Mainstreaming Women’s Ministries in the Roman Catholic Church
A Survey of Young Catholic Women in Formation and Ministry in the United States
Download the full report1
The question
In May 2019 WOC initiated a research project, “Mainstreaming Women’s Ministries,” with a survey to ask the questions: What paths are 21-40-year-old Roman Catholic women pursuing for formation and a career in ministry?
How can the Roman Catholic Church best accompany women called to ministry and leadership?
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The method
A questionnaire was circulated to 32 academic institutions, various alumnae groups, and membership associations; it included 8 demographic metrics, 31 multiple-choice or yes/no questions, and 6 open-ended questions.
The survey was completed electronically by 224 women between May 4, 2019 and July 8, 2019.
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The audience
We received confirmations that the survey was disseminated to students or alumnae from representatives of BC School of Theology and Ministry, CUA, College of Saint Benedict & St. John’s University, Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, HDS, and UTS. However, the survey was rejected by the National Association of Lay Ministers, who wrote that “some serious concerns have been raised by the board regarding this project as the goals were and sponsorship were unclear.”
The respondents
● 97% were baptized before the age of twelve;
● 68% hold an advanced degree in theology and 32% were pursuing an advanced degree in theology;
● 89% currently attended or graduated from a Catholic university or seminary; of those, 52% attended a Jesuit institution;
● 86% belong to a Roman Catholic parish;
● 82% attend Mass at least once a week.
●55% are employed by the Roman Catholic Church and 16% are employed by non-institutional Catholic organizations, schools, or social agencies.
Discussion of Findings
The results of this survey are perhaps best understood in three categories: Catholic identity, professional opportunities, and vocation. We found these categories to be distinctly experienced among the respondents, with significant compromises made in pursuit of fulfillment in all three.
Catholic Identity
73% percent of respondents described their Catholic identity as “extremely important to them.”
Professional Opportunities
On the global level, 80% were not satisfied with the opportunities for women with ministry degrees and training in the global institution of the church.
Vocation
82% agreeed that the institutional Church does not value women’s ministries and vocations equally to those of men, and just 35% felt their ministry or vocation was recognized by the institutional church.
Catholic Identity
This survey confirmed that Catholic women place a high value on their Catholic Identity
This survey confirmed that Catholic women (ages 21-40) place a high value on their Catholic identity (73%) and attend Mass at a significantly higher rate than the average Catholic in the U.S. (82%).
A large majority of respondents work for the institutional Roman Catholic Church (55%), and nearly half volunteer in a Catholic setting (47%).
When asked to describe what gives them joy about being Catholic, sacraments, community, history and tradition, and social justice teachings ranked highest.
Many described their joy rooted in the global nature of the church and feeling connected to a heritage or a lineage through the saints or their family. For some, the joy is complicated.
“Though I know no institution is perfect or lacking in serious issues, I have often looked longingly at the experience of women and LGBTQ people in many Protestant denominations. At the end of the day though, the Catholic Church is where I feel at home. My joy is something that I wrestle with as I feel it in tandem with oppression. However, when I worship with my community I simply feel at home. I love our rituals, I love the sacraments, I love the sacramental worldview, and the understanding of the human person as both fundamentally good and still flawed. I find joy in the messiness of the church as we wrestle with each other from very different points of view. I love our music, I love our symbols, I love the richness.”
Professional Opportunities
We found that the women of our survey understood which positions are “available” to women in the church. However, many expressed pain or frustration at the limits placed on their careers (or vocations, in some cases) and the compromises they would have to make to fit into these roles.
The third most frequent response to opportunities available to women: “None/Inadequate.”
Professional opportunities are inherently connected to financial security. Our respondents were evenly divided between those who incurred student loans for their advanced degree and those who did not. Just 13% identified financial support from the Catholic Church or a related agency.
Not satisfied with opportunities for women globally
Ministry or vocation is not recognized by the global church
Not satisfied with opportunies for women locally
Ministry or vocation is recognized by the local church
“If I was willing to not talk about issues that are important to me, then I could do pastoral ministry or work at a diocese.”
“None where I can be fully myself. Just so many ways we are required to become inauthentic, to become less. Sad about this.”
Sexism
When asked what barriers or challenges, either institutional or personal, experienced in their work or studies, the most frequent response was sexism, outdated gender roles, or lack of women’s ordination as a type of “glass ceiling.” The next most frequent barrier was financial insecurity and cost of studies, followed by clericalism.
