Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Beginning of the End for the LCWR

The LCWR, a group that represents the majority of women's religious congregations in the United States (mentioned with contempt on this blog many times) has just been issued a serious pink slip.

As Rocco Palmo reports on his outstanding blog:

"Citing "serious doctrinal problems" found over the course of a four-year study of the lead umbrella-group representing the US' communities of religious women, the Holy See has set into motion a thoroughgoing shake-up of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), naming Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle as its delegate to conduct an overhaul of the group. 

Among other concerns raised in an eight-page summary of the doctrinal inquest released today, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cited addresses at LCWR conferences that, it said, manifested a "rejection of faith," protests of church teaching on homosexuality and the ordination of women by officers of the group, and a "prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith" in some of the conference's events."

Click here for the whole story.

10 comments:

  1. So you are against "a group that represents the majority of women's religious congregations in the United States"? Based on this and other posts, it seems you think most women's religious congregations are too corrupt to function within the Church. How can you feel so inclined to speak out against these religious women in the aftermath of the corruption priests brought to the Church? You post about how positive the priesthood can be, how about showing people how positive the religious life for women can be?

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    1. I HAVE posted about the importance of Good, Holy, and authentic religious life. Search the blog if you want to see those posts as well.

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    2. I also want an overhaul of all the priests and bishops that live a life comfort, fly first class, and eat too well and live in houses that most of us cannot afford...while all these sister are giving their lives to the poorest of the poor in whom they serve Christ...

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    3. Wow, how comfy it must be to throw illogical stones from your "anonymous" perch. You know so little about Catholicism it makes me wonder why you bother reading Father's blog. There are many MALE religious who take vows of poverty, and there are many SISTERS who are faithful to the Magisterium. This is not a male vs. female problem, it is a faithful vs. vehemently and openly unfaithful problem. Just as the Church addressed abuses by priests, it is addressing different abuses by sisters. Evil is evil wherever it is found, and REAL Catholics want it ALL addressed. God bless.

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    4. First anonymous poster here (to clarify-2nd anon post not by me)...I am also a young Catholic woman discerning religious life. I simply want a truly positive and loving approach to these issues. Although some of the LCWR leaders strayed from the teachings, they are not our enemies. I feel that approaches like this post are not helpful In promoting vocations in women. Clearly with the recent issues including LCWR and women's "ordination" the leaders of the Church need to define what role women will have in the future of the Church. That's from my experience going to Canolic schools for 17 years, being educated by and with Catholic women, and spending time living/working/volunteering with religious sisters.

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    5. Actually, the Church IS taking the loving approach. It is important to not confuse love with kindness. Much like how a father loves his children, but sometimes has to discipline to correct them. The simple fact of the matter is that if the LCWR continues on its current track, many orders will die out. Now I happen to be something of a hardliner and actually think the tick-tock solution is the best option at this point. The Church however thinks they can be salvaged and therefore are displaying loving patience rather than going for suppression. The funny thing is, it need not be all that heavy-handed. All religious orders have to do is specifically re-affirm Our Lord's Real Presence in the Eucharist, specifically reject women's ordination, specfically reaffirm the truth that abortion, contraception, and homosexual acts are intrinsicly wrong, and stop prostituting with things like Reiki and other spurious glitter of non-Christian Eastern mysticism. It's only hard if people want it to be.

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    6. If there are priests flying first class and living in luxurious houses, know that that grosses me out as well. Now most priests don't have any say over their rectory, you inherit what the parish built before you got there. But certainly all priests can be constantly improving on frugality.

      Did you know Sr. Carol Keehan, head of the CHA (who has become proficient at providing the administration with a way to undermine the bishops) raked in just short of one million last year? Let's be fair if you are going to call out priests because there are lots of sisters who are "on their own" as well and DON'T live currently under a vow of poverty

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    7. Well said Father. This may seem like piling on, but for an example of the current LCWR mentality in action, look to the incident with Loretto High School in Sacramento, CA. There a student blew the whistle on a school employee who was moonlighting for Planned Parenthood. The bishop had to step in and order the sisters to fire her. The sisters did it, but retaliated by expelling the student. The school fell on hard times, they asked for donations to save the school, then sold the school without any diocesan oversight and skeedaddled with the money into retirement. Last I heard there is a pending lawsuit. I can't think of a bishop being that cheeky.

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  2. It's about time! As a young woman discerning religious life, it's encouraging to see such support of legitimate communities =) I'm disgusted that the majority of women's religious communities are, in fact, too corrupt to function but so glad to see that corruption being rooted out in the constant effort to conform our hearts to the heart of Christ and our communities to the Magesterium of the Church. Thank you Father Hollowell, for showing people just how positive the religious life for women can be!

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  3. I second that! It is about time!

    Those nuns are not some kind of a social working humanitarian group in the name of Christ. Their job, no, I mean their vocation, first and foremost, is to lead people to Christ to save their souls. Giving women the okay for contraception is not leading them to Christ. It is, in fact, the opposite. Someone had to pin it to them.
    Thank you for posting, Father!

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