Overview

Drawing on interviews with twenty-two same-sex, married couples, this book argues that the Catholic tradition should expand its definition of sacramental marriage to include same-sex couples. Stories from these couples illustrate that the church would benefit from a deeper commitment to practices of radical hospitality and sanctuary.

Full Product Details

9781538182277

Table of Contents

Reviews

"A landmark study! Centering the lived experiences of same-sex couples, The Sacrament of Same-Sex Marriage provides rich testimony for both the graces of married life and the disorienting harm of magisterial teachings. An essential reading for Catholic educators, Dr. Ravizza's book will transform Catholic conversations about marriage. --Emily Reimer-Barry, author of Reproductive Justice and the Catholic Church: Advancing Pragmatic Solidarity with Pregnant Women Centered on the personal testimony of same-sex spouses, The Sacrament of Same-Sex Marriage sings with celebration, love and joy. It gets at the heart of ""sacramentality"" the embodiment of divine love. This book will encourage the LGBTQ faithful, their families and their allies. It will make engaging and enlightening reading for classrooms and study groups. --Lisa Cahill, J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College In this inspiring study of 22 same-sex married couples, Bridget Burke Ravizza has undertaken what Pope Francis calls 'listening with the ear of the heart' to give voice to the loving and fruitful sacramental character of their relationships. Her message for those who would erect ecclesial fences around the sacraments: love knows no borders and grace has no limits. --Julie Clague, University of Glasgow Pope Francis urges Catholics to be a listening Church. Bridget Burke Ravizza shows us how it's done with this significant book marrying theological rigor with the insights of social science. Her book's greatest gift are the testimonies of daughters and sons of the Church in same-sex marriages. Their witness of love and faithfulness moved me deeply, calling me to be a better spouse and a better Catholic. Listen! --Kate Ward, author of Wealth, Virtue, and Moral Luck: Christian Ethics in an Age of Inequality This book redefines the sacramental nature of marriage by providing ample testimony of the manifestations of Grace in the union of gay and lesbian couples through the public commitment of marriage. Despite the ongoing tensions between the institutional Church, magisterial teaching, and the People of God, Ravizza proposes a renewed hermeneutical lens that allows the witness of queer marriages to mediate the essence of God incarnated and imbued in the sacramental and quotidian realities of everyday life, challenging the institutionalization of sin that aims to control where, how, when, and through whom the essence of God is made manifest. --Elsie M. Miranda, Association of Theological Schools This ground-breaking book masterfully weaves together compelling personal narrative and rich theological reflection. It is prophetic, tender, and filled with wisdom. Ravizza provides a fuller picture of the grace in same-sex marriages and how the church can be a sanctuary for LGBTQ persons, couples, and their loved ones. A significant contribution to a Catholic theology of marriage. --Marcus Mescher, Xavier University Using the voices and experiences of LGBTQ married couples who have connections to Catholicism, Bridget Burke Ravizza makes a strong case for the sacramentality of same-sex marriage. She argues that sacramentality is made concrete in the lifelong, covenanted, and life-giving relationships that make up the core of this volume. There is often pain in these stories as couples encounter hate and rejection from family and church, but there is also redemption in the ways these couples and those who love them model community and fidelity. This gem of a book reminds us that moral reflection is always enriched by attention to the many small details of everyday experience. --Aline Kalbian, Associate Dean, Florida State University"

"A landmark study! Centering the lived experiences of same-sex couples, The Sacrament of Same-Sex Marriage provides rich testimony for both the graces of married life and the disorienting harm of magisterial teachings. An essential reading for Catholic educators, Dr. Ravizza's book will transform Catholic conversations about marriage. --Emily Reimer-Barry, author of Reproductive Justice and the Catholic Church: Advancing Pragmatic Solidarity with Pregnant Women Centered on the personal testimony of same-sex spouses, The Sacrament of Same-Sex Marriage sings with celebration, love and joy. It gets at the heart of ""sacramentality"" the embodiment of divine love. This book will encourage the LGBTQ faithful, their families and their allies. It will make engaging and enlightening reading for classrooms and study groups. --Lisa Cahill, J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College This book redefines the sacramental nature of marriage by providing ample testimony of the manifestations of Grace in the union of gay and lesbian couples through the public commitment of marriage. Despite the ongoing tensions between the institutional Church, magisterial teaching, and the People of God, Ravizza proposes a renewed hermeneutical lens that allows the witness of queer marriages to mediate the essence of God incarnated and imbued in the sacramental and quotidian realities of everyday life, challenging the institutionalization of sin that aims to control where, how, when, and through whom the essence of God is made manifest. --Elsie M. Miranda, Association of Theological Schools This ground-breaking book masterfully weaves together compelling personal narrative and rich theological reflection. It is prophetic, tender, and filled with wisdom. Ravizza provides a fuller picture of the grace in same-sex marriages and how the church can be a sanctuary for LGBTQ persons, couples, and their loved ones. A significant contribution to a Catholic theology of marriage. --Marcus Mescher, Xavier University Using the voices and experiences of LGBTQ married couples who have connections to Catholicism, Bridget Burke Ravizza makes a strong case for the sacramentality of same-sex marriage. She argues that sacramentality is made concrete in the lifelong, covenanted, and life-giving relationships that make up the core of this volume. There is often pain in these stories as couples encounter hate and rejection from family and church, but there is also redemption in the ways these couples and those who love them model community and fidelity. This gem of a book reminds us that moral reflection is always enriched by attention to the many small details of everyday experience. --Aline Kalbian, Associate Dean, Florida State University Pope Francis urges Catholics to be a listening Church. Bridget Burke Ravizza shows us how it's done with this significant book marrying theological rigor with the insights of social science. Her book's greatest gift are the testimonies of daughters and sons of the Church in same-sex marriages. Their witness of love and faithfulness moved me deeply, calling me to be a better spouse and a better Catholic. Listen! --Kate Ward, author of Wealth, Virtue, and Moral Luck: Christian Ethics in an Age of Inequality"

Pope Francis urges Catholics to be a listening Church. Bridget Burke Ravizza shows us how it's done with this significant book marrying theological rigor with the insights of social science. Her book's greatest gift are the testimonies of daughters and sons of the Church in same-sex marriages. Their witness of love and faithfulness moved me deeply, calling me to be a better spouse and a better Catholic. Listen! --Kate Ward, author of Wealth, Virtue, and Moral Luck: Christian Ethics in an Age of Inequality

Author Information

"Bridget Burke Ravizza, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, teaches undergraduate and graduate students at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. She contributes to the Peace and Justice Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and master's in Theological Studies programs. Bridget is Coordinator of the Olive Branch Initiative at SNC's Cassandra Voss Center, where she leads the Faculty Learning Cohort on Intergroup Dialogue and Equity. Bridget's coauthored Project Holiness: Marriage as a Workshop for Everyday Saints won a 2016 Best Book Award from the Catholic Media Association. Recent publications include ""A Consideration of Teaching, Friendship, and Boundaries in Catholic Higher Education,"" with Mara Brecht, in the Journal of Moral Theology (January, 2021) and ""Love as Holiness in the Daily Lives of Married Couples,"" with Julie Massey, in Sex, Love & Families: Catholic Perspectives, edited by Jason King and Julie Hanlon Rubio. She is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society of Christian Ethics."

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available