The National Catholic Reporter is listing the orders chosen to receive apostolic visitation teams in coming months. Four of the nineteen orders to be visited had representatives sign the letter of endorsement for Barack Obama’s health care plan.
I’m sure they’ll be all upset about this visitation. Such a shame when bad things happen to good people, isn’t it?
More sites will be announced in coming months.
Hopefully the visitation team brings haz-mat suits when they visit those four. And I trust they’ll be reminded not to trip on the yoga mats.
Mother Mary Clare Millea stated that if the community wishes, up to eight persons who are not vowed members of the community can be invited to take part in a 90-minute focus group session with team visitors. Maybe Barack Obama would like to come and vouch for his favorite sisters and say what a great job they’re doing.
The four are:
Sisters of the Holy Family
New Orleans, LA
Adrian Dominican Sisters
Holy Rosary Mission Chapter Prioress
Adrian, MI
Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose
Congregational Prioress and Council
Sisters, Servants of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scranton, Pa.
The complete list is here:
•Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose of Fremont, Calif.
•Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius of Danville, Pa.
•Adrian Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Mich.
•Daughters of Wisdom (U.S. Province) of Islip, N.Y.
•Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Wheaton, Ill.
•Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (Katharine Drexel Sisters) of Bensalem, Pa.
•Sisters of Mary of the Presentation of Valley City, N.D.
•Sisters of Notre Dame of Toledo, Ohio
•Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans
•Benedictine Sisters of Chicago
•Adorers of the Blood of Christ (U.S. Region) of St. Louis
•Maryknoll Sisters of Maryknoll, N.Y.
•Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross (Diocesan Community) of Green Bay, Wis.
•Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scranton, Pa.
•Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Emmitsburg, Md.
•Dominican Sisters of Amityville, N.Y.
•Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis of Cleveland
•Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Hamden, Conn.
•Dominican Sisters, Congregation of St. Thomas Aquinas of Tacoma, Wash.
I guess all CMR can say is “Viva La Visitation!!!”
April 2, 2010 at 4:56 pm
A veritable "schindler's list" of nuns in dire need of being saved.
Although the priests/brothers are not to be left out here. The Maryknollers are probably the biggest offenders on that list (and that's saying a LOT). I hope the men will get a visit as well.
April 2, 2010 at 5:26 pm
It boggles the mind that this blog would link to the Nasty Critical Rag.
April 2, 2010 at 7:15 pm
The Adrian Dominicans went off the rails long ago. Such a shame, and I'm sorry for the oldest sisters still living, who probably served with obedience and charity and self-sacrifice and are now looking around at all the pantsuits and disdain and Gaia-worship and thinking "what the darn heck?"
April 2, 2010 at 10:15 pm
I noticed that the orders can have laity supports attend a meeting with the visiting team; what about the faithful laity who offended by the acts of some of these orders?
Then again, I trust the visiting team will know the trees by their fruit, yet I wonder if it would be of any help to the team if they were to hear from the faithful that are directly affected by these groups; unfortunately the slaughtered unborn will never be heard from; and I for one would like to be their voice!
I wonder if the "PANTSUITS" will be tucked away and the Habits will be seeing sunlight for the first time in decades. That act in itself might remind these sisters of their vows, so it might serve as a good thing. however some of the arrogance is so deep with some, they'll keep the Pantsuits on.
I would also like to see that anyone who took place in the Religious Ed Congress last month be visited as well.
-Lisa
April 2, 2010 at 10:31 pm
I was happy to see one of the biggest orders on Long Island made it to the list of the first visit. I can tell you some of the practices I've seen first hand from this order:
women preaching on several occasions
teenage girls acting out the gospel for Sunday Mass instead of the priest reading it. Seriously. No joke.
Liturgical dance. Far scarier in person than in video.
And one particular occasion, when I expressed frustration when the female preacher who gave the homily referred to God as "she" SEVERAL times, I was told that for one day, I should meditate on calling God "she" or "Mother." I kid you not.
