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PDF versionSandra Schneiders on Religious Life -- II
by Richard McBrien on Mar. 22, 2010
The 1950s type of Religious Life, "for which some Catholics nostalgically pine, is actually a relatively recent, short-lived, and somewhat anomalous phenomenon."
It was during and after the great wave of immigrants from Catholic countries, beginning in the 1820s, that Religious Life was increasingly standardized and domesticated. Sisters became an institutional work-force supplying free or very cheap labor for the hierarchy and local clergy, while observing the residential lifestyle of a semi-cloistered monastery.
Contemporary ministerial Religious Life, which emerged from the dissolution of this immigrant Catholicism, resembles more the early ministerial Religious Life of the late-17th and 18th centuries in Europe, and the 18th and early-19th centuries in the New World.
As she pointed out in her 4-page article in NCR Oct. 2, Sandra Schneiders identifies three major changes that the post-Vatican II renewal brought about in ministerial Religious Life.
Unfortunately, we are now in a period of retrenchment from Vatican II in which two visions of the Church find themselves "running, one forward and one backward, on parallel ecclesiological tracks": the council's People of God ecclesiology and the hierarchical ecclesiology that was dominant before the council and since the Council of Trent in the 16th century.
Sandra Schneiders, a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and professor of New Testament Studies and Christian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, has recently published an extensive study of Religious Life as a prophetic life form in National Catholic Reporter's online edition Jan. 4-8.
This week's and last week's columns highlight the major points of that substantial article.
Twentieth-century American nuns, dressed in 18th-century European garb, "bore very little resemblance to their pioneer forebears," some of whom lived in log cabins, braved the bitter winters of the great plains or the scorching heat of the southwest, and traveled by boat, covered wagon, on horseback, by steam engine, and on foot.
"They nursed on the battlefields, on shipboard, and among the victims of epidemics. They founded schools for native Americans, Blacks, and the Appalachian poor and were admitting to their schools and hospitals people of color well before it was legal. They ministered to soldiers and miners and railway workers, to women of 'ill repute' and addicts and criminals, and to the orphans whom such populations inevitably leave in their wake." The Sisters rarely made any distinction between Catholics and non-Catholics.
In lifestyle, there were changes in habit, housing, and horarium (that is, the carefully scripted schedule for prayer and other activities inside the convent). "As religious adjusted their lifestyles to facilitate their expanded involvement in more diversified and individualized ministries they naturally took control of such lifestyle issues into their own hands."
NCR: February 3-16, 2012
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Conference fields advocates' questions on law, policy
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These changes also affected the way Religious lived in community. They began following in earnest the council's People of God ecclesiology, stepping "out of the pyramidal structure that had controlled their lives up to that point." This led to egalitarianism within the community, a collegial form of governance, team-leadership, dialogue and discernment, subsidiarity, and a "non-coercive exercise of authority."
All of this represented not change for change's sake, but an enhancement of the Sisters' ministries and prophetic vocation. Religious thereby subverted "the domination system of the patriarchal Church by incarnating in their community life an alternative not only to patriarchy but to all forms of coercion-based exercise of power."
These changes in lifestyle and community life were internal to Religious Life. A third change–in ministry–that was also brought about during the post-conciliar renewal affected the Church beyond Religious Life.
"Sisters were now ministering in prisons, with undocumented immigrants, in inner city shelters, on Capitol Hill, in spirituality centers open to all faiths or none, with the homeless, with torture victims, with the dying who were alienated from the Church, and in myriad other situations in which there were no easy answers and the stakes for real people were as high as they were for the woman taken in adultery to whom Jesus proclaimed the Reign of God as compassion redefining justice."
The exercise of these ministries often placed Sisters at odds with ecclesiastical authorities, who, appealing to "obedience," sought to control such activities. (Sister Schneiders cites the episode in Acts 5:19-42 as a model of what real obedience means.)
Religious women happen to be caught in the ecclesiological crossfire. The Vatican's efforts to "rein in" women Religious (but not men Religious) have to be seen always in this context.
Those who implicitly regard Vatican II as a terrible mistake support these efforts. Those who regard the council as a "new Pentecost" support the Sisters.
© 2010 Richard P. McBrien. All rights reserved. Fr. McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
What is the point of
What is the point of summarizing what Dr. Sandra Schneiders wrote and NCR published? We read it!!!
Dr. Ann McKean
One of the points is that Fr.
One of the points is that Fr. Mcbrien's essays are published in many other places, such as weekly church bulletins, which would get this story to non-NCR readers.
The point is that this is a
The point is that this is a signifiant issue in the catholic church today - it is hoped that this series of well done articles encourages further discussion.
