No Turning Back: Two Nuns' Battle with the Vatican Over Women's Right to Choose

Having been in the convent in the past, I was very intrigued by this candid account of the personal experience of these two women. I do not consider this a "Catholic Bashing" but rather a first hand account of two dedicated, sincere people trying to stand up for their informed concience-searching convictions. They make it very explicit that they are researching in a scholarly fashion, the fundamental theological foundation for current teaching and come up showing that our Church has some badly needed updating to catch up to the 21st century. They are well educated in scripture and theology and have all the intelligence to delve into magisterium issues and still come up against an intolerant hierarchy. I applaud them for their struggle and devotion and for continuing to challenge Church leaders to do better. For non-catholics, this is a straightforward account of how the church has changed from the past from the perspective of two very devoted Catholics who share their experience, warts and all and still remain Catholic. The Church needs courageous Catholics like these women. I recommend this read to many, and am always lending it out.

I read this book some time ago and have recommended it to many people since then and even gave away two copies. It had that strong an impact on my thoughts. I have to confess that I am Methodist and not Catholic. But I had heard Barbara Ferraro interviewed on the radio and her interview inspired me to go out to get the book. Barbara Ferraro became a nun with all the love of Christ and frevor that any woman who has a true vocation would. But she knew deep in her heart that she wanted to be a true pastor to members of the congregations that she served. She had plenty of opportunities for a wonderful education as part of her career. However, she was not allowed to reach her goal of being pastor for Christ except.... In one of the churches that she was assigned to in Scottsdale, AZ, the monsignor would go off on weekend drinking binges, taking one of Barbara's fellow nuns with him. Barbara was left to do whatever she could to make sure that there was coverage for weekend services for this small church and she ended up having to say mass because there were just no other priests. But there is much more to this book than just this one period in her career. She talks about her calling as a young girl, what she went through when she was training as a nun, what outside education was available to her and what she was able to do to help others. While I probably sound like I am Catholic bashing, I do not mean to. I have met a lot of wonderful priests including one terrific one whose job is to recruit new priests. And I have also seen problems within my own denomination and had arguements with people from Orthodox Presbyterian Churches who are against women as ministers. I have even met elderly women at my mom's funeral who were against female priests and ministers but who loved my pastor who led my mom's memorial service and who is a woman. But this book talks about the author's emotional fights against most of the issues that today's RC church has to deal with including birth control. It is very worth reading even if you learn about another view on a hot topic concerning the Church today

As a pro choice sometimes Catholic, I was ASTOUNDED at the lengths the Catholic Church would go to to ruin the lives of two nuns, simply because they had asked the Church to formally re-open discussion on abortion and birth control. The book tells the story of these two nuns, and how they came to leave the Church... Which, quite frankly, made me want to rip the crucifix right off of my neck. An excellent read, though the book focussed a lot more on the nuns' own personal religious indictrination and less on the pro choice movement. I would have liked to have heard more about the women they met during their tenure--women who changed their minds about birth control and abortion.