Creating Communities of Justice and Peace: Sacramentality and Public Catholicism in the United States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v29i2.30938Keywords:
feminist theology, womanist theology, public Catholicism, public church, sacrament, sacramentality, Vatican II, nunsAbstract
This essay situates women’s religious leadership in the contested site of who and what counts as the authoritative face and practice of public Catholicism. It examines political praxis by U.S. Catholic women religious as a refreshing resource for a constructive feminist theology of the public church. Drawing on Vatican II theologies about the church’s social role, feminist and womanist theologies of sacramentality, and the Nuns on the Bus tours between 2012 and 2014, this essay argues that the U.S. public church bears sacramental significance when it re/creates the public, when it prophetically witnesses to an alternative political reality or creates (or births) a new world that better signifies a more interconnected, interdependent U.S. body politic rooted in solidarity. Examining concurrent activism by U.S. nuns and US Catholic bishops’ shows that what makes the public church public consists in the ability to imagine and create communities of justice and peace.References
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Kasper, Walter. 1996. The Theological Anthropology of Gaudium et Spes. Communio 23: 129-40.
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Kaveny, Cathleen. 2013. Is the Government Defining Religion? Commonweal, January 25. Online: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/government-‘defining-religion’
Manson, Jamie. 2014 . Time to Face Facts: Pope Francis Agrees with the Doctrinal Assessment of LCWR. National Catholic Reporter, May 13. Online: http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/time-face-facts-pope-francis-agrees-doctrinal-assessment-lcwr
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Marty, Martin E. 1981. The Public Church: Mainline, Evangelical, Catholic. Crossroad, New York.
McCarthy, Margaret Cain, and Mary Ann Zollmann (eds.). 2014. Power of Sisterhood: Women Religious Tell the Story of the Apostolic Visitation. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.
McDonough, William C. 1997. The Church in the Modern World: Rereading Gaudium et Spes After Thirty Years. In Vatican II: The Continuing Agenda, edited by Anthony J. Cernera, 113-33. Sacred Heart University Press, Fairfield, CT.
McElwee, Joshua J. 2013. Pope Francis Reaffirms Critique of LCWR, Plan for Reform. National Catholic Reporter, April 15. Online: http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/pope-francis-reaffirms-lcwr-critique-plan-reform
McElwee, Joshua J. 2015. Vatican and LCWR Announce End of Controversial Three-Year Oversight. National Catholic Reporter, April 16. Online: http://globalsistersreport.org/news/trends/vatican-and-lcwr-announce-end-controversial-three-year-oversight-23576
McGuinness, Margaret M. 2013. Called to Serve: A History of Nuns in America. New York University Press, New York.
Miller, Patricia. 2015. U.S. Bishops (Who Lit Religious Liberty Fuse) Urge Civility. Religion Dispatches, April 8. Online: http://religiondispatches.org/u-s-bishops-who-lit-religious-liberty-fuse-urge-civility/
Moreno, Ivan. 2015. Colorado Court: Baker Can’t Cite Religious Beliefs in Refusing to Make Cakes for Gay Weddings. US News and World Report 13 August. Online: http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/08/13/court-baker-who-refused-gay-wedding-cake-cant-cite-beliefs
Moyers, Bill. 2012. What Matters Today. Moyers and Company, September 26. Online: http://billmoyers.com/category/nuns/
Pear, Robert. 2013. Bishops Reject Birth Control Compromise. The New York Times, February 7.
Reese, Thomas. 2014. Synod Working Paper Is Boring and Joyless. National Catholic Reporter, June 27. Online: http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/synod-working-paper-boring-and-joyless
Ronan, Marian. 2013. Sister Trouble: The Vatican, the Bishops, and the Nuns. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC.
Ross, Susan A. 1998. Extravagant Affections: A Feminist Sacramental Theology. Continuum, New York.
Ross, Susan A. 2006 . For the Beauty of the Earth: Women, Sacramentality, and Justice. Paulist Press, New York and Mahwah, NJ.
