Women Religious Not Complying With Vatican Study

[Skinzo]

[quote name='jkaands' date='17 January 2010 - 08:49 PM' timestamp='1263775744' post='2039377']
I don't think that it is traditional for sisters, at least Benedictine ones, [i]to profess[/i] to be a 'bride of Christ"--this issue is discussed elsewhere.
[/quote]

Actually, the term is quite common in the Church, and not unusual for Benedictine sisters as is quite evident in this link:
See: http://kansascatholic.blogspot.com/2010/01/benedictines-of-mary-2010-investiture_07.html

From the Catechism:
" 923 Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church." By this solemn rite (Consecratio virginum), the virgin is "constituted . . . a sacred person, a transcendent sign of the Church's love for Christ, and an eschatological image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to come."

S.

[Ave Maria Totus Tuus]

[quote name='jkaands' date='17 January 2010 - 07:49 PM' timestamp='1263775744' post='2039377']
I don't think that it is traditional for sisters, at least Benedictine ones, [i]to profess[/i] to be a 'bride of Christ"--this issue is discussed elsewhere.
[/quote]

I think jkaands is referring to the fact that the profession of vows for a religious does not entail a specific vow to be a "bride of Christ." Rather, the actual profession is of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and in some orders, additional vows. The Church's teaching on consecrated women being "brides of Christ" comes from their total gift-of-self to the Bridegroom through living out the evangelical councils in their fullness.

Is that what you meant, jkaands?

[Ave Maria Totus Tuus]

[quote name='MithLuin' date='17 January 2010 - 03:01 PM' timestamp='1263758471' post='2039188']
But as far as religious life is concerned -- a group must have a clear vision of what it means to live out the calling of religious life. If the community cannot nurture this vision in its members, it will unravel (from either end - this isn't about liberal/conservative). It did not surprise me that the questionnaire caused sisters to consider their identity; that was likely the entire point.
[/quote]

Exactly. Great post, MithLuin!

Stay true to your identity. What is your identity as a religious? First of all, your life must be devoted to union with God, as a bride of Christ, living out the evangelical councils to their fullest. Next, your identity comes from your fidelity to your founding charisms and apostolate. If these steps are out of place, you have a disordered life. Prayer comes before your apostolate. Community life comes before the worries of convenience in the work you do. While the apostolate is important, it is not the most important aspect of religious life.

I feel like a lot of the communities that are "dying out" are dying because of being disordered in their priorities. If you talk to a lot of the young women discerning religious life nowadays, ask them what attracts them to the communities like the Nashville Dominicans or the Sisters of Life. Is it only their apostolate? These orders all have very successful and attractive apostolates, be it in teaching in schools across the nation and world, or helping women deal with unexpected pregnancies, or [insert any apostolate]. While of course the young women find the apostolates appealing, you will find that their primary attractions to these communities lie in their attentive prayer life, their joyful community life, and all the many beautiful things that come with living out an authentic consecrated life. THAT is what attracts them the most.

[CatherineM]

I wonder if it is possible that it have been so long since their vows that they have simply forgotten the obedience part.

[jkaands]

[quote name='Ave Maria Totus Tuus' date='18 January 2010 - 12:24 PM' timestamp='1263839094' post='2039714']
I think jkaands is referring to the fact that the profession of vows for a religious does not entail a specific vow to be a "bride of Christ." Rather, the actual profession is of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and in some orders, additional vows. The Church's teaching on consecrated women being "brides of Christ" comes from their total gift-of-self to the Bridegroom through living out the evangelical councils in their fullness.

Is that what you meant, jkaands?
[/quote]

Yes, but my question is, is there a [i]'formal' teaching [/i]on [i]professed women religious[/i] being "brides of Christ"?

My impression is that the [i]church[/i] is the Bride of Christ.

[jkaands]

[quote name='Skinzo' date='18 January 2010 - 09:52 AM' timestamp='1263829955' post='2039648']
Actually, the term is quite common in the Church, and not unusual for Benedictine sisters as is quite evident in this link:
See: http://kansascatholic.blogspot.com/2010/01/benedictines-of-mary-2010-investiture_07.html

From the Catechism:
" 923 Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church." By this solemn rite (Consecratio virginum), the virgin is "constituted . . . a sacred person, a transcendent sign of the Church's love for Christ, and an eschatological image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to come."

