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IGF002 In Good Faith with Margaret Susan Thompson
IGF002 In Good Faith with historian Dr. Margaret Susan Thompson recorded live on October 7, 2010. Produced by aNunsLife.org ministry. Our hosts talk with Dr. Thompson about the history of U.S. Catholic sisters and nuns and find out some surprising things.
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Guest: Dr. Margaret Susan Thompson
Dr. Thompson is professor of history at Maxwell School of Syracuse University, where she also holds appointments in the departments of religion, political science, and women and gender studies. She is a leading expert on the history of Catholic sisters and nuns in the United States.
Topic: The History of Catholic Sisters and Nuns in the U.S.
The sisters talk with Dr. Peggy Thompson about calling and history, her experience working with women’s religious communities across the country, the significance of Catholic sisters and nuns in the context of the American experience, and what the “good old days” of religious life was actually like. We’ll also talk about how many of the stories of founders and pioneer sisters can inspire us today in our daily quest for God.
Dr. Thompson recently did an 18-lecture series on The History of Women Religious in the United States. The publishers of this series, Now You Know Media, have provided the first lecture for free. Listen to the Introduction and Lecture 1: Discovering Foremothers: Origins of Women’s Religious Life.
Show Notes:
- from broadway aspirations to history scholar
- history, it’s not about “dead things”
- the first sister-President of the United States (and Vice President too)
- what the lives of pioneering sisters can tell us about living an active live and a life of prayer
- what we can learn from religious founders about living a faith-filled life
- sisters caring for the wounded during the Civil War
- the impact of Catholic sisters and nunson U.S. culture
- skeletons in the closet and other surprising tales from religious archives
- habits for apostolic religious — not as traditional as they seem
- revisiting their founding inspiration — lots of surprises along the way
- apostolic orders : are they morphing into Beguines?
- prayer: always central to Catholic sisters and nuns throughout the ages
In Good Faith is a conversation exploring God’s call in everyday life hosted by A Nun’s Life Sisters Maxine and Julie. Our monthly program features guests who are nationally known for their ministry in spirituality, religious life, and discernment. We’ll look at how our guests understand their own life as a calling and discuss a variety of perspectives on living faith and call in everyday life. The program is broadcast live every first Thursday of the month from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. Tune in at www.aNunsLife.org/LIVE.
For more information, including upcoming guests on In Good Faith, please visit the program page of In Good Faith.
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{ 5 comments }
Hey there – so sorry not to be able to make the podcast tonight! Here are a couple of questions for Professor Thompson:
1. Through all of your research you have talked to and read about countless women religious – and probably heard many stories about what brought each woman to a particular community. If you can – what is one of the most memorable stories?
2. Of all the community archives you went to – was there one thing that really set it apart from other archives? IE – diaries, ephemera, skeletons in the closet…….
Disclaimer – you should know that I am a librarian……
Thanks!
karol
Many thanks, Karol!
In my understanding, the reason women are not able to become priests is, at least partly, due to the theological assumption developed by Thomas Aquinas, based on Aristotelian Anthropology that the nature of femaleness is defective. Therefore women, by their very nature, are incapable of valid ordination as priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Ordination transmits the power to effect the liturgical transubstantiation of the bread and wine. A defective nature is not able to receive the transmission of this power.
Dr. Thompson, would you care to comment?
Thank you, Julia
Hi Julia! Sorry we got to this too late. Will forward to Dr. Thompson.
Julia, I just saw this question. I’m not really an expert on women’s ordination, as of course the call to religious life is very different from the call to priesthood. I’m also not very knowledgeable about the work of Thomas Aquinas (I’m a historian, not a theologian). So I would hesitate to comment on the correctness or incorrectness of what you say here. One thing I’ve learned is not to attempt to talk knowledgeably about things that are outside my area of expertise (which is a lot of things!). There may be others here with more insight into this matter–or you may want to ask Father Jim Martin when he appears on “In Good Faith” in December.