Harvard PhD Candidate Lauren Tassone Dives into How Media Portrays Women in Catholicism

Lauren Tassone, MTS ’24, has felt drawn to religion since childhood. Growing up Catholic and attending Catholic schools, singing in church, and leading religious retreats, her faith was a focus of her early education. After leading interfaith efforts at the University of Michigan and working in nonprofits for five years, Tassone joined HDS to study interfaith cooperation and interreligious dialogue. Today, she continues her exploration of religion in Harvard’s PhD program, where her research focuses on Catholicism, media, and gender.

When asked about her faith, Lauren Tassone shares that Catholicism instilled in her the values of love, respect, and social justice. She also appreciates that her religion connected her to strong female leaders, teachers, and mentors. It was her relationship with these women, including her high school campus minister, Sister Mary Ann, that helped her develop her Catholic identity and become the scholar she is today.

Tassone recalls the moment she felt called to explore ideas related to gender and religion. While attending a prayer retreat, Sister Mary Ann began a prayer with the words, “Dear God, who is both Father and Mother.” These words moved Tassone: “In that moment, I realized that I desired the parental love of a God who is both Father and Mother. Hearing this invitation from a woman who dedicated her life to the Church, and who was also in a position of authority, encouraged me to take ownership over my own relationship with God and taught me that there is not just one way to be Catholic.” That small moment inspired Tassone to connect more deeply with her faith and sparked her interest in studying the influence and role of women in Catholicism.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Tassone worked in the nonprofit sector, focusing on organizational learning and development. This work nurtured her passion for teaching, as she cultivated relationships between individuals and led company retreats. Inspired by these experiences, she came to HDS, where she intended to focus on interreligious dialogue and inquiry.

In her first year, she enrolled in Professor Diana Eck’s “Pluralism: Case Studies in American Diversity” course, which she later supported as a teaching fellow. The course let Tassone explore her interest in religious pluralism and strengthened her model for mentorship and excellent teaching. Tassone also found “Research in American Religious History,” taught by Professor Catherine Brekus, to be a transformative educational experience. Tassone gained the tools needed to pursue rigorous historical research and develop compelling arguments and narrative, while also solidifying her plans to pursue doctoral work.

Tassone began her PhD at Harvard in the fall of 2024, where she is diving into questions about how social and popular media representations of Catholic women religious (sisters and nuns) affect the public’s understanding of Catholic women and the Catholic Church. “The more I read about nuns, the more I want to highlight how they are the backbone of the Church . . . yet they are often overlooked, misunderstood, and underappreciated,” she says. Through her research, she hopes that “people will see Catholic sisters as more relatable and appreciate the ways that they have improved society.”

During the summer between completing her MTS and beginning her PhD, Tassone completed Spain’s famous pilgrimage trail, El Camino de Santiago. Walking roughly 800 kilometers (497 miles) in 32 days, she joined travelers from around the globe to find her way to the famous Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (pictured above). “The Camino reminded me to trust God and enjoy the journey,” she shares, expressing hope that she will carry these lessons into her doctoral work and future endeavors.

For more information about Lauren Tassone’s studies, visit hds.harvard.edu/2024DeansReport/Tassone.
 

—By Dionne Wareham, EDM ’24, Communications Specialist