The courage and conviction of women in the Church

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” 

This statement begins Mary’s Magnificat prayer—the most words spoken by a woman in the New Testament. Mary’s bold words affirm her immense conviction in God’s power. 

This same conviction is found throughout history in the hearts of women who have followed in Mary’s footsteps; women who have placed their trust in God and said “yes” to the divine plan. 

In more recent times, courageous Catholic women have shaped our greater American society in their determination to live the Gospel—oftentimes in the face of immense challenges. Our first American saint, Frances Xavier Cabrini, drew strength from her faith as she worked tirelessly to provide housing, education and hope to immigrant families living in abject poverty in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She opened over 65 institutions including schools, orphanages and hospitals. 

Upon her death, our founder, Father Francis Clement Kelley, described her as a pioneer and recalled that she faced obstacles from the very beginning—not the least of which was the fact that “there were no women missionaries,” he pointed out. He added that “she hesitated not an instant but resolved to establish an order herself.” 

There have been many pioneering women in American history like Mother Cabrini, whose faith allowed them to act courageously and with conviction. A few examples include St. Katharine Drexel in Philadelphia, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in New York, St. Kateri Tekakwitha among the Mohawk people and Servant of God Thea Bowman of Mississippi who is on the pathway to canonization. 

Unknown history of women

Of course, most Catholic women—religious and lay— throughout history are not well known. But they were the back- bone of the American Church as it rapidly grew. They operated and staffed Catholic hospitals and schools, maintained parish life, raised funds for the Church and instilled faith in children. They accomplished this despite being relatively unknown in our history books.

In his “Querida Amazonia,” Pope Francis went so far as to say that in some parts of the world, “there are communities that have long preserved and handed on the faith even though no priest has come their way, even for decades.”

He wrote,

For centuries, women have kept the Church alive in those places through their remarkable devotion and deep faith.”

The role of women is equally impactful in Catholic Extension Society’s history. Our records indicate that many of the 13,000 churches that we built and repaired since our founding in 1905 were spearheaded by the fundraising and organizing efforts of faithful women. 

For many decades during Extension magazine’s 120-year history, we published the creative voices of women who contributed as writers. They composed entertaining stories that usually featured a female protagonist of great faith. This increased the magazine’s circulation and subscription rate—thus expanding the reach and fundraising potential of this missionary magazine. 

 In 1960, we created the Extension Lay Volunteers program to provide lay people an opportunity to work for the Church in the poorest regions of the country as teachers, nurses, catechists, social workers and campus ministers. Roughly 80 percent of the 2,000+ volunteers were women. A few short years later, Vatican II opened the doors for more lay Catholics to devote their professional lives to the Catholic Church. 

Guiding us to the future

The heroics of Catholic women are not, of course, relegated to the past. 

Women of faith thrive in our modern times. 

Our Lumen Christi Award recipient, Sister Mary Lisa Renfer, expressed how her order, the Religious Sisters of Mercy, is rooted in the tradition of strong women.

She cited the bravery of Mary:

“The patron of our religious community is Mary, Mother of Mercy, which you really see as Our Mother at the foot of the cross with her son. And at the foot of the cross, she’s not collapsing in herself. She’s standing with her son in His suffering. And she is given to the Church as Our Mother. And that is our example that we take. She is there and she receives that mercy of the Lord in order to bring that to others.” 

Catholic Extension Society is supporting and partnering with courageous Catholic women all across America. Their resilience and unabating trust in God mirror the sentiments of Mary, who said in the Magnificat,

The Almighty has done great things for me and Holy is His name!” 

The stories below shine a light on eight modern-day American lay women whose courage and conviction are grounded in their unwavering faith in God:

This article was first printed in the Winter 2024 issue of Extension magazine. Read more about the magazine, and please consider supporting our mission!