LCWR denounces Vatican intervention, says critique 'unsubstantiated'

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Inquiringperson said:
catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14497

I have a question. Does the LCWR really represent 83 percent of women religious? They claim so.
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With some 1,500 members, the LCWR members make up about three percent of the 57,000 women religious in the United States. However, the group says it represents 80 percent of American sisters since its members are leaders of their respective religious communities. The average age for members is 74.
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catholicnewsagency.com/news/lcwr-accuses-vatican-investigation-of-using-flawed-process

It is a confusing statistic. Can somebody explain it?
 
Okay.

The LCWR is a conference for the Major Superiors of women religious. When the LCWR meets, typically only the Major Superior of each congregation and perhaps a few more sisters come to represent the congregation. The LCWR has no direct contact with the vast majority of sisters that they “represent.” Only a few sisters of each congregation ever go to the LCWR conventions.

There is another conference for Major Superiors, which is, shall we say… significantly more orthodox, on the whole. This is the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. This group is significantly smaller than the LCWR, but essentially operates in the same format, I believe. Only the Major Superiors of the congregations and perhaps a few other sisters will attend the conferences. The CMSWR, like the LCWR, has no direct contact with the vast majority of the sisters that they “represent.”

Each congregation of women religious can belong to one or the other, or both, of these groups. Most belong to only one. The CMSWR, as I understand it, was created by congregations that were disillusioned with the LCWR.
 
_Abyssinia said:
It is a confusing statistic. Can somebody explain it?
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The members are Mother Superiors. So, the claim is that their congregations constitute 83% of all women religious in the U.S. and therefore the organization represents 83% of women religious.
 
_Abyssinia said:
catholicnewsagency.com/news/lcwr-accuses-vatican-investigation-of-using-flawed-process

It is a confusing statistic. Can somebody explain it?
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The only people who can be “members” of the LCWR are those in leadership positions for thier communities or orders (ie mother supeiror, abbess, etc). That’s the 1500 (about 3 % of all women religious). The LCWR “claims” the entirely of the orders and congregations they represent. So, if Sr.Susan is the head of her congregation of 50 sisters, the LCWR “claims” the whole 50, not just Sister Susan. That’s how they get to the 80% plus number. In some cases, the entirely of a given congregation might approve of what the LCWR does and stands for but in many cases, they don’t.
 
Corki said:
The only people who can be “members” of the LCWR are those in leadership positions for thier communities or orders (ie mother supeiror, abbess, etc). That’s the 1500 (about 3 % of all women religious). The LCWR “claims” the entirely of the orders and congregations they represent. So, if Sr.Susan is the head of her congregation of 50 sisters, the LCWR “claims” the whole 50, not just Sister Susan. That’s how they get to the 80% plus number. In some cases, the entirely of a given congregation might approve of what the LCWR does and stands for but in many cases, they don’t.
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Not fully true.

The Superior is elected to that post by the chapter which in many (if not all) cases is a meeting of all the religious of the community. So the Superior has at least 51% of the sisters behind her. If something is done that they do not agree with then at the next chapter (chapters are held every 3 or 6 years) things can change.

So if there are any communities where a majority of the sisters do not agree with what is going on at LCWR then all they need to do is at the next chapter elect a new superior who will then resign from LCWR and move to CMSWR.

Sort of like our government here in the United States. We may disagree with our congregational representative but when he votes he is representing us.
 
ByzCath said:
Not fully true.

The Superior is elected to that post by the chapter which in many (if not all) cases is a meeting of all the religious of the community. So the Superior has at least 51% of the sisters behind her. If something is done that they do not agree with then at the next chapter (chapters are held every 3 or 6 years) things can change.

So if there are any communities where a majority of the sisters do not agree with what is going on at LCWR then all they need to do is at the next chapter elect a new superior who will then resign from LCWR and move to CMSWR.

