Please see the “Orthodox orders reminder” at the top of this page. I personally would prefer to rely on the Holy See rather than anonymous judgmental people on the internet for determining what congregations are approved. There are many congregations precisely because not everyone finds a spiritual home in the same place.
Already looked up the ‘Orthodox orders reminder’ that a moderator posted, but that doesn’t justify your point, because this matter involves diving deeper under the surface.
A difficult part in my 2nd year of this discernment journey of religious life is determining who religious community orders really are under the surface, under what they tell you they are but don’t actually live it. There is more than meets the eye, when one experiences time with a religious community in-person to recognizing how align they are with Jesus’ teachings and Catholic Church. Are you familiar with CMSWR & LCWR? CMSWR are Catholic religious communities of women that align their way of life with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church by wearing the traditional religious habit, do chores themselves, & much more. On the other hand, LCWR are Catholic religious communities of women that don’t align their way of life with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, but believe in equality to all people (homosexuals included), support feminism (a particular order I visited in-person was planning on strongly voting for Clinton- sure enough, I looked up that order & they were part of the LCWR), pay lay people to do their chores because they’re “too busy”, and much more. LCWR don’t wear religious habits- they believe in blending in with society by wearing common everyday clothes to be accepted within society and typically wear short hair sometimes with a religious pin on the shirt that symbolizes a religious order they are part of. I continue to make time researching, visiting in-person these (both CMSWR & LCWR) Catholic religious communities to eventually discover which traditional community God is calling me to belong, according to His will.
It is uncanny that discerners are notified very little about CMSWR & LCWR. When I asked VISION Vocation to only send me CMSWR religious communities to find a better match, they said it wasn’t allowed, since most religious communities don’t like to share which one they are to reduce the divide between the two. Wow, so that tells me that those that don’t follow the Magisterium of the Catholic Church anymore know that they could lose their chances of Catholic women entering their orders… if discerners only knew each religious orders true colors & which one those orders take pride in supporting.
Interesting fact- According to most CMSWR religious communities that I looked up on their website, most don’t require a college degree & this is because they historically and traditionally follow the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, meaning that most of their services to others are thru healthcare, social services, and mission. According to the LCWR religious communities that I met and talked with in-person, they require a college degree so that I can use my talents and skills to serve their community and those they serve.
I take this discernment journey of religious life very seriously and I’m not comfortable supporting an order that doesn’t align themselves with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church or traditional Catholic teachings.
((to be cont’d))
