Commentary: A tale of two nun organizations

I haven't been watching the Vatican visitation of women religions in the United States very closely.

I do, however, have a fixation on numbers and statistics, so this email forwarded to me caught my eye this morning.

You see, in the mainstream media, it is often claimed that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) represents 95% of women religious  in the United States. 

This is disconcerting, because the LCWR doesn't exactly always agree with Rome.

This email from a sister at the other organization which represents women religious in the U.S. (The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious - CMSWR), paints a slightly different picture:

The LCWR represents approximately 80% of women religious in the USA. CMSWR represents 20% (about 10,000 women religious). We represent 80% of new vocations; LCWR 20% of new vocations.

I don't trade stocks on the market, but even I know a smart buy when I see one. Talk about expanding market share.

Outrageous: Absolutely vile’ advice column tells men how to pressure pregnant women to abort

Sadly ... tragically ... this is the evil voice I hear behind so much of the radical abortion-on-demand movement:

A men’s advice column advising men how to encourage their pregnant girlfriends to abort provides an unsettling glimpse into the realities of abortion. One pro-life leader characterized the column, which highlights some men’s personal desires to avoid the burdens of parenthood, as “a primer for coerced abortion.”

The advice column was authored by Isabella Snow, who is described as a Sex Education Correspondent. It was published on AskMen.com, a risqué site which claims seven million monthly visitors.

The column is bluntly utilitarian in style, focusing on pregnancy’s and abortion’s effects upon the relationship of a man and a woman. It ends each paragraph of advice with a summarizing tip labeled “prenatal prep.” The avoidance of children and fatherhood is a repeated theme.

Snow begins by noting that while male readers may hope a woman will “stick to the original plan and terminate the pregnancy,” some women may suddenly want to become mothers “despite previous agreements.” She advises the male reader to try to make his girlfriend consider his wants and desires by approaching her “correctly” and taking care with his “presentation.”

Snow advises discussing a possible abortion on a sofa at home to provide intimacy and “reduced eye contact,” purportedly to make it easier for the woman to speak “openly.”

“You’ll also want to take care with your word choice; pregnant women tend to feel like they’re carrying someone, as opposed to something, even if she is just a month or so pregnant,” Snow adds. “You can’t just talk about having an abortion the same way you’d talk about having a cavity filled.” (CNA)

CNA updated their story after publishing it, saying "When CNA attempted on Wednesday to access the article again on Askmen.com, we were redirected to the site's main page."

In other words, there is still enough common sense in some of the world to provoke a sense of shame in those who have long since discarded such emotions in pursuit of utility.

But every once in awhile, the mask is discarded long enough for us to see the selfishness of men which is encouraged, and the exploitation of women that results from a cultural that tries to sever sex from new life.

U.S. Women Religious to receive Apostolic Visitation

Recently, the Vatican concluded a comprehensive examination of the seminaries and houses of formation for Priests and male religious. Now it has been announced that a similar procedure will take place for religious sisters in the United States. The Associated Press:

The Vatican has begun a first-ever comprehensive study of women's religious orders in the United States, four decades into a steep decline in the number of Roman Catholic sisters and nuns in the country.

The study, ordered by a Vatican congregation in December and announced Friday in Washington, will examine "the quality of the life" of 59,000 members in more than 400 Catholic women's religious institutes, said Sister Eva-Maria Ackerman, a spokeswoman for the study, which is called an apostolic visitation.

For those interested, Cardinal Franc Rode, who will oversee the Vatican-side of things, has a lengthy text on the topic. There is also an official website for the program.

How the process will work:

First, Mother Clare will solicit voluntary input from the superiors general through inviting them to make personal contacts with her in Rome or in the United States. During the second stage, the major superiors in the United States will be asked for information such as statistics, activities and community practices. Selected on-site visits will be made during the third stage. During this time, the sisters will have an opportunity to share with the visitation teams their joys and hopes, challenges and concerns about their lives as women religious in the Church today. The final stage will be the compilation and delivery of a comprehensive and confidential review by Mother Clare to Cardinal Rodé. (PDF file)

My initial reactions:

• Check-ups are always a good thing. Broadly speaking, however, female religious orders have not exhibited the same set of problems as many seminaries and houses of formation for male religious did (particularly in recent decades). Nevertheless, accountability to the Vatican and attentiveness to the needs of and concerns about female religious should yield good fruit.
• The initiative appears well-run at the outset. The website, transparency of the process, etc., are welcome changes of pace from the (sadly) more typical situations of bureaucracy and inneficiency that plague these sort of huge undertakings.

