Leaving The Motherhouse

[vee]

Hopefully a faithful to the Magisterium Community like the Elysburg/Valapraiso bursting at the seems Carmels take it over WOOHOO!!!

oooohhh or teh DSMME or the Sisters of Life!!!!! OR THE CFR SISTERS

[vee]

[i][color=maroon]As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. [/color][/i]

[dominicansoul]

quoting scripture again Vee? you are such a fundamentalist!

[Autumn Dusk]

It's really sad that these nuns are leaving, however, perhaps the building can be filled with a more vibrant community that can offer good teaching to the public.

We can't forget that for the most part vocations are growing and continue to build from what occured during the 70's. In the very least the grounds could be turned into a retreat center.

Prayers for the nuns.

[Emma]

This was a very sad article but the fate of these sisters reflects what has happened to communities that abandoned the habit, community, religious orthodoxy and everything associated with religious life. This is not a comment on habits - I am not suggesting that you have to wear a habit to be a good religious - that is patently untrue - but here's what I mean. My niece and nephew attend Catholic school in a small town. The only nun at the school is the principal, a non-habited sister who lives in a condo. She is routinely seen at the nail salon and beauty parlor (a hair cut I could understand but not the foil highlights.) How is this consistent with the vow of poverty? Why bother becoming a religious if community is not important? She just retired but does not return to her motherhouse and lives in my sister's town all by herself. The orders I am looking at all wear a habit and are more conservative. I sometimes struggle with the fact that I will have to give up much of my independence and I sometimes think a community that is more liberal would better suit me but then when I look at the lack of vocations in those communities, the more conservative ones seem more appealing. I am looking at the Apostles of the Sacred Heart, Alma Mercies and 2 or 3 others.

[LaPetiteSoeur]

[quote name='marigold' timestamp='1335256421' post='2422527']
Nobody except God knows the reason why certain groups die out and others continue. Believe me, I thought the day would never come when I would be defending Roman Catholic sisters to a bunch of Roman Catholics, but I really don't think you can bandy about words like 'unfaithful'. The tender care that the sisters were giving the ones among them who were going away looked to be the exact opposite of that.
[/quote]
I completely agree.

[Lumiere]

[url="http://vimeo.com/12989582"]"Nuns in the Hood"[/url]

[Lumiere]

[url="http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8389513.Convent_forced_to_close_due_to_shortage_of_nuns/"]Another convent that closed.[/url]

[Lumiere]

[url="http://on-every-wave.blogspot.ca/2011/03/pink-sisters.html"]Here is someone recalling another convent closing.[/url]

[Lumiere]

[url="http://praythenews.com/"]I might remind you that these nuns had to close their convent and move.[/url] At the time I remember the disappointment of people on Vocation Station. They seemed to consider these women holy enough even if they didn't wear habits.

[url="http://www.ocarm.org/books/content/carmelite-nuns-moving-monastery"]Can I remind you of these habited nuns who had to move because their numbers were so low?[/url]

[Theresita Nerita]

Ok, as I've mentioned elsewhere I spent a year working with the Sisters of Mercy full time.

The ones I met were not preaching anything heterodox or anything. They were in full communion with the Church, by any standard. They were also filled with love for God and neighbor, and some of the coolest, most virtuous women I've ever met.

They also had very deep and holy spiritualities, especially 1 on 1. In groups, they did tend to favor Tai Chi where I would have favored a rosary.

But think about it: they came of age in a completely different time. Back when they were discerning, Vatican II was full of potential and promise. They didn't grow up with hideous folk masses, or listening to homilies delivered through the mouth of a Snoopy puppet (true story.) They didn't have the advantage of hindsight like we have. I don't think we should blame anyone for still embodying the zeitgeist of their own era (the sixties in their case). After all, we embody the zeitgeist of our own era, all about habits and hardline morality and not wearing pantaloons, and all that, which they probably find legalistic and insane.