S.
[/quote]

I think that this refers to the Consecration of Virgins, an ancient rite recently revived and used as a separate rite at Regina Laudis, a Benedicine house of the Primitive Observance in Bethlehem CT and with Carthusian Nuns. I'm not sure the diocesan bishop is involved with this. However, a few posters on Catholic forums are also Consecrated Virgins in their dioceses and have been so consecrated by their bishops.

Modern religious orders do not limit their candidates to virgins, and I don't think inquire about it, which would require a gynecological examination, the only way to be sure. There may be a few cloistered houses that insist on virginity. One of the oldest orders, the Visitation, founded by Sts. Frances de Sales and Jane de Chantal, targeted widows, and women who have annulled marriages or are widowed are, in many cases, considered candidates for religious institutes today.

Regina Laudis is very traditional in its observance, singing the entire office and mass in Latin in Gregorian Chant, rising a night for the office, wear a full habit, and observe constitutional enclosure. As far as I know, it does not observe a "bridal" ritual. The Consecration of Virgin rite is separate from the Benedictine vows and does not accompany it as a matter of course.

I have no objection to a 'bridal' ceremony, but don't think that it was included in the original observances of the Benedictine and Dominican nuns, but is a much more recent addition. And I don't think that women religious today are denying their 'vows' as 'brides of Christ' as they didn't take them.

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

In some poles dones over the past three decades,
men religious struggle most of all with chastity, and women struggle most of all with obedience.
sometimes i wonder if more bishops appeared at convents expressing gratitude for all the work 'brides of Christ' were doing in their diocese, things might be different. If they are a bride to Christ, then they should, in my opinion, be treated with the utmost dignity.
of course, if any bishop were to show up at any apartment of a mad sister, he'd probably get a rotten tomato.

[TradMom]

+Praised Be Jesus Christ!

I have seen the materials and have spoken with various Superiors of congregations local to my area who are in the midst of this process.

In all fairness, I can understand how many religious would feel myriad negative feelings and even "targeted."

In order for a community/congregation/society to achieve recognition through the Church, there is a long and very complicated (if not tedious) process that the group must go through. Part of that process is submitting the very things the visitation asks for - customs, prayer life, formation, dress, etc. - and the community must receive approval along the way (at each step - often times with corrections and changes) before finally being approved.

Yes, we all love the habits and the image of the humble, prayerful nun who seamlessly makes it through the day - teaching, saying the entire LOH (in their gorgeous chapel together as a community), eating as a group in silence to spiritual readings (feeding the mind and soul), group Rosary, having time in Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, having time for Lectio and meditation and also - recreation.

But for a religious woman in a major metropolis, how realistic is this image? From my own experience, I can share that we pray together as a family, we homeschool (some of the kids), we say the Rosary at night, yet my husband who works outside of the home (which is necessary for our security) cannot (and does not) fully participate in everything I do. Aside from everything else, we have help and we are, due to God's grace and providence, fortunate. When I compare our life to the life of religious women who run schools and teach - or who serve the poor through Catholic Charities, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, etc., I realize they are very much in the same position as my husband. Their life of dedication to Our Lord is shown through their works and the sacrifice of "the better part" to make sure "we" can have it. I think we often forget that women religious are carrying larger and larger responsibilities of having to be financially responsible for more and more top-heavy communities who are not receiving governmental or Church help. It is quite necessary that the "younger" religious keep full-time and even one full time and one part time job to help their communities stay afloat. Before I go further, please do not throw numbers about communities who wear habits and are orthodox not facing the same issues. I have sadly known many, many good, solid, orthodox, traditional communities (in full habit) who have had to merge with another or even close because of lack of financial stability due to a lack of women following through on God's invitation to live and pray with them. Only because I have personally witnessed various communities disappear - right in front of my eyes - I am personally attached to building up what has been started as opposed to creating new Orders. There have been many times I have felt a deep sense of sadness at the plethora of vocations that flock to the "newer" orders while good, stable, holy religious women (yes! in full habit!) are counting their pennies while they try to figure out how they can make it another year.

