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PDF versionCardinal Rode and His American Surrogates
by Ken Briggs on Feb. 06, 2010
Nearly 20 years ago, the Vatican put its official stamp of approval on the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious.
It thus became the visible and formal proxy in Rome's offensive against the "modernism" of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. As such, it is the favored wedge group in Rome's campaign to replace renewal with reaction.
Accordingly, the head of the investigation of American sisters is allied with CMSWR.
Circumstantial evidence suggests much more coordination between the Vatican and CMSWR to undermine the general direction of renewal among LCWR communities. For one thing, a publicity campaign has gained momentum on the premise that CMSWR communities are flourishing becasue they are doing it "right" while those related to LCWR are failing because they have disobeyed church authority and succumbed to worldly ways.
By coincident or not, Ave Maria Press has issued a book that promotes "orthodox" practices among sisters and repudiates the basic direction of renewal.
As noted by Maureen Fiedler, Cardinal Rode's talk on Feb. 3 was another clear signal that the investigation was never intended as a fair hearing. His censure of sisters who had, in his view, become waywardly secular was broad and unmistakably aimed at LCWR communities.
Rode's blast further underscores the likelihood that the Vatican teamed up with conservative allies in the U.S. long before the announcement of the investigation as part of a plan that's been in the works for a long time.
Possibly dating to that occasion in 1992 when CMSWR received its blessing to pursue its mission on behalf of the Vatican.
Of course the Apostolic
Of course the Apostolic Visitation is directed towards the LCWR-friendly communities! They are the communities that are the source of the problem. Thanks be to God for the CMSWR's upholding true religious life and for letting Cardinal Rode know what is going on in the U.S. with the LCWR. Keep up the good work, Sisters!
By the way, you might also recall that Sister Sara Butler, M.S.B.T. and Sister Sister Elizabeth McDonough, O.P. were also part of the Symposium of Religious Life that was supposedly part of the inspiration for the Apostolic Visitation. Ironically, these Sisters' communities are not part of the CMSWR, so there ARE Sisters who are members of LCWR member communities who are concerned about the decline in religious life in the U.S. Many of these poor sisters are at their motherhouses and/or in nursing/retirement homes and have suffered in silence while their communities fell apart.
It is one thing to have
It is one thing to have Catholics attack the Magesterium and it is another to have a non-Catholic do the same. Ken Briggs seems to be a Protestant who wishes to impose his understanding of Christianity upon progressive Catholic thinkers. His discourse belongs elsewhere but not in the NCR.
Do you realize you are being
Do you realize you are being uncharitable toward nuns?
NUNS. You are assuming bad motives of nuns.
Think about that for a minute.
And, I say this as someone who happens to appreciate LCWR and its member communities. I love all these sisters and think they are doing fine work.
Being a supporter of LCWR doesn't you need to bash CMSWR. The Catholic Church in the United States is certainly big enough for both of these organizations of women religious.
The hatred of the Left is just as bad as the hatred on the Right.
And, frankly, all of us in the middle are growing weary of it.
I'm sorry it took until 1991
I'm sorry it took until 1991 and 2009 to reign them in.
Maybe the Holy Roman Empire
Maybe the Holy Roman Empire still exists! Did anyone ever think that all this good sisters/bad sisters is a ploy to grab realestate from the "bad sisters" after they are disbanded by Cardinal Rode? The sale of such properties certainly wouod help the Vatican purse strings.
If it could only be as simple
If it could only be as simple as you state here. The whole issue of religious life after vatican II is much more complex.
I'm curious what the Ave
I'm curious what the Ave Maria Press book is that promotes "othodoxy" and repudiates renewal. I couldn't find any such book on their website. This is the publisher of Joyce Rupp and lots of other "progressive" writers. Perhaps you have the wrong publisher?
Ave Maria Press publishes a
Ave Maria Press publishes a wide variety of authors. The book Ken Briggs refers to may be this one:
http://www.avemariapress.com/itemdetail.cfm?nItemid=949
The Foundations of Religious Life
Revisiting the Vision
Author : Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
Format: Quality Paperback
Pages: 256
Dimensions: 6 x 9
ISBN: 1-59471-198-4
Published: May 2009
The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious has maintained the historical form of religious life, with sisters living in community and wearing the habit. While many religious orders are currently facing marked decline in novitiates and the aging of their members, the communities of the CMSWR are experiencing growth on a worldwide scale.
In this collection of foundational articles, the CMSWR articulates how its perspective is in keeping with the vision set forth by Vatican II, suggesting that its commitment to a more visibly countercultural life and ministry is what sustains its orders and attracts young women to the CMSWR communities.
The Foundations of Religious Life is ideal reading for sisters and those in formation, as well as their counterparts in men's communities.
"New book reaffirms vision for countercultural religious life of women", by Roxanne King, Denver Catholic Register, May 29, 2009.
Price: $18.95
Dear Heidi, Thank you for
Dear Heidi,
Thank you for your question. The book in question is "Foundations of Religious Life" published by Ave Maria Press last May. It is sponsored by CMSWR.
Best wishes, Ken
http://www.archden.org/index.
http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/2100
Rave review in the Denver archdiocesan paper.
"Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., is among those recommending the book, which was released just last week."
His paper runs a LOT of articles about Opus Dei:
http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/id/303?cx=018254575105169409802%3Apfegk...
Amazon has the
Amazon has the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Religious-Life-Revisiting-Vision/dp/15...
Ave Maria Press published The Foundations of Religious Life: Revisiting the Vision, by the CMSWR last year.
The contributors seem angry at Sandra Scneiders, in particular. Search terms: "Schneiders", "Sandra", "exaggerated", "falsely".
(Odd that a book on the "Foundations of Religious Life" does not contain the word "Benedictines".)
Oprah had a show yesterday
Oprah had a show yesterday about a Dominican community. (I didn't see it.)
Here's a link to some bits of it:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Spends-a-Day-in-the-Life-of-Nun...
They have a LOT of postulants. I hope she does a follow-up in five years.
More about the show:
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&um=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=oprah...
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