From Roman Catholic to Quaker

Joseph Izzo first connected with Quakers as a priest in the Catholic peace movement during the Vietnam War. “Everywhere I went, every conference I attended… there were Quakers,” they recalls. “As I listened, I kept thinking [that] this is the only other religious denomination I could consider belonging to.”

In the years that followed, Joseph’s support for women’s ordination and for ministering to gay and lesbian Catholics met with disfavor from church authorities, including the future Pope Benedict XVI, culminating in their excommunication. That eventually led them to the Religious Society of Friends. “The whole thing was a blessing,” they reflect. “It didn’t feel that way at the time, but I look back on it and see this is where I needed to be.”

“My spirituality was wrapped up in a lot of anger,” Joseph says of their Catholic years. “Anger at all the disagreements I had with the church’s doctrines and dogmas and beliefs… When I became a Quaker, all that anger dissipated, [and] my spirituality could be directed toward the goodness and well-being of others.”

3 thoughts on “From Roman Catholic to Quaker

  1. Joe is such a thoughtful presence at Friends Meeting of Washington. I love how he has communicated with my children as equals from toddler-hood into adulthood. His journey reminds me of my mother’s–a liberal Catholic from a very religious Polish family who was uncomfortable with the non-inclusiveness of the Church in the 1970’s. Her seeking led to stopping by the Quaker meeting in our hometown–Yardley PA. She became a member of Makefield (PA), Buckingham (PA), and Charlottesville (VA) Meetings–an active participant in peace and prison ministries over 25 years.

  2. Wonderful story of Izzo. I too was Catholic, for over 50 years. After strong disagreement over women’s ordination and birth control, I joined an Episcopal parish for several years. My beliefs and values were evolving, and I found a Quaker Worship Group started by a friend in my Episcopal parish. This became home over 30 years ago! I was especially amazed by the variety of members when I attended GFC gathering in 1995: nontheists, Jews, pagans, LGBTQs, together with the more traditional majority type. My mind, heart and soul alignment with Quakerism. This is what I chose before I came to earth! Blessed be!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maximum of 400 words or 2000 characters.

Comments on Friendsjournal.org may be used in the Forum of the print magazine and may be edited for length and clarity.