Fr Frédéric Fornos S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, recalls that “from the beginning, Jesus welcomed women as disciples, which was a novelty in the society of that time. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had a prominent place among the Apostles and in the early community, as the Gospels testify. To a woman, Mary Magdalene, Jesus entrusted the mission of announcing his resurrection to his brothers and sisters. Throughout history, women have brought a real spiritual dynamism to the Church: Therese of Avila, Catherine of Siena, Therese of Lisieux, recognised as ‘doctors of the Church’, and countless other saints. As the Pope calls us this month to pray ‘that the dignity and richness of women may be recognised in all cultures, and that the discrimination they suffer in various parts of the world may cease’, let us also continue to recognise their role within the Church. First evidence: without the active participation of women, the Christian community, if it were a business, would be bankrupt.
HEROINES OF ALL TIMES
