I read NCR’s, March 31,2022, article, “What are we seeking? Old orders or new? Or  not at all” by Joan Chittister. She states, “For years, there has been a growing concern about the diminishing number of priests in the church. Everybody talks about it. I, on the other hand, have watched it all a bit wryly. After all, the real builders of the church, the people who have taken care of the church by developing ministries that few could yet see, but really needed badly, the ones who actually set out to meet the issues of the day and gave their hearts and minds and lifetimes to the world have really been the orders of sisters. They, too, it seems are dwindling in number, if not in spirit. Will anyone notice? Will it matter?” 

Yes, it certainly begs the question, where would our church have been, had it not been

for the enlightening foresight of these true spirit filled Women Religious? The Ministries they have provided are truly life saving in nature for so many marginalized individuals. From soup kitchens to food pantries, to food and clothing for babies. These sisters have been teachers, councilors and nurses. This indeed, is only a small snapshot of their selfless involvement, to be there for others. How unique, they do not utilize the hierarchy’s top down model. They operate from the bottom up. They in no way

confine their Ministry to inside the Church’s walls. Rather, they are outside in the community, providing that ever present beacon of light too so many! 

While the Sisters where doing the actual everyday hard lifting, the planning, standing up for hours during the food preparation and serving of such. What really was the Church  Hierarchy doing at the same time? Where exactly was their own Call to Action, to be  found? Their own absence of presence on issues which today still plague our Church, speaks volumes of their own quicksand of inertia. That same inaction has affected any Catholics’ Liturgy of the Eucharist. With the continuing Priest Shortage, Communion Services will be replacing the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Why isn’t the hierarchy trying in someway to not only address but as well, find a solution? They need only to look back to their Church’s past history and bring back the roles of Women Bishops, Deacons, and Priests. The Sister’s action of presence is certainly reflected in Joan Chittister following words, “They were the living memory of the   Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Israel among us simply “doing good.” 

To learn more about this topic, be sure to opt-in for a chapter of the book, Scandal in the Shadows. Click the image to the right.