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

Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (second place, gender issues-inclusion in the Church). Is it possible to be both a Catholic and a feminist? Claire Swinarski, writer and creator of The Catholic Feminist podcast, believes it is: “I’m a feminist for the same reason I’m bold and honest and sometimes ragey: because Jesus was all of those things.” In Girl, Arise!, Swinarski reconciles the two identities by demonstrating the strength and abilities women have to share with the Body of Christ, the importance of women throughout the history of the faith, and how the love you experience through Christ and the Church can change you and the world around you. In Girl, Arise!:A Catholic Feminist’s Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World Swinarski points out that while both “feminism” and “Catholicism” can mean different things to different people, both feminists and Catholics desire to make the world a better, fairer place. And she shows that by treating women with dignity equal to that of men—by calling them his friends and teaching them—Jesus acted as a feminist as well. With humor and sass, Swinarski addresses her frustration with the traditional concerns churches ascribe to women, as shown by the many talks directed at women focused on marriage and modesty rather than social justice. But she pinpoints the areas where modern feminism goes too far, arguing against abortion and exploring what it means to serve others rather than focus on our own needs first. Swinarski also tells the stories of holy women—including Vashti in the book of Esther, Sts. Thérèse of Lisieux and Joan of Arc, Mary Magdalene, and the Blessed Virgin Mary—to show how their faith influenced their actions, even when those actions went against traditional norms and roles of women. You will be empowered to embrace your God-given abilities as you follow the women who have gone before you in faith who—by announcing Christ to his disciples, believing in God’s promises, and being faithful in hardship—changed the world.

Written by a Catholic journalist who has investigated feminism on its own ground, this remarkable book fully exposes the hidden face of Catholic feminism for the first time, revealing its theoretical and psychological roots in loss of faith. A definitive account of a movement impelled by vengeful rage to revolt against all spiritual authority.

A collection of creative pieces, Unruly Catholic Feminists explores how women are coming to terms with their feminism and Catholicism in the twenty-first century. Through short stories, poems, and personal essays, third- and fourth-wave feminists write about the issues, reforms, and potential for progress. Giving voice to many younger writers, the book includes a variety of geographic and ethnic points of view from which women write about their experiences with Catholicism and their visions for the future. While change in the church may be slow to come, even the promise of progress may provide hope for women struggling with the conflicts between their religion and their sense of their own spirituality. Rather than always only oppressing or containing women, Catholicism also drives or inspires many to challenge literary, social, political, or religious hierarchies. By examining how women attempt to reconcile their unruliness with their Catholic backgrounds or conversions and their future hopes and dreams, Unruly Catholic Feminists offers new perspectives on gender and religion today—and for the days yet to come.

In Sex and the Catholic Feminist, Browder challenges the notion that you can't be a feminist and believe in God. She echoes John Paul II's call for Catholics to embody a "new feminism," a radical new view of women's dignity. Her goal in this book is to "follow one golden thread of feminism in America—the pro-life thread—to show why it has been ignored by the media and left out of public conversation for fifty years." For Browder, the pro-life movement is about more than abortion and contraception; it's about loving and respecting all human life. While tracing the history of feminism in America, Browder discovered at the core of these various feminist movements a search for personhood. Where do women place their identity and find their fulfillment? Browder ultimately concludes that in our noisy, consumerist society, placing one's identity anywhere other than in God will prove disappointing and unfulfilling. "My hope is that some thoughts presented here will spark a new conversation and help heal one of the deepest political divisions in our nation." — Sue Ellen Browder

The Demonic Influence on Women Today In the late '60s, a small group of elite American women convinced an overwhelming majority of the country that destroying the most fundamental of relationships-that of mother and child-was necessary for women to have productive and happy lives. From the spoiling of this relationship followed the decay of the entire family, and almost overnight, our once pro-life culture became pro-lifestyle, embracing everything that felt good. Sixty million abortions later, women aren't showing signs of health, happiness, and fulfillment. Increased numbers of divorce, depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted disease, and drug abuse all point to the reality that women aren't happier, just more medicated. Huge cultural shifts led to a rethinking of womanhood, but could there be more behind it than just culture, politics, and rhetoric? Building off the scriptural foundations of the anti-Christ, Carrie Gress makes an in-depth investigation into the idea of an anti-Mary-as a spirit, not an individual-that has plagued the West since the '60s. Misleading generations of women, this anti-Marian spirit has led to the toxic femininity that has destroyed the lives of countless men, women, and children. Also in The Anti-Mary Exposed: How radical feminism is connected to the errors of Russia, spoken of by Our Lady of Fatima. The involvement and influence of the goddess movement and the occult. The influence of "female" demons, such as Lilith and Jezebel. The repulsive underbelly of radical feminism's chief architects. A look at the matriarchy, a cabal of elite women committed to abortion, who control the thinking of most women through media, politics, Hollywood, fashion, and universities.

Having confronted the conflict between feminism and the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI, Beattie proposes a new theological approach to the encounter between feminism and Catholicism, for the twenty-first century"--Jacket

What does it mean to be a Catholic woman with feminist commitments today, and what insights can be garnered from that context? In this first attempt in a generation at a collective framework for Catholic feminist theology, a group of theologians formulate a new contextual approach to and criteria for systematic theology and apply those insights as they tackle three key topics: Theological Anthropology, Christology, and Ecclesiology. Key to their endeavor is specific focus on contemporary discipleship, a special cricitcal methodology and relationship to the Catholic Christian tradition, and a specific sensitivity to academic and ecclesial hegemonies. The result in each case is an honest exploration of the tradition, a contextualization of the locus in the lives of women today, and an attempt at a constructive vision with which to move forward. Contributors: Susan Abraham, Rosemary Carbine, Teresa Delgado, Elizabeth Groppe, Jeanine Hill-Fletcher, Elena Procario-Foley, Michele Saracino, and Laura Taylor.

Into the Deep traces one woman's spiritual odyssey from birthright evangelicalism through postmodern feminism and, ultimately, into the Roman Catholic Church. As a college student, Abigail Favale experienced a feminist awakening that reshaped her life and faith. A decade later, on the verge of atheism, she found herself entering the oldest male-helmed institution on the planet--the last place she expected to be. With humor and insight, Favale describes her gradual exodus from Christian orthodoxy and surprising swerve into Catholicism. She writes candidly about grappling with wounds from her past, Catholic sexual morality, the male priesthood, and an interfaith marriage. Her vivid prose brings to life the wrenching tumult of conversion--a conversion that began after she entered the Church and began to pry open its mysteries. There she discovered the startling beauty of a sacramental cosmos, a vision of reality that upended her notions of gender, sexuality, identity, and authority. This is a thoroughly 21st century conversion, a compelling account of recovering an ancient faith after a decade of doubt.

Asserts that the current half-hearted attempts to patch up the excruciating tensions due to the sometimes morally unacceptable way women are treated in the Catholic Church must be replaced with a whole-hearted renewal or the Church stands in danger of losing touch with many of its women. Reissue.