Mary E. Hunt (born 1951) is an American

feminist theologian Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Jainism, Neopaganism, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and New Thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scri ...

who is co-founder and co-director of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...

, US. A Catholic active in the women-church movement, she lectures and writes on

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

with particular attention to

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

concerns.

Early life and education

Hunt grew up in an Irish Catholic family in Syracuse, New York, and attended parochial schools. In high school she volunteered at an inner city program and a Native American reservation. She witnessed what she later described as "grinding poverty" during two summer experiences with the Christian Appalachian Project in Kentucky. Hunt earned her undergraduate degree in theology and philosophy from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

in 1972. She completed her master's in theological studies at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

in 1974. There she was a student of the Catholic theologian

Rosemary Radford Ruether Rosemary Radford Ruether (; 2 November 1936 – 21 May 2022) was an American Catholic feminist theologian known for her significant contributions to the fields of feminist theology and ecofeminist theology. Her teaching and her writings helped e ...

, who introduced the issues of gender and sexuality into the curriculum. She also studied with Jesuit priest and liberation theologian

Juan Luis Segundo Juan Luis Segundo (March 31, 1925, in Montevideo, Uruguay – January 17, 1996, in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan theologian and Jesuit priest who was an important figure in the movement known as Latin American liberation theology. He wrote numer ...

, who introduced issues of economics and international relations. In 1979, Hunt received a second master's degree in divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. In 1980 she received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

Career

In 1984 she was one of 97 theologians and religious persons who signed "

A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion "A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion", alternatively referred to by its pull quote "A Diversity of Opinions Regarding Abortion Exists Among Committed Catholics" or simply "The New York Times ad", was a full-page advertisement placed o ...

", calling for

religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religion, religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and Religious tolerance, tolerating the religio ...

and discussion within the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

regarding the church's position on

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

. In 2018 she was one of many religious commenting on the church crisis of the sexual abuse of nuns by male clerics. She said the problem is one example of more profound and widespread "spiritual abuse" of women by the male-dominated church.''The Boston Pilot'', "Women Religious Openly Discuss Harassment, Abuse, Rape of Nuns by Clergy", February 1, 2019

/ref>

External links

Mary Hunt Papers
in the

Sophia Smith Collection The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. General One of the largest recognized repositories of manuscripts, a ...

, Smith College Special Collections

References

Christian feminist theologians Lesbian feminists Living people American Roman Catholics LGBTQ Roman Catholics LGBTQ people from Maryland Women Christian theologians 1951 births Marquette University alumni Harvard Divinity School alumni Catholic feminists {{Christian-theologian-stub

Early life and education

Career

See also

External links

References