I cannot speak for dioceses other than my own and those I have worked within. It has been my experience that there is a standard practice of "Sister's salaries" for women religious who are employed by various Catholic entities...such as Catholic schools. For years, women religious were not paid the standard - and that is a pitiful number considering the standard at that time (again, as an example - teachers) was lower for women in general than it was for men. Imagine what a "Sister's Salary" would is (and currently is). This would have been an acceptable practice IF the local diocese were setting up various means of supporting aging religious; if they were offering medical/health benefits and insurance, if they were organizing various means of support - be it financial support for utilities, major repair after earthquakes, liability insurance for the various communities who set up and run facilities in a very sue-happy world, etc. But none of this happened, and when it should have happened - during the glory days of Roman Catholic Church in America - nobody ever imagined that we would one day see a Church so lacking in people following through on their vocations. (Note: I did not say "a lack of vocations.") So. It makes perfect sense, when one stands back and considers all the difficulties these communities faced AFTER Vatican II (when there was a mass exodus) why so very, very many would have chosen to step outside of the protected archetype and seek "regular employment" with benefits and larger responsibilities to help support their communities more actively.

Many of us seem to forget that communities (unless there is a very special exception) do not receive financial support from anybody outside of their own group (certainly not from Rome, which is the number one misconception Catholics have about religious) and are responsible for an overwhelming amount of things: education, shelter, utilities, medical care, dental care, eye care, liability insurance (which is growing by the minute), formation, etc.

We would not have a Catholic system in this country as we know it today were it not for the brave, solid, strong women who came from different countries and set up hospitals and schools. Many Cardinals, Bishops and Priests (as well as Religious) have written on this far better than I can.

While I call myself "traditional" and express my faith in a traditional and even conservative matter, I wholeheartedly support and love ALL of our religious; especially our American religious who gave so much and so often face such ingratitude, judgment and nit-picking - as evidenced over and over again on various blogs and forums.

As Catholics we believe in life. That means for the unborn as it does for the killer on death row. Both souls are equally precious to God. God created BOTH to have the opportunity to know, love and serve HIM. Why are those who minister to the unsavory killer often labeled as "liberal" ? Jesus Himself declared the thief next to Him as one who would be in Heaven. (The only one He mentioned in the Bible - as you all know.) Visiting the imprisoned is a Work of Mercy. Why are those engaged in this ministry labeled?

Women Religious have been asked to wear something to identify themselves. Some are in communities that hold as part of their charism (like my beloved Carmelites) the scapular which is an integral part of their spirituality. Other communities do not have that custom - and instead - wear a large cross, a pendant or a pin. It is visible. Can we honestly be serious in creating such a divisive attitude to the women who are fully garbed in holy habits, symbolic and integral to their spirituality - against women who joined communities who do not have that practice as central to their spirituality? I believe it was St. Francis who said, "Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." The Chaplain at our local hospital (a religious in secular clothing) spends her free time visiting the various prisons in California - up and down the state. She takes donations for gas. She often comes back on Sunday night, exhausted from her drive (with poor families who want to see their relatives) and I look at her and see the goodness and beauty of her holy life. She wears a pin and a ring. Only someone who has never encountered a Catholic nun would mistake her for someone else.

I generally save my long-winded posts for Vocation Station. The family there knows I have two daughters in cloistered, contemplative life who are exempt from the visitation/study. My daughters are in different orders, but chose to enter communities that on the face would be considered traditional and orthodox: they both wear the full habit (including a wimple!), one lives with constitutional enclosure, one papal. We are proud of our daughters because we believe in many ways - more ways than I express - that they chose "the better part." We are proud that our daughters had the courage to stop and listen to God's call, to choose Him, to choose life, to dedicate and give all to Him. I can't pretend on any level that any of this has been easy - certainly not for them, not for our other children and not for my husband and me. But the joy in knowing that they are women of courage, strength and conviction, with hearts made for Christ surpasses all anxiety and pain.

