West Virginia University - News and Information Services
Nuns' fight for women's rights subject of documentary screening at WVU
“Heretics,” the 1989 documentary that shows the open disagreement of two former Roman Catholic nuns over the church’s stance on women’s rights issues, will be shown Monday (March 19) at West Virginia University.
WVU’s Center for Women’s Studies is sponsoring the screening, which will be at 7:30 p.m. in G-21 White Hall on the Downtown Campus.
The former nuns, Barbara Ferraro and Patricia Hussey, were based in West Virginia, and they’re the co-founders of Covenant House, an outreach agency in Charleston.
Their public, four-year fight with the Vatican began in 1984 when both refused to take their signatures off a petition asking that the issue of abortion be opened to discussion by the church. They also openly questioned church leaders’ refusal to allow women to be ordained as priests.
The pair went on to write a book, “No Turning Back,” that chronicles that fight.
Last fall, they announced their retirement from Covenant House with plans to return home to their native New England to work and care for relatives.
A discussion will follow Monday’s screening led by Sue Amos, founder and president of the West Virginia affiliate of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
The Center for Women’s Studies is housed in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
For more information, contact Jessi Kalvitis at hagdinvicible@yahoo.com or 304-293-2339 ext. 1153.