What you need to know about Edith Stein and feminism

Michie · Tuesday at 5:48 PM

Edith Stein, student at Breslau 1913-1914. (Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

It may be hard to imagine that a Jewish girl turned teenage atheist could grow up to be a saint. But this was the story for Edith Stein, who we venerate as St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross. As an ardent seeker of truth and an advocate for authentic female empowerment, Edith Stein cast a vision for the Catholic feminine ethos that can shed light on what it means to be a woman today.

Edith Stein’s conversion

At the age of 20, Edith entered the University of Breslau, focusing on philosophy and women studies. During this time, Edith became a radical suffragette but then lost interest in feminism, seeking a more “pragmatic solution” to women’s equality.

As Edith pursued her doctorate, she had providential encounters with people that led her to Christ. One day she was visiting Frankfurt Cathedral when a woman entered with her shopping basket, stopping to pray after going to the market.

Edith recounted: “This was something totally new to me. In the synagogues and Protestant churches I had visited, people simply went to the services. Here, however, I saw someone coming straight from the busy marketplace into this empty church, as if she was going to have an intimate conversation. It was something I never forgot.”

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