We both recognize the need in our culture to address this question and how American culture has been getting it wrong for decades. We shared in our frustrations with the medicalization of women’s bodies starting at puberty and how few young girls are given the resources or education to understand and live in their bodies as they were meant to be. Each of us feels called to do something about it!
Originally Published by Emily Dowdell, PsyD
This morning, about an hour ago, I had the lovely opportunity to sit with Emily Vork Young over coffee and discuss what it means to be a woman and how to communicate the beauty of femininity that the Catholic vision of the human person offers us as women. We both recognize the need in our culture to address this question and how American culture has been getting it wrong for decades. We shared in our frustrations with the medicalization of women’s bodies starting at puberty and how few young girls are given the resources or education to understand and live in their bodies as they were meant to be. Each of us feels called to do something about it!
In 2023, Emily Vork Young started the New Eve Foundation, which is designed to help women embrace and live out the Catholic vision of womanhood, encountering Christ through their femininity. Emily and her team offer retreats, speaking engagements, and small-groups. Here’s a description of the small-group program from the website, “The six-week study begins in the Garden of Eden and ends at the Annunciation, travelling through the four identities of woman (daughter, sister, bride, and mother) and the four aspects of the Feminine Genius (receptivity, sensitivity, generosity, and maternity), all while integrating these identities and aspects with our the four phases of the woman’s biological cycle (menses, pre-ovulatory, ovulatory, and post-ovulatory).” Bringing together the natural science of the reproductive system with the theological foundation of what it means to be a woman, rich with symbolism, dignity, and meaning, Emily and her team are empowering so many young women to embrace the reality of what it means to be designed in the image of likeness of God in body and soul.
I really enjoyed getting to sit down and get to know Emily see her passion for this subject, something that we share! I hope to collaborate with her, support her ministry, and spread the word! If anyone is interested in learning more, visit the New Eve Foundation website and reach out!
