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Published: November 5, 2009
Pleased with Response So Far
Vatican Says Visitation of Women Religious Will Issue Public Report
 Vatican City, Nov 3, 2009 / 12:12 pm (CNA) - Cardinal Franc Rode issued a statement on Tuesday in response to questions about the motivation for the ongoing apostolic visitation of the women's religious communities in the United States. He said that his dicastery had been considering a visitation for years and that a report on the objective findings will be made public.
As prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life—which is heading up the visitation—Cardinal Rode said that he hopes it will “encourage vocations and assure a better future for women religious.”
The prefect also shared information about the decision-making process that led to the launch of the visitation. “For many years this dicastery had been listening to concerns expressed by American Catholics – religious, laity, clergy and hierarchy – about the welfare of religious women and consecrated life in general, and had been considering an Apostolic Visitation as a means to assess and constructively address these concerns,” Cardinal Rode said.
He also mentioned the September 2008 Symposium on Religious Life which was held on the 200th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Boston at Stonehill College. The gathering, he said, made the “multitude and complexity of these issues” clear and helped him understand that “such an evaluation of the challenges facing individual religious and their congregations could benefit the Church at-large as well as the sisters and institutes involved.”
“My hope,” Cardinal Rode added, “is that the Apostolic Visitation will not only provide the Holy See with a thorough analysis of the condition of religious life in the United States, but also be a realistic and graced opportunity for personal and community introspection, as major superiors and sisters cooperate with this study.”
Cardinal Rode also responded to criticism about the visitations findings being kept private by revealing that the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University is “cooperating in the collection of information and will prepare a composite analytical report of the standard, objective data contained in Part A of the questionnaire. This report will be made public and should provide important information regarding likely future trends of religious life in the United States.”
“It is the practice of the Holy See that an Apostolic Visitation be conducted ad inquirendum et referendum (i.e., studied and referred). Therefore, this dicastery will formulate no conclusions or plan of action, if any, until the final report of the Visitator has been evaluated,” he added.
Commenting on the progress of the visitation thus far, he said that he is “pleased with the voluntary response” that Apostolic Visitator Mother Mary Clare Millea has received from “more than three-fourths of the superiors general.”
The four-stage visitation is now in its second phase, during which the major superiors will respond to a questionnaire presenting a comprehensive profile of each institute’s present reality and future outlook.
Cardinal Rode concluded his statement by stating that he is “encouraged by the efforts to identify the signs of hope, as well as concerns, within religious congregations in the United States, which are also likely to have implications elsewhere in the world. I ask all people of good will to unite in prayer for the fruitful outcome of this effort to promote the Catholic identity and vibrancy of life of women religious.”
Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 1:57 AM By Georgina
I have been rereading Anita Caspary, IHM, PHD, WITNESS TO INTEGRITY. I urge you all to read that wonderful book. I was taught by the IHM's; and I support our women religious 100%. The women of our church have remained faithful...not so the men. Investigate those male clergy and bishops who have failed us so misterably.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 7:28 AM By James
Georgina there have been bishops and priests who have failed us miserably but there have also been women religious who have been complicit in these scandals. The Vatican has been investgating these bishops and one of the paths has led to dissedent nuns who support homosexuality, new age, tolerance, pluralism, universalism and other derivations that bring down the church, rather than build it up. Why do you think many of these women religious communities are dying?
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 7:35 AM By abqdad
The importance of women religious was not recognized, and as a direct result, they became frustrated and bitter. I HOPE that we will continue to see a resurgence in the number of woman religious. Their work is critical to the mission of the church! We need to be careful to ensure that they are of the right mindset, as the damage done by "mean nuns" at Catholic schools is legendary. But, the positive power of kind and compassionate nuns is tremendous! (Look at Mother Theresa!) The two jobs that have the greatest influence on our future are mothers and teachers! While it is certainly NOT the only potential contribution of women religious, nuns, who represent Christ's love and compassion, have the opportunity as teachers to influence the future of the world! This needs to be recognized by Catholic leaders! We MUST get past the old "them and us" attitude that has destroyed the options for women religious and created horrible frustration and bitterness. It is time to stop blaming and start productive change! Women religious are desperately needed and must be respected! Their contribution is NO less than that of a priest!