I want this order to survive, so I welcome the visitation for them. I hope it brings them a real conversion of heart back toward Christ.
April 2, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I agree with you, Kim, in that I truly hope these visitations bring a conversion of heart to these orders, that they really become role models of what it means to serve the Church.
April 2, 2010 at 11:58 pm
I am glad to see our local "sisters" are at the top of the list. The Diocese of Scranton is in dire straits. We've effectively removed our children from the relgious education program headed by our lovely IHM sisters. I'd even be happy to see them replaced altogether. They are, however, greatly loved and tolerated in the Diocese. It's no wonder the Catholic Church is in such a mess…..
April 3, 2010 at 12:56 am
I live in Tacoma and have met a number of the Dominincan sisters here. Meeting them, you would never suspect that they are religious until they tell you who they are. They are a dying group and almost invisible in the Catholic community. So sad.
April 3, 2010 at 1:10 am
You should read the snarky comments on the National Catholic Distorters website linked by this blog, their regular readers are ignorant and that says a lot for the distorter
April 3, 2010 at 3:42 pm
"Haz mat" outfits would be funnier if it wasn't so appropos. I know I know I know we should all pray for these orders & the people (including my sister!) that they've led off the rails over the years…but my prayers are for the "visitors". Geez, talk about a thankless task!
April 4, 2010 at 6:33 am
Do any of these orders wear habits? Doubt it…
April 4, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Hold on, everybody. The Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans are a CMSWR-member community (they wear habits, live in community, engage in traditional ministries). They are an African-American order serving the urban poor; while I can't say they did the right thing endorsing Obama-Care, I give them more of a pass than other communities. They do more to help the poor directly than most of the so-called "social justice" LCWR libs. Again, not to say the Holy Family Sisters did the right thing, but cut them a little slack. They ARE real nuns.
April 5, 2010 at 1:00 am
The ones in Adrian deserve a ruler on the knuckles for taking their beautiful Church apart and putting back together as a gathering-space-in-the-round. Fortunately they left the glorious stained glass or it'd be the rack for them.
April 6, 2010 at 2:03 pm
UPDATE: NCR took the story down.
April 6, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Anonymous from 4/4, looking at the visitation as punishment is wrong. The visitation is meant for the betterment of all religious orders.
I see nothing wrong with the first round of visitations including the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans.
April 7, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Second Kim's note about Long Island.
And I just laughed out loud when I noticed that Amityville was on there. Seems appropriate.
April 8, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I tried to post a comment on the article on NCR and it was never posted… probably because I pointed out their continued bad reporting and bias.
They did print a retraction to this acticle because this list did not come from Mother Clare but from the LCWR. Communities who were receiving a visit were invited to tell the LCWR in order to receive support and prayers. The list you see here is accurate but incomplete.
I would guess that the only communities who would report their selection for visitation to the LCWR would be LCWR members or those sympathetic to the LCWR.
Having said all that, it is very predictable that LCWR and NCR would draw attention to the "injustice" of the particular type of community (i.e. liberal, progressive, and unorthodox, or in their words "prophetic") they have reported is being visited. The way they reported this list seems to suggest that there is a "witch hunt" when in fact there is not.
The visitation is meant to see a broad spectrum of religious communities; small, large, LCWR, CMSWR, traditional corporate apostolates, nontraditional varied apostolates, different spiritualities and charisms, international communities, as well as pontifical and diocesan institutes.
I would guess that there are many communities which would be labeled as "traditional", "orthodox", or "faithful" that are not on here simply because they didn't report to the LCWR that they were being visited. This visit should show both the good and the bad.
As a religious woman in an apostolic religious community, I am really tired of having all kinds of people try to speak for me. So I say, enough already! This visitation is an amazing opportunity for the Church to demonstrate her love for and need for authentic religious life and for religious to respond with radical generosity and total gift of self to the Church's call. I intend, as do many individual sisters and communities, to cooperate with a spirit of docility with whatever comes from this visitation.
God bless you and please pray for the sisters who are striving for fidelity in these and all matters.
Sister Marie