So I can forward something
So I can forward something more concise to those who don't have the time or patience to follow the complete story.
Del
Because McBrien has nothing
Because McBrien has nothing left to write. This column called "essays in theology" ceased to be so long ago. Now it is his political rantings, his anti-Church musings, and his plug for his friend's books.
Dear Dr. Ann McKean: Could
Dear Dr. Ann McKean:
Could you please change "We read it!!!" to "I read it!!!" in your response to Fr. McBrien. Probably many of "WE" have not read it or even did not have a chance or time to "read it". Now "We" all should go to "get it" and "read it"
Not everyone. Hopefully,
Not everyone. Hopefully, this article will encourage more people to read all that Dr. Schneiders wrote.
Good question.
Good question.
Perhaps he's run out of books
Perhaps he's run out of books to shill for?
What is the point of
What is the point of summarizing the article?
Let's see, is it because perhaps not all people have gotten around to reading the original article?
Or could it be that Fr. McBrien values the article and wants to pass it along to his readers?
Then there is the possibility that some individuals prefer a point-by-point rendering of Sr. Sandra Schneiders' magnificent work.
Of course, it could also be that Fr. McBrien wants to make sure that Mother Millea and her visitation/inquisition team have read the article, since it directly relates to the reason for the visitation/inquisition, i.e., why religious Sisters are not all teaching in elementary classrooms, kneeling down saying the rosary all day and night, or spending their lives in front of a monstrance containing a host, but have received a Call from God to get out there among the people and bring Christ to them in many and varied ways.
I confess that I, for one, have not had the time to read the entire "substantial" article. I do appreciate this version.
Most interesting article. I
Most interesting article. I can see validity of Sister Schneiders' comments, and the slow waning of Vatican II's gains. Change comes hard, and must be fought for constantly. Hierarchys yield slowly.
So supporting government
So supporting government funding of genocide is a part of modern religious life?
Mmm... interesting comment
Mmm... interesting comment Ann McKean.. you sound quite agitated. The truth of it perhaps?? Good summary Richard and yes it is important - thank you.
Here are a few more of the
Here are a few more of the discussion questions that I formed for each section of Sr. Schneiders' articles. You can find the complete list at: http://rosemarieberger.com/2010/01/07/sr-sandra-schneiders-whats-a-proph...
1. In the first paragraph, Schneiders describes an evolution in ministerial religious life from the 1600s to the present. How much do you know about the history of models of religious life? How would the Protestant Reformation fit into this time line? What models of religious life did it produce? Why is it important to take a historical perspective on the current Vatican investigation into Catholic women’s communities in the U.S.?
2. What are characteristics of a prophet or a prophetic community, as described by Schneiders? What tools does a prophet use to communicate a message? What are contemporary examples of prophets, prophetic communities, or prophetic actions? What makes them “prophetic”? How is prophetic ministry different from apostolic ministry?
3. What is Jesus’ prophetic speaking and acting all about? To what, or better to whom, was Jesus’ bearing prophetic witness?
In response to Dr. Ann
In response to Dr. Ann McKeanks question, why do we need to repeat Sr. Schneiders' material - I think the answer is obvious. The WOMEN read the original. If many of the MEN are going to bother with it - it will have to be said by a man! (Preferably a priest.)
I always enjoy any article or
I always enjoy any article or excerpt from one of Sister Schneider's books. I think we owe a great deal to women like Sister Schneider and also to NCR for publishing such enlightening women. This article is excellent. Thank you and may you continue to bring us more of these great lights of Catholicism.
I have to agree What is the
I have to agree What is the point of summarizing what Dr. Sandra Schneiders wrote and NCR published? We read it!!! Some women religious are caught in the ecclesiological crossfire, not all. It is a mistake to say those who regard Vat II as a new Pentecost to be support of the sisters. Not true depends how you interpret the Vat II documents.
"This led to egalitarianism
"This led to egalitarianism within the community, a collegial form of governance, team-leadership, dialogue and discernment, subsidiarity, and a "non-coercive exercise of authority."
And in some communities, it also led to:
-A loss of direction
-Defining personal interests and avocations as "missions"
-A distancing from Catholic communities who once had daily contact with sisters and their missions and were once inclined to support them
-Some sisters spending years as professional students or in "discernment"
-A decline in the sense of community obligation
This does not mean that religous life prior to Vatican II was all rosy. It does mean, however, that not all the revolutionary changes have been conducive to the long term viability of the sister's communities.
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Hello, have been trying to find ideas of people who include tried this specific out and about top notch, as well as immediately after looking via msn
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