I will restrict my discussion to the Catholic scene.

Celibacy in the church has a colourful history. It does not belong the core of Jesus’ teaching, though later writers on celibacy took His life as a model. The apostles or the other leaders of the early church did not insist on celibacy. All this is too well known to need proof.

Things changed later. How? In the East, the Council of Trullo in 692 AD insisted on celibacy for Bishops, while priests, deacons and subdeacons were allowed to marry.

In the West, the development was different. Celibacy was prescribed in the fourth century, but did not come into general practice. More legislation followed in the fifth and sixth centuries, as well as in the Carolingian period. It was probably not before the twelfth century that the law could be imposed on a large scale. The Council of Trent insists on celibacy for the clergy.

What about religious? Celibacy as an option existed for Christians right from the beginning. Some chose to be virgins, even before the organization of religious orders. You find them in large numbers and in communities after the founding of religious congregations. The numbers embracing this state fluctuated. There have been periods of great expansion and times of profound cynicism and diminishment. To quote one striking example, many religious orders were suppressed and the houses sold during the French Revolution. But more religious congregations of women were founded in the one hundred and fifty years following the Revolution than in all the previous epochs of church history. (For details, see my two-part article, “The Cost of Discipleship” )

Why did men and women choose celibate religious life? The motivations vary. Together with what we can call “religious” or “spiritual” reasons, there were also understandable socio-economic factors, e.g., the chance for better education, status within the community, escape from the difficulties of family life. In the time of the immigrant Catholic church in the United States, for instance, the priest was often the most educated person in the community, enjoying privileges which only the wealthy had access to, such as, having a cook, a maid, etc.

Celibates wrote the books, made the rules, proposed ideals of spirituality and taught how to reach there. They also created a language of “superiority”—the superiority of celibacy/virginity compared to the married state. Marriage was presented as a concession to human weakness, or as the means for procreation and upbringing of children. In fact, there are attacks today on this “aura” celibates enjoyed; some feel this made lay people give undue deference to celibates, a situation which a number of celibates abused. The subheading of a recent article against celibacy by an American Catholic lay man goes thus: “By endowing priests with an aura of discipline and trust, celibacy fosters pedophilia and facilitates cover-ups.”(Willis)

A change in the “celibacy is superior” sort of thinking is a serious challenge to the celibate state. Patricia Wittberg, whose sociological studies on religious life are among the most respected, looks at about what happened in the recent decades, at least in the West. Analyzing articles in Review for Religious for years, , she finds that earlier articles put virginity above marriage. Things changed from that to the following type of view: “As the director of a psychological treatment center for members of religious orders puts it: ‘We find that many of the neuroses we treat are aggravated by styles of spirituality and community life that encourage religious…to try to be happy without giving and receiving genuine affection and warm love.’” (Wittberg, 250).

Wittberg goes on to add that the celibate life remains very much on the defensive today. Talk about its being an eschatological witness does not carry weight with most people. “It was not always clear how chastity witnessed to these concepts, and some authors vigorously denied that such were sufficient reasons to choose the lifestyle: ‘Frankly, I am not impressed by being told that I am an eschatological sign because I am a celibate. I really do not think that men and women who come into contact with me are going to experience a love that is redeeming simply by being aware that I can point to a way they will love one another in heaven.’” (Wittberg, 250-251).

Wittberg’s serious study leads her to the following conclusion, at least regarding the West today: “The evidence presented…strongly indicates that the future of most current religious orders is limited indeed. Their ideological frame has been destroyed far more thoroughly than during any of the previous decline periods and, more importantly, no commonly accepted alternative has been developed to take its place.” (Wittberg, 266).

As regards the practice of celibacy in the West, there are a number of studies, the most famous (and most controversial) being the one by Richard Sipe, a psychiatrist and former priest. According to Sipe, only about fifty per cent of the Catholic priests in the US live a celibate life. He believes in celibacy and has high regard for those who are faithful, but holds that the church does not provide a realistic and adequate formation for celibacy for its clergy. The data he presents are things we can all learn from. (Sipe: A Secret World)

Other Western studies take up questions like the exodus from the priesthood, or the thorny issue of homosexual priests. (Rice, Cozzens)

What is our situation in India?