Sort of like our government here in the United States. We may disagree with our congregational representative but when he votes he is representing us.
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Yes, but like our government, the superiors of the various religious communities have many more responsibilities than just their participation in the LCWR. It’s possible that a community elects a sister as superior that is great at running the congregation and is an excellent role model for the community. Her work with LCWR might be a minor aspect of why she was elected as superior. In such a case, it is unlikely the sisters would “vote her out” even if they did not approve of what the LCWR was doing.
 
Corki said:
Yes, but like our government, the superiors of the various religious communities have many more responsibilities than just their participation in the LCWR. It’s possible that a community elects a sister as superior that is great at running the congregation and is an excellent role model for the community. Her work with LCWR might be a minor aspect of why she was elected as superior. In such a case, it is unlikely the sisters would “vote her out” even if they did not approve of what the LCWR was doing.
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Actually, I think the number of nuns represented by the LCWR has decreased over the years.
 
Corki said:
Yes, but like our government, the superiors of the various religious communities have many more responsibilities than just their participation in the LCWR. It’s possible that a community elects a sister as superior that is great at running the congregation and is an excellent role model for the community. Her work with LCWR might be a minor aspect of why she was elected as superior. In such a case, it is unlikely the sisters would “vote her out” even if they did not approve of what the LCWR was doing.
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And then just like with our politicians, they get what they elected and can not really say that they do not support it if they continue to vote it into the positions of power.
 
So basically the LCWR speaks for all American nuns the same way Barack Obama speaks for all Americans. Not.

Viva Christo Rey!
 
In a related story, LCWR officials have threatened to use focusing crystals to astrally project their spirits into the Vatican in a sort of “sit-in” protest. Sr. Lilith Moonbeam added, “My phone psychic said this should all work out, as long as we set out the crystals widdershins. I’m a Sagittarius, so my chakras should all be aligned for the ritual. Should be a hoot. Anyway, we’ll show the Pope who the real Catholics are!”
 
Non_sum_dignus said:
In a related story, LCWR officials have threatened to use focusing crystals to astrally project their spirits into the Vatican in a sort of “sit-in” protest. Sr. Lilith Moonbeam added, “My phone psychic said this should all work out, as long as we set out the crystals widdershins. I’m a Sagittarius, so my chakras should all be aligned for the ritual. Should be a hoot. Anyway, we’ll show the Pope who the real Catholics are!”
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Do you have a source for this story or did you just make this up?
 
Non_sum_dignus said:
In a related story, LCWR officials have threatened to use focusing crystals to astrally project their spirits into the Vatican in a sort of “sit-in” protest. Sr. Lilith Moonbeam added, “My phone psychic said this should all work out, as long as we set out the crystals widdershins. I’m a Sagittarius, so my chakras should all be aligned for the ritual. Should be a hoot. Anyway, we’ll show the Pope who the real Catholics are!”
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Do you have a source for this story or did you just make this up?
 
I have wanted to be a nun for a long time. If, somehow my circumstances change in the future and I am able to become a nun, I don’t want to be involved in any congregation that is represented by the LCWR.
 
Non_sum_dignus said:
In a related story, LCWR officials have threatened to use focusing crystals to astrally project their spirits into the Vatican in a sort of “sit-in” protest. Sr. Lilith Moonbeam added, “My phone psychic said this should all work out, as long as we set out the crystals widdershins. I’m a Sagittarius, so my chakras should all be aligned for the ritual. Should be a hoot. Anyway, we’ll show the Pope who the real Catholics are!”
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OMG. this is cracking me up!!! :rotfl:
 
Ecoclimber said:
Do you have a source for this story or did you just make this up?
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No, no–it’s a joke, not a real story. The fact that it might be confused for an actual story is probably all that needs be said about the LCWR, though.
 
Holly3278 said:
I have wanted to be a nun for a long time. If, somehow my circumstances change in the future and I am able to become a nun, I don’t want to be involved in any congregation that is represented by the LCWR.
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I believe that LCWR mainly represents sisters. Nuns are cloistered and mostly belong to the other group.
 
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