Catholic women tell how they found freedom in Church teaching

A new book written by Catholic women describes personal journeys of discovering that although Church teaching on important issues can be difficult and countercultural, it offers truth, peace and ultimate freedom.

“I’d really like to show the public that there is freedom in the content of what it is we stand for in the first place,” said George Mason law professor Helen Alvaré, who is the editor and a co-author of “Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves.”

Alvaré joined three of her fellow co-authors for the Oct. 16 book launch at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where she explained that the “the point of the book was to get and keep a dialogue going.”

She said that “Breaking Through” was part of a discussion that started when federal government officials suggested that Catholic teaching was “inhospitable to women’s freedom.”

As the federal contraception mandate sparked discussion over religious freedom and Church teaching on sexuality, Alvaré saw a need for something more than legal action to protect the religious freedom of institutions and individuals.

She wanted to give Catholic women a voice and show the public that there is “real freedom” in the Catholic Church’s natural law approach to human sexuality.

“Breaking Through” offered the opportunity to do that. The book recounts the personal stories of nine Catholic women grappling with the demands of their faith and ultimately finding freedom in embracing the Church’s teachings.

Since it touches on a range of topics including contraception, materialism and community, Alvaré hopes the book will be a “service” to other women who can relate to the stories and struggles it contains. [More]

SOURCE

CNA/EWTN News