Catholic and Feminist: The Surprising History of the American Catholic Feminist Movement

by Mary J. Henold

In 1963, as Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique" appeared and civil rights activists marched on Washington, a separate but related social movement emerged among American Catholics, says Mary Henold. Thousands of Catholic feminists--both lay women and women religious--marched, strategized, theologized, and prayed together, building sisterhood and confronting sexism in the Roman Catholic Church. In the first history of American Catholic feminism, Henold explores the movement from the 1960s through the early 1980s, showing that although Catholic feminists had much in common with their sisters in the larger American feminist movement, Catholic feminism was distinct and had not been simply imported from outside.

Catholic feminism grew from within the church, rooted in women's own experiences of Catholicism and religious practice, Henold argues. She identifies the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), an inspiring but overtly sexist event that enraged and exhilarated Catholic women in equal measure, as a catalyst of the movement within the church. Catholic feminists regularly explained their feminism in terms of their commitment to a gospel mandate for social justice, liberation, and radical equality. They considered feminism to be a Christian principle.

Yet as Catholic feminists confronted sexism in the church and the world, Henold explains, they struggled to integrate the two parts of their self-definition. Both Catholic culture and feminist culture indicated that such a conjunction was unlikely, if not impossible. Henold demonstrates that efforts to reconcile faith and feminism reveal both the complex nature of feminist consciousness and the creative potential of religious feminism.

Genres: Religion, Feminism, Nonfiction, Catholic, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Francine Apollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I've had ideas and feeling percolating for quite some time. This is a thorough, lively and heart wrenching record of the struggle of American Catholic women from the 1960's to nearly 1990. I was a young woman in the '60's and then busy raising a family of 3 children during the years covered in Henold's book. I was aware of some of the things that were taking place but they all had a back seat to caring for a family, working (along with my husband) to sustain our family and staying connected to Church in order to give our children a value system.

I loved this book. I knew some of the big names of the scholars and theologians and learned of more I was not familiar with. We are still asking the same questions today...well, except for the women who have left when their gifts were not appreciated and acknowledged.

I am left with the same questions I had but I know I am not alone. I do wonder just how a religious movement founded by Jesus, who liked women and surrounded himself with them, could go so very wrong.

I pray for the Church, for Pope Francis and all of the Faithful, who by their very baptism, are called to do God's work as equals.

[K Kriesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the book was like reading my own story. Henold was telling me my life in these pages. I'd already thought of Mary E. Hunt, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Donna Quinn, etc as my living ancestors and now I am even more grateful for all they've done for me.

This book is so packed with information that it took me several months to read. On every page was a person, organization, article, or event that I Googled to learn more about - and I still have a very long list to look up. I was already familiar with many of the theologians and contemporary organizations and now I have a stronger appreciation for them.

When I first picked up this book I balked at the narrow focus. A dozen organizations of white women over a couple decades don't constitute all of American Roman Catholic feminism, many women and organizations (Carol P. Christ, Alverno College) were left out, and this book does skew white. But THERE IS SO MUCH!! Now that I've finished I still think the focus is narrow, but that's necessary to better appreciate the depths and details of these leaders. Shannon Dee William's upcoming book on Black nuns will most likely have a similarly narrow focus, which is what the topic deserves.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a real tragedy that I knew nothing about this history until reading this book. This focused a little too much on individuals for my personal preferences for histories, but the tracing of theory and beliefs was fascinating