Margaret earned her Ph.D in Systematic Theology from the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. Her doctoral thesis combined the theology of Hans Frei and the philosophical thought of Ludwig Wittgenstein. She also received a Master of Religious Education from this same institution. Further, while attending Regis College, the Jesuit Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto, Margaret completed a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (Summa Cum Laude). Her undergraduate degrees include an honours Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from York University, Toronto and a Bachelor of Education from St. Andrew’s College in Glasgow, Scotland. Margaret’s research interests include: the interpretation of the documents of Vatican II; Sacramental Theology and the Sacramental life of the Church; and the effect of language and culture on religious belief. She is currently writing a book in this area. Margaret is also a retreat facilitator and directs retreats on a regular basis at Manresa, the Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre in Pickering, ON.

Quotes by Margaret Lavin from WomenTalk:

“The woman who most inspires me in scripture is the woman at the well. I love her sassiness. She took him on. And I think we have to be that bold. [Jesus] sent her out…he sent her out to be a disciple.”

“Another woman from scripture, a little bit different, is the bent woman. I have often thought of the bent woman. Christ said don’t be bent down by the burdens whatever they may be. You have a place in this synagogue. I have a place in this Church. Stand up. Be bold. Be who you are. Worship God. Study about God .”

“It’s not the Church that calls you. It’s God who calls you…that’s where some of my struggles came from – because I was always looking for that vocational authority from my family…from the Church and from the pastor, from my male theology professors…My vocation is from God.”

“Women have a different way of expressing and being faithful…my experience of women in other Christian denominations and women in other major world religions is there’s a connection that happens and it’s more of a conciliatory connection. I’m not talking about theology here. I’m talking about faith – there’s obviously a difference between theology and faith. Claudia asked the question, do we do theology differently. I think we do because I can only do theology as a woman. I can’t do it as anything else. But I think another question is – I think a good conversation is “do women believe differently?”