Sister Act - a video I saw on another blog showing seminarians dressed up as traditional nuns performing a number from the movie of the same name. I don't think it's a good idea for men to dress up as nuns - especially seminarians - even if it is just for fun at recreation. Whatever the motivation, making fun of nuns has often been something of a past-time for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Don't get me wrong, it is almost always done without malicious intent, nevertheless there is very often some level of mockery underlying such satirical presentations.
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Currently, with the Vatican ordered visitation of American Sisters underway, nuns are getting swiped again. I know there are religious women who no longer seem to belong to the congregations they once professed vows in, yet claim they are furthering the original charism of the order in the lifestyles they adopted. We all know of institutes dedicated to a New Age version of Catholic spirituality. And we all know that many of these sisters no longer wear a discernible habit and no longer live in convents. More traditionally minded Catholics, lay and clerics alike, miss the old nuns and seem to want them back - hence they welcome the visitation. On the other hand, the more progressive sisters do not welcome it.
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Throughout the history of the Church visitations and reforms have been conducted of religious life - that is the duty of the Shepherds - our bishops and the Pope - they safeguard the faith. And yep - the laity gets their nose in it too - at lest voicing their opinions and complaints. That isn't all that unfair however. The orders depended upon the laity in the beginning - vocations come from the laity, as well as donations and support for their apostolate and living situations. All religious exist because of the laity - hence they are accountable to the whole Church, which includes the hierarchical structure that orders the visitation.
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What has happened in the post Vatican II era is that Independence and self-governance has become the norm and the visitation challenges that development. The progressive nuns feel threatened. Catholic bloggers are not terribly sensitive to that either - and many of us fall into that old making fun of nuns routine with our critiques.
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I don't know the full story on congregations such as the Sisters of St. Joseph who have a reputation for being quite liberal now days, but it seems to me, although they may be dying out, they continue to have fruitful apostolates. I read an editorial in the NYT:
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Across 30 years, the modern version of the Sisters of St. Joseph has been revolutionizing the treatment of imprisoned women in New York. Thanks to the nuns’ efforts, mothers are now allowed to care for their infants on the inside and remain close to their children in creative visitors’ programs. Once they are paroled, these women and their children can find a year’s shelter in one of nine Providence House sanctuaries the nuns created in defunct city rectories and convents. The order has never lacked courage: five members were guillotined in the French Revolution for giving shelter to the hunted. - Source
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After reading that I realized many of the congregations were formed in response to the social justice and catechetical needs of their times. The women wore habits which reflected the fashion of the times - often described as 'widows weeds'. They set up housekeeping in normal houses - not huge monasteries, and they attended Mass in parish churches, often praying the Little Office of the BVM instead of the Breviary or monastic office. The institutions they established grew from these simple beginnings.
.
I think we as Catholics have to support these women as best we can and to be more sympathetic to the development of their religious life and their internal struggles - respecting their familial boundaries as a community. Yes, sound Catholic doctrine must be insured, which is why the visitation was ordered.
.
So anyway, let the visitation go on, but we maybe should be a lot more charitable towards these religious women who strive to live out their original charism in modern times. The Church is a diverse family, there are traditional orders for those who seek that life, and there are congregations for those who seek a more active participation in social justice issues and works.
.
I like nuns, I just keep my distance. I tend to be more traditional and therefore have a greater affinity for more traditional orders, but I appreciate the works of the others as well. Any public work in the name of the Church must be subject to the oversight of the ordinary Magisterium however. It is better to pray for all concerned in the visitation rather than making fun of those who initially resist it.
.
Currently, with the Vatican ordered visitation of American Sisters underway, nuns are getting swiped again. I know there are religious women who no longer seem to belong to the congregations they once professed vows in, yet claim they are furthering the original charism of the order in the lifestyles they adopted. We all know of institutes dedicated to a New Age version of Catholic spirituality. And we all know that many of these sisters no longer wear a discernible habit and no longer live in convents. More traditionally minded Catholics, lay and clerics alike, miss the old nuns and seem to want them back - hence they welcome the visitation. On the other hand, the more progressive sisters do not welcome it.
.
Throughout the history of the Church visitations and reforms have been conducted of religious life - that is the duty of the Shepherds - our bishops and the Pope - they safeguard the faith. And yep - the laity gets their nose in it too - at lest voicing their opinions and complaints. That isn't all that unfair however. The orders depended upon the laity in the beginning - vocations come from the laity, as well as donations and support for their apostolate and living situations. All religious exist because of the laity - hence they are accountable to the whole Church, which includes the hierarchical structure that orders the visitation.
.
What has happened in the post Vatican II era is that Independence and self-governance has become the norm and the visitation challenges that development. The progressive nuns feel threatened. Catholic bloggers are not terribly sensitive to that either - and many of us fall into that old making fun of nuns routine with our critiques.
.
I don't know the full story on congregations such as the Sisters of St. Joseph who have a reputation for being quite liberal now days, but it seems to me, although they may be dying out, they continue to have fruitful apostolates. I read an editorial in the NYT:
.
Across 30 years, the modern version of the Sisters of St. Joseph has been revolutionizing the treatment of imprisoned women in New York. Thanks to the nuns’ efforts, mothers are now allowed to care for their infants on the inside and remain close to their children in creative visitors’ programs. Once they are paroled, these women and their children can find a year’s shelter in one of nine Providence House sanctuaries the nuns created in defunct city rectories and convents. The order has never lacked courage: five members were guillotined in the French Revolution for giving shelter to the hunted. - Source
.
After reading that I realized many of the congregations were formed in response to the social justice and catechetical needs of their times. The women wore habits which reflected the fashion of the times - often described as 'widows weeds'. They set up housekeeping in normal houses - not huge monasteries, and they attended Mass in parish churches, often praying the Little Office of the BVM instead of the Breviary or monastic office. The institutions they established grew from these simple beginnings.
.
I think we as Catholics have to support these women as best we can and to be more sympathetic to the development of their religious life and their internal struggles - respecting their familial boundaries as a community. Yes, sound Catholic doctrine must be insured, which is why the visitation was ordered.
.
So anyway, let the visitation go on, but we maybe should be a lot more charitable towards these religious women who strive to live out their original charism in modern times. The Church is a diverse family, there are traditional orders for those who seek that life, and there are congregations for those who seek a more active participation in social justice issues and works.
.
I like nuns, I just keep my distance. I tend to be more traditional and therefore have a greater affinity for more traditional orders, but I appreciate the works of the others as well. Any public work in the name of the Church must be subject to the oversight of the ordinary Magisterium however. It is better to pray for all concerned in the visitation rather than making fun of those who initially resist it.
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