Mercy Amba Oduyoye was honored as the 2018 Madeleva Lecturer. Her lecture, “Women in Africa: Spirituality, Health, and Healing,” took place on April 19, 2018 at Saint Mary’s College. Oduyoye is the director of the Institute of Women in Religion and Culture at Trinity Theological Seminar in Legon, Ghana. Affectionately known as the “mother of African women’s theologies,” she is a renowned theologian, educator, writer, and mentor. Oduyoye has worked tirelessly for decades to address issues of poverty, health care, youth empowerment, women’s rights, destructive cultural and religious practices, and global unrest.

The Madeleva Lecture is named to honor Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, CSC. As the president of Saint Mary’s College, Sr. Madeleva inaugurated the Graduate School of Sacred Theology at the College, a unique and pioneering venture that provided graduate theological training to women and lay men from 1943-1970. This highly-regarded lecture honors an accomplished female scholar in the discipline of theology.

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