A Great Woman And Her Time

An eight-part, two-hour series by historian Graham Peck in concert with WXAV, 88.3, the radio station of Saint Xavier University (2018).

This episode of “A Great Woman and Her Time“ presents the social and economic context for the life of Catherine McAuley. It examines the penal laws and their effects on Catholics, Ireland‘s dramatic population growth from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, the corresponding poverty suffered by poor Irish Catholic peasants, and the growing problem of prostitution. This is the second episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV 88.3FM

This episode of “A Great Woman and Her Time“ examines a remarkable six-day religious frenzy in Ireland, which was spurred by the cholera epidemic of 1832. Gripped by fear, poor Irish Catholics spread a superstitious message that “holy” or “blessed“ items could save them from cholera. With remarkable speed, the message spread throughout most of Ireland. This is the third episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV 88.3FM

This episode of "A Great Woman and Her Time" examines the role of the Sisters of Mercy in ministering to the sick during the terrible cholera epidemic in Ireland in 1832. Cholera killed over 3500 people in Dublin alone, and the heroic efforts of the sisters made a significant contribution to public health and initiated the distinguished contributions of Sisters of Mercy to the profession of nursing. This is the fourth episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV 88.3 FM

This episode of "A Great Woman and Her Time" examines the remarkable sacrifices made by Sisters of Mercy, who renounced privileged lives in order to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in service of the poor. It provides vignettes of three sisters, Lady Barbara Eyre, Caroline Murphy, and Jane Francis Gibson, in order to illuminate the rationale behind their sacrifice. This is the fifth episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV 88.3FM

This episode of "A Great Woman and Her Time" examines the challenges that Sisters of Mercy confronted within the Irish Catholic Church when attempting to establish a religious order that permitted women considerable autonomy. Traditionally, women in Catholic religious orders were cloistered, and remained in the convent, which prevented them from working in public ministries, but the Sisters of Mercy persuaded male religious authorities to support their ministries of mercy. This is the sixth episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV 88.3FM.

This episode of "A Great Woman and Her Time" examines the spiritual beliefs and practices that animated the Sisters of Mercy. In keeping with Catholic doctrine, Catherine McAuley put Jesus Christ at the center of the Mercy order, urging her sisters to imitate Christ. This required the sisters to sacrifice themselves for others, while accepting God's will with gratitude and obedience. This was a demanding standard, yet Catherine and other sisters recruited pious women to the order in large numbers over the next century. This is the seventh episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV 88.3FM

This episode of "A Great Woman and Her Time" tells the story of Sister Mary Frances Warde, the American founder of the Sisters of Mercy, and one of Catherine McAuley's most beloved companions. Warde's biographer has described her as "one of the greatest servants of humanity whoever lived," an extraordinary claim justified by her astonishing record of establishing institutions that served to promote the welfare of others. She founded over 100 convents, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions, which collectively have touched the lives of millions of Americans over the past 170 years. This is the eighth and final episode of a multipart series produced by WXAV, 88.3.

The sources on which the podcasts are based are available here