1. The Feminine Genius
Mary and the Wedding Feast of Cana

2. Overview
• Discussion:
• Contemporary Women
• Contemporary Society
• Contemporary Challenges
• Information:
• Feminine Genius
• Mary as a Model
• Formation
• Aspects
• Examples
• Practical Steps

3. Women – The Church’s Thoughts
• We must “acknowledge the indispensable
contribution of women to the building up of the
Church and the development of society.”
(From “Christifideles Laici” - On the Vocation
and the Mission of the Lay Faithful)

4. Opening Discussion:
•And yet we must ask
the questions:
• Can we have it all?
• Can we do it all?
Sheryl Sandberg -Sheryl Sandberg -
Chief Operating Officer, FacebookChief Operating Officer, Facebook

5. Opening Discussion:
•And yet we must ask
the questions:
• Should we have it all?
• Should we do it all?
Lisa Brenninkmeyer -Lisa Brenninkmeyer -
Founder and Co-chairman ofFounder and Co-chairman of
Walking with PurposeWalking with Purpose

6. The Feminine Genius
What do you think?

7. Thoughts According to
Catholic Tradition
• Accompanying (Luke 8:2-3)
• Compassion:
• From “Cum – Passio”
• (Luke 23:49 and 55)
• Prophetic Voice - Receive and transmit the message
(Luke 24:1-10)
• Praying, waiting, discerning (In the Cenacle in Acts 1:14)
• Re-evangelizing and Humanizing (John Paul II)

8. Women in the Sacred Scripture
• 188 named (and numerous unnamed) women
mentioned in the Bible
• 355 biblical references with the word, “woman.”

9. • Found at “Topical Bible:”
• Woman, Woman At The Well, Woman Pastors, Woman
Preachers, Woman Preaching, Woman Wearing Make
Up, Working Woman, Womanhood, Womanizer,
Woman’s Hair, Womb, Women And Men, Women As
Pastors, Women Baptizing, Women’s Body, Women
Cutting Their Hair, Women Dressing, Women In
Church, Women In Ministry, Women Of Virtue, Women
Teachers, Women Wearing Pants, A Women’s Beauty,
Women’s Dress, Women’s Rights
• Women’s ThoughtsWomen’s Thoughts
According to Sacred ScriptureAccording to Sacred Scripture

10. Getting it Together
Formation and Transformation
vs.
Education and Information

11. Getting it Together
“Kinda” Integrated Formation for Living a
“Somewhat” Integrated Life (John Paul II)

12. Formation – What and Why
•John Paul II, “Pastores Dabo Vobis”
• (“I Will Give You Shepherds”)
• You can’t do it all.
• You can’t do it all time time.
• You can’t do it perfectly....(ever)
• A continual process of maturation.
•Discover vocation and mission.

13. Resources:
• Overcommitted? Podcast by Michael
Hayatt from “Intentional Leadership.”
• Boundaries, When to Say Yes – When
to Say No (Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John
Townsend)
• Boundaries for Leaders, Results
Relationships and Being Ridiculously In
Charge (Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John
Townsend)

14. Formation – What and Why
• Stress and Commitment:
• Not sustainable
• Takes toll on what is really most important
• Balance in culture that:
• Ministry (church) and business
• Worships busy-ness as sign of success
• Looks down at balance as laziness
• Leaders:
• Focus on changing culture “below” them
• Measure results and not time invested
• Change their own behavior.

15. The Feminine Genius
John 2:1-11
Mary as a Model

16. Feminine Genius
Stealth Weapon in the 21 Century?
“Known but forgotten truth.”
“Vocation, influence, power and effect not yet realized”
(Vatican II)

17. Feminine Genius
Unique - not compared to men.
Collaborative and complementary.
Not about power sharing.

18. Feminine Genius
Keeping world from falling over the cliff.
“Receptivity, sensitivity, generosity, and maternity.”

19. Still, work to be done...
• ”Situations where women are prevented from
developing their full potential and from
offering the wealth of their gifts should
therefore be considered profoundly unjust,
not only to women themselves but to society
as a whole" (Angelus message of July 23, 1995, John Paul II).

20. Still, work to be done...
•Eucharist +
•Formation =
•Redemption

21. Formation,
Getting Concrete
Two Examples

22. Discovery – Vocation and Mission
•Legionaries of Christ:
•Personal Prayer
•Communal Prayer
•Vocation
•“Apostolate"

23. Discovery - Vocation and Mission
•“I Will give You Shepherds”
•Human (You)
•Intellectual (You)
•Spiritual (You)
•Pastoral (Them)

24. 8 Strategies
• Accept Responsibility
for Your Calendar
• Decline
• Negotiate
• Move deadline
• Confront Fears
• Disappoint
• Miss opportunity
• Getting fired
• Reduce Drama
• Need for significance
• Keep it in Perspective
• A “season”
• This too will pass
• “All will be well”

25. 8 Strategies
• Triage the Calendar
• Build in “white space”
• Negotiate
• Ask for extension
• Delegate
• Do “next – important”
task
• Matthew 6:34
• Don’t worry about
tomorrow
• Sufficient for today are
the concerns of the day
• Get Sufficient Rest
• Chose rest over other
priorities
• You are not being lazy
• Decide to change
• Everyone want more of
you
• You build margin into life
• Establish, and enforce,
boundaries.

26. The Feminine Genius
End of Presentation