I looked at this question in my address to the major superiors of religious in India two years ago (Mannath, “Cost of Discipleship”). India has, by and large, not faced a numerical crisis. This should not lull us into thinking that everything is fine. There are serious symptoms of disease. To quote just one, the study published in Jnana Deepa on the candidates joining seminaries and religious orders found that most candidates are second and third class students, who would not be able to get into a college on merit. Since a college degree is the minimum requirement for even a clerical post in India today, this means that our clergy and religious are (or soon will be) intellectually inferior to clerks, and far below the standard of a good number of lay people.

So, too, celibacy does not automatically make a person more God-centred or more committed in ministry. In fact, a recent Canadian study wanted to check whether these two traditional claims made by celibates are in fact. They compared the priests of a Catholic diocese and the married pastors of a Pentecostal church. On both the factors—time spent in prayer and time spent doing ministry—the celibates did not prove to be more committed than the married clergy. How far are our claims merely claims? What evidence is there that celibates are more service-oriented and more prayerful than married persons?

Since we do not have reliable data on the situation of Indian religious, let me go by impressions, based on personal experience and what I hear from formators and other friends among religious. Here are some of the issues celibates in India seem to be facing: ¹

1. The question of meaning. As a young priest told me: “The papers you all prepare, the chapter documents, the official announcements—that is not our reality. Many of us feel that this life is not worth pursuing. Had it not been for our parents, a number of us would leave.” I do not know how widespread such feelings are, but they do exist.

To quote another case, when a young member of a religious order left and married, some of his class mates told him, “At least you have found something worthwhile.” While we cannot generalize from such a case, we need to see how widespread such feelings are.

2. The question of intimacy. Unlike young people in the West, most young men and women in India join religious life without any prior experience of heterosexual friendship, or even mixing. For most, the first chances for real contacts outside the religious community are after their final vows. Many feel both drawn to the joys of intimacy, and afraid of others’ disapproval. There is much confusion in this area, and much hiding. (Carroll and Dyckman, King, Mahoney, Whitehead)

3. Awareness of one’s sexuality. For women religious, in particular, it is possible to go through the novitiate and the early years of formation without having serious struggles in the area of sexuality. The power of their sexual feelings hits many of them when they are in their 30s, that is, several years after their final vows. As one religious sister told me: “I told my younger sister, who is keen on joining a convent: ‘Don’t be in a hurry. Finish your college. I too was eager to join, like you. I was young, as you are now. I am thirty-five now, and I long for a man.’ We do not even have people to talk to, when we face these issues.” (Kraft, Clark)

4. Healing for victims of sexual abuse. We have no fool-proof statistics, but the following impressionistic figure should make any of us sit up and take notice. In the two annual meetings of the Gathering of Catholic Psychologists of India, a number of sisters working with candidates to religious orders in India presented their assessment of the prevalence of sexual abuse. According to every one of them, the percentage of candidates to convents who were sexually abused before entering religious life is very high. All of them put it as more than fifty per cent. That is a shockingly high number! What is being done to help them? What needs to be done? (Bass & Davis, Covington)

5. Helping those who want to leave. In our culture, it is difficult for a seminarian or religious who is unhappy and out of place to leave and start again. This is particularly difficult for women. Hence, it is more than likely that a number of persons stay in, not because of a choice of celibacy, or commitment to religious ideals, but out of a fear of leaving. What can be done to help such persons to make happy choices?

6. Training for celibacy. Both the initial and the on-going formation to celibacy needs to be more realistic and much better thought out. For this, we also need to train formators in this area. How many of us have faced our own sexuality, our deep desires and needs? How many of us are comfortable accompanying another person in this area? Many so-called formators are persons with degrees in a theoretical subject, with little experience of personal growth themselves, and even less training in helping another on their personal journey. (Sipe, Mannath)

7. Boundaries and professional ethics: As we know, a number of religious orders and dioceses in the West have been devastated (financially and in reputation), through the highly publicized cases of sexual abuse of children by clergy and religious. We need to learn from their bitter experience—to remedy existing evils, and to prevent further exploitation. (Berry, Greeley, Rutter)

8. Clearer Links between celibacy and a simple life: A rich celibate, as Henri Nouwen would say, is like a fat sprinter—a contradiction in terms. Celibacy is not the same as being a bachelor or spinster. It cannot be reduced merely, or mostly, to abstaining from genital sex. Its heart is a great love that reaches out and builds loving community. It is totally illogical to claim that one enjoys total self-control in this one area of life, while allowing oneself all the enjoyments than money can buy, or that one can be a pleasure-seeking narcissist in every other area, and be committed lover in this one area. That does not gel.

