Woman as Prophet in the Home and the World

This is what weve been waiting for: a theoretical formulation of the feminine genius at the heart and foundation of St. Pope John Paul II's new feminism. Even better, each of these rich and varied contributions is simultaneously a magnificent displaya practical exampleof the feminine genius at work: a prophetic witness to the value of life and love. Three cheers for Woman as Prophet at Home and in the World! -- Michele M. Schumacher, Private Docent at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and author/editor of "Women in Christ: Toward a New Feminism" This book is prophetic in character as well as in theme. It does not look back with nostalgia to a time when the maternal aspects of the feminine were more highly valued. Nor do its essays argue a sort of balancing act between the traditional domestic and social roles of women and the new realities of their professional and political power. Rather, they make the forward-looking claim that women's struggle to develop and share their gifts beyond the domestic sphere will only reach its full potential when it harnesses the "feminine genius." This power for knowing the person and affirming her dignity, not only on account of her humanity but as "unique and irreplaceable" is not just the heart of any woman's flourishing, but the key to transforming a culture which, for all its celebration of individualism, has obscured the truth of the person as unconditionally worthy of being loved. Prophetic femininity, grounded in the bodily capacity for nurturing life, does not involve any contradiction between the care of persons and the acquisition of professional knowledge and experience. The challenge of both secular feminism and the needs of a wounded culture find their answer in the woman who prophesies love in the home, the workplace, and the world. -- Mary Catherine Sommers, University of St. Thomas

R. Mary Hayden Lemmons is associate professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and president of University Faculty for Life.

I. The Prophetic Feminine Genius: Cognitive and Ontological Dimensions 1. St. John Paul II on the Genius of Women, Susan Selner-Wright, Ph.D. 2. On Women and the Seeing of Others, Paul Kucharski, Ph.D. II. Recasting Feminism and Femininity as Prophecy 3. The Feminine Genius, Personalist Feminism, and the Call for Women to Prophesy According to John Paul II, R. Mary Hayden Lemmons, Ph.D. 4. Woman as Prophet: A Feminism for the 21st Century, Deborah Savage, Ph.D. 5. The New Feminism, Prophetic Bodies, and Freedom, Christine Dalessio, M.A. 6. Prophetic Femininity in the Bible, the Church, and Nature: Reflections on John Paul IIs Prophetism of Femininity and Marian Ecclesiology, R. Mary Hayden Lemmons, Ph.D. III. Spirituality of the Woman Prophet 7. Worthy of Belief: Reflections on Prophecy, Responsibility and Virtue, Heidi Giebel, Ph.D. 8. St. Hildegard: Prophet and Doctor of the Church, Anne King, Ph.D. 9. Women Mystics of the Catholic Church, Susan J. Stabile, J.D. IV. Meeting Key Personal, Professional, and Cultural Challenges 10. Women and the Crises of Polarization and Secularization, Mary Eberstadt 11. The Destructiveness of Lust and Its Cure: Reflections on Dante, Aquinas, and Wojtyla, Anthony T. Flood, Ph.D. 12. The Logic of the Gift: Spousal Love and Marriage in the Thought of Karol Wojtyla/St. John Paul II, Richard A. Spinello, Ph.D. 13. How Mothers with Professional Careers Experience the State of Flourishing and Why It Matters for Faith Communities, Peggy Andrews, Ph.D. 14. Catholic Sisters as Servant Leaders for Justice and the Common Good, Meg Wilkes Karraker, Ph.D.