Catholic Stream

Until 1970, the Vatican had never recognized a woman as a Doctor of the Church. Today there are four: Teresa of Ávila, Catherine of Siena, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Hildegard of Bingen. Now you can get an in-depth look at their lives with award-winning religious studies scholar Elizabeth A. Dreyer.

Despite living in different countries, centuries, and cultural contexts, the four women Doctors of the Church are all boundless sources of wisdom and faith. Now, through Prof. Dreyer’s engaging 12-lecture course, available in audio and video, you can understand each woman’s powerful theology, letting her spirituality guide you.

Professor Dreyer is an expert in medieval women mystics and the role of women in Christianity. She is the author or coauthor of ten books, including Making Sense of God: A Woman’s Perspective (St. Anthony Messenger, 2008), which won first place in the Catholic Press Association’s Gender Issues category.

As you explore the historical context that gave rise to these women’s ideas, you will learn how to retrieve aspects of their theological thought in a critical and relevant way today. Including women’s perspectives in the Church helps us broaden what we understand in theology and reminds us that all Christians are invited to be theologians.

Join Prof. Dreyer to discover new depths of the Christian theological tradition with Hildegard, Catherine, Teresa, and Thérèse.