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 7:55 AM By David
I agree that the both the clergy and the religous have strayed away. But the issue with the women religious is in bad shape because many of these so-called 'nuns' have moved away from their original charism and have been tainted very wordly: feminisim, environmentalism, lesbianism and NEW Age. Women are more vulnerable then men to fall into the warm and feel-good stuff (like watching Oprah and soaps) The other issue is the gender confusion. Women trying to be men and men acting like women. I think the start needs to be in formation. No woman should be involved in the formation of men, likewise men should not be in the process of formation of women. It should all be the same sex in the formation process. My message to those in or discerning religious life. BE A REAL MAN and BE A REAL WOMAN. Don't try to be something you are not. You are who God created you.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:04 AM By Dan
"Their work is critical to the mission of the church! We need to be careful to ensure that they are of the right mindset, as the damage done by "mean nuns" at Catholic schools is legendary." Abqdad I had to laugh a bit -- yes, sometimes the lines were crossed between disciplinary and just plain mean. I certainly saw both. Without any scientific study of the matter, I have a gut feeling that the more prayerful the sisters were, the less mean they were in the classroom.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:06 AM By Dan
" The women of our church have remained faithful...not so the men. " I'm sorry Georgina -- such an uninformed comment as this tell us more about you than about how things are in the church. There are enough sinners in the priesthood/religious life to encompass both sexes.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:56 AM By WOODY GUIDRY
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHILD OR GRANDCHILD BRING HOME EXCITING EYE-WITNESS STORIES OF "FATHER SUN AND MOTHER EARTH" COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER BY MEANS THAT KIDS CAN TUNE IN TO WITH A STICK IN A CIRCLE, ETC.-, PLUS A SCHOOL PRINCIPLE FIGHTING TO KEEP SUCH IDIOCY IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL PROGRAM , YOU WILL HAVE A
REAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE NEED FOR A SEARCH DOG INTO WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 10:35 AM By betty
didn't women religious have a Catholic identity before and didn't they have vibrancy of life? Don't ask me. I don't know. Are they talking about the fact that the majority of women religious are now in their 60s and 70s and facing a life of poverty with very few younger religious to help them, since there are very few of them and are they trying to find a better way of life for them? As you are probably saying, I don't quite understand the reasoning behind some of the statements I have read about this Visitation.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 10:50 AM By JoeCee
Georgina: I agree with you. I do not believe Rode's remarks, nor his spin on the apostolic visitation. The "visitation" is really an investigation aimed at deflecting issues of the church caused and perpetuated by many of the "good old boys" to cover their mishandling of sexual abuse, celibacy, and other issues. Vatican II has been kept alive primarily by vowed religious women; certainly not much by Pope John Paul II and his appointees.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 11:01 AM By John F. Maguire
In reply to Georgina: On this website at CCD March 17, 2009) (thread title: "A fake war being stirred up by the Vatican"), extensive documentation was published on this site refuting Sister Anita Caspary's self-serving account of the destruction of her order of nuns, namely, the Order of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary -- I mean, save for an heroic remnant. ~ Georgina: "From the point of view of requests for dispensation from vows, and from the increased number of complaints from parents regarding what some IHM nuns were teaching in the classroom, [James] Cardinal MacIntyre knew that something had gone wrong in the illustrious teaching order founded by Fr. [Joaquin] Masmitja [in Spain in 1848]." Illustrious, this Order was, Georgina. "[T]he IHMers were 'among the most precious adornments of the Catholic Church in California (Monsignor Francis J. Weber). Certainly by 1965, Cardinal MacIntyre knew that this renowned congregation of 615 women was in crisis. Specifically, he knew that this crisis involved the ways in which the IHMers [under Sister Caspary's leadership] had decided to involve themselves in post-Conciliar experimentation." Georgina, such experimention had indeed been approved by Pope Paul VI, "provided [however] that the purpose, nature, and character the [IHM] institute are safeguarded." The destruction of the IHMers in California, I submit now as I did in March 2009, is traceable to the defiance of Sister Caspary against Cardinal MacIntyre and her deliberate and systematic disregard for Pope Paul VI's proviso. ~ The aforegiven quotes, Georgina, are from my original post; but do see Charles A. Coulombe, "Witness to Insanity" (Review of Anita Caspary, _Witness to Integrity_, in _Los Angeles Lay Catholic Mission_, November 2003) ("The IHMers were ruined through being used as guinea pigs in Dr. Carl Rogers' psychological experiments in 1967").
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 11:47 AM By Grisha
David - I was raised to believe that the warm and feel-good stuff is what we Catholics call the GOOD NEWS of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 2:09 PM By WOODY GUIDRY
Meanwhile, outside the U.S. the 146 million Catholics (increased from 55 million in 1978 when JP the Great was made Pope) in Africa produced a 304 percent increase in Seminarians. In the U.S. the number of priests dropped nearly 20 percent, while 887,144 infants were baptised and 81, 775 became newly baptised Catholics. We have 41,489 priests, 60,715 sisters, and 16,938 permanent deacons. It is time some strong shoulders got beneath the burden.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 3:49 PM By WOODY GUIDRY
Looks like Good Friday payday for those 50 dollar scoops!
