Inspirational story, just in time for March Madness!

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barb_finnegan said:
Nice story-but why do these sisters always look so mannish?

Wonder what her foundress St. Julie Billiart would have to say about this?
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I don’t think that Ste. Julie would object in the slightest. She was ‘one with the people’. This sister works at the side of her athletes at Xavier, on the court with them, where it’s hot and they’re smelly. Her dressing in sweats is one way to get their confidence in her, and to show them that she is ‘one with’–them.
 
I think she could be ‘one with them’ without forsaking anything. Using the habit as an excuse or obstacle is just a covert saying that they do not want to wear it. One day, these sisters who have forsaken their identity in society will see that it is the congregations that have habits and are obedient to theMagisterium attract the most candidates. Meanwhile, the liberal sisters on the sidelines are dying off…

St Julie would cry to the Lord to see such a nun dressed like she just came out of bed…
 
Shoshana said:
I think she could be ‘one with them’ without forsaking anything. Using the habit as an excuse or obstacle is just a covert saying that they do not want to wear it. One day, these sisters who have forsaken their identity in society will see that it is the congregations that have habits and are obedient to theMagisterium attract the most candidates. Meanwhile, the liberal sisters on the sidelines are dying off…

St Julie would cry to the Lord to see such a nun dressed like she just came out of bed…
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Amen, Shoshana! 👍
 
Shoshana said:
I think she could be ‘one with them’ without forsaking anything.
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You would need the gift of reading souls to know whether the sister has forsaken anything.
Shoshana said:
Using the habit as an excuse or obstacle is just a covert saying that they do not want to wear it.
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And the ability to read minds to know this.
Shoshana said:
One day, these sisters who have forsaken their identity in society will see
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And the talent of reading the future to know this.
Shoshana said:
St Julie would cry to the Lord to see such a nun dressed like she just came out of bed…
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And the ability to commune with the dead to be able to say this.

I am frankly astonished that you would be so uncharitable based on something as slight as the wearing of a tracksuit on a basketball court.

You raised the issue of faith in the magisterium. This has to be expressed and lived out in many ways. One such way is obedience to the canonical provisions - for instance, canon 220 of the 1983 code - that require we do not impugn the characters of others without just cause. Not wearing a habit does not constitute just cause to attack someone’s faith or good character.

By the way, I’m a religious who wears a habit. I am often surprised by what people project onto that, and very perturbed by the way in which others make unquestioning assumptions about me regarding my moral standing and strength of character based purely on the fact that I wear medieval clothing.

That is dangerous and reductionist. The clothes do not make the man or the woman. Jesus offered his sacrifice for all of us naked on the cross, not dressed in the finery of a king, or in a religious habit. And, it would seem, this sister does some of her work in sweats. That is unremarkable, and not deserving of your contempt.
 
Shoshana said:
I think she could be ‘one with them’ without forsaking anything. Using the habit as an excuse or obstacle is just a covert saying that they do not want to wear it. One day, these sisters who have forsaken their identity in society will see that it is the congregations that have habits and are obedient to theMagisterium attract the most candidates. Meanwhile, the liberal sisters on the sidelines are dying off…

St Julie would cry to the Lord to see such a nun dressed like she just came out of bed…
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If you follow the websites of apostolic orders in the US, you will find that *very few *orders are growing–a handful, at most. You have to count Final Professions, not size of the novitiates. Outside of a half-dozen apostolic orders, very few make it to Final Profession, the only thing that counts. There are many small habited orders that aren’t growing at all. And although the previous (too) large orders are decreasing and ageing, they still attract candidates .
 
anode said:
If you follow the websites of apostolic orders in the US, you will find that *very few *orders are growing–a handful, at most. You have to count Final Professions, not size of the novitiates. Outside of a half-dozen apostolic orders, very few make it to Final Profession, the only thing that counts. There are many small habited orders that aren’t growing at all. And although the previous (too) large orders are decreasing and ageing, they still attract candidates .
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Code:
You do make sense here anode. I would think that the many sisters who are professed in Mother’s Theresa’s order is quite high as compared to so many others. But that is the exception and no the rule. I just finished her (Mother theresa) letters written to many are overwhelming with holiness that she exudes, even through the book. The dark night of the spirit was not purgative in her case, but redemptive. She totally identified with Christ Crucified and the poorest of the poor that she was in darkness for over 40 years.

Now talk about traditional…there is no luxury in her convents but I also realize that the Motherhouse is in Calcutta. I just wonder how Western girls do in her convents as opposed to the East Indian girls.

The message is loud and clear though…Jesus wanted her there. She tried to fill his ‘Sitio’ with her life and the lives of all the Sister. And she succeeded…she persevered and the results were His…
 
Shoshana said:
Code:
:eek::hypno::doh2::console:
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This sister supervised the academic careers of the athletes at her college. She was part of the athletic staff. I think therefore that it is appropriate that she wear sweats on the course while supervising her charges.

Another current thread on Vocations, Disrespect, has discussed the shrill contempt for religious voiced on this thread.
 
anode said:
This sister supervised the academic careers of the athletes at her college. She was part of the athletic staff. I think therefore that it is appropriate that she wear sweats on the course while supervising her charges.

Another current thread on Vocations, Disrespect, has discussed the shrill contempt for religious voiced on this thread.
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Code:
Yes, I have seen the other thread and on the whole I do respect all religious: priest or sister.

It is difficult for me to wrap my head around the sweats part. What difference would it make if she wore the habit to coach? I went to a private school and the nun in charge of all sports, still wore her habit. She would not be expected to do cartwheels or anything during these games. She even showed how to get a basketball in a net with her habit on…Mainly, she coaches the students by her mouth. Wearing sweats or a habit is not relevant to the game.

It seems that some are saying that wearing a habit does not make the nun. This is true…to a certain extent. Wearing a habit gives witness to us laypeople that this nun is consecrated to our God. Sweats do not give one that impression. It makes one think of God seeing that symbol of a consecrated habit. The habit is also for the laypeople as it is also for the nun to remind the world that we are just on a journey here. It is a WITNESS. Again, sweats do not do that.

There probably are very good nuns who are not in habit as opposed to some who are not who wear the habit. No different than spriitual director who 99% of the time wears his collar EVERYWHERE. Isn’t that beautiful?
 
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