“The sexism in Catholic Theological Higher Education is deep and pernicious, and… runs rampant in classes/discussions and makes the learning space unsafe for Catholic women.”
Vocational Call
Our respondents overwhelmingly agreed (82%) that the institutional Church does not value women’s ministries and vocations equally to those of men, and just 35% felt their ministry or vocation was recognized by the institutional church.
Interestingly, nearly twice as many respondents (66%) answered that their ministry or vocation is recognized by their local faith community, confirming the importance of mentors, small faith circles, women-church groups, and supportive parishes described throughout the survey.
Identified a call to Teaching
Identified a call to Pastoral Ministry
Identified a call to Social justice Ministries
Identified a call to preaching
Identified a call to Priesthood
Identified a call to the Diaconate
As researchers, we took particular notice…
of the 13% who responded “other” to describe their vocational call, the 11% who responded “I’m not sure,” and the many times throughout the survey when women articulated that their vocation fell beyond the scope of the “common” options we listed.
These honest and creative responses were also reflected in attitudes toward ordained ministries, which is to say: It’s complicated.
On Ordination
When asked if they would pursue ordination if the Roman Catholic Church opened ordained ministries to women…
41% responded no, they would not pursue ordination, even if the Roman Catholic Church opened ordained ministries to women, and 30% responded “not sure”
82% responded no, they would not pursue ordination through independent Catholic movements, such as the Roman Catholic Women Priests or the Ecumenical Catholic Communion
63% believe it is theoretically possible for the Roman Catholic Church to ordain women as priests
62% believe the Roman Catholic Church should ordain women as priests
Women Deacons
A large majority (80%), believe it is theoretically possible for the Roman Catholic Church to ordain women as deacons, and 74% believe the church should do so.
We found that not only do women experience their vocations beyond the institutional hierarchical structures, but a majority believe that simply ordaining women is not a solution to the deeper inequalities and intersectional oppressions of the Roman Catholic Church.
That said, when asked about the “most crucial change/s” needed, “women’s leadership” (followed by women’s ordination) was the most cited response.
Promoting women into leadership positions and opening ordained ministries to women are needed steps to better support women’s vocations on an institutional level, but for holistic transformation—and for many individual women—healing will require the creativity of the Holy Spirit, which we found in abundance among our survey respondents.
Implications for the Roman Catholic Church
This survey affirms the multiplicity of women’s experiences as ministers and explores the significant compromises women navigate to contribute to the institutional Roman Catholic Church.
While their Catholic identity is overwhelmingly described as “extremely important,” the lack of women’s leadership opportunities, financial insecurity, and clericalism present the biggest barriers to sustainability and fulfillment on their ministerial paths.
Some solutions to these challenges could be considered straightforward: Increase leadership opportunities for women, ordain women to the diaconate and priesthood, provide institutionally backed funding for women in ministry and theology programs, and offer career opportunities with a living wage.
While these may be understood as radical proposals requiring discernment, they also do not engage deeply enough with the inadequate and sexist theological language and scaffolding of the church that reduces women and women’s contributions to lesser, unequal, monolithic complements to those of men.
Our data reveals the complexities of women’s own discernment as they navigate their relationship with the church and the creativity required to do so. Our church will require both innovative and holistic thinking, as well as creativity, to truly empower and support women.
Our recommendation is to look to the women who persist in ministry, such as those in this survey. This is not a painless process, but the risk is too great not to embark toward equality.
Read the full report…
Kate McElwee & Katie Lacz of the Women’s Ordination Conference were granted $15,000 from the Lousiville Institute to complete this Pastoral Study Project in January 2019. Through its Pastoral Study Project program (PSP), the Louisville Institute enables pastoral leaders to bracket daily work routines in order to pursue a pressing and significant question for the life of faith. Grants of up to $15,000 support independent or collaborative study projects ± projects that privilege pastoral perspectives and rhythms and honor grassroots research conducted by skilled clergy. PSP grantees use a variety of platforms to share what they learn with a wider audience, extending their leadership in ways that benefit the broader church and culture in North America.
Louisville Institute is funded by the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment and based at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky). The Institute’s fundamental mission is to enrich the religious life of North American Christians and to encourage the revitalization of their institutions, by bringing together those who lead religious institutions with those who study them, so that the work of each might inform and strengthen the other.