The Sacrament of Same-Sex Marriage: An Inclusive Vision for the Catholic Church

by Bridget Burke Ravizza

There are roughly 51 million Roman Catholics in the United States, and 61% of those support same-sex unions. Yet even with growing support from the laity, and an increasing number of vocal priests and nuns, same-sex couples are still denied the opportunity to experience the sacrament of marriage. Drawing on testimony from same-sex married couples who have “a meaningful connection to the Catholic tradition,” this book makes a case for considering same-sex marriage as sacramental from a Catholic perspective. Further, it argues that Catholic families, church communities, and institutions would benefit from wider and deeper practices of gospel-inspired hospitality and sanctuary as it relates to queer persons and couples. At the book’s heart are stories from twenty-two couples, gathered from in-person interviews in Wisconsin, Chicagoland, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay area. The research builds on a previous project on Catholic marriage, conducted with a colleague, Julie Donovan Massey, which resulted in Project Marriage as a Workshop for Everyday Saints (Liturgical Press, 2015; winner of a 2016 Catholic Press Association Award). While that project was limited to heterosexual couples, expanding the research to include same-sex couples was both timely and necessary. Currently, the Catholic magisterium “There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family” (Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith,

236 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2024

About the author

Dr. Bridget Burke Ravizza, Ph.D. (Boston College; M.A., University of San Diego; B.A., Santa Clara University) is Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin. Her research focuses on sexual ethics and the ethics of marriage and family.