary of the Madeleva Lecture Series. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, in Carroll Auditorium of Madeleva Hall. Click for a campus map.

In September 2014, students active in Campus Ministry at Saint Mary’s College issued a national invitation to other millennial women (ages 18-30) to join them in writing letters to Pope Francis expressing their love for the Catholic tradition and sharing ideas that could contribute to the Church’s outreach to young women at this time of New Evangelization. The call to action came at a time when the Catholic Church faces a significant drop in young women practicing the faith. On November 24, 2014, letters and works of art from 225 women from around the country were personally presented to Pope Francis by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Saint Mary’s President Carol Ann Mooney, Kristen Millar ’15, and Grace Urankar ’14. Click to see their journey as it played out on social media.

“This year’s Madeleva program affords the opportunity to learn what some of the Millennial women who participated in this project voiced about Catholicism’s mediation of beauty in their lives, the challenges young women face in our culture today, and ways that we can strengthen our support for them in meeting these challenges with grace, strength, and dignity,” said Elizabeth Groppe, interim director of the Center for Spirituality.

The 2015 Madeleva Lecture Series Event will feature speakers on the following topics related to the “Voices of Young Catholic Women” project.

Sociological Data on Millennial Women and the Catholic Church

  • Patricia Wittberg, SC, Professor of Sociology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (author of America magazine article, "A Lost Generation?", which inspired the “Voices”project)

Summary of Letters Received

  • Judy Fean, Vice President for Mission, Saint Mary’s College
  • Saint Mary’s students who worked on the “Voices” project

Reflections on the Journey to Rome and the Audience with Pope Francis

  • Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend
  • Carol Ann Mooney, President, Saint Mary's College
  • Kristen Millar ’15

Reflections and Next Steps from Leaders in the Church

  • Bethany Meola, Assistant Director, Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • Helen Osman, Secretary of Communications, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 

Concluding Ecclesiological Reflections

  • Kristin M. Colberg, Assistant Professor of Theology, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s  University 

The Madeleva Lecture is named for Sister Madeleva Wolff, CSC, who served as President of the College from 1934-1961. Her many accomplishments include the establishment in 1943 of the School of Sacred Theology, the first institution in the United States to provide graduate education in theology to women. Although the school closed in 1971, the lecture series named in her honor has for three decades given voice to women scholars in the discipline of theology. Click for a list of past Madeleva lecturers (1985-present). 

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. By the fall of 2015 Saint Mary’s College will offer two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report.

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