But that's just me. I'd especially be interested to hear what people closer to the process are thinking, especially religious sisters, although obviously many cloistered orders and sisters in their postulancy stage don't always have access to the internet (or time to fritter away on humble blogs like my own). Still, it's worth a shot.

Proposed: Women lectors

CNS Blog:

Probably the most newsy — and somewhat unexpected — item in the final propositions of the Synod of Bishops on the Bible was a proposal to allow women to be officially installed in the ministry of lector.

The issue was raised in Proposition 17 on “The ministry of the word and women,” and on Saturday morning it passed with 191 votes in favor, 45 opposed and three abstentions, according to our sources.

... The question is whether women can be officially installed in such a ministry. Until now, the Vatican has said no: canon law states that only qualified lay men can be “installed on a stable basis in the ministries of lector and acolyte.” At the same time, canon law does allow for “temporary deputation” as lector to both men and women, which is why women routinely appear as lectors.

Disagreement:

It’s interesting that this proposal, while passing overwhemlingly, drew the greatest number of “no” votes than any of the other 54 propositions, most of which passed with fewer than five opposing votes.

Waiting to hear a canonist's take...

Report: Women leaving christianity for ... Wicca

And what's promoting this trend? The teen-TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"!

Now, Religion News Blog can tend to be a bit alarmist, but it's still noteworthy:

The old-fashioned attitudes and hierarchies of churches are causing a steep decline in the number of female worshippers, according to an academic study.

The report claims more than 50,000 women a year have deserted their congregations over the past two decades because they feel the church is not relevant to their lives.

It says that instead young women are becoming attracted to the pagan religion Wicca, where females play a central role, which has grown in popularity after being featured positively in films, TV shows and books.

.. Over the past decade, it claims, women have been leaving churches at twice the rate of men.

In addition, the census is said to show that teenage boys now outnumber girls in the pews for the first time.

It's only a hunch of mine, but I'd imagine this is a greater problem for Protestant denominations.

"Immodest Dress in the Church: Like Frogs in Boiling Water"

An open thread discussion topic:

In recent years what with acceptable fashion standards taking a major plunge (literally) into the realm of 'anything goes', young women are left to face conscious decisions in how they dress themselves, not realizing the weight that such decisions carry.

Speaking to youth in Australia on July 18, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned modesty as he told of how becoming fully human means rejecting those voices that lead us into worshipping 'false gods.'

"People sometimes treat others as objects to satisfy their own needs rather than as persons to be loved and cherished. How easy it is to be deceived by the many voices in our society that advocate a permissive approach to sexuality, without regard for modesty, self-respect or the moral values that bring quality to human relationships! This is worship of a false god. Instead of bringing life, it brings death."

Those women who wish to remain modest in their dress have been increasingly left to their own defenses as recent fashion trends leave 'conservative dress' virtually impossible, if not extinct. Nowadays, anyone left clinging to conservative dress in the incoming tide of cleavage-baring tank-tops and clothing requiring classification (i.e. 'is that a shirt or a dress?') is left feeling, quite simply, alienated. - Jenna Murphy

The commentary goes on to describe "Pure Fashion" a specialized group that "challenges young women to embrace the fullness of their femininity: which means recognizing the power inherent to the human body and respecting this great gift (through dressing modestly) instead of harvesting its power for selfish reasons."

Your thoughts?

The plight of the teddy bear schoolteacher and feminist silence

A revealing editorial by Tammy Bruce:

There has been appropriate international outrage over the treatment of Gibbons, from virtually everyone except American “feminists.” Multiple Muslim groups in the U.K. have condemned the sentence. Even the popular little boy in Mrs. Gibbons’ class who suggested the name for the bear came to her defense, explaining that he named the bear after himself.

Yet, when asked by FOX News for a comment about the situation, a National Organization for Women spokeswoman said they were "not putting out a statement or taking a position."

This is how depraved the American left has become. A little Muslim boy in Sudan shows more courage and conviction for a woman under fire than a bunch of women sitting in Washington, D.C., who preen themselves on being the premiere “advocates” for women.

...

This wholesale abandonment of women by the American so-called feminist leadership on an issue that transcends party politics perfectly illustrates how vapid, and even malevolent, they have become. Where is Eleanor Smeal? Gloria Steinem? Kim Gandy of NOW has proven where she is — with the rest of her cohorts hiding behind the NOW couch, save she would be required to take a position that might "offend" Islamists.