“It’s time for women to take as much responsibility for maintaining the life of the world as they do for burying the life of the world. Otherwise we raise one world to destroy the other.”
-SISTER JOAN CHITTISTER

A key visionary and spiritual leader in the Catholic Church for more than 30 years, Sister Joan Chittister has devoted her life’s work to justice, peace and equality, especially for women in the Church and in society. She is member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania, an international lecturer and award-winning author of more than 30 books. Sister Chittister is also the founding Executive Director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality in the United States.

Sister Chittister was born in 1936. At the age of 16, Sister Chittister presented herself at the door of the Erie Benedictine convent and announced her intention to become a sister. Since that time, she has received 11 honorary degrees and awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from Penn State in 2000, as well as formal recognition from countless organizations for her commitment to peace and justice. Sister Chittister also received her doctorate in Communications Theory from Penn State University.

From 1974 and 1990, Sister Chittister served as President of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses, and was herself a prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie for over a decade. During this time, Sister Chittister was also appointed President of the Federation of St. Scholastica, as well as President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an organization of the leaders of over 67,000 Catholic women in the United States. In that capacity, she worked within the LCWR’s broad mandate, which includes collaborating in the Catholic Church’s efforts to influence systemic change, studying significant trends and issues within the church and society, utilizing corporate voice in solidarity with people who experience violence or oppression, and creating and offering resource materials on religious leadership skills.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Sister Chittister held offices in numerous organizations, including the International Union of Superiors General, the Ecumenical and Cultural Institute, the St. Vincent Foundation for Health and Human Services, and Global Education Associates. She also served as Executive Director of the Alliance for International Monasticism.

Sister Chittister attended the Fourth U.N. Conference of Women in Beijing, and in 2007 she appeared with the Dali Lama at the First Emory University Summit of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding. She was also a featured speaker at the 2009 Parliament of the World’sReligions in Melbourne, Australia.

In addition to her work with Benetvision, Sister Chittister currently serves as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, which partners with the United Nations to facilitate a worldwide network of peace-building women. She also co-chairs the Network of Spiritual Progressives with Rabbi Michael Lerner and Cornel West.