Kay MacDonald

Katherine (Kay) MacDonald (1931 – 31 August, 2018) was a Canadian religious figure who, at the time of her appointment as president of the International Union of Superiors General, was the highest ranking woman in the Catholic Church. Her career started at a small Catholic Academy in Saskatchewan, Canada and led her to a variety of senior positions across Canada, in Rome, and in Israel. MacDonald focused her career on fighting antisemitism in the Catholic Church and improving relationships between Christian and Jewish populations. MacDonald's life and career has been documented by the National Film Board of Canada in a 2000 documentary co-production between the NFB and Four Square Productions Canada Ltd.

MacDonald's involvement with antisemitism led her to work with the International Council Of Christians and Jews, be elected as the president of the International Union of Superiors General (1983-1986), be appointed the associate director of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, and be the provincial leader for the Sisters of Sion in Jerusalem (1990-1996). It was during her time with the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism that she expanded her work from improving relations between Christians and Jews to also include Muslims.

Up until this point in MacDonald's career, she felt she was serving God through education. Her experiences in Rome during the Second Vatican Council caused her to realize the antisemitism of the Catholic Church; specifically the role of Christianity in the Holocaust and learning about her orders history of forced conversions of Jewish children to Christianity. MacDonald decided to dedicate the rest of her career to attempting to combat discrimination between religious groups. Her first larger opportunity to enact this change came in 1970, when she was elected to the General Council of Congregations. After 5 years on the Council, MacDonald was elected Superior General of her order. MacDonald held this post from 1975 until 1986.

MacDonald was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1931 as the daughter of two rural school teachers from Prince Edward Island. She was the youngest child of her family and had four brothers: Ron, Jack, Cyril, and Bob. Her brother Cyril MacDonald was a political figure in Saskatchewan. MacDonald attended St. Joseph's Elementary School as a child and Sion Academy for high school.