People like Joan D. Chittister

Joan Daugherty Chittister, (born April 26, 1936), is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author, and speaker. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.

Chittister was born on April 26, 1936, to Daniel and Loretta Daugherty. Her father died when she was very young and her mother married Harold Chittister. Joan Chittister described her step-father as a violently abusive alcoholic.

She was educated by Sisters of St. Joseph, and later attended St. Benedict Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania. Chittister holds a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in speech communication theory from Penn State University. She is also an elected fellow of St. Edmunds College at the University of Cambridge.