The apostolic visitation looking into the quality of life of women religious in the United States is
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Comments (181)
not on the tithe
By Anonymous (not verified) on Thursday, October 8, 2009Last I heard, lots and lots of sisters worked, and are asked to earn enough to support one and half people, so they can care for non-working sisters (those who are studying, ill or infirm).
Actually religious giving is the one area of giving that has increased during the recession. Collections may be dropping in some places, but that is largely the economy. Don't blame sisters.
Your tithe
By Bryan Cones on Thursday, October 8, 2009The sisters don't get any of your tithe. They are on their own, despite the decades of unpayed labor they provided Cathoics. Have you ever attended a Catholic school? Did your parents or children? Been treated at a Catholic hospital? You can thank the Sisters whose selfless ministry you have so blithely dismissed.
Bryan Cones
You said it well!
By Anonymous (not verified) on Wednesday, October 14, 2009I agree Bryan, with everything you said.
Plaid habits
By elm (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009Last fall before the national election three of us sat in the back row in a gathering room at one of the local convents and listened to Catholics Alliance for the Common Good rant about how good life will be with the O in office. All but two of the good sisters were dressed in plaid shirts. They were all cheering about the coming election and how the social justice platform would make this world a better place. When asked if O's being pro-abort filtered into their world view, they just spouted the company line, rarer, fewer, safer.
Lord have mercy on us, and on those who purport to represent you in the world.
Yeah, I think we need a visit.
By contrast, a few weeks later, we visited a convent in same area. The agenda was prayer, dinner and a speaker. All the nuns were in habits and the speaker that evening was about the harm of contraception and what the Church teaches pertaining to it's use. It was well attended by young families eager to hear the truth.
wow
By Anonymous (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009I just came across this and voted since it was open and then I was amazed at the numbers. I thought Catholics in America were all liberals.
For my part I think that if nuns want to be able to claim that they work for the Catholic Church then they should welcome a visit. If they don't want to be visited then they shouldn't claim to work for the Catholic Church. I'm no expert but isn't being in communion with the Catholic Church to be at peace with it and its leaders.
If the nuns don't want to be visited then they can always join the abortion loving, Windows using protestants.
Unfortunately what some were
By QC (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009Unfortunately what some were led to believe was reform and renewal has only been deform and decay. There are signs of authentic renewal and growth among faithful orders and houses, praise God! One great woman religious who knew true reform and renewal, St. Catherine of Siena, noted that sometimes Our Lord must prune away the dead branches so the healthy shoots may grow and flourish. I hope this visitation will be an opportunity for similar new life to be injected into those dying branches so they do not end up as the cut off dead branches, but rather may flourish with those who embrace the Catholic faith and identity.
State of many sisters and orders truly pathetic
By Et Sanabitur Anima Mea (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009We have a nun in our parish who does her ministry about 2-3 hours a day four and sometimes five days a week, does not attend daily Mass, does not pray the breviary, demonstrates no evidence of a prayer life, never genuflects or bows in the presence of Jesus in the tabernacle, attends Sunday Mass at a Catholic hospital because that Mass is shorter than most, openly campaigns for pro-abort candidates, takes ten to twelve weeks of vacation a year, and has never been in want of anything. And yet, I have never met anyone so bitter and so convinced that she is being exploited by the Church.
Clearly, more than a visitation is in order.
SAD
By Loyally Dissenting Catholic (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009There is now another poster on Father John's blog who has claimed to have voted twice. Check out his blog, then scroll down to the instruction ordering his readers to vote. Click comments, and scroll down to October 6 at 8:21 PM. Sad that those opposed to reform and renewal have to stack a non scientific poll to get their views across!
Wasn't once enough!
I'm sad too
By JK (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009While I disagree with you in all the areas where you dissent from Church teaching, I agree with you about this issue of voting. And I have commented several times on WDTPRS to say so.
I am not opposed to reform and renewal. I am for accepting the authority of the Magisterium. I am for obeying and agreeing with Church teaching. I gladly accept all the reform and renewal that comes through this.
From comments you have made here, I can see that you do not accept this authority and also that often you do not understand what the Church actually teaches. I encourage you to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the documents of the Second Vatican Council and other encyclicals. I especially recommend the encyclicals of our current Holy Father, Pope Benedict.
Obedience is not mindless, or at least not necessarily so. Ideally, it requires study, prayer and thought. Personally, I found post-graduate theology courses helpful and ended up taking enough of these to get a Masters degree. Perhaps this convinces you that my acceptance of the Church's teaching authority does not come from ignorance or naivety. It comes from my desire to grow closer to God. And my lived experience is that this is indeed the fruit of assent and obedience to Church teaching.
Awwwww.....
By JA (not verified) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009Dissenting :
May I get you some cheese with that whine ?
I'll tell you what is SAD. Sad is a country chock full of disobedient, heretical "sisters" who have the nerve to complain when Rome finally, belatedly attempts to put their collective house in order.
You may have gotten something correct, however. The visitation is not all that necessary at this point, since those orders are dying by the day, and the "biological solution"--i.e., life-expectancy-- is doing its work.
Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salas !