Here is how a priest describes his earlier understanding of celibacy. “From what I was taught about celibacy, as well as from the example of those who taught me, this is what I understood about celibacy: that every pleasure is allowed me, except having sex. Now I see what an absurd concept this is. Celibacy does not make sense except within a way of life that is sufficiently ascetical.”

9. Selection of candidates for the priesthood and religious life: The situation is far from healthy. After my address to the national assembly of major superiors of religious two years ago, in which I critiqued some of the methods used by religious congregations for “roping in” fresh recruits, I thought I would be under fire for my unflattering comments. Instead, several superiors came up to me and told me privately, “The actual situation is worse than what you said.”

III. THE RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL QUEST:

To be religious/spiritual, is “to dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the unreachable star…to follow that star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far; to fight for the right, without question of pause, to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.”

The fire that makes us go forward in this quest is sacred.

It is not a set of rules; it is a passion—a life-giving passion.

***

We are blessed (or cursed) with “an unquenchable fire, a restlessness, a longing, a disquiet, a hunger, a loneliness, a gnawing nostalgia, a wildness that cannot be tamed, a congenital all-embracing ache that lies at the center of human experience and is the ultimate force that drives everything else” (Rolheiser, 4).

No wonder the mystics choose sexual imagery as the best suited to convey their all-consuming hunger, thirst and love. These are two passions, distinct but deeply linked, each mirroring the other. No wonder a number of psalms sound like love songs; they are love songs, in the best sense of the term. “For you I long; for you my soul is thirsting; my body pines for you, like a dry, weary land without water” (psalm 63).

“Spirituality is about what we do with the fire inside of us, about how we channel or eros…It has to give us energy and fire, so that we do not lose our vitality, and all sense of the beauty and joy of living. Thus, the opposite of the spiritual person is not a person who rejects the idea of God…The opposite of being spiritual is to have no energy, is to have lost all zest for living.” (Rolheiser, 11).

How do we keep the fire burning and keep ourselves glued together, without falling apart?—these are the basic questions of religion and spirituality.

In James Fowler’s study on the stages of faith, the highest stage is that of universalizing faith. In it, a person’s sense of affiliation goes beyond one’s family, religious community, nation, etc. One truly has a universal heart. These “universal lovers” run a danger, though. Guess what? Martyrdom at the hands of their own people, who do not understand or accept this type of love. No wonder Jesus or Mahatma Gandhi was killed, and not by outsiders.²

Celibacy’s charm is this kind of universal love, seen in the man or woman who truly makes the people of one’s mission one’s own. Haven’t we all seen such celibates, people with a large heart, whose love is larger than walls, whom anyone can trust, who makes not such distinctions as “mine” and “not mine.” One need not, of course, be a celibate to reach this level of love. I remember Bhalwant Singh Dalwari, who recited this prayer at the World Conference of Religion: “When I have found Thee, there is no ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’; everybody is mine.” His prayer impressed me, not only or mainly for the beauty of the thought, but mainly because it reflected the speaker’s life choice. He resigned from the Indian Foreign Service and dedicated himself to the care of leprosy patients—not in his native Punjab, but in faraway Maharashtra; the patients are not members of his ethnic group.

We live in a culture and nation where religious symbols, activities and places abound, where “spirituality” is a much bandied about term. What we need to learn from it is its wisdom to look beyond mere appearances to what is really real; to pursue what is worth pursuing, to develop an inner freedom that comes from wisdom.

What we can contribute to our country is a valid and challenging understanding of religion and spirituality. Spirituality, if genuine, should go far beyond ritual and dogma, to a life that radiates the divine. The godliness of any person cannot be directly checked. The outcome of inner experiences can, and must, be visible.

