Stephanie Biagi Morrell

Reactions to Catholic Feminist Issues: in the Archdiocese of Louisville, 1968-1986 Stephanie Biagi Morrell

This thesis is an analysis of the ways Catholics in the Archdiocese of Louisville reacted to various Catholic feminist ideas including gender-inclusive language, birth control, abortion, women?s ordination, and women?s roles in the Church in general from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. Each of the major chapters will begin with a discussion of Catholic feminist theologians? treatment of an issue followed by an analysis of the ways in which Louisville Catholics reacted to the issue. Louisville Catholics? reactions were ascertained by using articles and letters to the editor in the archdiocesan paper, The Record, interviews with Louisville Catholics, and unpublished documents from the liberal Catholics women?s group, WomanChurch. The reader will see that while the Archdiocese of Louisville had a strong conservative voice, characterizing Louisville Catholics? views as all conservative is inaccurate. In the Archdiocese there as a large contingent of liberal Catholics and many Louisville Catholics supported Catholic feminist issues.