Erika Kidd, an associate professor of Catholic studies at the University of St. Thomas and director of its graduate program, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to discuss topics ranging from whether there is such a thing as “Catholic feminists” to the role of women in the Church.
Asked about a perception that the Church is run by a patriarchy of old white men, Kidd said “learn your history” and “that’s just not accurate.”
Dr. Erika Kidd
“It’s sort of insulting to all the great women saints,” she said, “all the people who don’t fit that category who have played such an influential role within the Church. What was Catherine of Siena doing or what was Hildegard of Bingen doing or all these great women?”
Kidd, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from Vilanova University in Philadelphia, said she sometimes hears complaints or concerns about women not having access to the ministerial priesthood, and questions about women’s unique roles within the Church.
“I would say women have the same roles available to them as all the laity. And the question isn’t so much what are the unique roles available to women, but what am I specifically being called to,” she said.
Kidd said there’s a lot of space for women to be involved in ministry and in leadership roles. “Certainly at the Vatican, we’ve seen increasing numbers of women at higher and higher levels,” she said.
And there still is more room for women to be involved at various levels of leadership, she said. “And that’s … something that women should seek out according to their particular gifts,” she said.
It’s not so much a question of what can women do, she said, but a question of what the laity can do, and knowing one’s unique gifts. “What are your unique gifts and how do we find a place to exercise those within the Church?” she asked. “That is, I think, the crucial issue.”
One resource Kidd suggested was the book “Into the Deep: An Unlikely Catholic Conversion” by Abigail Favale, who shares her story of “becoming educated within contemporary feminism and gender studies,” Kidd said.
Kidd, who was raised evangelical Protestant, said that “the big story” about her own conversion to the Catholic Church is Mary. “She was the one who drew me in,” she said, and gave her a vision for what Catholicism is.
To hear more details about her conversion, her thoughts on feminism and the full interview, listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. June 4, 1 p.m. June 5 and 2 p.m. June 6 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Nell O’Leary from Blessed Is She, who describes upcoming weekend “Fly Revivals” for women, and Kim Bennecke and Marie Zeismer, who talk about what it’s like to move a pregnancy resource center.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at:
soundcloud.com/PracticingCatholic
tinyurl.com/PracticingCatholic?(Spotify)
Recent Comments