Marjorie Tuite, OP (October 15, 1922 – June 28, 1986) was a progressive feminist activist on issues related to the Church and the larger world, such as racism, poverty, war and the ordination of women.Obituary
upi.com. June 30, 1986.

Early life and education

She was born and raised in New York City and joined the Dominican Sisters of St Mary of the Springs Order (today

Dominican Sisters of Peace The Dominican Sisters of Peace is a congregation of Dominican Sisters of apostolic life, founded on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009, from the union of seven former Dominican foundations. With general offices in Columbus, Ohio, the congregation holds ...

) in 1942. She had an undergraduate degree from

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

, a master's degree from

Manhattanville College Manhattanville University is a private university in Purchase, New York, United States. Founded in 1841 as a school at 412 Houston Street in Lower Manhattan, it was initially known as the "Academy of the Sacred Heart". In 1917, the academy recei ...

in Education Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry from what is today University of Saint Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary."Marjorie Tuite, O.P. finding aid" (2002)
Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago.

Career

As an educator, Tuite filled a variety of roles. From 1960-1966, she taught English at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. "Between 1973 and 1981 she was a member of the faculty at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago. Before her tenure at the Jesuit School of Theology, she served on the staff on the National Urban Training Center and The Archdiocesan Center for Religious Education, both in Chicago." Tuite was a founder of and worked on a variety of different organizations. She was the Director of Ecumenical Action for

Church Women United Church Women United (CWU) is a national ecumenical Christians, Christian women's movement representing Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox and other Christian women. Founded in 1941, as the United Council of Church Women ...

, and in 1970, she was among the founders of the National Assembly of Religious Women and served as its national coordinator.

NETWORK

Tuite was a co-founder of the Catholic social justice group NETWORK. In late November 1975, Tuite was among the key organizers of the first International Women's Ordination Conference (WOC). She founded the Women's Coalition to Stop U.S. Intervention in Central America in 1982.

Vatican 24

Tuite was one of the "Vatican 24",

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and ...

s who had signed the Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion published in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on October 7, 1984. The Vatican, via the

Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, formerly called Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (DICLSAL and formerly CICLSAL; ), is the dicastery of the Roman Cu ...

, reacted by threatening the sisters with dismissal from their respective

religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of Religious institute (Catholic), religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from Religious order (Catholic), religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – i ...

s if they did not retract their statements, in accordance with Church

doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...

. Tuite appeared on ''

The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'' is an American talk show that was hosted by Phil Donahue. The show ran for twenty-nine seasons from November 6, 1967, to September 13, 1996, in which it broadcast 6,715 episodes. Before it was placed in syndication ...

'' on January 28, 1985, along with fellow signers Patricia Hussey and Barbara Ferraro, to defend their position. Tuite became terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, during which time she was under great pressure from her order to retract her statement.

Death and funeral

Tuite died on June 28, 1986, aged 63, following her battle with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. Her funeral mass caused controversy. At the mass at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer on July 3, Dominican priest Father Matarazzo instructed the crowd of Catholics, Protestants, and other denominations and religions that only Catholics should come forward for

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

. Sister Maureen Fiedler countered him by announcing to attendees that all would be welcome at Communion, including non-Catholics.Katzenstein, 1999, pg. 121 During the

Consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

, the priest was surrounded by women, including Ruth McDonough Fitzpatrick of the Women's Ordination Conference. Fitzpatrick recalled that the priest elbowed the women "to give him his sacred space" but that they did not yield. Instead, the women extended their hands over the Eucharist and said the words of consecration "so loudly that you could hear it in hehuge New York church." Many non-Catholics went forward to receive communion including the Protestant minister and peace activist

William Sloane Coffin William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 – April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and peace activist. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. In his young ...

. Men and women from the peace movement and those working for human rights stood up spontaneously and shared memories of Tuite. Fitzpatrick said that "Women-Church came into its own at Margie's funeral in the way that Margie wanted." Tuite's ashes were taken to

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

and, after they were taken through some of the villages where she had worked with local women, they were finally interred in a barrio of

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuite, Marjorie 1922 births 1986 deaths Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from pancreatic cancer Dominican Sisters Activists from New York City Activists from Columbus, Ohio Catholics from Ohio 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns Equal Rights Amendment activists Second wave feminists