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!