Paul’s injunction that women remain silent in the Church (1 Cor 14: 34-36) could be said to have led to the absence of Women’s Wisdom from the official teaching of the Church over its 2000 year history. Of the 36 Doctors of the Church, only 4 are women, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, Thérèse of Lisieux and Hildegard of Bingen, all of whom have only been recognised in the last 50 years. This unit will concentration on the contribution of these women to our theological understanding of God and also explore other important female voices that have been overlooked through the centuries.
Unit details
| College | Yarra Theological Union |
| Lecturers | Dr Carmel Posa sgs (Co-ordinator)
Dr Claire Renkin Professor Katharine Massam Janette Bredenoord Elliot |
| Level | Level 3 Undergraduate
Level 9 Postgraduate |
| Study modes and times | Face to Face Or Online Synchronous
Saturdays: 4 March, 25 March, 15 April, 6 May, 20 May |
| Unit codes | CH3217Y Undergraduate
CH9217Y Postgraduate DS3217Y Undergraduate DS9217Y Postgraduate |
For further information or to make and appointment please contact Yarra Theological Union. PH: 03 9890 3771
Yarra Theological Union is an inclusive and welcoming community, Catholic by tradition and ecumenical in spirit. We are committed to being a community of scholarship, prayer and pastoral care. We offer theological education and ministerial formation, open to those who seek educational and personal transformation in changing contexts. Our mission is to equip people for various ministries in the churches: parishes, schools, hospitals, church agencies and in the world at large.
Eva Burrows College
Trinity College Theological School
Would you please confirm the date of the second seminar? 25 April will be a Tuesday, not a Saturday. Thank you.
Good morning Kate, thank you for quering this. The typo has now been corrected. The units will run on Saturdays: 4 March, 25 March, 15 April, 6 May, 20 May
May I bring your attention to my two published books on the four Women Doctors of the Church? “Leadership as a call to service: The lives and works of Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena and Therese of Lisieux” (2012) and “Leadership as a call to service: The life and works of Hildegard of Bingen” (2015). Also all 4 women have chapters in my more recent book “Heralding a Renaissance: Women and Leadership in the Catholic Church” (2019).