Women and the Pursuit of Happiness

Meet three DC professional women who are deepening their faith through the varied circumstances of their lives: dating, marriage, single life, motherhood, and career.

Today’s modern culture often assesses a woman’s success in relation to the achievement of certain goals: degrees, marriage, children, career advancement, a beautiful home. Are these achievements an adequate measure of a woman’s happiness?

Can women really have it all?

What is the importance of friendship for married and single women?

How can we live a life of Christian service in single and married life?

In the midst of a city which is often dominated by power seeking and image conscious mentality , how can we pursue God’s will?

Mary Hasson

Mary Hasson is a Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington D.C., where her writing focuses on Catholicism, gender, sexuality, and family life. She co-authored, with Michele Hill, the ground-breaking report, What Catholic Women Think About Faith, Conscience, and Contraception (2012), and is working on a book exploring the views of Catholic women on faith, sexual morality, and reproduction. She writes for a variety of publications and has been interviewed by a wide range of media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, EWTN, and the BBC. An attorney, Mary also worked for many years as a professional writer and in Catholic apostolates focused on women, marriage, and family. Mary and her husband Seamus are the parents of seven children.

Marie Claire Roderick

Marie Claire Roderick is a Canadian doctoral candidate at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, also known as IPS, in Arlington, VA.  She plans to graduate June, 2014 and begin her clinical work in the greater DC area.  Her clinical specialty is in pediatric psychology.  Working with children has always been a passion of hers. She trained with the HSC Pediatric Center with Children’s National Medical Center, the National Cancer Institute under the National Institutes of Health, and Frontier Health Services.  Marie Claire’s research with NIH was recently published in the Journal of Genetic Counseling.  When Marie Claire is not busy with her clinical work, she enjoys running and baking gluten-free treats; but her real passion involves hunting down designer deals at local thrift stores for her family and friends.

Jessica Balile

Jessica has been living in the DC area for 16 years. After graduating from the George Washington University in 2002, She worked as a Producer and Capitol Hill Producer for the Middle East Broadcast Networks, Director of Community Relations for the Guadalupe Radio Network helping to bring Catholic Radio to DC and as an Associate Producer for the FOX News Channel. Jessica founded GoodGirls DC in 2012 because of her need for fellowship and felt it was important to bring other like minded woman of faith together. She currently lives in Falls Church, VA with her husband and baby boy, Joseph.

Cherylyn LeBon (Moderator)

Cherylyn is a lawyer, writer, mom, and National Co-Chair of Project 21. Twitter @HarleyLeBon.

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