REVELATIONS

‘Women Were Always Crying’: Leaked Video Sheds Light on Amy Coney Barrett’s Faith Group

People of Praise is known for its doctrine of “headship,” the idea that women must be completely subservient to their husbands.

An anonymous source shared a video with The Guardian that offers insight into the secretive Christian faith group, People of Praise, to which the Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett belongs. It shows Dorothy Ranaghan, one of the group's founders and leaders, describing the despair of members. “Some of the women—who are still in the women’s group, as a matter of fact—were wearing sunglasses all the time, because they were always crying and would have to hold on to their chairs every time somebody started teaching, because ‘what are we going to hear this time?’” she says in a filmed interview, which the group created to celebrate its 50th anniversary. This footage was not intended to be seen by an audience outside People of Praise, and offers insight into members’ reactions to the teachings. People of Praise is known for its doctrine of “headship,” the idea that women must be completely subservient to their husbands. Barrett herself lived in the Ranaghan household while she was studying law at Notre Dame, though she has never publicly disclosed whether she was a member. After The Guardian published its story about the leaked video, Ranaghan told the journal that she was “kidding when she said women in People of Praise were always crying.”