A Cascadian Catholic
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
A Response to Dave, a Subversive Thomist
Over at Subversive Thomist (a blog everyone should follow) Dave posted a serious of questions about the Vatican's visitation of American Religious Sisters and the proposed reform of LCWR. What follows is a response on my part to his eight questions/concerns.
Hopefully what I wrote (instead of reading Ricoeur for class) is coherent and helpful.
1. It
is important to remember that conferences of religious superiors are formed
only with the consent of the Pope, and operate under his supervision. So LCWR
has a particular relationship with the Holy See, and therefore they have responsibilities
to as an organization adhere closely to the Holy See. This is why there is no
explicit charge. As you read the document
from CDF there is a general concern about LCWR’s problematic Christological
and Ecclesiological standings. One has to remember this is not a condemnation
of an individual or even a specific congregation of sisters, but an assessment of
a “trade group” for over 60,000 religious women.
Overall
I think that the real reasons behind this assessment and reform are such: Frist
of all since Vatican II the number of nuns in the United States has dropped
from over 200,000 to around 70,000. Why? Partially because there was a
vocations boom in the 50’s likely driven as much by sociological factors (WWII,
Cold War, etc.) as spiritual reasons. But the fall off has been much greater
then would be expected, and the average age of nuns in the US is 69. This is
not as true of male orders. This situation is not unique to the US, but it is
the most prominent in the US. Part of the reason for the investigation (not
just of LCWR, but also CMSWR) is too see what role doctrinal issues have in the
weakening of religious life in the US. A reasonable question I would think.
2. I
don’t think this issues is really an issue. The reason being is that
conferences of religious, male or female, are not the place for academic speculation
rather they are places to coordinate ministry, compare notes on practices etc.
The Church has been very encouraging of female religious seeking positions in universities,
in Chanceries, and in the Vatican itself; remember Church institutions change
slowly so don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. Plenty of men and
women, lay and religious make controversial claims, that is not so much the
issue, the issue is more of time and place.
3. There
is a little bit of follow the leader at play here. The Bishops are the pastors,
and thus take the lead on which Catholic institutions ought to follow. I don’t
think the Vatican here is calling for LCWR to focus on these issues even to the
level of what the USCCB is doing, but they need to at least make is something
of a priority, which the document claims they are not.
4. This
one is the most spurious claim you make. In response to the sexual abuse
scandal one of the first things the Vatican did was begin an investigation into
seminaries in the US and begin a series of reforms to improve seminaries. While
the Church is still moping up the mess from previous generations the reform of
the seminaries seems to be bearing many good fruits. Numbers are up; seminaries
have more uniform ways of screening out potentially unstable or otherwise
questionable figures, etc. One of the major things brought up in the CDF
document was the primary need for reformation of the formation programs of LCWR
congregations as well as the need for greater continuing formation (this also
is partially an answer to your question number eight). I see this project of
reform in a very similar light to the one with the seminaries.
5. Achbp.
Sartin does need to work with the sisters very collaboratively and include on
his advisory team a lot of women for this to work out well, ‘nuff said.
6. In
the Catholic world, condemnations usually come first, then one answer charges
against them making either a defense or recant. Its like impeachment. For
example William of Ockham had ideas of his condemned; he went and defended
them, some he backed off of others he sold as legitimate positions to the Pope.
The case of Sister Johnson aside, there are plenty of women contributing to the
intellectual life of the church, it is only the “more out there” stuff that
ends up getting questioned. Books by priests and lay people have received similar
treatment to Sr. Johnson. The involvement of women in theological circles is
growing. The Vatican’s International Theological Commission has one woman on
their main board and one woman on a secondary list. But that is a change from
even fifteen years ago. On this give it time. Church institutions change
slowly, which is both good and bad. Personally I think Rome is populated by Ents.
7&8. Well
LCWR is established by the Papacy and thus clearly owes its obedience directly
to Rome, but the individual congregations that make up LCWR have the question
to ask in a broader way. But the institution that is LCWR as an canonical institution
set up with the permission of Rome operates at his discretion. Obedience for
individual Christians and for congregations of sisters is for sure a more complex
question. Remember at the root of obedience is the word “to hear” and in the
Christian context “to hear the call of Christ.” Institutions like LCWR are set
up by Rome to be supporters of religious women in this project, of how to
answer that call of Christ, instead of heavy-handedly micromanaging religious life
(as has been done in previous generations) the guiding influence of bodies like
LCWR are meant to create a rich and fertile soil out of which religious life
grows and is supported. By ensuring that LCWR is doctrinally sound it is in a
way the effort of Rome to build walls on a Cliffside meadow (you know the
metaphor of the life of faith being like the meadow on the cliff and
dogma/doctrine being like the walls surrounding the meadow that allows everyone
to play and live freely without fear of going over the edge). This is not to
say that some sisters should never explore over the edge of the wall, perhaps
in hopes of surveying new ground to expand the walls on. The purpose of the
LCWR is to create a positive environment in which religious life can flourish.
This
reform is at its heart an attempt to help the sisters in their mission and
spirituality. The hierarchy is trying to make the point that the LCWR should
build the congregations of sisters up in their mission and spirituality and
that does not seem to be happening now. Academic exploration is good, but the
LCWR ought to be building up their member congregations up, to better follow
their rule, better love Christ, and better serve those they have a mission
towards. The goal of the LCWR ought to be the help their member congregations
better think and act with the heart of the Church (by church I mean both
institutional and people of God). This doctrinal review in the end is ultimately
about building a spiritually fruitful ground on which to revitalize religious life
for women in the United States.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Referendum 74
If you live in Washington and haven't signed the petition for Referendum 74 please do so. Don't forget. The organizers are looking for 160,000 signatures. They only need 120,000 but to be safe they are hoping for an extra 40,000. A lot of Catholic parishes have them, you can also find out more through Preserve Marriage Washington's website.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Christus Resurrexit! Χριστός ἀνέστη! Христос Воскресе!
Christ is Risen today! Alleluia!
"Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!" -Paschal Troparion, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
After his death on Friday Christ descended into Sheol, Hades, to preach freedom to the captives and bring the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, all the faithful the the Jewish nation, and those pagans who also joyfully awaited Christ's love who had gone before Christ in death. Breaking forth from death Christ brought Adam and Eve, the first born of our race and all the dead who were faithful to him out of death and to eternal life with the Father in heaven. With the gates of hell now broken open we to joyously wait our time to see God face-to-face!
Christ is truly risen, Alleluia!
"Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!" -Paschal Troparion, Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
After his death on Friday Christ descended into Sheol, Hades, to preach freedom to the captives and bring the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, all the faithful the the Jewish nation, and those pagans who also joyfully awaited Christ's love who had gone before Christ in death. Breaking forth from death Christ brought Adam and Eve, the first born of our race and all the dead who were faithful to him out of death and to eternal life with the Father in heaven. With the gates of hell now broken open we to joyously wait our time to see God face-to-face!
Christ is truly risen, Alleluia!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Diversions
“At the origin of diversion, the will to be diverted or amused at any price, there is an attempt to escape, but from what? It can only be from oneself. The ego is without any doubt faced with a dilemma: to fulfill itself or escape.”
- Gabriel Marcel (Homo Viator, p.83).
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