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What Would Catherine Of Sienna Do? Spiritual Formation And The Brains Of Adolescent Girls

Abstract This article explores how new knowledge about the adolescent female brain lends theoretical support to narrative and contemplative practices of spiritual formation of girls. Current brain research supports the use of particular methods of religious formation for teenagers in general, and teenage girls in particular. This article suggests that spiritual practices of narrative and contemplation—particularly as they become embodied in communal spaces—hold promise to be consistent with the development of the teenage female brain. When combined with other nurturing practices, they might help shape contemporary young female leaders who are active contemplatives and contemplative activists.