Ten sisters from the Society of All Saints' Sisters of the Poor will be received into the Church by Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, along with Episcopal Father Warren Tange, the Baltimore archdiocesan newspaper reported last Thursday.
The superior of the community in Catonsville, Mother Christina Christie, affirmed that after studying Catholic teaching for two years, the sisters are "very excited" for their upcoming reception. [So are we...so are we...]
In their convent chapel, the nuns will receive the sacrament of confirmation, and will renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. [Beautiful! Hope they have some photos of the momentous event!]
Their chaplain will also enter the Church at that time, though he is still discerning the possibility of becoming a Catholic priest.
Mother Christina affirmed, "We felt God was leading us in this direction for a long time."
The communiqué noted that many of them were troubled by recent changes in the Episcopal church, including the approval of women's ordination, the ordination of a gay bishop and other "lax" stances on moral issues. [The Do-It-Yourself Christianity of Vicki Gene Robinson]
Another nun, Sister Mary Joan Walker, said, "We kept thinking we could help by being a witness for orthodoxy."
The superior explained, however, that the effort was "not as helpful as we had hoped it would be."
She continued: "People who did not know us looked at us as if we were in agreement with what had been going on [in the Episcopal church]; by staying put and not doing anything, we were sending a message which was not correct."
They acknowledged that some friends in the Episcopal church have been hurt by their decision to leave, accusing them of abandoning the fight to maintain orthodoxy. [Huh?! Anglicanism is fighting for orthodoxy? Since when?]
"We're not," said Sister Emily Ann Lindsey. "We're doing it in another realm right now."
In the uneasiness with certain issues in their church, the sisters spent time researching various Episcopal splinter groups, as well as other Christian denominations. Finally, they came to the realization that they were independently feeling drawn to the Catholic Church.
This is very much the work of the Holy Spirit," Mother Christina said. [Amen to that Mother Christina!]
Now, two years after having begun the study of the Second Vatican Council and other Church teachings, they affirmed that there were hardly any theological obstacles to overcome.
The concept of papal infallibility was a difficulty at first for some, but now the sisters affirm that the Pope exercises an authority not found in the Episcopal church. [And that distinguishes the Catholic Church from other "churches", the Rock who is Peter!]
"The unity that Christ called for can be found in the Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope," they said.
"Unity is right in the midst of all this," said Sister Catherine Grace Bowen. "That is the main thrust."
Two nuns who decided not to become Catholic will nonetheless continue to live with the community and work together with their religious sisters. [how they will live together is something I am really itching to know.]
The nuns dedicate themselves to prayer, giving retreats, visiting people in hospice care, and designing religious cards.
The community, which maintains a traditional full black habit with a white wimple, is a branch of the society founded in England. The American branch has been in Baltimore since 1872, working with the poor in the region as part of their charism of hospitality.
***
God bless Mother Christina and the Sisters. May they remain steadfast in the the True Faith that they have re-discovered. Let us pray for the two other sisters to come home to the Lord's true flock.
Now this is the true aim of Ecumenism!
Welcome home!
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