Your local diocese should have a diocesan directory and her order IF it is legitimate should be listed there. It would be listed in the diocesan directly regardless of which rite of the church her order was part of. I know this because in Boston where I live the diocesan directly is put out by the Latin rite and ALL rites of the Catholic Church in Massachusetts are listed in it. I also used to volunteer at a PRIVATE Catholic Shelter and it too had to be listed in it although it got no finances from the Catholic Church nor did the Catholic Church have any say on what went on in the shelter.
Not necessarily. I’m an individual with an organization who doesn’t have non-profit status, and I am not on our diocesan website, AFAIK. If the organization is involved in money, then it likely would be on the diocesan website. If the organization is non-profit, the bishop **has **to receive an annual report. I send one yearly as a matter of courtesy.
Emerging charisms, if they don’t have the recognition letter from the bishop, will more than likely NOT be on the diocesan website because they are still experimental. Fr. Gambari, in his book about founding new communities, has stated that in some cases it may be more prudent not to contact the chancery.
I always advise the founders to look to us for support that they need to send a courtesy letter letting the bishop know of their presence in his diocese, but that, depending on the gifts that come to the charism, they may not stay there. That way, all the bases are covered.
Believe it or not, the clergy are actually humbled that their example and work led to others responding to the call to deepen their baptismal promises through the religious life (or other organizations). If the charism is geared toward the works of mercy, they are especially grateful that someone noticed local needs and responded. Canon law says that if the faithful see situations requiring justice, and they have to associate to address the concern
just do it.
In all charity, the OP needs to contact the sister and find out what her status with the diocese is, as Don Ruggero stated. There are admittedly some nuns out there who are trying to found new communities, but their status is “irregular.” That really gets in the way of making any kind of new foundation.
