| In the spring of 1998, Corpus Christi Church, a Roman Catholic parish in Rochester, NY, was known both for its social outreach ministries and for its innovative liturgical practices, which included open Communion, same-sex blessings and a prominent role for women. Following the transfer of the priest administrator in the fall of 1998, the inclusive practices of the parish were under threat, and a significant portion of the parish resisted any attempts to bring the parish into conformity with Roman Catholic practices. In 1999, approximately eight hundred Corpus Christi parishioners, along with the parish clergy and much of the original parish staff, formed an independent Catholic church, Spiritus Christi Church, which subsequently ordained two women as priests, established a number of active ministries, and continues to claim a Catholic identity.;Based on research through participant-observation, archival work, interviews and a formal survey, this dissertation uses the theoretical apparatus of Pierre Bourdieu and the tools of social movement theory to explore how a move to independence was possible and how the new community of Spiritus Christi evolved. It also examines the way in which community members understand both their corporate and their individual Catholic identities, comparing that with the definitions of Catholic identity that have been described in recent studies of American Roman Catholics. |
