For over 30 years Mother Agnes Mary Donovan was the Superior General of the Sisters of Life. In this exclusive one-on-one interview with EWTN's Colm Flynn, Mother Agnes Mary talks about her upbringing in rural Pennsylvania and how her faith developed at a young age. As an academic in New York, she was a professor in clinical psychology at Columbia University, but felt something was missing and she needed to pursue something more meaningful in her life. Mother Agnes Mary opens up to Colm about that decision to leave the professional world and pursue her vocation, which lead her to become the Mother Superior of the Sisters of Life.

01:11 – Introducing host, Colm Flynn, and five‑year wait for this interview
02:01 – Receiving the GIVEN Fiat Award & its purpose for young women leaders
02:36 – How to recognize a God‑given gift
03:39 – Why young women struggle to see their gifts today
04:31 – Feeling isolated living a countercultural faith at work
05:19 – Growing up in rural Pennsylvania and family life
06:22 – Childhood dreams, loving people, and first attraction to psychology
07:29 – Questioning but never leaving the practice of the faith
08:38 – Discovering mental prayer and encountering the living God
09:46 – “It changes everything”: faith, anxiety, and trusting God’s plan
10:29 – Studies in psychology and becoming a professor at Columbia
11:39 – MacArthur grant: “Does it matter who reads to our children?”
13:02 – Eight‑day Ignatian retreat and a life‑changing encounter with God
14:23 – Call to give everything to God and become a religious sister
16:07 – Telling colleagues and family: reactions to her vocation
16:56 – Entering the Sisters of Life and serving as first superior general
18:00 – The charism: proclaiming each person’s infinite value and purpose
20:02 – First calls from pregnant women and walking with them in crisis
27:26 – Stories of mothers, children, Zion, and a growing family of life
32:00 – Healing after ab*rtion, God’s mercy, and growing vocations today

Hosted by Catherine Hadro, EWTN News In Depth welcomes guests in a discussion of current events in the Church, politics, and culture, all through the lens of the Catholic faith.
This show is about finding out who we are as people and as Catholics, and how we can confidently live our faith in the world. It is produced by EWTN News: https://www.ewtnnews.com

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