The GIVEN Forum gave me a space to explore my words of the year: listen & maybe... My small group and my mentors at GIVEN were so encouraging. My mentor Amy McInerny said, “I [...]

"[W]hen I uncovered my original action plan from 2016, while moving boxes as I once again moved out of my parent’s home, I laughed and cried. I had not realized how completely Christ [...]

My key takeaway from the GIVEN Forum was to be me - fully, unapologetically, imperfectly me.  God made me good, very good, in fact, and I can be totally free to be the [...]

"I really started to understand what the feminine genius really is — that each woman has unique gifts and talents needed for such a time as this." Please share a little about yourself [...]

"The GIVEN Forum showed me that we are not alone; our Fiat should always equal Mary's Fiat; and being a female is a pure and beautiful gift!" Please share a little about yourself [...]

"In the beginning and the end, I’m left with my heart. Who did I become? How was I transformed more and more to the likeness of Christ? How did my gifts - unique [...]

"The GIVEN Forum reminded me of the great diversity of women in the Church, as well as the interests and issues to be addressed and served. It was an opportunity to celebrate the [...]

"My experience at GIVEN completely changed my understanding of vocation. Through both the witness of the women speakers and my own personal conversations, I came to realize that vocation is not so much [...]

"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 [...]

"I will never be able to fully explain the gift that GIVEN has been to my own life, family, and happiness – the gift of becoming more fully myself and of seeing the [...]

"My key takeaway from the GIVEN Forum was to give God an unconditional yes - you have no idea where that yes will take you! God performs some of the most beautiful miracles [...]

"Women have a place of leadership in the Church, and the Lord has given each of us a unique gift and call in order to serve and love him. The GIVEN Forum gave [...]

"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 [...]

"I left feeling not only incredibly empowered and ready to take on my entrepreneurial action plan, but ready to enter into the vocation of marriage, as well! GIVEN was hands down the most [...]

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. [...]

St. Joan of Arc is remembered as a young and fearless military leader who inspired others to goodness and courage. Joan was born in the small village of Domrémy, France around the year 1412 [...]

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 [...]

Elizabeth Clarrise Lange, later known as Mother Mary Lange of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, was born circa 1794 in the French part of Santiago de Cuba. Elizabeth was born to a family of [...]

There are many questions about the person of St. Mary Magdalene.  Is she the unnamed woman who washes Jesus’ feet in Luke chapter 7?  Is she the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet before His crucifixion?  Is [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Rita Rizzo’s early years began in Canton, Ohio with many hardships, including abandonment by her father and poverty. In her late teens, she endured severe pains in her stomach; this resulted in many doctor [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

St. Faustina was chosen by Jesus to be His missionary of the powerful message of Divine Mercy, but her visionary spiritual life was hidden by her humble external appearance. In 1905, she was born as [...]

Even at a young age, Teresa had a knack for getting into trouble. She was born to a prominent and pious couple in Old Castille, a city of Avila, Spain. Inspired by the stories of [...]

St.  Marianne Cope’s love of and gift for creating beauty and cleanliness served to bring peace and joy to those around her throughout her life. She was born Barbara Koob in the year 1838 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]