Ryan, Harriet, and Victoria Kim. 2013. Cardinal Mahony Relieved of Duties Over Handling of Abuse. Los Angeles Times, February 1.
Schenk, Christine. 2014. Underreported Survey Responses for Synod on the Family: A Valuable Tool for Vatican. National Catholic Reporter, June 19. Online: http://ncronline.org/blogs/simply-spirit/underreported-survey-responses-synod-family-valuable-tool-vatican
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Schneiders, Sandra. 2000b. With Oil in Their Lamps: Faith, Feminism, and the Future. Paulist Press, New York and Mahwah, NJ.
Schneiders, Sandra. 2011. Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church. Orbis, Maryknoll, NY.
Seelye, Katherine Q. 2011. In Philadelphia, a Changing of the Guard in the Shadow of Scandal. The New York Times, July 19.
Slessarev-Jamir, Helene. 2011. Prophetic Activism: Progressive Religious Justice Movements in Contemporary America. New York University Press, New York. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814741238.001.0001
Smith, Peter Jesserer. 2013. Vatican Collecting Diocesan Data, Not Lay Opinions in Worldwide Survey. National Catholic Register, November 8. Online: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/vatican-collecting-diocesan-data-not-lay-opinions-in-worldwide-survey/
Steinfels, Peter. 2012. The Bishops and Religious Liberty. Commonweal, June 15. Online: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/bishops-religious-liberty
Stogre, Michael. 1986. Commentary on the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. In The Church Renewed: The Documents of Vatican II Reconsidered, edited by George P. Schner, 19-36. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.
Tong, Rosemarie Putnam. 2013. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, 4th edn. Westview Press, Boulder, CO.
Townes, Emilie M. 2006. Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9780230601628
Tracy, David. 1981. The Analogical Imagination: Christian Theology and the Culture of Pluralism. Crossroad, New York.
Wisniewski, Mary. 2013 . Catholic Diocese of Gallup, N.M., to File for Bankruptcy. Reuters, September 3. Online: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/04/us-usa-church-abuse-idUSBRE98304G20130904
Brooten, Bernadette J. (ed.). 2010. Beyond Slavery: Overcoming its Religious and Sexual Legacies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Cady, Linell E. 1993. Religion, Theology, and American Public Life. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.
Campbell, Simone. 2014a. A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community. HarperCollins, New York.
Campbell, Simone. 2014b. Nuns on the Bus Hit the Road Once Again, This Time for Democracy. National Catholic Reporter, September 15. Online: http://globalsistersreport.org/equality/nuns-bus-hit-road-once-again-time-democracy-10696
Cassidy, Laurie, and Maureen H. O’Connell (eds.). 2012. She Who Imagines: Feminist Theological Aesthetics. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). 2004. Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World. Online: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20040731_collaboration_en.html
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). 2012. Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Online: http://www.usccb.org/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=55544
Copeland, M. Shawn. 2010. En?eshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN.
Epps, Garrett. 2015. What Makes Indiana’s Religious Freedom Law Different? The Atlantic, March 30. Online: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/what-makes-indianas-religious-freedom-law-different/388997/
Evans, Bernard F. 2008. Vote Catholic? Beyond the Political Din. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN.
Feeney, Lauren. 2012. Nuns on the Bus Brings Light to Capitol Hill. Moyers & Company, 4 July. Online: http://billmoyers.com/category/nuns/
Fishman, Mary. 2012. Band of Sisters. Band of Sisters, Chicago, IL.
Flannery, Austin (ed.). 1996. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: Gaudium et Spes. In Vatican Council II: The Basic Sixteen Documents, rev. trans. Costello, Northport, NY.
Gebara, Ivone. 1999. Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN.
