Jesuits Welcomed 16th-Century Princess As First And Only Female

You might not have heard of Joanna of Austria (1535-1573), the first — and so far only — female ever admitted to the all-male Society of Jesus in the religious order’s 483-year history. Alas, she could not be described as a trailblazer — because no one ever followed in her wake. 

St. Adalbert Students Bestow Their Teacher With Highest Honor

A “Hall of Fame” of famous and accomplished women through history appear in a special display at St. Adalbert Catholic Academy in Elmhurst. The students picked St. Adalbert’s middle school English teacher, Michele Curry Cardona, to join the roster.

Our Lady of Grace Students Learn Braille

Fourth-graders at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy learned a lot about Helen Keller’s life and legacy during Women’s History Month lessons in March, including firsthand how Keller communicated.

What Women’s History Month Means To Us

For Women’s History Month, eighth-grade students at St. Saviour Catholic Academy, Park Slope, created ‘word art’ projects to highlight the contributions of women in history and contemporary society.

Xavier High School Appoints First Female Headmaster

Xavier High School will be ushering in its 55th headmaster, Kim Smith, this coming summer. Smith will be the first female headmaster in the all-boys high school’s 174-year history and will join 16 other women serving as principals or headmasters at 60 Jesuit high schools across the country.

Recognizing Women Prophets in the Old Testament

“Are there any women prophets in your book?” That’s the question that stuck with Kieran Larkin, a religious studies teacher at The Mary Louis Academy, after he published his first book, “Messengers of God: A Survey of Old Testament Prophets,” in 2019. Having written about male prophets who were chosen by God to deliver messages of encouragement or condemnation — like Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah — Larkin did a deep dive into the few “prophetesses” mentioned in Scripture.