TheoFem:
Lay Women as International Experts and Theologians avant-la-lettre. Legacies and Entangled Histories (1945-1962)
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Credits: Cinecittà Luce
Credits: Cinecittà Luce
Our Activities
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Dr. Natalia Núñez Bargueño to Present New TheoFem Research on Transatlantic Networks of Catholic Women (Europe – America) at CY Cergy Paris Université
Dr. Natalia Núñez Bargueño will present new findings from the TheoFem project at the seminar Histoire transnationale des femmes dans l’espace transatlantique (Europe–Amériques, XXe–XXIe siècles). The presentation will take place on Monday, 19 January 2026, at CY Cergy Paris Université. Dr. Núñez Bargueño wants to warmly thank the Laboratoire AGORA for the invitation. In her talk, titled «Femmes catholiques et…
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#WomensWednesday nº6 & 1st Collaboration – 7th January 2026: Ellen Ammann (1870–1932): A Pioneer of Catholic Social Reform and Women’s Political Mobilization in Bavaria
Post by: Professor Yvonne Maria Werner, LUX, Historiska institutionen, Lunds universitet Ellen Ammann was a Swedish-born Catholic social reformer, educator, and politician whose work left a lasting imprint on Bavarian Catholic social life in the early twentieth century. Her life and achievements illustrate how religious conviction, social engagement, and women’s emerging…
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#WomensWednesday nº5 – 10th December 2025: Christine de Hemptinne (1895–1984) — Catholic Action, Gender, the Global Cold War, and the Paradoxes of Decolonization
Christine Eugénie Marie Ghislaine de Hemptinne was born on 1 December 1895 in Ghent, Belgium, into an aristocrat Catholic family. Her life and work exemplify the dynamic role of laywomen in shaping Catholic internationalism during the 20th century. Combining local social engagement with global ecclesial diplomacy, she became a key…
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Natalia Núñez Bargueño at International Meeting on Catholicism, Women, and Feminisms
We are pleased to announce that Natalia Núñez Bargueño will participate in the International Meeting “Catholicism, Women and Feminisms in Europe (20th Century)”, taking place on 27–28 November 2025 at Espacio La Corrala (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). Natalia is also a member of the Scientific Committee of this event, which is organized by the research group “Catholicism, Gender and…
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#WomensWednesday – nº 4: 15th of September 2025 – Catholic, Committed, Internationalist: The Legacy of Florentine Steenberghe-Engeringh (1875–1952) in the Netherlands and Beyond
Born in Utrecht on April 10, 1875, Petronille Aimée Florentine Engeringh, better known as Florentine Steenberghe-Engeringh, was a pioneering figure in Dutch Catholic social and women’s organizations. Raised in an upper-bourgeois family, she received her education from the Sacred Heart nuns in Belgium. Although societal norms prevented her from attending university,…
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SFM- NYALA KARLA NAUWELAERS Y CLARE STAINTHORP – «The feminization thesis under scrutiny: the case of the freethinking women of Ghent (late 19th – early 20th century)» (30 SEPTIEMBRE, 2025)
El martes 30 de septiembre a las 18:00 h. (hora peninsular) se celebrará una nueva sesión del Seminario Feliciano Montero de Historia Religiosa Contemporánea en la que debatiremos el documento de trabajo titulado: “The feminization thesis under scrutiny: the case of the freethinking women of Ghent (late 19th – early 20th century)» El…
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#WomensWednesday – nº 3: 10th of September 2025. The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO). A Century of Catholic Women’s Global Leadership*
Founded in 1910 as the International Union of Catholic Women’s Leagues, WUCWO emerged in response to growing anticlericalism and secularization in Europe**. Its mission was to promote Catholic social action and values, and to defend religious freedom. The organization became truly international after World War II, adopting its current name…
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International Day of Women in Diplomacy and International Relations
🎙️ On the International Day of Women in Diplomacy and International Relations, TheoFem project wishes honour the legacy and ongoing contributions of women who have shaped global governance, peacebuilding, and dialogue —often behind the scenes and beyond official titles. We pay special tribute to women of faith, including prominent Catholic figures…
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Rewriting the Canon: Why We Need a Genealogy of Women’s Catholic Thought Today
In July 2024, the Vatican announced that its doctrinal office would prepare a document on women in leadership roles within the Catholic Church, marking a significant step toward acknowledging their participation in ecclesiastical life. While Pope Francis has reaffirmed the ban on women priests, he has also appointed women to…
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Women’s Wednesday: Launching the Digital Archive of Lay Women
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, TheoFem is launching a new initiative: Women’s Wednesday, a biweekly publication forming part of the Digital Archive of Lay Women. This space aims to bring visibility to the lives, legacies, and contributions of laywomen—those often overlooked in official narratives. It also seeks to…
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Presentation at the Ruusbroec Institute
Dr. Natalia Núñez Bargueño, as part of her Marie Skłodowska-Curie project TheoFem, will present new reflections on Catholic laywomen’s international organizations during the early Cold War and Decolonization era (1945–1962). This presentation will take place on Friday, January 21st (16h-18h) at the Ruusbroec Institute (University of Antwerp), which is celebrating its…
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Seminario KADOC: Las organizaciones internacionales de mujeres católicas en la posguerra y la era de la descolonización
El próximo 13 de febrero de 2025, Natalia Núñez Bargueño (KU Leuven) presentará en el seminario KADOC los resultados preliminares de su estancia de investigación en archivos romanos. Su conferencia, enmarcada en su proyecto de investigación MSCATheoFem, analizará desde una perspectiva transdisciplinar el papel de la Unión Mundial de Organizaciones…