2012. The Inquisition of Today and U.S. Women Religious. April 27. Online: http://feminismandreligion.com/2012/05/04/the-inquisition-of-today-and-u-s-women-religious-by-ivone-gebara/
Gibson, David. 2012. Nuns on the Bus Meet Tea Party Protests in Ohio. Religion News Service, October 16. Online: http://archives.religionnews.com/politics/election/nuns-on-the-bus-meet-tea-party-protests-in-ohio
Gonzalez, Michelle A. 2007. Created in God’s Image: An Introduction to Feminist Theological Anthropology. Orbis, Maryknoll, NY.
Goodstein, Laurie. 2012. Nuns, Rebuked by Rome, Plan Road Trip to Spotlight Social Issues. The New York Times, 5 June.
Goodstein, Laurie. 2013. Now Gathering in Rome, a Conclave of Fallible Cardinals. The New York Times, 26 February.
Gottlieb, Roger S. 2002. Joining Hands: Politics and Religion Together for Social Change. Westview Press, Boulder, CO.
Gudorf, Christine E. 1987. The Power to Create: Sacraments and Men’s Need to Birth. Horizons 14(2): 296-309. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0360966900037816
Hehir, SJ, J. Bryan. 1993. The Social Role of the Church: Leo XIII, Vatican II, and John Paul II. In Catholic Social Thought and the New World Order, edited by Oliver F. Williams and John W. Houck, 29-50. University of Notre Dame Press, South Bend, IN.
Heyer, Kristin E., Mark J. Rozell, and Michael A. Genovese (eds.). 2008. Catholics and Politics: The Dynamic Tension between Faith and Power. Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC.
Hilkert, Mary Catherine. 1995. Cry Beloved Image: Rethinking the Image of God. In In the Embrace of God: Feminist Approaches to Theological Anthropology, edited by Ann O’Hara Graff, 190-205. Orbis, Maryknoll, NY.
Hunt, Mary E. 2012a. We Are All Nuns. Religion Dispatches, April 25. Online: http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/5908/we_are_all_nuns/
Hunt, Mary E. 2012b . Nuns on the Bus: 2700 Miles, Nine States, and a Rock Star DC Welcome. Religion Dispatches, 5 July. Online: http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/6156/nuns_on_the_bus%3A_2700_miles%2C_nine_states%2C_and_a_rock_star_dc_welcome/
John Paul II. 1995. Letter to Women. June 29. Online: http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1995/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_29061995_women.html
Kasper, Walter. 1996. The Theological Anthropology of Gaudium et Spes. Communio 23: 129-40.
Kaveny, Cathleen. 2012. The Bishops and Religious Liberty. Commonweal, June 15. Online: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/bishops-religious-liberty
Kaveny, Cathleen. 2013. Is the Government Defining Religion? Commonweal, January 25. Online: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/government-‘defining-religion’
Manson, Jamie. 2014 . Time to Face Facts: Pope Francis Agrees with the Doctrinal Assessment of LCWR. National Catholic Reporter, May 13. Online: http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/time-face-facts-pope-francis-agrees-doctrinal-assessment-lcwr
Markey, John J. 2003. Creating Communion: The Theology of the Constitutions of the Church. New City, Hyde Park, NY.
Marty, Martin E. 1981. The Public Church: Mainline, Evangelical, Catholic. Crossroad, New York.
McCarthy, Margaret Cain, and Mary Ann Zollmann (eds.). 2014. Power of Sisterhood: Women Religious Tell the Story of the Apostolic Visitation. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.
McDonough, William C. 1997. The Church in the Modern World: Rereading Gaudium et Spes After Thirty Years. In Vatican II: The Continuing Agenda, edited by Anthony J. Cernera, 113-33. Sacred Heart University Press, Fairfield, CT.
McElwee, Joshua J. 2013. Pope Francis Reaffirms Critique of LCWR, Plan for Reform. National Catholic Reporter, April 15. Online: http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/pope-francis-reaffirms-lcwr-critique-plan-reform
McElwee, Joshua J. 2015. Vatican and LCWR Announce End of Controversial Three-Year Oversight. National Catholic Reporter, April 16. Online: http://globalsistersreport.org/news/trends/vatican-and-lcwr-announce-end-controversial-three-year-oversight-23576
McGuinness, Margaret M. 2013. Called to Serve: A History of Nuns in America. New York University Press, New York.