A spirituality is realistic and true if it affects me positively at a personal, interpersonal and social level. If I am “spiritual” or “religious”, I will be a person of integrity, loving and forgiving in my relationships and committed to justice in my social dealings. God cannot guide me and ask me to be crooked, unloving or unjust.³

In the area we are discussing, namely, sexual wholeness, integrity will imply facing my sexual reality as it is, without pretense or false claims, or denying my woundedness. At the interpersonal level, it will imply a genuine concern for the other, whether this other be my intimate partner, or a friend, or a child. Human beings need to show love (and receive love) tangibly, much of it physically, and give and receive healing repeatedly. In all love, there are pain and hurts. No one is a perfect lover; all love involves pain. At the social level, a religious understanding of sexuality rejects any exploitation of human beings on the basis of sex or gender, neither reducing the other to a sex object, nor treating women as inferior, just because they are women.

The Catholic church has the largest body of full-time, life-long celibates, a veritable force for doing good, if love is the fuel behind our celibate commitment. Our structures, rules and routine can be used in the service of love, if we are men and women of inner freedom, who have found meaning and joy, who radiate enthusiasm and transparent goodness. If we were to live our lives with deep love and a clear vision, what an incredible power for good we religious and priests could be! On the other hand, in the hands of unloving or power-hungry (or sexually frustrated) men and women, these same structures and rules can become instruments of oppression. Celibates can be the most loving of people or the most cruel. History carries examples of both. If not “maintained” (like a good road) as a channel of God’s love, celibacy degenerates into a barren state of being merely unmarried. Then, our unhealthy drives will easily take over, undeterred by the balancing elements of family love and care of children. Power, jealousy, pleasure and superficiality can take the place of what love was meant to fill. These will not fill the heart, but they give the impression of slaking our thirst at least for a time.

IV. CONCLUSION

Sexuality is life, energy, a divine fire pulling us out of ourselves towards the other. Depending one where we are on our spiritual/human journey, we will use this fire in loving or unloving ways, give it tender or destructive expressions. Like most people, we will at times wonder whether the pulls we feel, the longings we experience, the experiences we have gone through, are “normal” and life-giving. We all need a loving heart and listening ear to whom to entrust our fears, our doubts and our longings. All longings are, ultimately, for the one great Love for which our hearts were made, but we do not reach this Love (or this Lover) directly. That Love places smaller, more tangible loves on our path, for us to learn from, to be healed by, to give ourselves to in trust. Sexuality, whether in marriage or celibacy, is about building loving communities, and in a personal and shared search for what truly matters. Human sexuality both roots us in our bodies, and points beyond sex to deeper and deeper longings. Celibates or married, men or women, we all carry this fire within us, a fire none of us ever masters fully. It makes us more alive, helps us to live life with passion and to relate in tenderness and compassion. Celibacy is one of its many valid expressions, an expression that is full of meaning if lived out in inner freedom and pursuit of a dream. It is more about who we become, rather than about what we do.

Once a very fine religious sister I know received letters from a number of young women with whom she had worked. These college students were not Catholics, and did not speak of celibacy or of religion. But they did say something that is very meaningful. Many of them wrote to her: “When I grow up, I want to be a woman like you.” This is what sexual maturity is all about—to be life-giving human being, whose life models what living and loving are about. This is also what spirituality is—to pursue what is worthwhile, and to live lovingly, wisely and responsibly in one’s concrete setting. Religions are meant to be channels for that wisdom. May we be honest women and men, in touch with our human reality, alive, loving and wise.

Poet Rumi provides us with an apt quotation to conclude this discussion on sexuality, celibacy and the religious quest—intertwined realities that must be captured with everything we have got: body, mind and heart:

“Wherever you may be, in whatever situation or circumstance you may find yourself, strive always to be a lover, and a passionate lover. Once you possess your heart in love, you will always be a lover, in the tomb, at the Resurrection, and in Paradise forever and ever.”⁴

Bibliography:

BOOKS & ARTICLES:

Bass, Ellen & Laura Davis. The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.

Berry, Jason. Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Broadus, Loren, “Sex and Violence in the Family and Church,” in Thatcher & Stuart, …

Butler, Carolyn (ed.). Faith, Hope and Chastity: Honest Reflections from the Catholic Priesthood. London: Fount, 1999.

Carr, Anne. “On Feminist Spirituality,” Conn (1986), 49-58.

