Difficult Conversations/Radical Choices: Anita Caspary, IHM and Immaculate Heart Community of California

Anita M. Caspary, IHM (1915-2011), is the only woman in U.S religious history to hold the positions of Mother General of a Catholic order of nuns and president of an ecumenical community.  Caspary and the IHM sisters embraced the renewal of Vatican II and revised their religious rule, decentralized authority, initiated new ministries, and incorporated feminist prayers into their rituals.  These reforms angered Vatican officials who demanded they be rescinded.  In 1969, under Caspary’s bold leadership, 400 Sisters of the Immaculate Heart rejected the dictates of church officials and created a new community for women and men. Of such significance was Caspary's role in the renewal of Catholicism, she was featured on the cover of TIME magazine (February 23, 1970). 

            This proposal is part of a biographical project. The goal is to examine how Caspary’s feminism grew from her faith, the conflict with the Catholic hierarchy and the new inclusive community’s understanding of sexuality and authority.  I employ a feminist historical method to analyze the events and issues. In addition to published material, I rely on the unpublished papers (correspondence, memoranda and diaries) of Caspary, and interviews I conducted with her family and colleagues. Caspary and the IHM story contribute to the understanding of women and religion during the twentieth century by illustrating how Catholic women came to second-wave feminism despite the conservative stance of the Church. It demonstrates that feminism and religion are not irreconcilable, but redefining the parameters of that religion may be necessary to make it so.