Back to the Future.

In a recent article in the NcR, John Allen describes the current situation of the LCWR, and what their future may hold.  In one of the online comments, a writer describes the members of the LCWR as "the backbone of the Catholic denomination."

I would hardly call the nuns of the LCWR the "backbone of the Catholic denomination".  That may have held true 50+ years ago, but that "backbone" is now pushing a median age of 80, and most of those wonderful Catholic schools that operated under the aegis of women religious are now closed, due (in part) to teaching sisters becoming extinct. 

If these great communities of strong women would've stayed committed to their corporate apostolates, continued living in viable communities, placing the Mass and Divine Office at the center of their prayer lives, things may be different today. 

Instead, the vast majority of women religious belonging to the LCWR have gone astray, deciding instead to focus on politically-charged, left-leaning agendas, and all but abandoning their original charism of educating Catholic youth.

They've abandoned traditional spirituality in exchange for New Age philosophies, including the enneagram and labyrinths.  They have discarded their habits (a symbol of poverty and sign of their community to one another) for polyester pantsuits.

None of this was even remotely recommended by the Second Vatican Council.  Maybe George and Sister Joan are right.  The LCWR should disband as the canonically-recognized representative of women religious, and continue on their path of self-destruction. 

As a vital part of Catholic America, the LCWR is dead. Long-live the CMSWR!

5 Lies regarding the LCWR Doctrinal Assessment

Well, it's been one week since the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released its 8-page Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).  Of course, the left is having it's usual spittle-flecked nutty over the whole thing. 
Sadly, many of the typically level-headed reports are falling prey to some of the blather coming from the progressive wing of the Church.  The top 5 errors (or lies, depending on your viewpoint) go something like this:

1.  The evil bishops (men) are just trying to push around the nuns (women) and silence them.

It's not about men vs. women.  The bishops are the true Magisterium of the Church.  They teach the faith in an authoritative manner.  This is doctrine.  While other men (and women) can collaborate with the bishops, they have the final say.

2.  It's all about the LCWR supporting "Obamacare", much to the chagrin of the US bishops.

The Doctrinal Assessment followed a Visitation of ALL women religious in the United States, not just the members of the LCWR.  This Visitation was announced in 2008, while George W. Bush was still President.  That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if those involved in the Visitation to into account the recent comments by members of the LCWR over and against the US bishops, creating their own "Magisterium of Nuns", and diminishing the bishops' authentic role as shepherds of the Church.

3.  The LCWR is too busy with it's "social justice" agenda to focus on the pro-life mission of the Church. 

Not only have the sisters of the LCWR lost their focus regarding abortion, contraception, etc., they actively OPPOSE the bishops and Church doctrine.  Nuns have even worked FOR abortion clinics!  A member of the Sisters of Providence in Terre Haute, IN, even commented that she gives out condoms at the health care clinic she works at.

4.  The Church is misogynistic in it's view of women and the priesthood. 

The members of the LCWR still think that the issue of women's ordination is up for discussion.  Blessed Pope John Paul II ended all discussion, when he stated that it is a difinitive teaching of the Church that only men can be ordained ot the priesthood.

5.  The bishops are meddling in the sisters' spirituality.

Spirituality that is based on enneagrams, labyrinths, and other New Age beliefs.  You will be hard-pressed to find a conference sponsored by the LCWR that doesn't involved at least one of these.  Absent from their "spirituality" is any link to the official worship of the Church:  The Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. 

Also absent from these meetings are traditional spiritual prayers, such as the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Ignatian Exercises, etc.

Misplaced accusations of misogyny

During this whole kerfuffle regarding the recently-announced results of the doctrinal assessment conducted on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, we've heard numerous claims that this was a "misogynistic attack" on women.  The loudest complainers then run off a list of all the good things that the women religious of the LCWR have done in the past. 

Of course, this just deflects from the real issues of heresy and illicit/invalid liturgical celebrations that are part and parcel of many LCWR-sponsored events.

But was is routinely overlooked, is the fact that the Holy See ordered a visitation of all U.S. seminaries in 2005, similar to the visitation of the LCWR and CMSWR in 2009-2011.  Lest we forget, the seminaries are ALL-MALE.

I don't remember hearing all the whining, screeching, etc. during the seminary visitation, or claims that the Holy See "hates men."