Why Would a Woman be Catholic?

Introduction | Readings

Dear CIOT Participants,

After a long hiatus I'm delighted that we're starting up again on Monday October 3. Our thanks continue to go out to the Boone Tavern for hosting the event.

This is the first of the final 3 sessions worked out during our agenda meeting last year. At the November CIOT, we will discuss and brainstorm and establish a new agenda to take us up to the summer break. Please continue to think about issues that interest you.

I'm looking forward to hearing and discussing them!

Yours in Christ,
John

Introduction

Why would a woman want to be a Catholic, after all? The Church doesn't allow them into the ordained priesthood, let alone the most influential parts of her hierarchy. From the perspective of self-labeled progressives, non-believers, Jews, and the vast majority of Protestant groups, the Roman Catholic Church is mired in the Middle Ages when it comes to issues confronting women in the modern world.

This is an issue that touches all of us, and (obviously) especially women. I have included links to several useful, short articles below (thanks to Sister Pat for her help), and urge you to take a look at them before our meeting.

What will make this meeting special, though, are the insights and observations of our participants, all of whom have dealt with these issues throughout their lives in the Church.

Readings

Heidi Schlumpf. "Have we come a long way, baby?" U.S. Catholic, September 2004, pp. 18-21.

Joan Chittister. To the 'experts on humanity': since when did women become the problem? National Catholic Reporter, Aug. 13, 2004.

Jeanette Batz. Women finding ways. National Catholic Reporter, 28 March, 2003.

Arthur Jones. Women Want Change. Excerpts from New Catholics for a New Century: The U.S. Church Today and Where It's Headed.

Barbara Bodengraven. Women call for transformed Church. National Catholic Reporter, May 14, 2004.

Rosemary Radford Reuther. Notes on Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology, 1983.

Please Note: This is but a smidgeon of what is available—and limited to the web at that. For those wishing to select from a huge number of possible articles, go to the following search site of the National Catholic Reporter and search for "catholic women”.