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:14 PM By Victoria
I suggest everyone read, WITNESS TO INTEGRITY by Mother Anita Caspary IHM,PHD. It is an informative narrative about what the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary went through when they embraced the Spirit of Renewal as suggested in Vatican II.
If the men of the church think that this Investigation ( They call it "Visitation"; but we know it for what it truly is.) is going to put the Women Religious of the United States back in the Pre Vatican II Bottle, they are wrong.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:15 PM By Mark from PA
Georgina, I am with you here. I was taught by IHM sisters and many of them are wonderful women. I support our women religious 100% also. I think there are less nuns today because there are so many more opportunities for women today. How many women doctors and lawyers were there 60 or more years ago? Many of the women who had the intelligence for those occupations became nursing sisters and teaching sisters years ago. Also many years ago women were expected to get married. If a woman didn't want to get married or wasn't interested in men, her options were limited. This is not the case today so there are many reasons for the decline in the number of nuns.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:16 PM By Icouldweep
What a gift religious men and women have been to the Church! Appreciate more and criticize less! Everyone has an opinion about a lifestyle that most of these critics know nothing about. A little more support would help all religious men and women be faithful! And priests need it too! Some of you are just angry that no one lives the way you think they should! Time to cleam out some closets (or planks!)
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:35 PM By Mark from PA
David, you say be a real man and be a real woman. "Don't try to be something you are not. You are who God created you." Some of the nuns that I had were rather masculine, this is the way God created them. The one nun that taught me could have been a Marine sargeant. She was heavy handed with a lot of the boys but I never got hit because I was shy and gentle and I think she felt sorry for me. But she respected me for my kind and gentle nature. By having many different kinds of nuns I learned to respect the differences in people. We all have different gifts and are as God made us.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 6:15 PM By JLS
Being taught and learning are two different things.
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 8:26 PM By JLS
So, PA, you never had men teachers?
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Posted Thursday, November 05, 2009 8:31 PM By JLS
Maguire, as per usual, you see ruination as always coming from somewhere else than the person who is ruined. The IHM women ruined themselves; they were not ruined by someone else. Not even the devil can ruin a faithful soul.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 12:34 PM By John F. Maguire
Come on, JLS, I never denied the remissiveness of certain IHM nuns any more than I would ever deny -- since I know many of them personally -- the holiness of many other IHMers -- I mean, those nuns who fought the good fight against the Caspary coup. By the way, in the original CCD discussion of this coup (I've already given the CCD cite to this discussion), your understanding of Carl Rogers' contribution to the Order's downfall seems to me to have been more robust than your present understanding.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 1:43 PM By Dan
" If the men of the church think that this Investigation ( They call it "Visitation"; but we know it for what it truly is.) is going to put the Women Religious of the United States back in the Pre Vatican II Bottle, they are wrong. " I see Benedict 's vision as promoting the continuity of the Church (hermeneutics of continuity vs. rupture). Your comment shows you subscribe to the hermeneutic of rupture and discontinuity. As indicated above by John Maguire, Paul VI was open to IHM experimentation "provided [however] that the purpose, nature, and character the [IHM] institute are safeguarded." The visitation is ocurring because LCWR leadership's own comments and practices raise serious questions as to whether or not the "purpose, nature and character" of the orders have undergone a rupture so fundamental that medicinal measures are required. I might add, male religious orders could use a similar visitation, especially the Jesuits, who seem to have strayed far from the vision of St. Ignatitus.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 2:23 PM By Mark from PA
The IHM sisters that I had are the Pennsylvania Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. JLS, I had almost all nuns for teachers in grade school. In high school I had men teachers for gym, also I had an excellent male French teacher one year and a male Business teacher in 12th grade. I had a wonderful male teacher for 11th and 12 grade English and also had him for a few other courses. He was a great role model for me and is one of my closest friends. He became a priest 10 years after he taught me in high school. The priest that taught me Religion in 11th Grade is an amazing priest and wonderful man. I also consider him to have been a great role model and still keep in contact with him. The priest that taught me Religion the other 3 years of high school, didn't really have anything to do with me. He looked down on and had disdain for me. This man has not been allowed to present himself as a priest for over 10 years. He was a predator and was sent to a center for troubled priests. So I had one bad apple but many good ones.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 4:51 PM By JLS
Men teachers for gym, and male teachers for academics, PA? I guess there's difference that you noticed? PA, it is sad that you had such a sparse association with good men.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 4:55 PM By JLS