Once one of them also asked me "So what do you think girls your age are looking for when they're discerning with a community?" and I said 1) Traditional spirituality, preferably with lots of saints in the history of the order, 2) Everything to be radically different than what they could do themselves - habits, radical poverty, enclosure/obedience, etc. I actually said something to the effect of "If I'm just going to wear normal clothes and live in an apartment with a few other women and work as a social worker, that's what I'm doing right now." She was hurt. I realized I was missing the point of their lives somehow. I don't know...I don't want to presume I know why anyone chooses a certain charism, even one that I really don't get.

I say we pray for vocations via a renewal of the charisms of thsoe orders who don't have any vocations?

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Lumiere' timestamp='1335292343' post='2422788']
[url="http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8389513.Convent_forced_to_close_due_to_shortage_of_nuns/"]Another convent that closed.[/url]
[/quote]

This is a good example of a convent that has been forced to close (move) because of decreased vocations. But please let's not speculate on why any community is forced to close their doors or move because of decreased numbers. Yes, it may be that many young people today are looking for more traditional communities, but God may very well have reasons of His own that having nothing to do with this at all. Just look at all the Carmelites in England who are very traditional but whose numbers are decreasing every year.

And although we can lament the behavior of the leadership of the LCWR, we should not presume to know the will of God with regard to convents closing. Many very faithful and very traditional communities who are not associated with the LCWR have had to close over the years or to merge with others, so we really shouldn't assume that God is somehow punishing the Mercy Sisters for being members of the LCWR or that the reason for their having to close a house is because of their own actions.

We might also want to consider that Mercy have nearly 10,000 sisters worldwide (nearly 5,000 is the US alone), so one house closing is not the end of their organization, and I can almost guarantee that not all of the individual communities or sisters are either happy or in agreement with some of the things that their superiors and leaders do or say or even believe. There are Mercy sisters who come for Mass when they are here (they have a retreat house on the island) and those I have seen have worn a habit (nearly to the floor with a modified veil), and although this is no guarantee of orthodoxy, it does show me that this is a very diverse organization with many different ways of expressing themselves, so please let us always be charitable when speaking of religious.

Our main task should be to pray for the Mercy Sisters and for all of those sisters in the LCWR, because what an amazing force for God's love and compassion these woman can be in the world. And let us pray also for the leaders of the LCWR that God may enlighten their minds and hearts to see how serious is this call to reform and how their actions can either help or harm the members of the organization.

Let charity always be in our hearts and mind and on our lips when we speak of others. I had this lesson brought home to me rather forcefully recently when I was criticizing someone in my thoughts about something and less than a minute later I found myself doing something of a similar nature to this person without realizing it. When the realization hit me, I was appalled at my own hypocrisy in trying to remove the speck from another's eye before I had taken the log from my own. God won't let us escape these lessons and it's good for us to remember that we will be judged with the same measure by which we judge others.

Edited April 24, 2012 by nunsense

[Sister Marie]

My heart is saddened to see the callousness with which this situation is being treated. Can we leave the politics aside and just say that it is sad that these women are losing their home? Can we say that we will pray for their hearts to heal? Can we say that we are sorry that this has happened to them? Can we say that in our love for Christ, our love for them calls us to empathize with losing what you care about? How sad that something like this must be transformed into an argument and an ideological showdown and even worse as an opportunity to throw out those women like trash and replace them with something new and shiny. God never relates to us in this way - or all of us would already be in the garbage.

I truly hope that God does not speak to your souls the way you have spoken about these women without knowing them, without speaking to them, without working with them. I hope when you are sad and in pain He comforts you, gives you His love, and holds you close to His heart. I hope he speaks words of tenderness and love to you even if you have brought your pain upon yourself. I hope that in your trials, which you will have, He stands by you and carries you, holds you, and loves you through them. I hope you hear words of mercy at the revelation of your shortcomings and not cries of victory.

Do you think that if one of those sisters stumbled upon this website and this thread that your words would warm her heart to "come back" to the Church? Do you think she would find in your words the words of God calling her to himself? Do you think she would read them and think of the wisdom contained in them? Do you think she would be able to exclaim "finally I have found the truth for which I have been seeking and yearning!" Do you think your words would carry with them the joy of the Holy Spirit that comes even in realizing one has sinned or done something wrong?