Carroll, L. Patrick & Katherine M. Dyckman. Chaos and Creation. New York: Paulist Press, 1986. Pp. 122-131: “Intimacy and Sexuality.”

Cheston, Sharon E. “Counseling Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” in: Robert J. Wicks and Richard D. Parsons (eds.), Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling (New York & Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1993), Volume 2, pp. 447-488.

Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response. Report of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Advisory Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by Priests and Religious. Dublin: Veritas, 1996.

Chittister, Joan. Heart of Flesh: A Feminist Spirituality for Women and Men. Grand Rapids, MI: W. M Eerdmans, 1998.

Clark, Keith. An Experience of Celibacy: A creative reflection on intimacy, loneliness, sexuality and commitment. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1982.

Coles, Robert. Harvard Diary. New York: Crossroad, 1988.

Collins, Julie A. “Celibate Love as Contemplation,” Review for Religious, 59, 1 (Jan.-Feb. 2000), 79-86.

Conn, Joann Wolski (ed.). Women’s Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1986.

Covington, Stephanie. Awakening Your Sexuality: A Guide for Recovering Women. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.

Cozzens, Donald B. The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest’s Crisis of Soul. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2000.

Cunningham, Agnes. “Feminist Spirituality: The State of the Question,” Chicago Studies, 35, 2 (1996), 141-155.

Dorr, Donal. Integral Spirituality. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1990.

Dorr, Donal. Spirituality and Justice. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1984.

Driscoll, Michael S. “Celibacy,” in New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality. Indian edition. (Bangalore: TPI, 1995), ….

Ellison, Marvin M. “Sexuality and Spirituality: An Intimate—and Intimidating—Connection,” in Thatcher and Stuart, …

Fowler, James. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1981.

Francoeur, Robert T. Becoming a Sexual Person. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1982.

Frankl, Viktor. Man’s Search for Meaning. New York: Washington Square Press, 1984.

Greeley, Andrew. “How Serious is the Problem of Sexual Abuse by Clergy?” America, 168, 10 (March 20-27, 1993), 6-10.

Hart, Jordana. “Statistics Say Abuse Hits Close to Home: Most Young Victims Know Their Molester,” The Boston Globe, Tuesday, May 30, 2000, pp. B1 & B8.

Hillesum, Etty. An Interrupted Life. New York: Pocket Books, …..

Howlett, Mary Perrem. “Celibacy: A Challenge in Intimacy: A Married Woman’s Vision,” Religious Life Review,….

Hughes, Gerard. God of Surprises…

Joseph, Ammu. “Family Secrets: Incestuous Sexual Abuse,” The Hindu (Chennai), Sunday, October 22, 2000, p. iv.

Kasl, Charlotte Davis. Women and Sex and Addiction: A Search for Love and Power. London: Mandarin, 1989.

Kelsey, Barbara & Morton Kelsey. The Sacrament of Sexuality: The Spirituality and Psychology of Sex. Rockport, MA: Element, 1991.

Kimmerling, Ben. “Celibacy and Intimacy,” in Thatcher and Stuart, …

King, Thomas M. & Mary Wood Gilbert (eds.). The Letters of Teilhard de Chardin and Lucille Swan. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1994.

King, Ursula. “Women’s Contribution to Contemporary Spirituality,” The Way Supplement, 84 (Autumn 1995), 26-46.

Kraft, William F. “Celibate Genitality,” Review for Religious, 36, 4 (1977), 600-612.

Kraft, William F. Sexual Dimensions of the Celibate Life. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1971.

Loftus, John Allen. “Victims of Abuse as Candidates,” Review for Religious, 45, 5 (Sept.-Oct. 1986), 725-738.

Mahoney, Donna Tiernan. Touching the Face of God: Intimacy and Celibacy in Priestly Life. Dublin: Mercier Press, 1991.

Mannath, Joe. A Closer Look. Chennai: Arumbu Publications, 2001; especially Chapter 5. “The Fascinating Riddle of Sexuality” (pp.43-50)

----------------. “Just Bachelors and Spinsters—or Celibates?” in The New Leader, 16 July 2000, 7-8.

----------------. “The Cost of Discipleship-Part I,” Vidyajyoti, 64,7 (July 2000), 494-507.

