Nashville Dominicans And Fr. Reese

[elizabeth_jane]

(Oh this man gets my dander up!!!!)

In this week's US News and World report, there's a story about the return to traditional worship in religion--Jews, Christians, Catholics, etc. I love this part:

[quote]"Some liberal Catholic clergy are completely skeptical about teh scope and meaning of the traditionalist turn. 'It's more hype than reality,' says the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and political scientists at Georgetown's Woodstock Theological Center...he is equally dubious about all the attention being devoted to the habit-wearing Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia and a few other traditional religious orders that have enjoyed an uptick in younger members. 'I have no problem with their habits,' says Reese. 'On the other hand, if the church ordained women, we'd have thousands more women coming forward.'"[/quote]

I thought priests were supposed to be FAITHFUL to the Church and her teachings???? HUH????

[VeniteAdoremus]

Well, technically he isn't being unfaithful, and he's probably right, although it's just about as relevant a statement as "if the sky were black gothics would wear a different colour".

But yes, he is definitely implying the Church is wrong, and as a pastor, which still translates as "shepherd", he should, well, shut up?

Maybe a retreat with the nuns of Our Lady of Solitude is in order, they'll talk some sense into him (and he can hand-build half their chapel as penance).

[DameAgnes]

I'm always amused by these people who say "if only the church ordained women...we'd have thousands." Or, "if only the church allowed priest to marry - we'd have thousands!"

In reality, the Episcopal church and CofE, who allow both of these things, are still having trouble filling their need, as are Orthodox (who may marry) and even Rabbinical seminaries. In the case of the first - the Episcopals and Anglicans - they're watching their churches die...but at least they're "with the times..."

[elizabeth_jane]

[quote name='DameAgnes' post='1436824' date='Dec 20 2007, 08:43 PM']I'm always amused by these people who say "if only the church ordained women...we'd have thousands." Or, "if only the church allowed priest to marry - we'd have thousands!"

In reality, the Episcopal church and CofE, who allow both of these things, are still having trouble filling their need, as are Orthodox (who may marry) and even Rabbinical seminaries. In the case of the first - the Episcopals and Anglicans - they're watching their churches die...but at least they're "with the times..."[/quote]

Amen.
BTW, Dame Agnes, is your name, by chance, taken from [i]In This House of Brede? [/i]

[EJames2]

as soon as i read "Georgetown's Woodstock Theological Center." i knew what would be next, and stopped reading....

[the lords sheep]

I read that article.... can't really say much else about it...

I did have one question though.... This is quoted from page 2 of the online version:

[quote]"Hype." Some liberal Catholic clergy are completely skeptical about the scope and meaning of the traditionalist turn. "It's more hype than reality," says the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and political scientist at Georgetown's Woodstock Theological Center. Reese thinks the church should focus less on the Latin mass than on the three things that draw most churchgoers: "good preaching, good music, and a welcoming community." He is equally dubious about all the attention being devoted to the habit-wearing Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia and a few other traditional religious orders that have enjoyed an uptick in younger members. "I have no problem with their habits," says Reese. "On the other hand, if the church ordained women, we'd have thousands more women coming forward."

But Sister Patricia Wittberg, a sociologist at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, sees more substance in the new traditionalism. "I think churches that can articulate what they do and what they stand for tend to grow better." To that extent, she says, the conservative turn in the church makes sense. But she points out that there are two kinds of conservatives. "One group," she says, "would like to take things back to the [16th-century Counter-Reformation] Council of Trent, but I don't think the future's with them. I think the future is with a group that is interested in reviving the old stuff and traditions in a creative way. [i]Sisters in traditional orders may wear habits, but they often live in coed communities."[/i] Sociologist Finke agrees: "Members of traditional religious orders want to be set apart, to have a more active spiritual formation and a strong community life. But while they are obedient, they are less submissive to authority and want to make more of their own decisions and be active professionally in outreach activities. It's a structured life, but it's a structure they are seeking and not simply submitting to authority."[/quote]

Here is the entire version if you're interested (although, to be honest, I don't really recommend it. It was nothing spectacular.) [url="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2007/12/13/a-return-to-tradition.html"]A return to Tradition[/url]

[the lords sheep]

It didn't show the italics, sorry. My question was based on this quote: "Sisters in traditional orders may wear habits, but they often live in coed communities."

Do you know of any such sisters? The only one's I can think of are the intercessors of the Lamb. But this article makes it seem as if they are cohabitating...

[DameAgnes]

Elizabeth Jane, yes, I took the handle from Dame Agnes of Brede. 'Cuz I'm crotchety, but fair! :-)

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote name='the lords sheep' post='1438454' date='Dec 26 2007, 05:02 AM']It didn't show the italics, sorry. My question was based on this quote: "Sisters in traditional orders may wear habits, but they often live in coed communities."

Do you know of any such sisters? The only one's I can think of are the intercessors of the Lamb. But this article makes it seem as if they are cohabitating...[/quote]

Coed?! To me that makes them sound as if they're college students.

The Carmelite family at Sligo, Ireland has discalced friars and nuns on the same site. Theirs is an unusual community - they live in individual hermitages and meet daily for Mass and some of the Office. They all share in the running of a retreat centre, but follow a rota so that most of their time is spent in solitude. However, I don't think such arrangements are common.

[Starets]

There is a Benedictine double monastery near Boston. Their church has two choirs. the men come in on the right-hand side, as seen by a lay congregant. The women come in by the left hand side.

That might be the sort of arrangement that was meant by "co-ed"

[the lords sheep]

Got me... I have no idea what she is referring to....
I have half a mind to dig up her email and ask her myself, just out of sheer curiosity as to which communities she is referring to.

[HollyDolly]

The Gilbertine order,which was founded by St.Gilbert and the only native order to England,had double monasteries.Monks on one side,nuns on the other,I believe even the chapel was divded to keep the communities seperate.
There maybe a small revival of these double monasteries ,but they are far and few between.
Someone mentioned the nuns of Our Lady of Solitude.Is that a convent you are refering to,or an actual order of nuns?

[HollyDolly]

As someone who had a great aunt and a second cousin as life long nuns ,believe me,nuns dont live in co-ed communities.
While there maybe a few double monasteries around,even in St.Gilbert's time men and women were housed seperately. On line they have the story of the Nun of Watton Priory,whose ghost supposedly haunts the place.
As a young girl she was placed in the Gilbertine convent. Somehow she and one of the monks fell in love
and got invovled so to speak.Somehow the nuns found out and lured the monk into a trap and attacked him in front of her,the nuns having chained her up. It was quite a scandal at the time in England.
There would be too much temptation for men and women to be housed together in a co-ed situation.
So the writer,this doctor doesn't have her facts straight.

[VeniteAdoremus]

The nuns at Our Lady of Solitude are PCPA's, they're a new foundation of sisters sent out by Mother Angelica. You can find them at www.desertnuns.com (one of the coolest website names I can think of ).

Oh, and there definitely is a mixed Benedictine monastery somewhere in France, their superior is Dutch. Puella Paschalis has a book in which she's interviewed, so you'll have to poke her, I think

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1440796' date='Jan 1 2008, 05:43 AM']Oh, and there definitely is a mixed Benedictine monastery somewhere in France, their superior is Dutch. Puella Paschalis has a book in which she's interviewed, so you'll have to poke her, I think [/quote]

What? There is? I do?
Granted, I have a veritable library (at home), so this is quite possible. I just can't "place" it at the moment. Perhaps I can poke VA about it when I'm back.