Maguire, I was aware as I was composing the recent post re Rogers and the nuns, of it being less something than the former. If robust is the thing that you call it, ok by me. But as in almost all posts, you miss the point, the point being that it was not Rogers who made the nuns abandon the faith, but the nuns themselves who made their own decisions to abandon the faith. No doubt Rogers seduced them, but they were not force in any way to yield.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 2:24 PM By John F. Maguire
JLS: I took the point you say I missed as too perfectly obvious to thematize.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 2:35 PM By John F. Maguire
In reply to Mark from PA: At CCD March 17, 2009, I recount the history of the founding of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Spain in 1848 and I recount a little bit of the subsequent work of these nuns in New Spain cum California. Just for the record -- and without any suggestion that you think otherwise -- the IHMers of your experience belong to a different order of nuns than the California IHMers, an heroic remnant of which, we shouldn't forget, works and prays today in the State of Kansas.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 3:13 PM By Mark from PA
JLS, I had mostly male professors in college. Plus when I was in college, the priest that taught me 11th Grade Religion was no longer in my high school. He was named chaplin of the Newman Center. He had daily Mass which I attended regularly. I give him great credit to helping instill in me a love for Mass and the Eucharist. I also have a great dad, who thanks be to God, is still with us.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 9:14 PM By JLS
Maguire, what is obvious to you is not well expressed in your posts, and this for reasons explained by various others. I think that you assume that because you can plaster all sorts of references with some vague connections that it marks a superior intellect. Wrong. Words are for communicating to others, not for demonstrating acrobatics.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 10:16 PM By JLS
PA, the Newman Center at the university campus I attended from '66 well into the 70s weak on upholding Humane Vitae, and condemning birth control and abortion. The gay movement had not risen to the public domain yet but no doubt that was not condemned either. So, just because you were emersed in Catholicism for your whole life does not really say anything meaningful. Most of it is a cultural thing without its religious foundation ... as is being more and more revealed by the cleaning crews who have begun sweeping out the dirt.
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Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 6:04 PM By Mark from PA
So JLS, were you active in this Newman Center? How often did you go to Mass when you were in college? You have stated that you had many Catholic friends. What positive influence do you feel that your Catholic friends have on you?
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 10:28 AM By John F. Maguire
Sheer Pettifoggery in your part, JLS -- I didn't express what I didn't express because I decided it was too obvious a point. You've heard of the ETCETERA CLAUSE? That's the sheer communicative reality that something else can always be said -- something else can always be added.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 4:07 PM By JLS
Maguire, you have evaded all substantive criticisms.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 4:40 PM By JLS
PA, you misread my post. "I attended" follows "campus", not "Newman Center". I went to Mass only once while I was in college ... because I was not Catholic then, and it was a friend's wedding, where he was not and is not Catholic but his wife was/is ... of the extreme liberal might as well not be Catholic type. My Catholicism began in '79, after which I attended Mass more often than required. I took a few additional college courses after that. The libertine Catholics I knew in my early college days helped to sway me towards libertinism. It was the Jesus Freaks that picked up the pieces and got me headed in the right direction ... as I've often stated, the Sacrament of Baptism holds potent power ... just imagine if those folks were to make use of the rest of the Sacraments!!! I do not think in terms of "positive or negative", which are more suited to the utilitarian world than to any profound spirituality. There were not actually any Catholics at all that put me on the doorsteps of the Church; it was Scripture and faith. Scripture ... all of it ... leads the soul to the Church, despite what protestants and illiterate Catholics, both lay and clerical, say about it. While on the doorstep and then after I was received into the Church, that is where I began to meet many faithful Catholics, whose charisms are manifold such as priestly, monastic, family, spiritual, social, and many more, etc. My Confirmation sponsor was the late Sebastian Temple, whose song ... I always forget the title ... was the main one played at the funeral service of the late Princess Diana ... You can Youtube it up. As far as "many" Catholic friends ... that is a tough one to reply to, PA. My closest friends are not Catholic -- the explanation likely is the fact that I am single and most men my age are with family. My sense of culture is not Catholic at all; Catholic culture is attractive in many ways, but is somewhat stuck in ethnicities not familiar to me ... perhaps too domestic.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 6:01 PM By Mark from PA
JLS, I didn't know if you were involved in the Newman Center at all, that is why I asked the question. That is wonderful that Sebastian Temple was your Confirmation sponsor. I actually met him (in 1972 I think when I was a teen). He actually attended Mass with our chaplin, me and a handful of other people at the Newman Center. What a great man. The song that you refer to may be "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace." I have probably sung this song over a hundred times at Mass. I would say that culturally I am very Catholic. Most of my friends growing up and in college were Catholic. It makes me sad though because a lot of my friends and even some family don't go to Mass as often as they used to.
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