Left: Former Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kansas,
motherhouse; right: Their newer facility. Upkeep of the motherhouse is
now the responsibility of its renter, an Episcopalian group that helps
immigrants and survivors of human trafficking. (Courtesy of Congregation
of St. Joseph)
These poor sisters are doing what they need to do until the last sister dies. But it is kind of like rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic after it sunk! But it is what it is! Press title for faux optimism from the NCR:
6 comments:
Over the centuries, many religious orders have gone out of existence. And it has nothing to do with "renewal."
The Celestines - 1254 to the early 20th century
Ghilbertines - 1130 to 1539
Sisters of the Child Jesus if Versailles - 1680 to 1949
There are many others. My point is that many (most?) religious orders cease to exist after some years. Groups like the Benedictines, the Franciscans, the Jesuits, and the Dominicans are the anomalies, lasting for many centuries.
If a person encountered one of these sisters, with a straight face they would tell you this is all progress. I would bet, not of them have stopped to ask the question, "what went wrong?"
Your litany of groups, a handful over the course of centuries who have faded away is to be expected. But nothing like what has happened to women's communities in a short 50 years, nothing short of a collapse and some of the best of the groups that prior to 1965 were prospering. Benedict Grocshell had a very good analysis of what happened using the Immaculate Heart of Mary nuns out of Los Angeles as an example and all of it based upon the loss of Catholic identity and spirituality substituted with the psychology of personal growth and self actualization and improvement. In other words, paganism and the breaking of the 2nd Commandment.
It's not a handful. There are more orders that have gone out of existence than than there are operating ones.
You say "...nothing like what has happened to women's communities in a short 50 years,..." Is this factual, or did you make it up? better do your homework and report back - with footnotes.
The false assumption is that religious orders are meant to last forever. They're not
Anonymous K
Your act is getting old. Get a life
Pretty much all of the secularized congregations of women religious fading away are in denial. They think that's a river in Egypt.
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