A particular gift of the feminine genius is to nurture life, to care for the other.  Although all women are called to nurture life in all vocations and professions, this specialty is designed for women who serve in direct roles caring for the human person.  Those in the medical field, such as doctors and nurses, and other healing fields, such as counselors, life-coaches, and psychiatrists, as well as those who serve as primary caregivers of children or the elderly will be supported in this group. Mentors who have made caring for the human person their life’s work will serve to inspire and further equip the young leaders who share this calling and will particularly guide them to participate in the Church’s rich tradition of social teaching and ethics.

Alumnae

  • Alyssa Breen

    "[My] key takeaway was a picture. At the last get-together, I think it was a brunch, one by one, the representatives from each religious community took their turn to stand up and be [...]

  • Nelly Marsh

    "The GIVEN Forum has shaped my heart and vocation in inexplicable ways. The fruits of my time at GIVEN are still unfolding on a regular basis--rooted in learning to recognize my unique gifts [...]

  • Susanna Parent

    "My key takeaway was that I was enough. GIVEN helped me realize that I had what it took to make an impact on the world..." Please share a little about yourself - feel [...]

  • Allison Crawford

    "My biggest takeaway from the GIVEN Forum was to not be afraid of Our Lady and to really let her into my life." Please share a little about yourself - feel free to [...]

  • Macy Rupprecht

    "The GIVEN Institute has been a new and unique community that I have been blessed to be part of. The friendships and mentorships that I have gained from the GIVEN Forum have been [...]

  • Lauren Costabile

    "A key takeaway from GIVEN was that we all have gifts and talents that we are called to use to build up the Church and make the world a better place. We need [...]

  • Bridget Busacker

    "The spiritual aspect of GIVEN was impactful for me because it reminded me that in order to live out our missions and the ministries that He has called us to, we have to [...]

  • Michelle Nunez

    "GIVEN allowed me to better understand how much women are needed in our world. I left the Forum with a strong sense of purpose; I was able to feel God’s love for me [...]

Videos

  • Regina Boyd – Communication, Boundaries and Avoiding Burnout Workshop

    Regina Boyd, LMHC presents a leadership training session at the 2022 GIVEN Forum. Leadership trainings offer skills that are practical and valuable for Catholic female leaders [...]

  • Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT – Receving the Gift of Femininity

    What is Catholic femininity, and how do you receive it as a gift even through woundedness? Sr. Miriam James Heidland from the Society of Our Lady [...]

  • Sr. Bethany Madonna, S.V. – Action Plan

    How do you put your dreams into action for God? Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life  speaks at the 2016 GIVEN Institute Catholic Young [...]

  • The Temperament God Gave You – Art and Laraine Bennett

    Art & Laraine Bennett talk about temperament psychology and the 4 temperaments (choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine) to emerging Catholic female leaders at the 2019 GIVEN Catholic [...]

  • Feminine Genius – Helen Alvaré

    What is the feminine genius? Helen Alvaré (George Mason law professor, Women Speak for Themselves) speaks about the twoness of humanity and the feminine genius at [...]

  • The Holy Spirit’s Gift of the Kingdom – Dr. Mary Healy

    Who is the Holy Spirit to us? Dr. Mary Healy unpacks the divine gift through the gospel story of the woman at the well. A talk [...]

  • The Feminine Genius Unleashed in Education – Sr. Amelia Hueller, O.P.

    Sister Amelia of the Nashville Dominicans talks about the feminine genius in education and the work of Edith Stein/St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in how [...]

  • Mothering a Domestic Church – Hallie Lord

    Hallie Lord speaks about motherhood in the domestic church at the 2016 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

  • Sister, Soldier, Surgeon – Sr. DeDe Byrne, POSC

    Sister Deirdre Byrne shares her story at the 2021 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

  • The Joys and Challenges of Motherhood – Dr. Jeanne Schindler

    Dr. Jeanne Schindler speaks on the joys and challenges of motherhood at the 2019 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

  • A Physician’s Vocation to Care for the Human Person – Dr. Monique Ruberu

    Pro-life Catholic OB-GYN Doctor Monique Ruberu speaks at the 2019 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

  • Caring for the Human Person – Dr. Mary Ann Sorra

    Catholic OB-GYN Dr. Mary Ann Sorra speaks on the Engaging the Culture panel at the 2021 GIVEN Catholic Young Women's Leadership Forum.

Blog Posts

  • On Mission in the Rio Grande Valley

    On Mission in the Rio Grande Valley

    When I heard Sr. Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, speak at the 2016 GIVEN Forum, I felt [...]

  • Hearts of Joy International

    Hearts of Joy International

    I attended the GIVEN Forum in 2016 and it absolutely changed my life in so many amazing ways. It taught me many valuable skills [...]

  • The Love of My Mother

    The Love of My Mother

    A spiritual reflection on Our Lady of Guadalupe "Am I not here, I who have the honor to be your Mother? Could there be [...]

  • Recovering a Lost Vocation

    Lost Vocation Pentecostal experience. These are the two words I use to describe my GIVEN experience. For over a year, I had longed and [...]

  • Votes for Women

    Women, Rise Up! Catholic Female Leaders in Action

    During Women’s History Month, we are all more keenly aware of the impact of women leaders upon society.  Especially on March 8th, media outlets [...]

  • Being Receptive in a Tumultuous Time

    Being Receptive in a Tumultuous Time

    "As I reflected on the Given Forum 2019, the word ‘receptive’ had been planted on my heart. I had uncertainty about whether I was [...]

  • Advocacy Doesn’t End at the Ballot Box

    Advocacy Doesn’t End at the Ballot Box

    It’s been 100 years since women earned the right to vote, 56 years since that right was extended to all women in our society. [...]