I have promised (repeatedly!) not to share too much about their private lives. I do have permission, however, to share that both communities pray daily for this process. In particular, they have been asked to pray for the women who have struggled to live out the Gospel; to serve God's people, to remain faithful in the midst of chaos, and feel so marginalized by so many. Both of my daughters have a special affection for the religious who live the Gospel radically in serving the poor, in visiting the sick, in tending to the imprisoned. It was because of early exposure of such women - who lit the world afire with their passion and love for Jesus - and my daughter's witness of those women living out His peace and the Gospel message to ALL they encountered - they themselves felt compelled to dig deeper into their own souls. Each daughter wrote to our parish RCIA Director (not in habit) and thanked her for her witness and her devotion, which both girls recognized as the initial spark of their vocation. (No, I can't take credit for that!) They each promised, before leaving for their respective new homes.

So, I believe I understand this issue from more than one side, and yes, there have been times when some of the "liberal" nuns have really made me mad! - but there have also been times when some of the "conservative" nuns have really made me mad! - and each and every time, I remind myself that we are ALL God's children, we are all living out our vocation (hopefully) to the best of our ability with full integrity - as much as we can offer - and most importantly - the best we can do - is stop judging, approach this entire issue with compassion and love, and remember, there is room in Holy Mother Church for all of us.

Pax,

TradMom

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='MC IMaGiNaZUN' date='18 January 2010 - 03:18 PM' timestamp='1263849531' post='2039797']
In some poles dones over the past three decades,
men religious struggle most of all with chastity, and women struggle most of all with obedience.

[/quote]
That almost implies to me that this situation could be seen as the women religious version of the priest sex-abuse scandal, if you look at it that way. Interesting take.

[holly.o]

What a beautiful post, TradMom! (If anyone skipped over that, go back & read it!)

Thank you for your wise insight. God bless you & your family.

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

I spelled poles wrong, I mean polls wrong! lol!

[Ave Maria Totus Tuus]

[quote name='TradMom' date='18 January 2010 - 04:21 PM' timestamp='1263849713' post='2039799']
Yes, we all love the habits and the image of the humble, prayerful nun who seamlessly makes it through the day - teaching, saying the entire LOH (in their gorgeous chapel together as a community), eating as a group in silence to spiritual readings (feeding the mind and soul), group Rosary, having time in Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, having time for Lectio and meditation and also - recreation.

But for a religious woman in a major metropolis, how realistic is this image?
[/quote]

TradMom, what a beautiful post, and you bring up some very good points here. God bless your beautiful daughters!

I'd like to address one point in particular, in the part quoted above, how you question how a religious woman, in a major metropolis could be able to do all those things? It is quite realistic, actually. It is all possible through a very ordered, monastic, framework of life. Even the active orders must have this as a solid foundation of prayer and community life to balance the busyness and activity of the apostolate. It is indeed rigorous, it is indeed challenging, but it is most essential to live an authentic consecrated life.

I have witnessed personally through a particular community the way they can so zealously live out their "in-the-world" teaching apostolate while never sacrificing their deep fidelity to prayer and community life. I've witnessed this particular congregation in a variety of their missions, from seeing them living and teaching in the city of their Motherhouse to living in a small mission convent in the countryside to living in an apartment convent within the busy atmosphere of a downtown major city. Whether they are living among hundreds at their Motherhouse or among a few other Sisters in a mission setting, whether teaching well-to-do young women in high school or the poorest children in the downtown of a city--they keep the same horarium everywhere and keep all due attentiveness to monastic prayer and joyful community life. And as one of their wonderful prioresses in their history once said, "Pray, not necessarily long, but with deep love and earnestness."

No one is accusing any religious orders, habited or not, of not making great contributions to the world. Indeed they are! Providing such wonderful care to children, to the elderly, to the poor, to the imprisoned. It's beautiful. But if we reduce the religious life to simply a renunciation of marriage for a greater availability to the business of the Church, we are selling it short of what it truly is. It is, above all, a radical embrace of the life of Christ Himself, through living out the evangelical councils in their fullness to serve as an eschatological sign for all of us, showing us what heaven will be like. Whether active or cloistered, this reality comes first. The work and the apostolate comes second.

