Patricia (Pat) Reif, also known as Sister Richard, (May 6, 1930 – March 24, 2002), was an American professor of philosophy and theology, known locally and nationally for her involvement in ecumenical issues, for her innovative leadership in the field of
feminist spirituality
Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Neopaganism, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Islam and New Thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scriptures, and theologies of those religion ...
and for her leadership in the
Women's Ordination Conference
The Women's Ordination Conference is an organization in the United States that works to ordain women as deacons, priests, and bishops in the Catholic Church.
Founded in 1975, the conference was seeded from an idea the year before, when Mary B. Ly ...
.
She was a founding member and leader of the ecumenical
Immaculate Heart of Mary Community established in 1970 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
as a result of irreconcilable differences between Cardinal
James F. McIntyre over the implementation of
Vatican II
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and 1 ...
reforms. Along with the 455 vowed members of the canonical order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Reif was a leader in the development of the new community's innovative philosophical foundations.
[ Most notably, in 1984, as chair of the religious studies department at Immaculate Heart College Center, she founded the nation's first graduate program in Feminist Spirituality.][Cano, Nan Deane. Take Heart: Growing as a Faith Community. New York: Paulist Press, 2016.]
Early life, education and early career
Reif was a lifelong resident of Los Angeles. She became a member of the order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1946. She received her bachelor's degree from Immaculate Heart College in 1953. She taught at St. Bernardine High School in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
, and Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood, CA
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. She earned her doctorate in philosophy from Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...
in 1961. In the 1960s and 1970s, she was involved in the anti-nuclear movement
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, nationa ...
.
Career
Before earning her Ph.D. in philosophy with a dissertation entitled, "The Textbook Tradition in Natural Philosophy, 1600–1650" from St. Louis University in 1961, Reif taught at St. Bernardine High School in San Bernardino and Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood. During the 1960s and 1970s, she taught philosophy and theology, bringing internationally renowned women theologians to Immaculate Heart College. These women scholars brought new, creative insights into thinking about church which added a new dimension to the life of her community and the college. She was the chair of the religious department at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, and its successor institution Immaculate Heart College Center, until her retirement in 1993.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary became embroiled in a controversy with Cardinal James F. McIntyre over Vatican II recommendations. Given her background in theology and philosophy, Reif (known as Sister Richard at the time), played an integral role in the discussions that reformed the order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from a Catholic canonical institution into an ecumenical community that included lay women and men of different Christian traditions. Along with over 400 Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters, Reif renounced her canonical vows in the creation of the new Immaculate Heart of Mary Community. In fact, all of the innovations she promoted in her work on the philosophical underpinnings of this new community "including professionalizing standards, experimenting with community worship and giving sisters control of their daily activities" are standard practice for Catholics across the country today.
Reif's commitment to social justice and her belief in the necessity of combining academic study with social engagement for change led to her leadership in efforts to address hunger issues and worker rights in the Los Angeles area. She was the co-founder of multiple, ecumenical justice efforts in southern California including the Interfaith Hunger Coalition and the Southern California Ecumenical Council's Interfaith Taskforce on Central America in the 1970s. In these efforts, she also worked with Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez (born Cesario Estrada Chavez ; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later merged ...
and the organization Bread for the World
Bread for the World is a non-partisan, Christian advocacy organization based in the United States that advocates for policy changes to end hunger. Bread for the World provides resources to help individuals advocate to end hunger, which might inc ...
, an ecumenical group working to support refugees fleeing poverty and war in Central America.
In the 1980s, her work turned to a focus on feminist spirituality which led her to promote renewal of the community and academic structures of the Immaculate Heart of Marry community based on feminist, theological principles. In 1984, as head of the religious studies department at the Immaculate Heart College Center, Reif founded the first Master's program in Feminist Spirituality in the United States., With her input, the academic community developed a structural model for the Immaculate Heart College Center based on cooperation instead of competition sharing leadership and decision making by consensus. Under this model Immaculate Heart College Center emphasized community engagement which "forced students out of the classroom into projects that "supported positive change within local communities". Mary E. Hunt, founder of Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual(WATER), states "It made a lasting impact on the field…." Even the professors who lectured in this first ever Master's program in Feminist Spirituality "learned a great deal from Pat… about adult education models and respectful co-learning".
As a philosopher, she influenced authors who wrote on various Aristotelian concepts, explaining materiality and form in sixteenth century thought.
Reif was also an early leader in the Women's Ordination Conference which worked for the ordination of and the general rights of women in the Catholic Church.[http://www.womensordinationorg/about-us/our-story/ ] During the 1990s, Reif served as chair of the WOC board
Death and legacy
Reif retired to Pilgrim Place in Claremont, California
Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popul ...
, in 1993 and died of pancreatic cancer in March 2002. The Pat Reif, IHM, Memorial Lecture was established by the Immaculate Heart Community in honor of her significance as a feminist scholar, professorial leader and her legacy as a social justice and human rights activist.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reif, Patricia
1930 births
2002 deaths
20th-century American philosophers
American women philosophers
American theologians
Women Christian theologians
People from Los Angeles
Saint Louis University alumni
20th-century American women