"I don't think they understand..."
These words were spoken by multiple women who participated in Dr Alabi’s doctoral research on the use of Natural Family Planning (NFP) after childbirth. The women did not think that the Church understood their lived experience of using NFP with irregular menstrual cycles.
The New Eve Pastoral Training
Understanding and Accompanying Women in the Church
As the Church continues to respond to the call of the Synod on Synodality to become a more listening, participatory, and discerning Church, many parishes are seeking practical ways to hear the voices and experiences of the women they serve.
Women navigate fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, motherhood, family life, work, caregiving, and vocational discernment in ways that profoundly shape their relationship with God, their families, and the Church. Yet many women experience these realities in silence, with limited opportunities to share their experiences or receive meaningful support within their faith communities.
At the same time, priests, parish leaders, and pastoral teams are increasingly called to accompany women through the joys, challenges, and complexities of their lives, often without the formation, resources, or insights needed to do so confidently.
The New Eve Pastoral Training Programme addresses this gap. Grounded in Dr Bridget Alabi’s doctoral research into women’s lived experiences of fertility and motherhood and informed by The New Eve Method®, this programme equips priests, women group leaders and pastors to better understand women’s experiences, strengthen pastoral accompaniment, and create opportunities for women to be heard within the life of the Church.
An Overview of the Training
Listening, Discernment and Reflection
A listening Church learns. The guide equips parish and group leaders to not only to hear women’s voices but also to develop a deeper understanding of the particular realities facing women within their local communities.
Training sessions will also show participants how to facilitate structured listening and reflection sessions with women within their own communities.
Pastors are guided to:
- Create safe and welcoming spaces for women to share their experiences.
- Facilitate meaningful group reflection and discussion.
- Identify emerging pastoral needs and concerns.
Accompanying Women in Parish Life & Community
Understanding must lead to accompaniment.
This guide helps priests, parish leaders, and pastoral teams to explore how they can accompany women both individually and collectively within parish life.
Pastors will be guided to discern practical ways to:
- Accompany women through pastoral conversations and spiritual support.
- Respond sensitively to experiences of fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, and motherhood.
- Foster a culture of welcome, understanding, and visibility.
- Recognise women’s experiences within preaching, catechesis, and parish ministry.
- Create parish environments where women feel seen, valued, and supported.
Special attention is given to moving beyond assumptions about women’s needs and towards accompaniment rooted in genuine understanding.
Who Is This Training For?
- Priests
- Deacons
- Seminarians
- Parish leaders
- Family life coordinators
- Women’s ministry leaders
- Pastoral teams
- Diocesan staff
Training Formats
- Standalone workshops
- Workshops offered within other planned formative activities
- Seminars
- Speaking engagements
* The training will be tailored to the requests of the organisers and the length of time requested.
The Outcome
The New Eve Pastoral Training helps pastors to move beyond assumptions about women’s needs by creating opportunities to listen, understand, and respond more effectively. Through a deeper understanding of women’s lived experiences, they can strengthen their capacity to accompany women and foster communities where women feel recognised, valued, supported, and able to participate more fully in the life and mission of the Church.
In doing so, the training offers a practical response to the Church’s call to synodality by helping parishes cultivate habits of listening, participation, accompaniment, and discernment that enable women’s voices and experiences to contribute more fully to the life and mission of the Church.