"Virginity is not just espousing 'a cause,' but a person." (Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap)

Edited January 19, 2010 by Ave Maria Totus Tuus

[AccountDeleted]

tradmom - what a lovely post, and I don't think anyone would (dare) disagree with you about what you wrote. I guess what I am wondering though is how that relates to the fact that many of these women are refusing to comply with a request from the Vatican? I am sure that they can often feel under attack, misjudged, or even dismissed by others. But surely this is even more reason to want to make themselves heard and to respond to this enquiry with full cooperation even just to demonstrate that not only do they have nothing to hide, but that they are worthy of being treated better in many ways.

I too have friends that are what could be termed "more liberal" sisters, as they don't wear habits and they have opinions that are not totally in line with the Church teaching (they might favor women's ordination for example). One sister is in her eighties and lives in an apartment by herself, to be near the mission where she works with the homeless. Her congregation has become much smaller over the years, and they have had to close convents and amalgamate the regional superiors into a smaller hierarchy just to survive. But nothing in me doubts that these sisters are holy and serving the Lord with all their heart. But since their consecration to the Lord is a privilege offered through the Church, how is it possible that anyone in vows could refuse to cooperate with such a request?

I may be naive (and I have been labelled as such by my own priest), but wouldn't cooperating with the Vatican be the first step towards seeing some of the apparent injustices righted? I just don't see how refusing to cooperate with this study in any way empowers religious women or offers them a way to redress what they see as wrongs. When a rebellious teenager walks out of the house and slams the door, it does very little towards establishing communication with their parents or finding a solution to their grievances. The fact is that the parents are in charge, and sometimes the teen just can't see what is in their own best interests, and they need to trust that their parents are working for their good as well as the good of the whole family. The religious communities who are refusing to cooperate, in my opinion, are acting just like rebellious teens who are refusing to accept the guiding hand of their parents. They need our prayers and our understanding of course, but they also need to realize that their behavior is not helping their cause. They need to come to the table if they want to be heard. Screaming out in the streets isn't the right approach. Like you, we all want to see it work out because we love these sisters who have been the backbone of the Church social and justice structure for many, many years. They need to be heard but they also need to respect the authority that has allowed them privilege of taking vows in the first place.

[TradMom]

+Praised be Jesus Christ!
[color="#FF0000"]
So here's a topic to ponder...what's going to happen when all these convents are left empty? I'm hoping the bishops hand them over to young vibrant dioceses that are growing. [/color]

This is an excellent question and I have not read thoroughly the answers so forgive me in advance if this has been answered. I say this is an excellent question because this illustrates perfectly one of the biggest misconceptions Catholics (and non-Catholics) have regarding Religious. The diocese (unless, of course, the community in question is a diocesean order OR if the property was provided by the diocese for the express purpose of housing a community) does NOT own or pay for property. If a convent closes because of an inability to handle the costs or if it has been damaged (the Northridge earthquake caused significant damage to some convents here and they could not afford to rebuild up to code) and the cost of repairs is overwhelming, I can assure you the sisters did not receive funds from anyone other than their benefactors.

As a result, when convents are "left empty" the Bishops cannot "hand them over" to anyone as they do not have any legal standing to do so since they (and/or The Church) did not "own" them to begin with. Sadly, when a convent is in a position of closing, it usually sold - hopefully to a buyer who wants the property for a "good purpose" (Stanbrook Abbey is a heartbreaking example - they were absolutely terrified it would go to a corporation who had designs on turning their Abbey into a spa or hotel, as has happened with so many beautiful European monasteries and convents).

One of the original questions on the study (which has supposedly been removed)was the request for the Superior to list all property holdings and their value. I can understand how some communities (including the most traditional!), would balk at such a question.

I hope this helps clarify a very important aspect of religious life.

Pax,
TradMom

[TradMom]

+Praised be Jesus Christ!

