Friday, August 21, 2009

Nun Dare Call It Reason

A recent edition of ABC News covered the Holy See's announcement of an "apostolic visitation" for religious orders in the USA. They had the good sense to send a nun, rather than a priest or bishop, to represent them.

There are serious issues of quality of life, and the fulfillment of their missions. Orders which essentially built the health care industry in America -- don't kid yourself otherwise -- and the parochial school system for the faithful, are losing their numbers in droves. This writer has heard first-hand eyewitness accounts, of retired sisters barely living above poverty level, some virtually homeless, because there are few younger members to support them, as was done in the past. On the other hand, orders which follow a traditional charism, wear a discernible religious habit, and engage in apostolates long associated with women religious, are thriving. A new high school in my diocese is staffed by one of those orders, a development unheard of in this day and age.* Why the hell wouldn't someone want to see what's up?

Personally, I just love watching some of these sisters get nervous about being "bullied" by the Vatican. One of them is even quoted as losing sleep over it. I'll just bet they all slept like babies when Sister Mary Lewis was beating the crap out of us in the first grade, scaring some kids to the point of wetting their pants. Maybe the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati should take time out from their Tree-Hugging-Mother-Earth-Goddess worship, to learn a lesson about "sauce for the goose," quit supporting positions that violate Church teaching outright, and get with the program -- while any of them are still left.

But I doubt that will happen. “Officially, Mother Mary Clare Millea is charged with looking into the quality of life of all 60,000 American nuns, but liberal nuns worry the Vatican is trying to reign them in.”

We can only hope.

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* It's called "John Paul the Great High School." Including "the Great" in the name is absolutely ridiculous, inasmuch as the guy hasn't even been canonized yet -- but, that's another story.
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4 comments:

RobKPhD said...

If the Pope sent an envoy to check out whether I was properly living my vocation, I would lose sleep over the excitement. I would welcome the findings and eagerly seek to implement them.

Anonymous said...

Well said. I hope they are shaking in their boots.

Figulus said...

The three previous "the great" popes were all greated (magnified?) before their canonization, by public acclamation.

As far as I know, public acclamation is the only requirement, and the only way, to get the sobriquet.

David L Alexander said...

Figulus:

Was this before or after the procedure of canonization was what we know today? How long after such public noteriety was the sobriquet generally accepted? Did they start marking it as such in missals and ceremonials and engraved on buildings right away?