For NOIAW member Celia Wexler, Catholic faith and Italian heritage are inextricably intertwined. Her faith enhances her appreciation of her rich cultural ancestry; being a Catholic informs her perception of Italian artistic triumphs like the Sistine Chapel. As a woman with progressive political views, though, she understands that finding a place for women in the church can be a challenge. In her new book, Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Hurt and Hope, released on Sept 30 by Rowman & Littlefield, Celia explores this topic through interviews with 10 women (including herself).

Each woman interviewed in the book tells her own thought-provoking, often unexpected story. Barbara Blaine was abused by a priest as a young teen, and had the courage to take her story public after years of internal struggle. She went on to found the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests as a way to help others who had suffered similar experiences. Diana L. Hayes, Emerita Professor of Systematic Theology at Georgetown University is an adult convert who researched the legacy of slavery at Georgetown, as well as the history of black Catholics in the U.S., one of the first Catholic scholars to do so.

Celia’s goal is for women to start thinking and talking about their role in the church. “Not everyone will do something revolutionary,” she said, “but women should talk to each other about shared experiences.” Of the women profiled in the book, many have adult daughters who have left the Church. “The Church will be poorer for losing smart young women,” Celia said.

Celia is a career journalist who also spent time working as a public interest lobbyist in Albany and Washington, D.C. She is at work on her third book, which will focus on her Italian heritage and the stories of her family that emigrated to the United States from Italy and Sicily. In that book, she hopes to show that the battles around immigration are not new, and that in remembering the past, we can find lessons to guide us as we confront these issues in the present.

Celia will be celebrating the publication of her new book, Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Hurt and Hope on October 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Public Citizen, 1600 20th St., NW in Washington, D.C. Any NOIAW member who would like to attend should contact Celia directly to RSVP at cvwexler@gmail.com.

Article by Beth Connolly