Review: Celibate by Maria Giura

Celibate by Maria Giura, from Apprentice House Press (2019)

When she was a young woman, Maria Giura fell in love with a Catholic priest. In her new memoir, Celibate, Giura writes about their complicated, angry relationship and how it led her to finally find her true calling.

In working through her history with Father Infanzi, Giura writes about how she began to appreciate that neither partner in their relationship was all right or all wrong; everyone brings emotional wounds from youth into adult relationships. Unlike what she felt at the time, Giura came to understand that she was not a victim of circumstance or even God’s will, but that she had choices.

Writing her book – and figuring out the real truth about her relationship with the priest, her mother, others close to her, even her relationship with God – helped Giura grow up and leave behind a lot of anger. Giura tells her story with guts and grace.

Recommended for readers interested in stories about personal relationships, mother/daughter relationships, faith, the Catholic Church, and Italian American families.

NOTES

Read my Rose City Reader interview with Maria Giura here. Maria talked about her book, writing, and upcoming projects. She also gave a list of her favorite contemporary and classic memoirs by women dealing with crises of faith. It's worth checking out!

Publisher's Description:

When twenty-eight-year-old Maria Giura fell in love with Catholic priest Father James Infanzi, she had no idea how needy and angry they both were nor how complicated their attraction would become.

His attention seemed to fill the void left by her fractured family, but he also seemed to be a sign for her to finally face the celibate vocation she'd been running from ever since she first felt God's call. Celibate focuses on her ten-year struggle to let go of this priest, to heal from her childhood, and to finally embrace her true calling. Fiercely honest and tender, this memoir is ultimately a story about surrender, forgiveness, and facing one's deepest needs.