As queen of heaven and earth, of the angels and saints, our blessed mother Mary is supreme, among creatures, in deference to her Son the King and to our heavenly Father. Her supremacy and sovereignty flow from her receptivity and surrender to the Father and the Son, in the Spirit. The created order is not then, a matriarchy, but (properly understood) a patriarchy. Within creation, the feminine enjoys a vast superiority over the masculine...ontologically, morally, spiritually, emotionally...in integrity, influence, generosity, receptivity, and responsibility. The masculine, as inferior (fragmented, detached, defensive, lonely, competitive, insecure) requires in the social order an enhancement of status in order to maintain parity with his superior in the partnership and to fulfill his mission as "representative" of the Father. And so, patriarchy (in its essence, not its abuse, which is admittedly pervasive) is a good thing. Matriarchy is an exception to the rule as the feminine is normally stronger in influence but weaker in governance. On the list below, the first five are clearly matriarchs, within the communities they mothered. But all are Marian in their surrender to Christ their spouse and to their heavenly Father. Their immense influence flows not from power or control but from holiness, compassion, generosity, prayer and receptivity.
1. Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She is not American and shouldn't be on this list except that she came here with her sisters and spoke so strongly and clearly, countervailing (like Mary stomping the serpent) our Culture of Death. By her long "dark night" and her extraordinary love for the poor she is the most outstanding saint of our time. Probably makes the "top ten list" of saints in heaven!
2. Mother Angelica. Her work, EWTN, is spectacularly, miraculously fruitful in delivering a solid, lowbrow, populist, wholesome, faithful Catholic piety to millions around the world.
3. Catherine DeHueck Dougherty. This Russian aristocrat and expatriate, mystic and activist, founded Madonna House and embodied a sublime marriage of prayer and closeness to the poor.
4. Dorothy Day. Gifted writer, mother and grandmother, activist, contemplative, anarchist, pacifist, ex-bohemian and ex-revolutionary, devout Catholic she mothered the remarkable Catholic Worker, an eccentric but inspiring expression of Catholicism.
5. Sister Jean Noreen of Our Lady's Missionaries of the Eucharist. This holy woman influenced our own marriage by drawing us into the Daily Prayer of the Church as part of a "lay rule of life" centered in the Eucharist, devotion to Mary, simplicity of life, and to the Church as a communion in holiness.
6. Heather King. Drawing from her own wounds, this delightful eccentric communicates Christ's tender love for the disordered, the aberrant, the outlier. She shatters the limitations of moralism, legalism, fear and defensiveness. She exults in all the splendor, freedom, serendipity and Joy of Christ.
7. Dr. Mary Healy, Sister Patricia Brennan and Women of the Charismatic Renewal. Dr. Healy is devoted to the healing ministry, the Word of God and holiness of life. Working with Ralph Martin, she brings a radiant femininity to the unrestrained virility of his spirituality.
Sister Pat Brennan, of Convent Station, was my own mentor in the charismatic renewal. She is the feminine St. Paul: intense, assertive, intelligent, confident, and madly in love with the Gospel. The last time I saw her she was deep into dementia in the nursing home; did not even blink at me. But I was struck that she was so neat, groomed, pretty and still luminous with an indescribable innocence and purity.
So many marvelous women of influence in this Renewal, oftentimes not in the limelight.
8. Sister Marilyn Minter. This VERY special lady is now serving the desperately poor in the desolation of Haiti. She is a Live Wire: super-energized, musical, evangelistic, bright, simply electrified and explosive with love for Christ. What a joy it was for me to work with her at Immaculate Conception H.S.
In my work for the Church, and especially in Catholic schools, I have been delighted and blessed by marvelous sisters, including Charities, Dominicans and Felicians. I am "blessed among women."
9. Dr. Dianne Traflet. She looks like a glamorous, affluent, accomplished suburbanite. When she talks, you realize she is a holy, brilliant theologian. I remember listening to her on a teachers retreat and weeping uncontrollably. About a decade ago it occurred to me I might benefit from spiritual direction from a holy woman. With Sister Marilyn in Haiti, Dianne was the obvious choice. I spent a most encouraging, inspiring hour in conversation. I will never forget it.
10. Pro-Life Movement Women. This is largely the work of women. I am thinking less of the politics than of the many serving vulnerable women in pregnancy centers. Here again: generous, anonymous, humble, wise, holy women.
Cultural Warriors. In the demonic assault upon our way of life from the sexual revolution, especially encouraging and reassuring is the feminine voice: firm, nuanced, compassionate, intuitive, concrete, balanced, confident, tender, contemplative. There are so many: Mary Glendon, Patricia Snow, Abigail Favale, Angela Franks, Helen Alvare, Mary Eberstadt, and others. Our contemporary "Joan of Arcs" in championing fidelity, chastity and truth-in-love.
IAs oldest of nine, I never had a big sister and was always the big brother. That role defined my entire adult life as father, teacher, supervisor, director of a home. But this lack has been more than satisfied by the women above and those unmentioned. Some of the above were personal friends. I spoke with Dorothy Day. I said to a plain-looking woman on the lower East Side "Can you direct me to the Catholic Worker?" and she pointed to the house behind her and said "Right there." I spoke at more length with Mother Theresa, who directed me, in a no-nonsense tone, to "always teach with the Church." I have tried to do that.
At this point I must pause...in gratitude, affection and admiration...for the women close who have loved me so well. But if I go down that path it will be, not a blog, but a book, and a long one at that. I repeat: "I am blessed among women."
We praise you heavenly Father, for bringing into our time, our Church, our lives...these marvelous women.
Raise up among our youth, Lord, just such women: intelligent, strong, beautiful, confident, trusting, receptive, humble, pure, loyal, compassionate, generous, fearless and holy!
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