World Catholicism Week

Daughters of Wisdom: Women and Leadership in the Global Church 

April 6-8, 2018

Chicago

Following Pope Francis' establishment of a commission to study the ordination of women deacons, this conference gathers speakers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America to address—more broadly—women's leadership in the Catholic Church, with a special emphasis on the global South. Topics include women's use of Scripture, the ecclesiological basis for women in Church leadership, and the leadership roles that women are already exercising in grassroots church communities, faith-based social movements, and theological education.

Keynote Speakers

Rosemary Nyirumbe, SSHJ (Gulu, Uganda)

Director of St. Monica Girls' Tailoring Centre serving girls formerly held captive by the Lord's Resistance Army | One of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2014

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Melinda Roper, MM (Darién, Panama)

Past president of the Maryknoll Sisters Congregation | Longtime missionary within Panama's mestizo and indigenous communities

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Special Video Message from Marguerite Barankitse (Kigali, Rwanda)*

Founding president of the Maison Shalom network for orphans of Burundi's civil war | Inaugural recipient of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity

*In early February, we learned that Ms. Barankitse, due to unforeseen circumstances, can no longer attend as one of our keynote speakers; however, in order to contribute to the discussion, she is sending a special video message to be shared at the conference.