Dear Ave Maria Totus Tuus and Nunsense -

I would love to attempt to answer your questions/points though I'm not sure I can fully do so. I cannot possibly speak for every community in the United States that has approached this study with reservations. I have done my best to keep up with the various blogs, news articles, discussions, etc. Some of the communities I have known in a professional capacity and some through my daughters' discernment process.

On a very personal note - I do not agree with SOME of the individual responses from a few individual Religious, who unfortunately seem to get the most attention (and/or publicity). In my humble opinion, I feel they come across as angry, bitter - and to be completely subjective - to me, I cringe when I see or hear them speak or read their words. I do not believe they are helping their situation with this behavior and again, personally and with great sadness, I must admit that to me (and perhaps this is a very shallow response) the expression of their anger comes across badly and universally hurts the image of the Church as well as religious community.

That being said, some of the questions (as I mentioned previously - the question about property is a good example!), cannot help but create a sense of anger. The majority of the Religious I personally know - and for the sake of clarity, I will discuss ONLY the active Religious I know who are involved in outside works in a ministerial setting, who do not wear a full habit, were forced to seek jobs outside of the previous "jobs" appropriate for Religious women ONLY because of finances.

I recently moderated a General Chapter for a community. Sadly, sadly, sadly (can I say it enough?!)their main focus was on finances. In their current situation, they are facing major decisions: some of their younger sisters are being treated for very serious diseases (which takes them out of the work force and creates an unforeseen financial burden beyond what insurance will and can cover). Many of the "jobs" the Sisters hold cannot possibly be held by someone who "needs" a salary - I think it goes without saying that non-profits pay very little. A benefit of being in community is serving the people of the Church without care for money. That is no longer the case. Since so many women religious have left the confines of their own structured non-profts (i.e., Catholic schools, hospitals, retreat centers) and have been forced to put wage-earning as a priority, they have ended up taking jobs that are secular in nature. As a result, realistically, they are not able to live the life we hope and want them to - and even need them to - and as a lay woman, who is intimately involved through my own family, friends and life experience, I am saddened beyond belief.

It was a very difficult Chapter to moderate; and at one point, a young Sister did stand up and say something like "I am scared for my future, I am scared at what I am involved in - I joined because I want to serve the poor. I don't want to take a job at the private high school that is non-Catholic because it pays more. I want to serve without thought of payment - that's why I took a vow of poverty." Many Sisters (if not all) at one point or another spoke of their sadness and disappointment at having to face these difficult issues when they would much rather be discussing their spiritual formation, their ongoing formation, how to better organize their lives to pray together - their sense of community, etc. At this point, for many communities, financial concerns are their main focus.

What I attempted to explain in my previous post is that the image we love and expect - and have long loved and grown accustomed to - is not necessarily possible for women religious in America today. For some reason, benefactors give generously and easily to "new" communities and easily forget the older communities - perhaps they feel they have no chance, perhaps they feel they are dying out - I don't know. Again, this pertains to many communities in full habits as well as those not. I used my husband as an example. It would be IMPOSSIBLE for my husband to keep up with our family prayer schedule and routine because he is at work, dealing with clients, handling huge responsibilities. His work and dedication make OUR life possible. After working closely with the communities and Sisters that I have worked with, I feel the same way about them. There is no way possible they can drop everything, run home x number of times to participate in the daily life of prayer that the "older" sisters who are homebound do FOR them.

I do not want anybody to think that I agree with some of the Sisters who have loudly voiced their anger (even though I understand it and have a deep sense of compassion for it) in unsavory ways. I do believe that sort of behavior truly sheds a negative image on the Church and religious in general. However, it is my understanding that the majority of the religious communities who are "not complying" with the study are in fact sending in copies of their Constitutions, since they had already been approved and changed by Rome, which I outlined in my previous post. I do agree that is passive aggressive, and while I do not believe (and hope/pray)that would have been choice in this situation, I do understand it.

We cannot possibly understand all the myriad facets of this study. There is the possibility - which I pray for - that the Church is considering taking all religious women under Her wing. Perhaps there is a possibility that Religious women will some day be offered a financial sense of security within the confines of Holy Mother Church and they can return to ministry and deep prayer, without the "human" burden of financial concerns.


Pax,

TradMom