Miller, Patricia. 2015. U.S. Bishops (Who Lit Religious Liberty Fuse) Urge Civility. Religion Dispatches, April 8. Online: http://religiondispatches.org/u-s-bishops-who-lit-religious-liberty-fuse-urge-civility/
Moreno, Ivan. 2015. Colorado Court: Baker Can’t Cite Religious Beliefs in Refusing to Make Cakes for Gay Weddings. US News and World Report 13 August. Online: http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/08/13/court-baker-who-refused-gay-wedding-cake-cant-cite-beliefs
Moyers, Bill. 2012. What Matters Today. Moyers and Company, September 26. Online: http://billmoyers.com/category/nuns/
Pear, Robert. 2013. Bishops Reject Birth Control Compromise. The New York Times, February 7.
Reese, Thomas. 2014. Synod Working Paper Is Boring and Joyless. National Catholic Reporter, June 27. Online: http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/synod-working-paper-boring-and-joyless
Ronan, Marian. 2013. Sister Trouble: The Vatican, the Bishops, and the Nuns. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC.
Ross, Susan A. 1998. Extravagant Affections: A Feminist Sacramental Theology. Continuum, New York.
Ross, Susan A. 2006 . For the Beauty of the Earth: Women, Sacramentality, and Justice. Paulist Press, New York and Mahwah, NJ.
Ryan, Harriet, and Victoria Kim. 2013. Cardinal Mahony Relieved of Duties Over Handling of Abuse. Los Angeles Times, February 1.
Schenk, Christine. 2014. Underreported Survey Responses for Synod on the Family: A Valuable Tool for Vatican. National Catholic Reporter, June 19. Online: http://ncronline.org/blogs/simply-spirit/underreported-survey-responses-synod-family-valuable-tool-vatican
Schneiders, Sandra. 2000a. Finding the Treasure: Locating Catholic Religious Life in a New Ecclesial and Cultural Context. Paulist Press, New York and Mahwah, NJ.
Schneiders, Sandra. 2000b. With Oil in Their Lamps: Faith, Feminism, and the Future. Paulist Press, New York and Mahwah, NJ.
Schneiders, Sandra. 2011. Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church. Orbis, Maryknoll, NY.
Seelye, Katherine Q. 2011. In Philadelphia, a Changing of the Guard in the Shadow of Scandal. The New York Times, July 19.
Slessarev-Jamir, Helene. 2011. Prophetic Activism: Progressive Religious Justice Movements in Contemporary America. New York University Press, New York. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814741238.001.0001
Smith, Peter Jesserer. 2013. Vatican Collecting Diocesan Data, Not Lay Opinions in Worldwide Survey. National Catholic Register, November 8. Online: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/vatican-collecting-diocesan-data-not-lay-opinions-in-worldwide-survey/
Steinfels, Peter. 2012. The Bishops and Religious Liberty. Commonweal, June 15. Online: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/bishops-religious-liberty
Stogre, Michael. 1986. Commentary on the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. In The Church Renewed: The Documents of Vatican II Reconsidered, edited by George P. Schner, 19-36. University Press of America, Lanham, MD.
Tong, Rosemarie Putnam. 2013. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction, 4th edn. Westview Press, Boulder, CO.
Townes, Emilie M. 2006. Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9780230601628
Tracy, David. 1981. The Analogical Imagination: Christian Theology and the Culture of Pluralism. Crossroad, New York.
Wisniewski, Mary. 2013 . Catholic Diocese of Gallup, N.M., to File for Bankruptcy. Reuters, September 3. Online: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/04/us-usa-church-abuse-idUSBRE98304G20130904
Published
2016-11-18
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Equinox Publishing Ltd.
How to Cite
Carbine, R. P. (2016). Creating Communities of Justice and Peace: Sacramentality and Public Catholicism in the United States. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 29(2), 182-202. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v29i2.30938
