Posted on 07/01/2009 8:49:55 PM PDT by Steelfish
Some sisters surmise that the Vatican and even some American bishops are trying to shift them back into living in convents, wearing habits or at least identifiable religious garb, ordering their schedules around daily prayers and working primarily in Roman Catholic institutions, like schools and hospitals.
"The Vatican is quietly conducting two sweeping investigations of American nuns, a development that has startled and dismayed nuns who fear they are the targets of a doctrinal inquisition."
Dismay!... Fear!... Target!... Inquisition!!
OOH! Me so Scared!
..and then they choose to highlight, in their second sentence, not the nun who's actually running the inquiry, but Sister Supercilious of the Holy Name of Berkeley:
"Sister Sandra M. Schneiders has urged fellow nuns not to participate in the study that is being conducted by the Vatican. "
I guess what I like about the Times is, they're so damned obvious.
The only ones who need to fear are those who violate their vows. These are the ones who bring scandal to Catholics through their radical political activities and new age practices. Good for the Vatican!
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Yes, long overdue!
I hope Joan Chittester is “offered” her choice of missions serving the poor in Mumbai, Darfur or Mexico City.
Coincident with many entire orders going berserk into radical feminism and liberation theology.
In the end we recognized that they, not we, were in many ways out of Communion with the Church. Many others, unfortunately, see them as Church authority and have separated themselves from the Catholic community.
I’m not religious, and I am honestly not trying to be critical, but when I read what you wrote....
How is that any different than “other” religions who demand total complete dedication to timed “daily prayers”?
I just happened to recently be at a Catholic Church when they were having a rummage sale. There was a nun in charge who was dressed just as I was. Her name tag said “Sister Bernadette”. She was in tight control of the sale, everyone was obviously respecting her and looking for her guidance on a host of issues, and she was as nice as could be. I understand they make multi-hundreds of thousands of dollars at this sale that they use for charitable work and give to people in need.
I find that highly refreshing. And I didn’t give a care what she was wearing. She was wonderful!
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Many women don’t wear any habit because they don’t want people to know they are sisters because they are embarassed by the doctrines of the Church and don’t believe in them.
Wearing a habit, on its own, is not the issue, generally. The issue is that virtually all heretic nuns refuse to wear habits.
As an analogy:
All muslims aren’t terrorists, but I nevertheless would be on guard near any muslim I see at an airport or on a plane. This is the rational reaction.
So too, while all habit-less sisters are not heretics, I nevertheless am wary of any habit-less sister I encounter. This is the rational reaction.
As an example, the largest number of men and women professed religious follow the Rule of St. Benedict.
Hora et Labora
Pray and Work
That is the main motto, which describes how the daily routine is arranged so that evry single part of the day is dedicated to overtly and actively worshipping the Lord God Almighty, with other necessities of life such as work, hygeine, sleep, meals, study and recreation slotted into the non-praying parts of the day.
Each congregation of nuns will be evaluated based on how well they are “living in fidelity” both to their congregation’s own internal norms and constitution, and to the church’s guidelines for religious life, Mother Clare said. For instance, if a congregation’s stated mission is to serve youth, are the nuns doing that? If they do not live in a convent, are they attending Mass and keeping the sacraments? Are their superiors exercising adequate supervision?
This is not about attire. Your Sister Bernadette need not worry about continuing to dress like you.
By the way, how did that work for the 'refreshing' congregations that want nuns to be no different than a lay person?
... for the last three decades, their numbers have been declining — to 60,000 today from 180,000 in 1965.
The growing orders, priestly and religious, proudly wear their cassocks and habits. They know they have been called to a higher vocation by Christ and it's not to be like just one of the laity.
Excommunicating this nun would make her into a celebrity. The Church should ignore her.
‘There is no area where Vatican II did not do catastrophic damage’.
There is no area where a liberal interpretation of Vatican II did not do catastrophic damage.
Fixed it...
probably any religion that has a cadre of full-time men or women who have decided to live by special vows — I’m thinking Buddhist bhikkhus, Orthodox nuns, Hindu saddhus, consecrated people of that sort —— expects dedication to special prayer times.
Especially if they choose to live in communities.
I don’t see anything wrong with that. Do you?
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