Kick Ass Women in History: Father James McCabe

Hey Everyone-
Hope you enjoyed our mini show tonite!  Our 1st MAN honored AND as a "kick a** woman" to boot!  Who knew?  But like one person in the chatroom said "Even men can be feminists!"...and that includes Jesuit priests!

This is the "end" of the Centennial Celebration of Women at Marquette (2009-2010) and I wanted to highlight WHY there even IS this anniversary by honoring Fr McCabe in my own way.  AND as a female Marquette graduate, I benefitted from Fr McCabe & his pioneering actions of allowing women to attend university, alongside men.  From the Marquette press:

In 1909, just one year after becoming president of Marquette, Rev. James McCabe, S.J., received a report emphasizing the dire need to improve the education of teachers in Catholic elementary and high schools. Religious sisters, who were the primary teachers in Catholic schools, needed advanced education to fulfill Wisconsin’s teacher certification requirements. That summer as Marquette prepared to open the first summer session in Catholic higher education, Father McCabe made the transformational decision to permit women - religious and lay alike - to enroll alongside men in what was at that time the quintessential course of study at any Jesuit institution, the bachelor of arts program. His history-making decision introduced coeducation to Catholic higher education.

Father McCabe’s decisive action was met with opposition within the local Jesuit community as well as from Rev. Rudolph J. Meyer, S.J., head of the Missouri Province and former president of Marquette from 1891 to 1893. After being denied permission to admit women by his religious superiors, Father McCabe appealed this decision to the head of the Society of Jesus in Rome. In the intervening three years while awaiting a decision from Rome, women continued to walk through Marquette’s doors. Father General’s approval of coeducation arrived in 1912, confirming Father McCabe’s courageous decision.  Before this final approval arrived from Rome, Father Meyer reassigned Father McCabe to classroom teaching in Detroit. Later, as president of what is now Xavier University in Cincinnati, Father McCabe replicated his Marquette milestone and opened that school’s summer program to religious and lay women, as well.

So there you go...Marquette, my alma mater, the 1st Catholic University in the world to admit women!  YEA!  What an incredible legacy.

Remember: no show next week, and next up...Dr Onkar Ghatay (wow, another man...must see if this is a trend!) to talk about another Kick a** Woman...Ayn Rand!...I can't wait!!!!!