Beatitude: Might You Weigh In?

[McM RSCJ]

Dear Beatitude,

There have been a confusing series of posts on Vocation Station lately.  For example, the example of someone who takes an antidepressant or other mental health pill every day has been equated (wrongfully in my view) with being "disabled."  Many people take daily meds, for thyroid management, acne management, cholesterol management, osteo-arthritis management, etc who never once considered themselves "disabled," not do those who know them.  A strange thread indeed.  

The original questioner asked whether such a daily med would mean she would not be accepted by the Salesians?  Respondents advised her, wisely in my viewl to ask the Salesians.

But somehow this question morphed into whether a Woman's Religious Order that decided not to accept an applicant with a particular medical history was violating ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act.  I am very proud of the ADA and consider it a matter of social justice.  But there is nothing in that law that requires any private group to welcome into its home, for ever, a disabled person.  Nor would it require any individual to marry a person with a disability of the first person does not want to. . . .

Odd responses were thrown around about major lawsuits against women's religious orders etc. 

But then one person posted her story (painful) about a harmful Superior until "Sister Nirmala"and "Mother" intervened.  That post also implied the particular Religious Order in question withheld food from her for 36 hours, either on purpose or by accident.

Beatitude, is this acceptable on Vocation Station?

Granted, the Order in question was not named.  But many of us know that a "Sister Nirmala" succeeded "Mother Teresa" of the Sisters of Charity.  

So I think this whole series of posts has gone seriously off-track, fallacious claims on the one hand, and now what seems an indirect accusation on the other. 

As a Religious, I know there are no perfect Religious Congregations.   Individuals sometimes suffer at the hands of authority but pray it through.  Others, perhaps, become embittered.  Yet I think this thread and its odd responses has gone off-kilter in ways that trouble me.

Beatitude, you often have such wisdom.  Do you think we need a re-boot here?

[Antigonos]

Not Beatitude, but let me weigh in here.  Judging by the number of posts, you are fairly new to the forum.  The poster you mentioned has been in religious life for a long time, used to post extensively, but is extremely ill with an incurable condition.  In all of her posts, she has rarely, if ever, referred to incidents in her own life, and I can only think that she is currently undergoing even more stress than usual, and is reaching out for some support, even if not saying so in so many words.

Perhaps knowing that we do care and support her will aid her.  I hope so.

I am, as you can see, Jewish, not Christian, so perhaps it is somewhat inappropriate for me to comment but while this is a forum for those discerning a religious vocation, I think it's very naive to assume that everyone [1] has an easy time discerning, [2] enters into a life of unending bliss when accepted by an order, [3] and occasionally discovers that religious life is not for her/him.  Moreover, those who are searching need to be cautioned, when necessary, about orders of dubious reputation or of abuses in religious life, no matter how unpleasant it might be to think any religious order could fall prey to this.  Sometimes we go for months without a single message with a negative tone, sometimes there are a string of them.  [It tends, IMO, to self-correct].  As in life generally, one needs to take the rough with the smooth.  It is all well-intentioned.

[beatitude]

There seems to be a mixture of concerns here. The thread about medication was originally made in the Debate Table, and the posts about the ADA were made by someone who is not a Catholic and whose understanding of how you go about entering religious life is perhaps different from ours. I moved the topic to VS because this is the most appropriate place for such a question. I didn't remove the posts discussing whether anti-discrimination legislation applies to religious life because while that was a heated conversation, it seemed to be simmering down of its own accord, and being too heavy-handed can cause more problems than it solves. Everyone here presumably wants to be charitable, so the Mediators of Meh leave the opportunities wide open.

Regarding your other concern, Sr Emmanuel does not say that food was withheld from her for 36 hours when she was in community. She says that she sometimes goes without food for up to 36 hours as she lives now, as a hermit with a severe and incurable illness, because she depends on a care worker (not another religious sister) to bring her supplies and she herself is unable to stand up and help herself to them. She mentioned that she has been a hermit for fourteen years right before she wrote this. I don't think there is any negative reflection on the Missionaries of Charity - she says only that she had a difficult superior, not what that superior did; and that she was supported by the congregational leadership. I think that is general enough not to go against VS rules. We don't forbid people from talking about personal painful experiences in religious life, we just ask that posters avoid rumours and hearsay (No "My friend's cousin's friend's sister was in that order, and she says...") and that they don't try to present their experience as definitive (because of course a community can change).

I hope that clears things up. In future, if you want to bring a post to a Mediator of Meh's attention, please hit the 'report' button in the thread itself and fill in the report form - creating a separate topic could cause arguments and other issues in its own right. It's best to deal with any problems behind the scenes. I'm going to close this thread now.