  • Embracing Your Femininity in Leadership: Q&A with Meghan Cokeley

    During our first annual International Women's Day Panel, you submitted so many excellent questions to our panel that we weren’t able to answer them [...]

  • Embracing Your Gifts: Q&A with Rachel Bulman

    During our first annual International Women's Day Panel, you submitted so many excellent questions to our panel that we weren’t able to answer them [...]

  • Embracing Your Single Years: Q&A with Beth Leverich

    During our first annual International Women’s Day Panel, you submitted so many excellent questions to our panel that we weren’t able to answer them all. [...]

  • A group of volunteers passing out food to veterans

    Veterans: Giving Back to Those Who Gave So Much

    Have you ever wondered how to show your support for the veterans in your life? The people that fought for our freedoms often go under-appreciated [...]

  • What is Entrustment?

    Miscarrying my first baby has really colored my view of life. It challenged me to reexamine my life and the gift of life itself. I began reflecting and wondering why...

  • 6 Expenses to Watch Out for When Changing Careers

    Perhaps you’re changing careers for a more lucrative salary - but taking on a new job often comes with unexpected hidden expenses. As a [...]

Saint Stories

  • Photo of St. Jeanne Jugan

    St. Jeanne Jugan

    When Jeanne was born in 1792, France was caught in the bloody French Revolution. Times were difficult for the Jugan family, and begging became a way of life for Jeanne from a young age. [...]

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    St. Monica

    St. Monica is a woman often admired for her patience and perseverance. Though her life presented circumstances which could have easily given way to frustration and resentment, she used her trials to draw nearer [...]

  • Photo of Chiara Corbella Petrillo

    Chiara Corbella Petrillo

    Chiara was born into a faithful Christian family, and was part of the “Wojytla generation” of Catholics growing up during Pope John Paul II’s papacy.  At the age of 18, she met the love [...]

  • Photo of St. Catherine Labouré

    St. Catherine Labouré

    St. Catherine Labouré is commonly remembered as the “Saint of the Miraculous Medal” and is admired for her tender relationship with the Blessed Mother, who entrusted her with the mission of spreading the message [...]

  • Photo of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

    Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

    In the eyes of the world, Saints Perpetua and Felicity were separated by status: one a well-educated noblewoman, the other a servant or slave. Yet, in life and in death, these two women from [...]

  • Photo of St. Angela Merici

    St. Angela Merici

    St. Angela Merici’s early life was one filled with loss and tragedy. She was born on March 21, 1474 in Desenzano, the Lombardy region of Italy. She and her sister lost their parents when [...]

  • Photo of St. Anne

    St. Anne

    Before the Blessed Virgin Mary, there was Anne of Nazareth, a woman adored by God and filled with God’s Grace. Anne was chosen by God to be the mother of Our Lady and maternal [...]

  • Photo of St. Agnes of Rome

    St. Agnes of Rome

    Tradition tells us that St. Agnes was born circa 290 A.D. to a wealthy family of nobility in Rome. Her family believed in Christ and introduced Agnes to the truth of the Christian faith. [...]

  • Photo of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

    St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

    The struggles of living during the American Revolution did not damper the warm and outgoing demeanor of Elizabeth Ann Bayley. She was born on August 28th, 1774, into an upper-class Anglican family in New York [...]

  • Photo of St. Katharine Drexel

    St. Katharine Drexel

    Katharine Drexel’s decision to leave high society and spend her life dedicated to service of American Indians and African Americans shocked those who were not aware of her ardent desire to be involved in [...]

  • Photo of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

    St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

    Born prematurely as the youngest of 13 children to a peasant Italian family in the year 1850, Francesca Cabrini was inspired by stories of the missionary life and developed a deep love for the [...]

  • Photo of St. Maria Goretti

    St. Maria Goretti

    In Maria Goretti shines out the radical choice of the Gospel, unhindered, indeed strengthened by the inevitable sacrifice that faithful adherence to Christ demands.” These are the powerful words of St. John Paul II, [...]

  • Photo of Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano

    Blessed Chiara “Luce” Badano

    After 11 years of prayer for a child, Chiara’s birth was a special gift to Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano. When welcoming their only daughter into the world on October 29, 1971, her parents [...]

  • Photo of Rose Hawthorne Lathrop

    Rose Hawthorne Lathrop

    She was the third daughter of the celebrated American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, but she abandoned a life of literature to care for the cancerous poor. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop was born in Massachusetts, one year after [...]

  • Photo of St. Zélie Guérin Martin

    St. Zélie Guérin Martin

    If you had told the young Zélie Martin that she would someday become a famous lace maker, marry the man of her dreams, and raise five daughters who would become brides of Christ, one [...]

  • Photo of St. Gianna Beretta Molla

    St. Gianna Beretta Molla

    Often women wonder, how is it possible to do it all, to juggle a career, a family, and still have time for my own sanity? This modern saint tells us the secret, which lies in [...]

  • Photo of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

    St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

    Mother Teresa is one of the most beloved and renowned figures of our time. Her love for Jesus and the poor has inspired millions to serve the needy and to follow her directive to “do [...]

  • Photo of Dorothy Day

    Dorothy Day

    Dorothy Day was a radical social and political activist who experienced failed love affairs, suffered an abortion, and attempted suicide before experiencing a spiritual awakening that led to her conversion to Catholicism. Dorothy was born [...]

  • Photo of Elisabeth Leseur

    Elisabeth Leseur

    As a married woman and mystic whose prayer and suffering converted her atheist husband, Elisabeth Leseur is a compelling example of holiness lived in the context of marriage and in secular society. Raised in a [...]