Just ahead of International Women’s Day, the GIVEN Institute announced that Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, SV, the first superior general of the Sisters of Life, will receive the 2026 GIVEN Fiat Award.
GIVEN, a nonprofit organization that helps young women identify their gifts for the Church and the world, will honor Donovan “for her extraordinary witness to the dignity of women, the gift of life, and the integration of faith and professional excellence,” GIVEN said in a press release.
The Fiat Award honors women whose lives embody the response of Our Lady through faithful leadership, service, and love in the Church and the world.
“I was shocked, actually, and I’m deeply pleased,” Donovan told EWTN News about being honored with the award.
GIVEN “was raised up with a particular purpose, which was to identify young women who had aptitude for leadership, who were Catholic, and for whom an institute like GIVEN could provide formation, networking, help them to identify the gifts that God has given them, that they can use at the service of the world and the Church,” Donovan said.
“It’s done a remarkable job of that, which is really so pleasing,” she said.
Work of Mother Agnes Mary
“Mother Agnes Mary Donovan exemplifies the fiat of a woman who has received her gifts fully and poured them out in love,” said Sister Mary Gabriel Devlin, SV, board chair of the GIVEN Institute.
“Her life of spiritual motherhood, intellectual depth, and compassionate service is a powerful witness for young women seeking to lead with courage and faith,” she said.
Before entering religious life, Donovan earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and taught at Columbia University.
Donovan was one of the first women to join the Sisters of Life founded by Cardinal John O’Connor in 1991. She served as their superior general from 1993 to 2021, leading the community in its mission to serve pregnant women in need, offer retreats for healing and renewal, and accompany those suffering after abortion.
Under her leadership, the Sisters of Life grew with dedication to proclaiming the sacredness of every human life. Her work has supported thousands of women in crisis.
Donovan is set to be honored at the Catholic Women’s Leadership Celebration on Saturday, June 27, at the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America during the GIVEN Institute’s annual forum.
After Donovan is honored with the Fiat Award, she will participate in a featured conversation with legal scholar, professor, and author Helen Alvaré.
