"Sisters of Mercy Nuns on Temptation, Wedding Veils, and the Future of the Catholic Church" - Article

[catholic03]

I liked this article that was published on my local news outlet a month or so ago. It’s a short interview with two of the sisters at the convent in Timaru, New Zealand.

Stuff

"Diana and Lorraine Thomas have no regrets over never marrying or having children or even their unlikely career choice.

They both have worn wedding veils and still wear wedding rings. They are biological and spiritual sisters - married symbolically to Jesus.

Along with two other Sisters of Mercy who are in their 90s, Sister Adrian and Sister Celine, they live in the 12 bedroom convent in Timaru built in 1982 which has no double glazing or ensuites.

They’re among a dwindling number of women who chose to devote to faith and church…"

 

[InThePew]

Many female religious orders are dwindling because they lack a sense of identity as a result of dropping the habit, expanding into overly-diverse areas of ministry and moving away from traditional community structures. The habit is/was something whcih enabled them not just to be identified as religious sisters but also to express the identity of their order. Without it, they’re just another blue-rinse granny on the street. If asked “what is it that your order does”, many couldn’t answer in a single sentence (at least not without including the words “lots of things”) and this again, goes to identity - any charism needs to be able to be expressed (and evidenced) simply and succinctly if others are to be attracted to it. Finally, many religious no longer live in community as such, but rather in twos or threes with little communal life. Yet, life lived in community is supposed to be at the heart of what any religious order is about, otherwise the relationship between members of the same order is casual at best - like members of the same club rather than sharers of a consecrated life.

 

[catholic03]

The article says: “In the Christchurch diocese, there were 486 nuns in 1970, 190 in 2000, and just 100 in 2016.”

I find this figure worrying. Especially as the diocese has grown greatly in population since 1970.

 

[InThePew]

Most orders have undergone an identity crisis since Vatican II which called for them to reconnect with their original charism. That’s not the fault of the Council but unfortunately for some (many?) orders it lead to them wandering off into assorted areas of ministry and, in doing so, losing their sense of identity. There are however some orders which are growing - like the Nashville Dominicans - but they have yet to establish a community in New Zealand.