Women Religious and the Public Voice of Catholicism

This article highlights the public influence of Roman Catholic sisters in the United States, providing an example of how women exercise leadership in a church that does not include them in its official public voice. Drawing upon feminist critical theory, the article analyzes the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ museum exhibit, Women and Spirit, and the NETWORK-sponsored Nuns on the Bus tour as expressions of Catholic identity that carry moral authority in the public sphere. Bringing this into conversation with feminist theology, it highlights some ecclesiological implications for the Catholic Church.