The Influence of "Covenant House" in a Post-Vatican II Era
Barbara Ferraro and Patricia Hussey studied and eventually worked together at Covenant House, a Catholic centre for marginalized folks in West Virginia. In a 1987 interview, which can be found in The Inside Stories: 13 Valiant Women Challenging the Church by Annie Lally Milhaven, Ferraro and Hussey discuss their time at Covenant House and how impactful it was for them. At Covenant House, Ferraro and Hussey first interacted with young girls, who were survivors of rape and incest, that had gotten abortions [2]. In the interview, Hussey discusses how getting to know these women who struggled with trauma influenced her own, and Ferraro’s, Catholic mentality. They questioned how these young women, between twelve and eighteen, could be seen as evil for considering an abortion when they were the people being forced to cope with traumatic experiences. Through working on a project that was not directly connected to the Catholic church, they felt that they could “freely get involved with social justice issues” [3]. Their work at Covenant House helped them to recognize the individual needs of people based on their lived experiences. This prompted the nuns to think critically about who exactly makes decisions regarding Catholic doctrine and the church’s teachings on women’s issues. Ferraro and Hussey questioned how men who work in the church think. In the interview, Hussey discusses that a highly regarded Cardinal said, “being professional and educated is the problem of religious women in America” [4]. Ferraro and Hussey saw this as appalling since it further silenced their voices and enforced the idea that women are submissive to men, both in and outside the church. In January of 1959, Pope John XXIII announced the creation of the Second Vatican Council which called on thousands of religious leaders, many of whom were bishops. More commonly known as Vatican II, this council was created to achieve spiritual renewal and unite individuals across denominations [5]. Pope John XXIII announced this council as a way to reconsider the practices and policies of the Church due to a cultural shift from WWII [6]. In doing so, the Pope strived to incorporate the voices of all Catholics into Church doctrine. However, in terms of abortion in recent history, it is clear that religious men and the Magisterium contradict what Vatican II called all Catholics to do — “take responsibility as a community of believers to challenge and to search for the truth together” [7]. While Vatican II aimed to change this mentality, the opinions of Catholic women are often overlooked due to the fact that only men are given a decision-making voice. Women are not given this same opportunity which leads to the perpetuation of an unjust belief system. By working at Covenant House, Ferraro and Hussey were able to see how strong male voices were an issue and threat to reproductive rights. It prompted them to think more critically about their faith, what they believed was right, and how to tackle controversial issues through an equitable lens.