What is your intention in everything you have written? Has it been to encourage holiness? to promote charity and love? to build up the Kingdom of God?

I have to say after the past few days of different topics about sisters that I am not sure that I can any longer support this website or continue to visit here and still obey my conscience and keep peace in my heart. Please try to remember that you know relatively nothing about religious life compared with those who have lived it - it's humility and self-knowledge to acknowledge this. There are many things in religious life that you can't understand until you are there. There are many things in community that don't make sense until you live it. There are many things I wish to say but I feel they will be futile and only cause more of a disturbance so I will keep them to myself and I will pray for you all - for softer hearts, for gentleness, for compassion, for peace, for reliance on Divine Providence and not on man made excuses or reasons for our troubles.

[linnie]

[quote name='Sister Marie' timestamp='1335295458' post='2422807']
My heart is saddened to see the callousness with which this situation is being treated. Can we leave the politics aside and just say that it is sad that these women are losing their home? Can we say that we will pray for their hearts to heal? Can we say that we are sorry that this has happened to them? Can we say that in our love for Christ, our love for them calls us to empathize with losing what you care about? How sad that something like this must be transformed into an argument and an ideological showdown and even worse as an opportunity to throw out those women like trash and replace them with something new and shiny. God never relates to us in this way - or all of us would already be in the garbage.

I truly hope that God does not speak to your souls the way you have spoken about these women without knowing them, without speaking to them, without working with them. I hope when you are sad and in pain He comforts you, gives you His love, and holds you close to His heart. I hope he speaks words of tenderness and love to you even if you have brought your pain upon yourself. I hope that in your trials, which you will have, He stands by you and carries you, holds you, and loves you through them. I hope you hear words of mercy at the revelation of your shortcomings and not cries of victory.

Do you think that if one of those sisters stumbled upon this website and this thread that your words would warm her heart to "come back" to the Church? Do you think she would find in your words the words of God calling her to himself? Do you think she would read them and think of the wisdom contained in them? Do you think she would be able to exclaim "finally I have found the truth for which I have been seeking and yearning!" Do you think your words would carry with them the joy of the Holy Spirit that comes even in realizing one has sinned or done something wrong?

What is your intention in everything you have written? Has it been to encourage holiness? to promote charity and love? to build up the Kingdom of God?

I have to say after the past few days of different topics about sisters that I am not sure that I can any longer support this website or continue to visit here and still obey my conscience and keep peace in my heart. Please try to remember that you know relatively nothing about religious life compared with those who have lived it - it's humility and self-knowledge to acknowledge this. There are many things in religious life that you can't understand until you are there. There are many things in community that don't make sense until you live it. There are many things I wish to say but I feel they will be futile and only cause more of a disturbance so I will keep them to myself and I will pray for you all - for softer hearts, for gentleness, for compassion, for peace, for reliance on Divine Providence and not on man made excuses or reasons for our troubles.
[/quote]

Thank you Sister

I am a Benedictine Oblate with a local monastery. The sisters in this monastery are holy women, dedicated to serving the Lord through their many ministries to the poor and disadvantaged in our community. About 2 years ago, they were singled out on this phorum as someone's idea of what's wrong with vowed religious nowadays. In fact, this person questioned whether or not they could truly be called religious just because they don't wear traditional religious habits.

At the time, I wanted to say so many things but didn't really know how to say them. So I made some small statement in their defense and let it go. Sister, what you have said is what was in my heart. Thank you for putting it into words.

Bless you Sister. And bless all those who live their lives dedicated to God. We can't understand your lives but we certainly can, and should, give all religious men and women the honor and respect you so greatly deserve.

blessings, linnie

[SoonerCatholic]

I have nothing but sympathy for the nuns who have to leave the convent where they lived and worked for so many years. I am also sympathetic because a local order in Oklahoma city just had to close their school because they could no longer afford to maintain and staff the building. They wear habits but the youngest sister is in her 60s. I have read that the vocations decline is as much a result of a decline in the faith of the Catholic population in general as it is with anything the nuns or priests say or do. God bless our sisters and nuns. Lord increase our faith!