----------------. “The Cost of Discipleship-Part II,” Vidyajyoti, 64,8 (August 2000), 583-591.

----------------. “This is Celibacy!” in The New Leader, 1 August 2000, 7-8.

----------------. “Who Am I? Whose Am I?” in The New Leader, 16 August 2000, 7-8.

May, Gerald. Care of Mind/Care of Spirit. …………………………….Pp. 110-122: “Sexual Feelings in Direction.”

Mayo, Mary Ann. A Christian Guide to Sexual Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987.

McNamara, Jo Ann Kay. Sisters in Arms: Catholic Nuns through Two Millennia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.

Moore, Thomas. The Soul of Sex: Cultivating Life as an Act of Love. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.

Nelson, James B. “Reuniting Sexuality and Spirituality” in Thatcher and Stuart,…

Nugent, Robert. “Helping Seminarians Live Celibate Chastity,” Review for Religious, 59, 1 (Jan.-Feb. 2000), 66-78.

Parathazham Paul V. “Vocation and Formation of Priests and Religious in India: An Empirical Study,” Jnana Deepa Pune Journal of Religious Studies, 3, 2 (2000), 5-41.

Pinto, Lawrence. “Childhood Sexual Abuse Affects Psychological and Spiritual Growth,” Asian Journal of Vocation and Formation, January-June 1999, 4-17.

RAHI (=Recovering and Healing from Incest). The House I Grew Up In. Delhi, 2000. (Testimonies of five Indian women who suffered incestuous sexual abuse.)

Rediger, G. Lloyd. Ministry and Sexuality: Cases, Counseling and Care. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990.

Rice, David. Shattered Vows: Exodus from the Priesthood. Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 1990.

Rolheiser, Ronald. The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality. New York: Doubleday, 1999.

Rutter, Peter. Sex in the Forbidden Zone: When Men in Power—Therapists, Doctors, Clergy, Teachers and Others—Betray Women’s Trust. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1991.

Schneiders, Sandra. “Feminist Spirituality,” Michael Downey (ed.), The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1993), 394-406.

Sipe, Richard. “Double Talk on Celibacy,” The Tablet, 16 May 1992, 605-606.

----------------. “Sex and Celibacy,” The Tablet, 9 May 1992, 576-577.

----------------. A Secret World: Sexuality and the Search for Celibacy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1990.

----------------. Celibacy: A Way of Loving, Living and Serving. Liguori, MI: Triumph Books, 1996.

Sperry, Len. “The Sexually Abusing Minister,” Human Development, 20, 4 (Winter 1999), 13-19.

Thatcher, Adrian and Elizabeth Stuart (eds.), Christian Perspectives on Sexuality and Gender. Harefordshire: Gracewing, 1996.

Ulanov, Ann & Barry Ulanov. Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminister John Knox Press, 1982. Chapter 8: “Sexuality and Prayer” (pp.73-84).

Virani, Pinki. Bitter Chocolate: Child Sexual Abuse in India. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2000.

Whitehead, Evelyn Eaton & James D. Whitehead. A Sense of Sexuality: Christian Love and Intimacy. New York: Doubleday, 1989.

Wills, Garry. “The Scourge of Celibacy,” The Boston Globe Magazine, March 24, 2002, pp. 10-24.

Wittberg, Patricia. The Rise and Fall of Catholic Religious Orders: A Social Movement Perspective. Albany, NY: The State University of New York Press, 1994.

Wulff, David. Psychology of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Views. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1991.

VIDEOS

Becoming a Celibate Lover.

Celibacy: Its Values and Challenges. An Interview with Father James Gill, S.J., M.D.

Men Vowed and Sexual: Conversations about Celibate Chastity. Featuring Religious Priests and Brothers Sharing Their Own Lived Experience. (The six tapes are on these topics: 1. Intimacy; 2. Men & Women in Relationship; 3. Falling in Love; 4. Homosexuality; 5. Male Midlife and Generativity; 6. Mystery of Celibate Chastity.)

Father Joe Mannath SDB is an associate professor at Madras University and an adjunct professor at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. His experience includes university and college teaching and guiding research, as well as youth ministry, seminars for clergy, religious and educators, teaching in different countries, counseling and spiritual direction. For more information on him and his writings, see: www.joemannath.org